Job Search Jam Sessions returns Jun 14

Hold the date Jun 14, 2013

Why hold the date?
Job Search Jam Sessions will return!

Yes, the event that let's you get great information and network is returning Friday, Jun 14 to the St John the Evangelist Parish Center. The same location where the Hopkinton Networking Group meets is a great location for this type of event.

What will it be like?
Dig into the archives here to see prior schedules and recaps of what happened in 2010 and 2011.


If you are interested in speaking at this event, contact Gil Krispien or Steve Sherlock

If you are interested in participating in this event, mark the date on your calendar and stay tuned here for additional information. You can subscribe to this page to get a daily update if and when something is published here.  Subscribe here

A total of 49 learned and shared

At the end of the Job Search Jam Sessions 3, this is what the schedule board looked like.



Yes, the sticky notes didn't want to stay on the shiny white board and even with masking tape, they had trouble staying in place.

49 people participated, 31 of the 35 who pre-registered showed up along with 18 walk-ins. Everyone seemed to get what they needed. The sessions were interactive.

I'll have the full financial accounting available later along with other reflections and take-aways!

Christopher S. Penn's Out of Date Newsletter, August 2011 Edition

Why send Christopher's email newsletter here?

As you scroll down past the header and opt out message, you will find the "Get back to work" section. The advice is worth giving some consideration to!

It may just create the edge you need for the company/position that you are targeting!

Can't see this? Doesn't look right? View it in your browser.

Every issue, someone mentions that they couldn't find an obvious unsubscribe link. This one was made by Paul RJ Muller of the Caffeination Podcast and is specially designed to make your head hurt. Thanks, Paul! Dear Stephen, Welcome aboard the August edition of the Out of Date newsletter! This month's newsletter is yet another experiment in content generation. I'm writing it inside of a book publishing platform (more in the Neat Stuff section) so it will be available in many formats, such as: Amazon Kindle/mobi B&N Nook/ePub Standard ol' HTML email PDF I'll start off by saying thank you for being a premium subscriber. As with last month, there will be premium content in this newsletter that is a reward for your being willing to complete your profile. You'll enjoy the premium article this month, though you might feel squeamish about using it. Don't worry. It'll fade with time. Let's get to this month's news. Make sure you follow me on Twitter (@cspenn), connect on LinkedIn, and read my blog so that you can get the latest news and info from me as quickly as possible, but if you don't, at least the newsletter gets you caught up, right? Get Back To Work! I'm going to start off with some grim tidings. Pretty much every generally agreed upon economic indicator except corporate profits shows that the economy has drastically slowed down. That means that finding a job isn't going to get easier for the rest of 2011. There is a silver lining: talented people are still getting jobs. A few of my former coworkers landed at new positions almost immediately after the recent merger. People who stand out can still find work. So that begs the question, who stands out? More importantly, how can you stand out when everyone is clamoring for attention? We've talked about the basics before - professional presence online, writing as an industry expert, etc. But desperate times call for you to go above and beyond the basics. One of Robert Cialdini's six principles of influence is reciprocity, the idea that if you give something to someone freely, you automatically create a slight, weak social obligation on the part of the recipient to do something in return. Marketers have understood this for decades, giving away everything from free samples to promotional pieces with actual currency attached to it. However, in all of my past experiences as a hiring manager, I have yet to ever see a single job applicant take advantage of this principle. Writing an eBook, cutting a video, creating an MP3 - in the age of digital goods, content creation has never been cheaper or faster. To create a simple eBook, you need only a Web browser and access to Google Docs to create and export a PDF that you can give to people. To create a video, you need only a camera, basic editing tools, and access to YouTube. If you are truly financially pressed, chances are you can find a relatively quiet moment at a local Apple Store if there's one nearby and do your editing there. To record an MP3, you need only a microphone and the free Audacity audio software. How do you use these tools to get noticed, to stand above the crowd? Create something that you can give away, and include it with your job application. If you're applying for marketing jobs, put together an eBook of the 5 or 10 marketing tips that are indispensable to you, put a nice cover on it (there are millions of images available at no cost on Flickr using the Creative Commons By Attribution, Commercial Use license - be sure to obey the terms of the license!), and offer it with your resume or in a separate email. I guarantee it'll make an impression that says you're more than just a single sheet of paper. If you're applying for a construction job, put together a YouTube video of how you organize your tools for maximum productivity or safety on the job site and add that in with your application. You get the idea. Free or nearly free content tools exist to help you create a powerful impression of who you are and leverage the principle of reciprocity. If you're not using them, you're passing up a chance to truly set yourself apart from the crowd. As always, if we're connected on LinkedIn, I will gladly forward any job connection request to anyone else in my network that I can help you reach. Premium Neat Stuff With as much free stuff as there is out there, I don't buy a whole lot when it comes to books. There's more than enough to read every single day. Thus, if I do buy a book, it's come highly recommended to me or I've had a chance to skim it in the library or online. As such, my recommended reading list is very, very short but impactful. Here's what's in my Kindle as of late and why. Mastering the Complex Sale by Jeff Thull. If you're in B2B marketing or sales and this isn't your bible, then to be blunt, you're doing it wrong. Thull's book is a masterpiece on how to sell effectively, especially with complex products and services. Strategy and the Fat Smoker by David Maister. David's an incredible writer and his works are always worth reading, full of dry wit and usable information. Endgame by John Mauldin. Mauldin's one of the top shelf investment guys out there and his book is an eye opener. It's mandatory reading if you want the biggest possible picture of where things are going. These three books should hurt your head, have you madly scribbling notes, and make you rethink a lot of what you're doing. That's my criteria for things I'm going to drop personal cash on - it's stuff that should make me sit down and seriously reconsider reality as I know it. Take note that only one is directly about marketing, even though I'm a marketing guy. Most of the really profound insights I get come from outside the marketing field. Neat Stuff Every month, I share some things that have come across my desk that are worth noting, either things I've found on my own or things people have sent me. I'm using a program called Scrivener to write this month's newsletter as an experiment. It's a Mac writing program that makes it equally easy to create web pages, eBooks, etc. I've truly fallen in love with it, mostly because it helps keep me organized while writing longer-form stuff. For example, I've got all of my research notes in here as I write this newsletter, which keeps everything at hand. You'll find it in the Mac App Store. Have you played with Google's Search Stories? If not, you should. It's wonderfully fun and makes some pretty compelling videos. The catch, of course, is that if you're writing a marketing message, your search story needs to end with your site as the message, so if you don't rank #1 for something, anything, it's not going to be helpful. At nearly every social conference I've been at, someone has asked how to save and archive Tweets. If you want to do it yourself, YourTwapperKeeper is the software to do it with. You install it on your own server (or have them host it for a fee) and then you get rich data collected about any trackable piece of text, from words to user names to hashtags. Following the markets? CNBC's iPad app is available and has real-time data. It's terrific to keep running on your iPad and a lot quieter than having the television on. A few people have asked me about the theme I'm using on my blog. It's called Aggregate, and is available from Elegant Themes. It's $39/year for any of their themes (which is handy if you change themes as often as I do). Affiliate link! The theme was customized and deployed by the outstanding Wordpress expert, Michelle Wolverton. One of my favorite tools is TweetAdder. I use it to seamlessly manage Twitter audiences, doing a lot of the manual stuff automatically, slowly, and methodically. Check out the June newsletter for more tips on how to use it smartly. Shameless Plug: Buy My Book I published a book on Amazon and B&N called Marketing White Belt: Basics for Digital Marketers. My motivation for writing the book was noticing that a lot of people have found themselves in digital marketing roles with little or no marketing background at all. We come from social media or technology or fresh out of school and are expected to be full-fledged digital marketers, expected to be able to generate impressive results by managers who don't fully understand marketing themselves. This book gets you started on the path of marketing, introducing concepts, frameworks, and ideas that will help give you a solid foundation in the basics of marketing. It's everything you need to get someone started on marketing basics, while not being overly dense (and thus productivity-dampening). Each concept has a series of exercises that will let you test your knowledge and apply it to the business situations you're facing at your company. How to Get It: Buy a copy now for the Amazon Kindle platform! No Kindle? No problem! Get a free reading app for the Mac, PC, Android, iPhone, iPad, Blackberry, and many other devices now! Prefer to buy for the Nook at B&N instead? I've got you covered. Buy a copy now for the Nook! Have you already read it? Please leave me a review on Amazon or B&N. Thanks! Travel and Events A bunch of notices this month for travel. First, I'm pleased to announce that I will be keynoting the University of Toledo's Internet Marketing Conference in addition to a host of other events. PodCamp NH, Portsmouth, NH, August 13. SocialFresh Charlotte, Charlotte, NC, September 6-7. Optimization Summit, Phoenix, Arizona, September 12-13. I'll be talking email marketing in depth. PodCamp Boston, Boston, MA, September 24-25. I'm going to share some stuff about social networks. UT Internet Marketing Conference, Toledo, OH, October 18. I'm keynoting the event. SocialMediaPlus, Philadelphia, PA, November 15-16. Also, on behalf of my employer, the WhatCounts Email Summit will be held in Las Vegas in October. As of right now, I'm not slated to speak, but it'll be a cross-section of clients sharing their experiences and best practices. If you'll be at any of these upcoming events, please say hi. If you would like me at your event, please head over to the public speaking page. I just published a new set of packages available to event organizers that will give you a better idea of how I can promote your event and put butts in seats for you! If you would like me at an event you're attending, ask the conference organizer to book me! Stuff For You What's been popular among my stuff? This list. How to value social media traffic Google+ and Search Signals, Tinfoil Hat edition Understanding and evaluating Google+ Circles of amplification How to market your Wordpress blog I generate this by looking in Google Analytics at Content > Top Content and looking at the time period since the last newsletter. This is a helpful way to generate "best of" lists that requires no subjective opinions. The data tells you what people like about your stuff. Also, for those of you who are followers on Twitter, you know all about #the5. Well, now there's a weekly wrapup summary email in case you miss a day, sent out every Saturday morning. You can subscribe to it separately here. Stuff You Did In the spirit of you get what you pay for, I'm paying it forward to the people who share my newsletter with your networks. This issue, I'm profiling two people who moved the needle in the previous edition. Jay Fleischman brought in the most new eyeballs and Erik Deckers brought in the most clicks. Jay Fleischman is an attorney I've known for what seems like forever. He and I first talked when I was working in the student loan industry, and I even had him on my financial podcast a couple of times to talk bankruptcy law. Much of what I know about bankruptcy for college students came from him. He's a good guy and worth knowing. You'll find him at LegalPracticePro.com and @jayfleischman on Twitter. Erik Deckers is tired of BS in Social Media. So tired of it that he co-wrote a book with Jason Falls called No BS Social Media. Yes, I'm abbreviating the title to keep it moderately work safe. Their new book looks to be exciting and certainly entertaining. You can find Erik with Jason at their web site and @edeckers on Twitter. If you want a chance to be featured in this newsletter, which has a readership of about 12,600 really awesome people, just share it with your network: SHARE THIS EMAIL: Facebook Twitter LinkedIn Digg MySpace If you're the Facebooking sort, you can also just use the Like button: More of the Tweeting sort? Tweet This: Next issue, I'll pick two more people that send eyeballs and clicks this way. Share this newsletter and get featured! The End? For now, this is the end. With as much travel as I've got, there's a good chance I'll see you soon. In the meantime, please feel free to stay in touch: Twitter: @cspenn Facebook: Christopher S. Penn Blog: www.ChristopherSPenn.com Podcast: www.MarketingOverCoffee.com LinkedIn: Christopher S. Penn (please leave a recommendation if you have one) That's all for now. Thank you for reading it. Christopher S. Penn

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You can find additional tips and tricks to help your job search at the upcoming Job Search Jam Sessions on Sep 2. Register here: http://jobsearchjamsessions.blogspot.com/p/tickets.html

Job Search Jam Sessions return Sep 2

With Labor Day weekend approaching, there will be another Job Search Jam Sessions.

Hold the date: Friday, Sep 2

Schedule, speakers, and ticket information will be forthcoming.

Yes, there will be another Job Search Jam Session!

Hold the date - Sep 2 - Job Search Jam Sessions return to Hopkinton

Stay tuned for more info

If you are in the greater Franklin area and want to help organize or participate or present, please let me know (shersteve @ gmail dot com)

There's still space available for this month's FREE webinar - "Life After The Pink Slip"!

Suzanne Grey spoke at our Job Search Jam Sessions and her workshops were well received. If you have the time, this should be a good workshop to take advantage of.

LinkedIn Suzanne Gray has sent you a message. Date: 4/22/2011 Subject: There's still space available for this month's FREE webinar - "Life After The Pink Slip"! ...but those spots are going fast, so be sure to register early! You have two opportunities to attend this eye-opening webinar: Tuesday, April 26 at 7:00 pm Eastern, http://bit.ly/gh1Vdm, and Thursday, April 28 at Noon Eastern, http://bit.ly/dVumHx. Click on any link for more information, or go here, http://bitly.com/hTaqTQ, to see what the webinar is all about! View/reply to this message

Related Post
http://jobsearchjamsessions.blogspot.com/2010/05/success-through-power-of-we.html

Guide to Community Camp

The Guide to Community Camp is here!

Guide to Community Camp


If you are looking for work there are four scholarships (free passes) available to participate in this event. Details on how to obtain one of those tickets can be found here  http://jobsearchjamsessions.blogspot.com/2011/04/community-camp-risd-apr-23.html

Recognize the barriers

Dave Meslin talks about the antidote to apathy and outlines the seven barriers:

1. Intentional exclusion
2. public space
3. the media
4. heroes
5. political parties
6. charitable status
7. our elections

You have been anointed. You have been chosen. Do something about your job search today!

Community Camp is being held on Saturday, Apr 23rd. If you are looking for work there are four scholarships (free passes) available to participate in this event. Details on how to obtain one of those tickets can be found here  http://jobsearchjamsessions.blogspot.com/2011/04/community-camp-risd-apr-23.html

Transferable skills, yes - those!

Ronni Ann writes:

When targeting a resume to a job you want, it’s important to think about transferable skills from past jobs as well as exact skill matches. For example, the health care job he wants requires project management. Well, although his old resume never used that precise phrase, in previous jobs he had been in charge of making things happen from beginning to end, overseeing each detail and achieving successful outcomes. That’s project management. So I explained that we can rephrase how he described previous jobs to add that skill (and key phrase), which he actually has.

Read more at Work Coach Cafe


Community Camp is being held on Saturday, Apr 23rd. If you are looking for work there are four scholarships (free passes) available to participate in this event. Details on how to obtain one of those tickets can be found here  http://jobsearchjamsessions.blogspot.com/2011/04/community-camp-risd-apr-23.html

Community Camp - RISD - Apr 23

Can't see this email?  Click here: http://ricommunitycamp.eventbrite.com

You are invited to the following event: Community Camp Date: Saturday, April 23, 2011 from 8:00 AM - 1:30 PM (ET) Location: RISD Auditorium 17 Canal Street Providence, RI 02903 Can you attend this event? Respond Here For more information click here.

This email was sent by Eventbrite, your total online solution to publish, register, manage and promote events. Host Your Events With Eventbrite Click here to unsubscribe from events by "Free Geek Providence."

If you are conducting a job search, there are four scholarships (free passes) available to attend this camp. Details on how to qualify can be found here:
http://jobsearchjamsessions.blogspot.com/2011/04/community-camp-risd-apr-23_13.html

Community Camp - RISD - Apr 23

There will be a Job Search Jam Sessions track at Community Camp, April 23!


Community Camp is an informal, participant-driven unconference that brings together small business owners, artisans, students, job seekers and other members of the community. We'll share what we have learned on reaching out to the local and global community. We'll have a conversation about how participating in groups is an effective tool to make our voices heard.


Sessions will be held in the following topics:

• Marketing - scaling your message, reaching an audience, developing a "personal brand", going viral
• Community - social media, networking resources, job search information
• Media - the hows, whys, whats, and wheres of creating new media
• Second Purpose - green, environmental-focused sessions; recycling, repurposing

As an unconference, Community Camp requires active participation from attendees, either in asking questions and engaging in discussion or in leading a breakout session. Sessions may be prepared and announced in advance, but they may also be organized on the fly at the event.


When:  Saturday, April 23, 2011 – 8:00 am to 1:30 pm
Where: RISD Auditorium, 17 Canal Street, Providence, RI 02903


What does it mean to have a 'track'?
Amongst the sessions during the day, there will be a series of them focused on the job search with an emphasis on social media.


What is a Community Camp?
Community Camp is an un-conference about social media and online networking. It is an open and collaborative event with discussions and interaction from attendees. Anyone with something to contribute or with the desire to learn is welcome and invited to join. Some sessions will be planned ahead of the event, but plenty of spaces will be open for the topics YOU want to discuss and learn.


Why should I go?
Community Camp is all about social media/networking, and its relevance and usefulness to community, business and otherwise. 

What does it cost?

Tickets are $20 ($10 for students), but all are expected to participate and/or present. You can participate by giving a presentation, demo, or joining into another cooperative event, being on a panel/roundtable, or in other ways helping out on event day.

If you want to register, please do so here


Or save some money:
There is a special deal for those who want to go but are un-employed or under-employed! Steve Sherlock has arranged to provide four (4) tickets to help job seekers attend.


How do I get one of those tickets?
Send an email to Steve (shersteve at gmail dot com) and state your case:

Clearly and concisely, explain what you have been doing as part of your job search and how participating in Community Camp would help your effort.

Note: Your paragraph will be published here to help showcase you and your efforts in social media if you win one of the scholarships.

Community Camp - RISD - Apr 23

There will be a Job Search Jam Sessions track at Community Camp, April 23!


Community Camp is an informal, participant-driven unconference that brings together small business owners, artisans, students, job seekers and other members of the community. We'll share what we have learned on reaching out to the local and global community. We'll have a conversation about how participating in groups is an effective tool to make our voices heard.


Sessions will be held in the following topics:

• Marketing - scaling your message, reaching an audience, developing a "personal brand", going viral
• Community - social media, networking resources, job search information
• Media - the hows, whys, whats, and wheres of creating new media
• Second Purpose - green, environmental-focused sessions; recycling, repurposing

As an unconference, Community Camp requires active participation from attendees, either in asking questions and engaging in discussion or in leading a breakout session. Sessions may be prepared and announced in advance, but they may also be organized on the fly at the event.


When:  Saturday, April 23, 2011 – 8:00 am to 1:30 pm
Where: RISD Auditorium, 17 Canal Street, Providence, RI 02903


What does it mean to have a 'track'?
Amongst the sessions during the day, there will be a series of them focused on the job search with an emphasis on social media.


What is a Community Camp?
Community Camp is an un-conference about social media and online networking. It is an open and collaborative event with discussions and interaction from attendees. Anyone with something to contribute or with the desire to learn is welcome and invited to join. Some sessions will be planned ahead of the event, but plenty of spaces will be open for the topics YOU want to discuss and learn.


Why should I go?
Community Camp is all about social media/networking, and its relevance and usefulness to community, business and otherwise. 

What does it cost?

Tickets are $20 ($10 for students), but all are expected to participate and/or present. You can participate by giving a presentation, demo, or joining into another cooperative event, being on a panel/roundtable, or in other ways helping out on event day.

If you want to register, please do so here


Or save some money:
There is a special deal for those who want to go but are un-employed or under-employed! Steve Sherlock has arranged to provide four (4) tickets to help job seekers attend.


How do I get one of those tickets?
Send an email to Steve (shersteve at gmail dot com) and state your case:

Clearly and concisely, explain what you have been doing as part of your job search and how participating in Community Camp would help your effort.

Note: Your paragraph will be published here to help showcase you and your efforts in social media if you win one of the scholarships.

creating your online presence

A job seeker asks “What is online presence and why do I need it to find a job?” In today’s job search, you can have great qualifications and excellent connections, but without online presence, you may be overlooked. Online presence is your value displayed and expressed online. It’s what people find when they search on your name. It’s how recruiters and hiring managers notice your expertise and how you show your value to others in your industry.

Carrie Krueger writes more about how to create an online presence for your job search here

Remember - if you are in the RI area, Community Camp is scheduled for Apr 23 at RISD and there are four free passes available for job searchers. One of the sessions planned is to answer your questions about LinkedIn. The session is titled - "I'm on LinkedIn, now what?" I'll facilitate the session to answer your questions on how to get the most out of LinkedIn for your job search.

Can you help Free Geek Providence?

Dear Friend of Free Geek Providence,

As you may know,  Johnson & Wales University has been very generous in allowing us to use space at their facility on Harborside Campus to process outgoing donations to organizations.  

 The "cage" at JWU transformed us as an organization.  We went from a group of motivated individuals, to an organization that has donated over 500 computers to organizations and individuals that might not otherwise have them. 

 We now know we are losing the space at JWU, and we will need to move out the first week of April.  In order to cover moving expenses, rent, and insurance, we need to raise $4000 in the next few weeks.

Free Geek Providence can remain a viable organization and grow to offer more services, but only with your help.   

If you have seen and believe in the difference a computer can make in the life of a child, an out of work parent, or a friend trying to make it through school, please show your support for Free Geek Providence today with a donation of $25, $50 or $100 dollars.

Please make checks payable to Free Geek Providence and send to: 

Free Geek Providence 

Po Box 603109 

Providence, RI 02906 

or With PayPal at http://www.freegeekprovidence.org/campaign/

We are a 501(c)3 and all donations are tax deductible. If you have questions please email forrest@freegeekpvd.org or kim@freegeekpvd.org 

Thank you, 

Forrest Sutton                                                                                Kim Benevides 

Board of Directors                                                                     Volunteer Coordinator

----

Remember - if you are in the RI area, Community Camp is scheduled for Apr 23 at RISD and there are four free passes available for job searchers.

Attention: job seekers - Community Camp - Apr 23

There will be a Job Search Jam Sessions track at Community Camp, April 23!


Community Camp is an informal, participant-driven unconference that brings together small business owners, artisans, students, job seekers and other members of the community. We'll share what we have learned on reaching out to the local and global community. We'll have a conversation about how participating in groups is an effective tool to make our voices heard.


Sessions will be held in the following topics:

• Marketing - scaling your message, reaching an audience, developing a "personal brand", going viral
• Community - social media, networking resources, job search information
• Media - the hows, whys, whats, and wheres of creating new media
• Second Purpose - green, environmental-focused sessions; recycling, repurposing

As an unconference, Community Camp requires active participation from attendees, either in asking questions and engaging in discussion or in leading a breakout session. Sessions may be prepared and announced in advance, but they may also be organized on the fly at the event.


When:  Saturday, April 23, 2011 – 8:00 am to 1:30 pm
Where: RISD Auditorium, 17 Canal Street, Providence, RI 02903


What does it mean to have a 'track'?
Amongst the sessions during the day, there will be a series of them focused on the job search with an emphasis on social media.


What is a Community Camp?
Community Camp is an un-conference about social media and online networking. It is an open and collaborative event with discussions and interaction from attendees. Anyone with something to contribute or with the desire to learn is welcome and invited to join. Some sessions will be planned ahead of the event, but plenty of spaces will be open for the topics YOU want to discuss and learn.


Why should I go?
Community Camp is all about social media/networking, and its relevance and usefulness to community, business and otherwise. 

What does it cost?

Tickets are $20 ($10 for students), but all are expected to participate and/or present. You can participate by giving a presentation, demo, or joining into another cooperative event, being on a panel/roundtable, or in other ways helping out on event day.

If you want to register, please do so here


Or save some money:
There is a special deal for those who want to go but are un-employed or under-employed! Steve Sherlock has arranged to provide four (4) tickets to help job seekers attend.


How do I get one of those tickets?
Send an email to Steve (shersteve at gmail dot com) and state your case:

Clearly and concisely, explain what you have been doing as part of your job search and how participating in Community Camp would help your effort.

Note: Your paragraph will be published here to help showcase you and your efforts in social media if you win one of the scholarships.

Make the effort, good results will happen!

From Twitter on Thursday came the good word:

RT @valnelson: Yay! Good folks. RT @mmpartee: @shersteve FYI, @jprotalks is now an intern for@theCSAgency because of PodCamp! #pcwm #WesternMA

Jocelyn took the initiative to go and participate in PodCamp last Saturday. The connections and information gathered there resulted in her obtaining an intern position.

Next time one is one the calendar, consider going to PodCamp (an unconference). It just may be the opportunity you've been looking for!

Second Scholarship to PodCamp WesternMA

Gary writes:

I feel the different workshops at PodCamp 2011, Saturday, February 5, 2011 would benefit me greatly. I am an avid user of technology and the more I can learn the better I will be prepared in the new job market to enhance my skills. 

You can find Gary on:

Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/gwboisseau
Twitter; http://twitter.com/GaryWBoisseau
LinkedIn: http://www.linkedin.com/in/garyboisseau



You can also meet Gary at PodCamp WesternMA on Saturday, Feb 5th. Gary has been awarded the second of four scholarships available. If you are looking for work and want to explore how to use social media in your search, consider applying for a free ticket to PodCamp WesternMA.

How do I get one of those tickets?
Send an email to Steve (shersteve at gmail dot com) and state your case:

Clearly and concisely, explain what you have been doing as part of your job search and how participating in PodCamp would help your effort.

What is PodCamp?

Strictly Businews recorded a special edition for PodCamp WesternMA. The total video is just over 28 minutes. The first part reviews some recent social media news and the second part (beginning at 17:00 mins) gets into "what is podcamp?"


Morriss Partee, Kelly Galanis and Jaclyn Stevenson from the PodCamp organizing team participate on the show to share the info on PodCamp. Alfonso Santaniello and Cori Verteramo are the host of Strictly Businews



S2 E4 "Strictly PCWM" from Strictly Businews on Vimeo.

If you can make it to the PodCamp WesternMA at Westfield St Univ, you can learn how to use social media tools in your job search. 


If you can go, you should see if you can go for free. The details can be found here

PodCamp Western Mass - Scholarships Available

There will be a Job Search Jam Sessions track at PodCamp Western MA!


When:  Saturday, February 5, 2011 – 9:30 am to 4:00 pm
Where: Westfield State University, Horace Mann Center, 333 Western Ave, Westfield MA 01085

What does it mean to have a 'track'?
Amongst the sessions during the day, there will be a series of them focused on the job search with an emphasis on social media.

What is a PodCamp?
PodCamp is an un-conference about social media and online networking. It is an open and collaborative event with discussions and interaction from attendees. Anyone with something to contribute or with the desire to learn is welcome and invited to join. Some sessions will be planned ahead of the event, but plenty of spaces will be open for the topics YOU want to discuss and learn.

Why should I go?
PodCamp is NOT just about podcasting, but about all social media/networking, and its relevance and usefulness to community, business and otherwise. This PodCamp is all about blogging, Facebook, Twitter, Flickr, podcasting, videocasting/YouTube, and any other online community tools.

What does it cost?

Tickets are $25 ($10 for students), but all are expected to participate and/or present. You can participate by giving a presentation, demo, or joining into another cooperative event, being on a panel/roundtable, or in other ways helping out on event day.

And there is a special deal for those who want to go but are un-employed or under-employed! Steve Sherlock has arranged to provide four (4) tickets to help you save some money.

How do I get one of those tickets?
Send an email to Steve (shersteve at gmail dot com) and state your case:

Clearly and concisely, explain what you have been doing as part of your job search and how participating in PodCamp would help your effort.

Note: Your paragraph will be published here to help showcase you and your efforts in social media if you win one of the scholarships.

"Chance favors the connected mind"

Yes, I am an 'unconference evangelist'. It is not something I need to go to 'unconference anonymous' to declare: "My name is Steve. I am an unconference evangelist."

I have been part of the organizing committee for at least 19 such events since my first at the PodCamp Boston in Sep 2006. PodCamp Boston 5, Job Search Jam Sessions 2 and PodCamp CT were three such events in the last several weeks. I get pumped by meeting and talking with so many people.

Why do I get pumped up by these events?
I think I summarized it pretty well in this brief video recap that Bruce K Garber did for PodCamp CT. by saying "Facilitate the network and then let the net work!"

I think another way to look at it is to hear Steven Johnson explain "where good ideas come from:" and concludes by saying "Chance favors the connected mind."



Either way, if you have a chance to go to an unconference, I would highly recommend it.

BTW - PodCamp NH is this weekend!