They descended upon Pittsburgh like media moguls -- each one with a different media asset. Some produce feature length videos; others create radiolike talk shows; and still others -- including Internet hosting companies and consultants -- deal in the businesses that empower these multimedia creators. But they all were there for the same reasons: to exchange ideas and network face-to-face at PodCamp Pittsburgh.

It was only the second such event in the world -- an un-conference dedicated to the art and business of podcasting, in which people known as podcasters post multimedia on the Internet so their audiences can subscribe and listen or watch. It was an un-conference because the coordinators wanted each participant to pitch in, not just listen or watch -- and pitching in could mean presenting a session, serving food or taking out the garbage. New sessions were added every few hours over the two day period, hosted by people attending who thought they could help the collective good. And if the response of the 150 plus attendees (er ... participants) was any indication, they did a lot of good.

		David Radin is a freelance writer for the Post-Gazette and business consultant. You can contact him at www.megabyteminute.com.

Justin Kownacki, writer/producer of online soap opera SomethingToBeDesired.com, put PodCamp Pittsburgh together with the help of Chris Brogan, the entrepreneur who coordinated the first PodCamp a few weeks earlier in Boston. He solicited a solid foundation of volunteers from the young and thriving community of local podcasters; and he found donations from various local businesses that were willing to help build the foundation of what might become another local business base. Pittsburgh Filmmakers provided the facilities, and others provided food, drink, T-shirts, manpower and money.

If it sounds like I'm in awe of PodCamp, I am -- because it was like going back 10 to 15 years to the initial energy of the emerging Internet. Yet, PodCamp exuded a volunteerism that I never saw at the early Internet conferences. Those conferences were motivated by business. You always could count on telecommunications companies, database vendors and fledging Web designers to participate in conferences of the early and mid-'90s. There was a profit motive for each of them.

At PodCamp, the profit motive was there, but few participants understood the models that would take them there. Everybody knew that it was different from traditional media. Typical audiences for podcasters, bloggers and vloggers (video bloggers) are in the dozens or hundreds, not in the millions like traditional media companies service. So it would take a different business model to make money.

Podcasting misunderstood

There was a lot of variety in the group in terms of knowledge base. Some were expert podcasters; others were podcaster wannabes looking for help starting up. One naive attendee even happened upon the un-conference thinking it would help him operate his newly purchased iPod. (He found out quickly that something else was stirring the crowd.)

I was glad that I took the surprising advice of Mike Woycheck of the Pittsburgh Technology Council, one of the most knowledgeable people I know in this emerging realm. When I asked him which session to attend, he said: "I'm going to start with the session on podcasting basics. Care to join me?" Even though that session, presented by Rob Walch of Boston-based Podcast411.com, was about basics, it included expert-level information making it worthwhile for savvy podcasters, too. Yet Mr. Walch presented it so novices could follow almost every word. It was a strong start to a strong conference, er ... un-conference -- one that will be the model for another this year in San Francisco, and even more next year in cities such as Copenhagen, Denmark; Toronto; New York; and again in Pittsburgh. You can start to participate in these and the other un-conferences at podcamp.pbwiki.com.