Thoughts On Podcamp Montreal
September 22, 2008 – 12:14 pm | by Daryl TayWhile a lot of thoughts here at Podcamp Montreal have been personal, a fair amount of them relate back to the social media scene as a whole back in Singapore as well. I do have a couple of observations comparing the different parts of the world:
1) Singapore may not be as far behind as we think
I’ll be the first to say I’m constantly bewildered about why companies don’t use or experiment with social media enough back home, but from what I’m seeing, the business questions are only just starting to be raised here and even then, not the tough questions yet. Maybe it’s the lack of people back home talking about the space or social media is more common in the tech or social aspects of the web that makes it seem like it’s more quiet than overseas, but it’s not necessarily the case.
I will say this though. I feel like people here have been dealing with social media as a passion for the last year or two, and are now moving into the business aspect of things, whereas back home, people are jumping the first stage, and immediately looking at results and implementation. I’m not necessarily saying it’s wrong, but I’m pretty sure that’s going to yield very different results and have very different implications.
2) Social Media usage may not be as different as we think.
Again, maybe because there are just so many more social or Meepok blogs back home, we tend to think that it’s just us who are really into using the web as a social tool, but I do see a lot of Seesmic users who are here purely for social reasons with minimal business or personal applications. And that’s alright. Everyone gets something different out of the podcamp.
3) No one’s really an expert
Maybe what people at home need to learn more than anyone. No one is really an expert in all aspects in the field. Different questions go to different people, some are better suited to answer some questions than others, and depending on what field you’re in, the answer actually changes. It’s more important to get someone who understands your niche and how it works, than someone who is a self-declared “expert” in all things social media
4) These events don’t have to be a big affair.
Compared to the events in Singapore, Podcamp Montreal is almost simplistic in its setup. Three rooms for talks and a hallway is all we have. The value is created in the interactions, not the venue.
5) Sponsors are largely invisible
This was an observation made by someone else. There are pretty big sponsors here (not huge corporate identities), but they aren’t putting up booths or waving pamphlets in people’s faces. They’re just here to interact with people and see where that leads. This, combined with point #3 really gets me thinking about Social Media Breakfast | Singapore, and all our sponsorship/venue issues all over again.
6) It’s strange being new
I’m not naturally an outgoing person, but it’s easier to deal with that back home at events because people know who I am and what I do. Here it’s a bit different. I know who they are in most cases, but it’s not always two ways. And that’s a little bit intimidating. I didn’t push myself totally out of my comfort zone, but I did go around meeting a couple of people, and had very, very awesome conversations.
7) Gen Y is startlingly missing.
I asked the question “Where are the youth” in my video yesterday. And I’ll ask it again. I don’t understand how I’m the youngest person here at all. Exchanging stories here I hear how the misconception is “Let the person in her 20s handle it because they understand Web2.0”, but the managers who are supervising these people will tell you that’s not true. In some cases, they know more than the younger person does.
Call them Gen Y, millennials, digital natives, what have you. I think there is a very large distinction between living in the digital world, and understanding it. I cannot imagine how anyone in school right now can think they don’t need to know how the digital world works to get by later in life.
If you were at Podcamp Montreal, do let me know if you agree or disagree my thoughts, or if anything particularly stood out for you, or if any of these differences I mentioned make sense to you at all. If you’re reading this from Singapore, do you think the similarities exist? Or are there truly cultural differences that we need to think about?
Tags: event sponsors, Gen Y, meepok blogs, north america social media, pcmtl, podcamp montreal, seesmic, singapore social media, social media breakfast, social media events, social media experts, social media usage, sponsoring social media events
5 Responses to “Thoughts On Podcamp Montreal”
By Kevin Lim on Sep 22, 2008 | Reply
Did you end up meeting Jim and Kristina after I intro-ed you over twitter?
About where are the youths, I’ve been to a few of these meetups, be it Mac or twitter groups, and I found the same trend. I might be able to explain why…
At any of these meetups, it really depends on one’s comfort zone, that’s where age difference really comes in. In the initial meetups, everyone would come… including young ones. After a while, it’s the more senior folks that stick around and share, while the younger ones have largely had their fill and rarely return.
In the case for Singapore, your social media breakfast club was mainly started by youths, so it’s more youth-oriented IMHO. There are also high-end events as you mentioned, but those are rare enough that everyone goes (young and senior).
My guess is after a while, the social media “newness” will die off and pragmatism would set in. For instance, in Montreal you’ve seen how casual the setting is, unlike in Singapore where some events are so elaborate, it’s as if social media were the center of the universe. The more sustainable meetups will be ones that are low cost and quick to deliver, like what you saw in podcamp. Whichever the setting, it’s essentially to exchange ideas and share what we’ve individually discovered.
By Sylvain Grand'Maison on Sep 22, 2008 | Reply
Hi Daryl,
it was pretty cool that you flew from Singapore to participate. Thanks for having been part of the success of PodCamp Montréal. Unfortunately, we didn’t have the chance to talk much but that’s what happens when you’re an organizer. I’ll follow you blog with attention.
By Daryl Tay on Sep 24, 2008 | Reply
@Kevin: I did! Thanks for the tweet-intro! Such a shame you couldn’t join us! I like your theory about that. Why do you think the younger ones get their fill quickly though? About SMB, the age group is actually much higher than youth! I think maybe only 1/3 are students…
@Sylvain: Thanks for the kind words! Podcamp Montreal was a blast. Thanks for organising!
By Walter on Sep 26, 2008 | Reply
Its great to see what an eye opener your trip has turned out to be for you. There is a reason why social media gatherings in Singapore are seen to be a lot more cool than say those in the Western world. Let me propose a few suggestions:
1) Singapore is far far smaller than US (or Canada), and we prefer to just pop over to a common place to meet. Its harder to drive from State to State to meet your favourite blogging kakis in a sprawling continent.
2) Our homes are smaller and probably less comfortable (generally) than those in the US. Plus of course, the sweltering tropical heat which makes any place with air conditioning and fine friends blissful.
3) Youths in Western worlds may feel that talking and theoreticising about social media is really soo…”Whatever”. Perhaps it could be the general lack of interest (social media is for geeks and nerds) or the fact that there are tonnes more interesting things to do in the lovely Canadian countryside.
For instance, if I am in Montreal, I’ll probably go hiking, white water rafting and skiing every week! p)
By Daryl Tay on Sep 26, 2008 | Reply
@Walter: Actually even in Singapore, I find the youth conspicuously absent, at least relative to the amount of marketing, communications and mass communications people there are! You’re right though, our size is one thing we have going for us. Hopefully it’ll be leveraged more by social media events.