What is
PCWM you ask?
Well that my friends is an acronym for Podcamp Western Massachusetts,
which then translates into group of people gathering to learn more about this
thing we call social media…Okay from the outside that might be what Podcamp
looks like.
From the inside
Podcamp is a day where energy builds on energy, where friendships are made
instantaneously, where you learn about social media as a marketing tool, and
where you brainstorm with like minds about how to make things better!
Most importantly, Podcamp is a day that
permanently debunks the myth that social media is causing the world to be
increasingly disconnected.
The spontaneity of the day was something special. The schedule was comprised of sticky
notes on a wall that were shifted as needs were met. When I first saw the giant sticky notes I knew I was surrounded by creative genius.
Why? Because everyone knows
that all of the best ideas are at first written on sticky notes, of course.
My first seminar by
Thom Fox was entitled, “Transforming
Online Connections into Offline Relationships” There were so many nuggets in
this very short 45 minutes…For instance Thom listed some best practices like:
Promoting other
people is the most important part of social media! With that in mind I’d like to give a shout out to my new and
old friends from Podcamp. Check
out the links to learn about many amazing people.
Doug Merrill of Merrillauto.com
Every person at this event made as many if not more
connections, and I am positive that these connections will make the world a
better place.
Thom ended his presentation with this quote, “They say it
takes a village to raise a child, I say it takes a village to sustain an
economy.” And to that I say, “Well
said Thom Fox!”
I left this session high as a kite…Okay not literally, Let’s
say I left this session really caffeinated and ready to roll. I ran (or waded through the sea of
excited people) to the sticky note schedule, and the number of presentations
had multiplied. There were so many
more to choose from. I found that
the presentation I had planned to take had been moved to a different location
(The Sticky note was unstuck and restuck underneath a different room’s
column).
I decided to take “Are Introverts or Extraverts better at
social media networking.” presented by Val Nelson. I have known Val for a couple of years, and in fact it was
her suggestion that got me to podcamp in the first place. I was certainly curious about this
topic. I am an introvert, which
does not mean that I am shy, or that I don’t like people (Wow would I be in the
wrong business). It means that at
the end of the day, I need a little time with my thoughts to recharge. But does being an introvert mean that I
am better at social media networking than those that recharge by spending time
with people?? That was the curiosity that sent me to Val Nelson’s session.
Before the session started, I was still riding the caffeine-underscored
energy of being around all sorts of like-minded people.
I was chatting with Jeff Rock of
Swiftriver Coaching.
I had just
learned about QR codes and texted Laurie Johnson that QR codes could be a way
to market our business, and as always she texted back to me that she was just
talking to her brother in law about QR codes (It is amazing how often this kind
of thing happens with us).
I then
took the time to send her this video, which made Jeff Rock literally laugh
out loud!
Then I took a breath, looked
at the time, and realized that it was nine minutes until the next session.
Clearly I needed every minute of that
time to get to the next space for Val’s session, so I entered the elevator and
it closed upon the chaotic fabulous scene of the third floor of podcamp.
I rode the elevator two floors and the
doors opened upon my destination, where about thirty people were sitting almost
completely silent waiting for Val’s session.
Now that is juxtaposition!
.
The
illustration between the different energy sources at both ends of my elevator
ride was illustrated by Val Nelson’s session. Are introverts or extraverts better networkers? The conclusion we came to was that
introverts and extraverts network differently, and dabbling in both kinds of
energies is beneficial. We also
discussed the possibility that while there may be a slight extrovert bias in
in-person networking situations, social media may just be leveling the playing
field. I also learned that I must
go and buy the book Quiet by Susan Cain. Thank you Val!
 |
| Jeff Rock was equally jazzed by this event |
Next, I entered a session entitled, “BodyTalk,” in which
Paul Bogush explored non-verbal communication with us.
His energy exuded real expertise and excitement about
the subject.
I knew I was in the
presence of another movement geek!!!! Oh what a great day this was! There were
two stand out things about Paul’s session.
First, he gave us all a tic tac, told us to place it on our
tongue and then asked us to count from 1 -10.
In my mind, I started counting and felt the distorted words
change to louder, clearer numbers. I felt my shoulders widen and my neck
lengthen, and my spine grow.
Of
course the neurons in my head started popping and synthesizing like mad.
This simple exercise illustrated
Polestar Pilates Axial Elongation and Core Control, and then my mind almost
exploded when I remembered that
Tom Myers Deep Front Line ended at the
tongue!
Who knew that a tic tac
could be so powerful?
Just wait
until I give you a tic tac at
The Pilates Studio.
The second take away from Paul’s session: Paul is a middle school social studies
teacher, and my heart is so happy
knowing that hundreds maybe thousands of kids will be touched by such an
empowering, caring teacher. I sigh
with relief every time I think of it!
I ended the day in a session with Jennifer Williams who has
done extensive research on the Psychological Profiles of the different social
media platforms. Jennifer’s
brilliance is her ability to research so many ideas and then present them in a
succinct and tangible way! She did
all of the research so that we as business owners who are working too hard
already don’t need to. For this I
am grateful!
With that I give you Jennifer’s most powerful slide,
Facebook – Who am I
Twitter – Who am I right now
Pinterest – Who do I want to be
Instagram - How
do I express myself
Google + - What do I think
With this in mind, we are already deciding how to strategize
what we post to different platforms.
Finally I shall share the most important thing podcamp changed, I no longer run around saying that
Twitter is destroying the English language. I get it now! Feel free to follow me @katrinahawley
Director of Instruction at The Pilates Studio
