The Power of Podcasting for Performers, Artists, Talk Radio Hosts, and Entrepreneurs

Summer camp, anyone? In less than two weeks, a few hundred friends and colleagues and I will be pitching tents at PodCamp City Online. I hope you'll join us there July 28, 2007.

What's on the menu? We will not have marshmallows, but we will toast the the joys and benefits of podcasting from 9:00 AM-9:30 PM, Eastern Time.

Why not come gather 'round the campfire from 7:00 PM-8:00 PM, Eastern Time? That's when I'll be hosting "The Power of Podcasting for Performers, Artists, Talk Radio Hosts, and Entrepreneurs."

Want to be spotlighted? My session, and others throughout the day, offer numerous opportunities to showcase your podcast, serve as a case study, ask questions and give feedback. To participate in my session, register for PodCamp City Online and follow the instructions provided at Lisa Tolliver On Air and Online: The pod people are coming! Come join us.

Are you wondering: "Whoa! What are podcasting and PodCamp?" Then read this post and participate in PodCamp City Online.

Need podcasting advice and tools, pronto? Then check out Shared Tools and Common Knowledge >> PodCamp.pbwiki.com, TheFreeSite.com: Free Sounds and Music, and the books featured here and in the ads below.

More interested in traditional camping? There are some resources here for that, too and in the ads below.

The pod people are coming! Come join us.

The pod people are coming! And I'm one of 'em. Come join us at summer camp on July 28, 2007. We'll be pitching tents at PodCamp City Online, the virtual “un-conference” about everything podcasting.

1. WHEN IS IT? - July 28, 2007 from 9:00 AM – 9:30 P.M., Eastern Time.

2. WHERE IS IT? - PodCamp City Online is, well, online. You can register access information and participate at the PodCamp City Online wiki. NOTE: webcam owners who intend to participate in the underwear should first read: WHAT HAPPENS AT PODCAMP STAYS AT PODCAMP, SORT OF.)

3. WHO SHOULD PARTICIPATE? Anyone interested in podcasting, from beginners to experts, from tire-kickers to techno-geeks. In particular, I invite members and friends of The Field and SCORE: Counselors to America's Small Business who have something to say, show, sell or learn – that means YOU! - to participate in sessions we are hosting.

4. WHAT ARE PODCASTS? Anyone who asks really should attend PodCamp City Online! Good defnitions are available at Yahoo! Podcasts and at Podcast –Wikipedia.

5. WHAT IS A PODCAMP? – PodCamp.pbwiki.com states:

A PodCamp is a FREE BarCamp-style community UnConference for podcasters and listeners, bloggers and readers, and anyone interested in New Media. The first PodCamp was held September 8-10, 2006 in Boston, Massachusetts. PodCamps are now being held worldwide.

You do NOT need to be a podcaster to attend a PodCamp. If you're interested in podcasting or blogging, if you're a podsafe musician (or want to be), or just someone curious about podcasting and new media, then please join us -- and bring a friend or colleague.

6. WHAT HAPPENS AT PODCAMPS? PodCamps (in New Media parlance) are “meet-ups” by the pod-people, for the pod-people, where everyone from tire-kickers to techno-geeks participate in panel discussions, seminars, demonstrations, chat fests, and meet-and-greets. Most live sessions are interactive.

7. WHAT CAN PERFORMING ARTISTS LEARN AT PodCamp City Online? Come learn how podcasting can promote you and your work, build and engage stakeholders, raise funds, and sell tickets and wares. (Yep, there can be gold in them thar podcasting hills.)

8. WHAT IS THE PodCamp City Online ITINERARY? You can access scheduled sessions and add new sessions at the PodCamp City Online wiki. Learn about how to participate in The Field’s sessions below.

9. WHAT IS THE FIELD DOING FOR PodCamp City Online?

• Hosting Sessions and Artist Showcases: The Field’s Membership Director Patricia Burgess and member/multimedia artist Lisa Tolliver have “pitched tents” to host interviews, case studies, and show-and-tell sessions with members and friends of The Field. They invite you to join them.
• Transforming The Field’s members into pod-people. Lisa Tolliver offers seminars on Harnessing the Power of the World-Wide Web and on The Power of Pocdcasting. She can also help create your pod-presence before (and after) PodCamp City Online. She is offering special rates for The Field’s members. Contact her at ltolliver AT 360meridian.com.

10. HOW CAN MEMBERS AND FRIENDS OF THE FIELD PARTICIPATE IN PodCamp City Online?

• Be a voyeur and voyear: watch and listen.
• Be an active audience member: ask questions, get answers, get noticed, and network.
• Be a session leader.
• Be featured in a case study, interview or feedback session.
• All of the above!

11. HOW CAN ONE GET FEATURED IN THE FIELD’S PodCamp City Online SESSIONS?
Send an email to patricia AT thefield DOT org and copy ltolliver AT 360meridian DOT com.

• Include PodCamp City Online in the Subject Line.
• Provide the following information:
  

  .Your name, phone number and email address.
  .Your discipline.
  .Your company/tour name and website.
  .Brief description of your goals for the session (e.g., to get advice on how podcasting can help you, to obtain feedback and pointers for your podcast, to participate in a meet the artist interview, other – please specify).
  .URLs to relevant home page(S), blog(s), podcast(s),
  press kit(s), reviews, etc.
  .URLs to media you’d like to include in the
  session, e.g., photographs, videos, audio files.
  .The title of your podcast site, if you own one or want to create one.
  .Your preferred time to participate.

• After reviewing your materials, we’ll contact you to schedule your session and to discuss any other relevant, open items.

12. WHERE DO I REGISTER/LEARN MORE/CHECK IN? Visit the PodCamp City Online wiki.

13. WHAT HAPPENS AT PODCAMP STAYS AT PODCAMP, SORT OF. - - All PodCamp City Online sessions will be archived to permit on-demand access, in perpetuity, to the world, free of charge. They’ll be accessible at the PodCamp City Online wiki.

BlogCatalog Bloggers for Good Fundraising Challenge

On Friday, I received the invitation enclosed below. I not only accepted it, I've bookmarked DonorsChoose.org, subscribed to the newsletter, and registered to generate support for my courses and Arts-in-Education projects.

Now I am also extending the invitation to you.

Be Part of Blogging History on Monday, May 28th

This Monday, May 28th, join thousands of bloggers and use your blog to benefit DonorsChoose.org, a non-profit Web site that brings teachers and donors together to fund specific student projects that range from "Magical Math Centers" to "Cooking Across the Curriculum."

BlogCatalog would like to challenge you to join the blogging community and use your blog to draw attention to and raise funds for this underserved non-profit organization that does so much good for our children and our schools.

To participate, all you need do is:

• Write a short blog post about DonorsChoose.org and the importance of raising money for our schools (visit their site to learn more),
• Include the BlogCatalog Challenge Link (http://www.donorschoose.org/donors/viewChallenge.html?id=16793)
• Post it to your blog on Monday, May 28th with the post title of BlogCatalog Bloggers for Good Fundraising Challenge
• Donate if you feel the urge.

The goal is to raise $25,000 for schools around the country, many of which are in New Orleans. Our hope is that we will blow this goal away and raise far more money. If we do we will have set a precedent that will enable the blogging community to do a bunch of good for other causes in the future.

We truly hope you will join us and use your blog as a tool for good and set an example for others of the the real value of online social communities.

Kind Regards,

Antony Berkman
BlogCatalog.com
Connecting Bloggers

BlogCatalog.com · 7162 Eckhert Road · San Antonio · TX 78238###

The SBA offers a new, free, online course for aspiring entrepreneurs

You can't get too much of a good thing. The United States Small Business Administration (SBA) must agree; the agency's distance learning curriculum (already over 25 courses strong) is constantly expanding. The most recent addition is a self-paced "Small Business Primer" entitled Strategies for Success: Guide to Starting a Small Business.

HispanicBusiness.com reviewed the primer in: SBA Offers New Free Online Course For Aspiring Entrepreneurs (April 30, 2007). The course landing page describes the class as "easy to use and comprehensive. It can be completed in about 30 minutes."

I recommend the course and other SBA resources to all small business owners. I also recommend the free and low-cost offerings provided by the SBA's non-profit volunteer arm: SCORE: Counselors to America's Small Business.

DISCLOSURE: I rotate as host and producer of SCORE Radio, sponsored by SCORE Westchester, Chapter 306. I have also taught seminars for the SBA, SCORE and other government and entrepreneurial organizations, in addition to for-credit undergraduate and graduate business courses.