PodCamp is what you make it. If you simply go to the sessions and keep to yourself, you won’t get much more out of it then if you had read through a few blog recaps of the event. The attendee list is full of friendly and approachable people just waiting to share ideas and grow their network.

I have to disclose that I only attended a 1/2 day on Saturday and a 3/4 day on Sunday due to being a loyal husband and loving father. (In case my wife reads this blog). But in that time I met some great people and learned a thing or two about social media, branding, SEO and networking.

Sessions I Attended

• Turning Buzz into Business – Christopher Penn
• Smart Social Media Marketing Panel Discussion – Greg Verdino, Doug Haslam, Adam Broitman and Philip Robertson
• Building Your Brand Through Passion & Community – C.C. Chapman
• Social Media Strategies – Chris Brogan
• Extreme Website Makeover – Michelle Wolverton, Whitney Hoffman, Chris Penn

Sessions I Wish I Attended

• What is Seesmic?  – Phillipe Lejeune
• “Making the Case for Social Media: Compelling Information to Deliver to Skeptics and Loved Ones Alike” – Ben Grossman and Marta Kagan
• Academic Technology – Kabren Levinson
• Social Media Marketing is not Evil – Matt Peters
• Breaking Into the Conversation, Busting the Cliques – Leslie Poston
• SEO 101 – Srikar Nagubandi
• Integrating User Generated Content into Your Marketing and Sales Mix – John Wall
• Marketing Over Coffee with David Meerman Scott, John Wall, and Christopher Penn
• Spam in Social Media: Lessons Learned from Email – Kee Hinckley
• Email Marketing’s Role in New Media – Greg Cangialosi

Networking/Mingling Recap

• Great pre-un-keynote round table discussion with @bengrossman @jamesconnors @andykenneally (Andrew just happens to be cousins with a college friend of mine, small world) among others
• Discussion about social media in a traditional industry with @tinkugallery who drove down from Toronto for PodCamp Boston. Good luck with the new gallery!
• I met a friend of @andykenneally, Rory, who used to live across the street from me in Sommerville, MA back in the day (very small world indeed!).
• Lunch on Sunday with @jamesconnors @gradontripp @danitifft @repcor @thespottedduck @dmitrigunn @mikelangford and others I did not have a chance to speak with.
  
• Conversation with CC Chapman about Twitter-themed baby clothes from Old-Navy and Twittering Teddy Get’s a Fail Whale.
• Met a twitter friend and fellow #redsox fan @jstorerj
• Had Chris Brogan apologize to me if he had already introduced himself since he ‘does a lot of drugs’ 😉
• And sadly I missed out on the prize drawing at the closing un-keynote on Sunday. Too Bad!

So a big Thank You to the presenters and organizers of PodCamp Boston 3 for making this event great. Your hard-work and dedication to the event is much appreciated.