Last weekend was PodCamp Toronto, a free UnConference surrounding the ever evolving new media realm.
I attended several sessions that broke down into one of two categories; metrics and technical. I enjoyed the technical sessions a bit more, as the metrics sessions often felt like a sales pitch.
My favorite was Government 2.0 by Mike Kujawski. It helps that I’ve had some experience in this realm as well, before the term government 2.0 was even a gleam in someones eye I was pushing municipal governments to jump into the web and to use it to connect with citizens more directly and efficiently. The Mayor of Fort Frances got the message in early 2005 and despite being unfamiliar with new media he was willing to jump in feet first. So it’s always interesting to see where government is changing in response to shifting trends with citizens.
All in all it was a very enjoyable experience; I’ve already expressed my interest in helping organize next years PodCamp Toronto, and I got to meet a number of great people who I hope to stay in contact with. If you have the chance next year you should definitely come out, and in the mean time see if there is a PodCamp near you!
