I’d been working on a series of blog posts about PodCamp Boston before finding C.C. Chapman’s blog post regarding the changing of a rule that PodCamps should be free to attend. Kind of turned my blogging plans upside down.

In the beginning, the PodCamp organizers wrote seven rules that define what a PodCamp is and is not. The original seven are still on the main PodCamp page. But according to C.C., Rule 4, which states

All sessions and events must be free of charge to attend

has been revoked. Since I didn’t attend the announcement yesterday (had to catch a plane), I can’t comment authoritatively on how Chris Penn and Chris Brogan came to the conclusion that the “must be free” rule needed to go, but I did attend a session on the future of PodCamp where the issue was discussed by organizers of previous “big city” PodCamps, along with the folks who run Podcasters Across Borders. Many of the 20 or so participants noted the large number of no-shows in Boston, and the costs associated with venue, staff and t-shirts for all. More than once, and it is also a theme in the comments on C.C.’s post today, I heard people proclaim that a nominal fee of say, $20, would discourage very few people from attending a one or two-day event like PodCamp. A few also pointed out that charging attendees would lessen the need for reliance on sponsors who usually expect something in return for their money.

There is some merit to these arguments, especially in terms of getting people to show up to events they’ve committed to. But the changing of a founding principal, much more than simply charging for a particular event, has wider implications for PodCamp and the unconference model of community-led learning that it’s supposed to represent.

Twenty bucks won’t break many people who would attend PodCamp, that’s true. But the difference between free and not free represents a line in the sand. Cross it and the rules and ethics by which you organize such an event become blurrier. How much can you charge? What should the fee cover? Should press people like yours truly, along with speakers and sponsors get a certain number of free tickets? Should there be a “deluxe” package for companies who want to send lots of people to PodCamp? How about an “executive briefing” or “workshop” day that costs $200 a pop and essentially funds the free stuff? Will answering “yes” to any or all of these questions change the content and community and grassroots aesthetic?

You bet it will. and it will do one more thing: it will result in at least two tiers of PodCamp events, to a greater extent than is already true.

Most of the veterans in the Saturday discussion of PodCamp’s future had put together big city events on the east coast. Their potential attendance,and their costs are higher than those of regional events like PodCamp San Antonio or PodCamp Arizona. And it is in Philadelphia, Boston, New York, and other big markets, that PodCamp will cost money to attend, because the visions of the organizers will be grander, the venues spiffier, the sponsor deals bigger. On the flip side, regional organizers will still find community colleges wiling to loan a classroom or two, the presenters will be podcasters with more to say about how to code an RSS feed or choose a mic than how to brand yourself in new media way, and folks might just decide that they don’t need another t-shirt. Personally, I’d like to retain some middle ground, where local podcasters can listen to and participate in great discussions, but not feel burdened by the trappings of industry conferencing. That’s valuable in Philly AND San Antonio.

I’m disappointed that the revocation of the always free rule was not announced early on, or at least made an announced topic of discussion at the sparsely attended PodCamp’s future session. If ever an idea needed community discussion and perhaps further refinement, this one certainly did. Here are a few points I would have made;

• Alternative funding options exist, including charging for “extra” events such as parties, lunch and t-shirts. Attendees could also be asked for an optional donation at registration, or encouraged to donate to the umbrella organization, which could distribute money to help local PodCamp organizers get going. More creative people than me can surely think of additional means of raising funds.
• Rules and ethics for the acceptance of sponsorship money, the maximum price of PodCamp admission, etc. should be discussed and drafted.
• Organizers who feel they need to charge attendees should examine their own expectations and those of likely attendees, to be sure that the two match, and that the organizers are in touch with what potential attendees want to get from their local PodCamp.

Tomorrow, I’ll have a few things to say about content and aesthetics at PodCamp.

This entry was posted on Monday, October 29th, 2007 at 1:37 pm and is filed under Blog Entry. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.