PodCamp Memories

This weekend I attended PodCamp Pittsburgh 6.  Despite wanting to go for the two previous PodCamps, I wasn't able to make it until this year so this was my first PodCamp.  It turns out that I wasn't alone and about half the attendees were also newbies.

I was so nervous heading into this.  Everyone assured me that I should stop stressing out about it because people were going to be welcoming and fun.  Still, I felt a little (ok, A LOT) like the new kid trying to sit at the popular table in the lunch room on her first day.

Except it turns out there isn't a popular table.  As they say at PodCamp, we're all Rockstars.

The festivities kicked off Friday night with a Meet and Greet.  In spite of getting into a minor accident on the way there and a paucity of parking, I arrived only about a half hour after it started.  I chatted with people I already knew and met a bunch of new people as well.  I felt so much more at ease about showing up to PodCamp the next morning after going to the Meet and Greet.  It was fun!

PodCamp itself was informative, interesting, funny, social, and (most of all) FUN.  I learned a lot.  I met awesome new people.  From the perspective of someone who had never been before, I can't say enough things about how great it was.  There were sessions I wanted to be in but couldn't (because I was attending other sessions) and I'm looking forward to watching them once the video gets posted.  Beyond that, everyone there made it a point to be friendly and helpful to one another.  If you have to be in a roomful of strangers, this is the roomful of strangers to be in.

In short, if you've never been to PodCamp and you want to go, DO IT.  Don't follow my nervous nelly example and be scared.

Last, I leave you with four words: Vegan Death Metal Chef.  You learn about all kinds of things at PodCamp.