Being Amber Rhea

FEATURING: LAKARA FOSTER

PERFORMANCES BY: POLELATEAZ * BLAKKAUFI * MS. VAGINA JENKINS * YOLO AKILI * KEN J MARTIN * DJ MARK ANGEL * MS. STEWART * ENTANGLEMENT CIRCUS * N2 PASSION * DJ CHA CHA JONES * MILLICENT M. JOHNNIE * ESHE SAKURA * JENNY BUNNS YOUNG * KERESTEN BOOKER

Join us for a sensual night free of sexual oppression for all of us fighting for the freedom of our bodies everyday. Celebrate your authentic self at our Anti-Masquerade Ball with live performances, delectable desserts, fabulous prizes, a live auction and more!

October 2, 2008 at The Park Tavern, 500 10th Street NE, Atlanta, GA 30309 (on MARTA Route 45!)
Doors open at 7pm. Show begins at 8pm.

Advance Tickets - Suggested Donation: $20
Tickets at the Door - Suggested Donation: $25
**No one will be turned away for lack of funds; sliding scale tickets only accepted at the door.

RAFFLE:

• GRAND PRIZE: 3 Day - 2 Night Cruise for 2 to the Bahamas or Mexico–your choice! ~ Meghan Elliott, travel consultant for World Ventures.
• Two $100 Gas Cards.

LIVE AUCTION:

• Self-Love Date: Enjoy a night in with the Bunny Love Kit. Courtesy of Babeland.
• PoleLaTeaz Dates: 3 free classes for the winner and a friend at the PoleLaTeaz studio, plus an extra $100 gift certificate! Courtesy of PoleLaTeaz.
• Chocolate Pink Gift Certificate
• Sutra Lounge VIP Lounge for 30, worth $1,500.

All proceeds benefit SPARK and Project South. Can’t make it? Donate a ticket, buy some raffle tickets or make a general donation to support SPARK & Project South’s work!

Contact mia@sparkrj.org or call 404-532-0022 for more information and check our Evite for the latest updates! You do not have to be present to win prizes!

Buy your tickets here.

• This Wednesday night, I’ll be on the Cult of Gracie radio show on XXBN. The show will be streaming live at either 9:00 or 10:00 - I’m waiting to hear back from Gracie on which it is, because her blog says one thing and the BlogTalkRadio page says another. I’ll update this post when I know. Update: It’s at 10:00 p.m. Eastern Time! You can call in during the show… and I’d love for some people to call in, so I don’t feel like I’m just listening to myself bloviate the entire time.
• This Saturday, I’ll be at BlogOrlando, a social media unconference organized by Josh Hallett and now in its third year. I’ll be leading a session called Professionalism 2.0. I posted the description a few days ago, but here it is again:
  

  What does “professionalism” mean in the context of blogging? Is it a matter of the topics you write about, the language you use, the amount of research you put into a typical post - or all or none of the above? Social media tools offer us the opportunity to express our full humanity instead of compartmentalizing aspects of who we are. To what degree do we need to adjust our pre-conceived notions about what’s professional and what isn’t?

  I’m interested to see what direction the discussion takes.

• Sex, Wine and Chocolate 2008 is coming up on October 2, at the Park Tavern! Buy your tickets now (it’s only $20 this time around). And yes, the PoleLaTeaz ladies will be performing again!

Hey, guess what? I’m hosting a panel at BlogHer Atlanta! Here’s the description:

The “Naked” Blogging Double Standard
At just about every BlogHer event we end up discussing the ramifications of “naked” blogging; that is, blogging your true self. Blogging’s low barrier to entry has provided a platform for everyone, and particularly women, to tell our own stories, to create a more diverse cultural record than has been historically typical, and to own our experiences and how transparently we choose to share those experiences. Every blogger draws their boundaries differently. In a survey BlogHer conducted a couple of years ago bloggers indicated that it was more taboo to discuss finances on their blog than sex! But, let’s get real: Really? We’re not sure we’re buying it. Is anyone else out there blown away by how much conflict the issues of gender, sex and sexuality (and society’s expectations of how women “should” behave) still stir up… and by how much judgment is still thrown at women who ignore the admonishment that “nice girls don’t?”

Every year at BlogHer the debate rages: Can we talk about shoes and still be taken seriously? Well, let’s take it a step further: Can women talk openly about sex and still be taken seriously? And is it different for men? Women certainly don’t agree on the answer, so you can be sure the answer is even more unclear in segments of society, industry and the blogosphere that are more male-dominated. How do we challenge that status quo - and support women in their choices, even when they might not be our choices? Join Amber Rhea, one of the women leading the charge for change, in a frank discussion designed to expose the naked blogging double standard and challenge our preconceived notions of what it means to be taken seriously.

Many thanks to super-cool Elisa for giving me this opportunity. (Gee, do I sound like I’m accepting any Emmy or something?) I hope you folks reading this will come and help make it an interesting panel. (I resisted the urge to say, sarcastically, “join the conversation.”) You can register for BlogHer Atlanta here. And here’s the run-down of what the BlogHer Reach Out Tour is all about, if you’re too lazy to click through:

BlogHer’s Reach Out Tour:
Register now for BlogHer ATLANTA ‘08!

When?
Tuesday, October 21, 2008

Where?
Georgia Tech Hotel & Conference Center
800 Spring St NW
Atlanta, Georgia 30308
404.347.9440

What is BlogHer ATLANTA ‘08 About?
For the first time ever, BlogHer is launching a two-week tour, bringing highlights from the annual event to six different cities. Each of these one-day conferences will feature a broad range of topics and speakers, a cocktail reception for networking and socializing, and a little bit of local flavor. We’ll be focusing on topics that seem to resonate strongest in each city, and looking for your local bloggers to lead the discussions.

BlogHer ATLANTA is the fifth stop on the six-city Reach Out Tour, and we’re looking forward to spending time with the many and varied “Hotlanta” bloggers. Details about the agenda, speakers, and sponsors coming soon. In the meantime, please sign up to receive the BlogHer Conference Newsletter and get announcements as they happen. Or sign up to receive our Conference RSS feed.

Who Should Attend?
BlogHer is open to anyone and everyone who considers themselves part of the blogosphere, and is particularly focused on highlighting the skills and talents of women who blog. All ages, ethnicities, genders, and levels of blogging experience are encouraged to attend.

Additional Info:

• Every stop on the tour will feature a track specifically designed for new and beginning bloggers.
• The cocktail reception will take place on-site at the hotel.
• If you’re thinking about bringing your partner, spouse, or kids — great! If your partner is not interested in attending the programming with you but would like to join us for the cocktail parties, that ticketing option is available.

Fees:
BlogHer ATLANTA ‘08 costs $100 for the full day, and this includes admission to the cocktail reception.

BlogHer will be staying on-site at the Georgia Tech Hotel and Conference center. If you’re interested in staying there as well, please call (800) 838-2060. Please note: We do not have a BlogHer group rate available at this venue.

Note: You will not be required to enter any billing information before you’ve had an opportunity to review and select from the various registration options; however, BlogHer cannot issue refunds.

About BlogHer:
BlogHer has developed one of the most influential communities by, for, about and of women who blog. BlogHer’s mission is to create opportunities for women bloggers to pursue education, exposure, community and economic empowerment through our online platforms and conferences.

More to come… must get back to work now.

Still not feeling up to writing a post of my own, and things are basically shit; but, here’s a repost from BlogHer:

If you can’t make it to BlogHer ‘08 in San Francisco this year, maybe you can join us in one of our SIX “Reach Out Tour” cities this fall? We’ll be condensing our annual event into one-day extravaganzas in Boston, DC, Nashville, Greensboro, Atlanta and New Orleans. And you can register now for any or all of them!

We’re still finalizing the various agendas, but you can expect each city’s sessions to feature fantastic speakers, relevant sessions, and a lot of local flair. Plus, we’ll have a track just for beginners (so if you know someone — your friend, sister, mother, grandmother, neighbor — who should be blogging if she just had the right tools and motivation, send her over!).

Read more about the Reach Out Tour on our official Conference Blog, or simply click on the city below to learn more about where, when, how much and how to register:

October 11 - BlogHer BOSTON

October 13 - BlogHer DC

October 16 - BlogHer NASHVILLE

October 18 - BlogHer GREENSBORO

October 21 - BlogHer ATLANTA

October 25 - BlogHer NEW ORLEANS

As of now, I’m on the fence about whether I’ll go. BlogHer ‘07 was a lot of fun, but I just haven’t decided about this Atlanta version. Not sure if I want to pay $100 to hang out with a lot of the same people I hang out with anyway. Fortunately, there’s plenty of time to decide.

This event is being put on by one of the instructors at PoleLaTeaz, who also happens to be president of Helping Home Foundation. I’d say it looks to be on par with Sex, Wine and Chocolate - that is, not your typical boring, solemn charity event (buffet, silent auction, guilt-inducing presentation) by a longshot.

You can download a PDF flier here.

Who doesn’t want to come to a charity event that has pole dancing??

Sex 2.0 was last weekend, and I think people are finally starting to come down from the post-orgasmic bliss state that characterized last week’s tweets, blog posts, emails, etc. (On a less pleasant note, I have yet to shake this case of con crud.)

A few days ago, I posted a big round-up of what other people had to say about the conference; but I have yet to post my reactions. So here are a few.

First of all, simply the fact that all of last week seemed like a post-orgasmic bliss-like state - and Twitter was a downright lovefest - is testament to Sex 2.0’s huge success. I had hoped for it to be successful, bring people together, foster community, blah blah blah… but it really did all that and more in a way that exceeded my wildest dreams. I am so pleased!

The only complaint I heard was that there were too many interesting sessions going on at once! I lost count of the number of people who told me they wished it had been two days.

Dacia and I were talking about how one thing that was unique about Sex 2.0 was that people seemed to be more interested in actually talking and interacting face-to-face, rather than obsessively documenting the event via liveblogging, photos, Twitter, etc. Don’t get me wrong, all of those things were going on; but it definitely was a different vibe than any other social media-related conference I’ve been to. People were so interested and engaged in the discussions, that they couldn’t be bothered to stop and pick up their iPhones. And to me that’s what it’s all about! Social media should foster the social, after all.

Also - and this might seem paradoxical to the last point, but it’s really not - instead of just talking about the various social media tools available, people were actually using the tools to create original content and do cool things. Whether it was showing people how social media can help sex workers form an online community for real-world activism, or role-playing the ups and downs of being internet famous (I’m still annoyed with myself for not going to Melissa’s session), this conference was about doing and not just being meta. Several people were inspired to create new blogs or other social media projects last weekend, and I look forward to seeing how they develop.

Overall, I believe it was the combination of strong content, the energy of the people there, and the comfort of being in a judgment-free space that created Sex 2.0’s unique heights of awesomeness. There are already plans in the works for next year; I love to see this excitement! The consensus seems to be that it will be in DC next year. Sounds good to me… I’ll see y’all there!

Two more posts about Sex 2.0 went up yesterday…

From Fleshbot:

Because we can never have enough opportunities to get together with like-minded geeks online experts and talk about sex, several members of the Fleshbot Collective are considering a trip to Atlanta later this month for Sex 2.0, a one day conference focusing on the “intersection of social media, feminism, and sexuality” which is also quite possibly the only event of its kind in the world to be held in a 10,000 square foot, fully equipped dungeon. Plus, we hear there are lots of Waffle Houses in Atlanta. Mmm, Waffle House.

Heh. Yes, for all who are interested, there can indeed be a Sunday Morning Waffle House Excursion.

And from Metblogs Atlanta:

Unless you’ve been trapped on a deserted island for the past decade or so, the intersection of sex and technology is very prominent. The past five years or so have only built upon that with the popularity of social networks. Orkut, Friendster, MySpace, Facebook…social media is changing the landscape of how we interact. Moreover, we’re also seeing the real-life implications of showing your sexuality online, such as former Arlington, OR mayor Carmen Kontur-Gronquist and her MySpace photos which cost her job.

Until now, there hasn’t been a real chance to discuss how social media, sexuality and the world today all work with each other! That is, until Sex 2.0.

Thanks, Jonno and Karsh!

…because I’m too tired* to do anything else. Sometimes cop-outs can work, though.

• As you may have seen if you follow my Twitter updates, I got into a little fender-bender yesterday morning. To be specific, I freakin’ backed into a parked car. :P Oh well… not much damage was done to either vehicle. Mine is getting repaired Thursday, and it costs less than my insurance deductible, so no need for a claim on my part. If the other driver has an issue, my insurance will take care of it. J. put a silver lining on the situation by pointing out that my new car would inevitably get dinged up at some point anyway, so at least I’ve gone ahead and gotten it out of the way - actively!
• We’re going to court Thursday. That’s all I’m going to say right now, but I’ll say more afterward. It should certainly be interesting, one way or another.
• This is also happening on Thursday, and Rusty and I will be there. I’ll need to remember to bring my “I’m Blogging This” T-shirt with me to change into, in case we don’t have time to go home after court. Other ATL bloggers, come on out! It should be a rollicking good time, especially if Susan Capaluto (sp?) shows up. (And is it just me, or does anybody else wonder why the Equifax guy is on the panel? That seems random.)
• On Friday I’m heading to Boston (well, Cambridge) for the Women, Action & the Media conference. The keynote speakers are Helen Thomas and Haifa Zangana. I’m excited! I’ll get to meet some bloggers I’ve read for a while, and Dacia and I will be sharing a hotel room so we can be shut-ins when the socializing gets too overwhelming. And I’m looking forward to Dacia’s session on sex workers and media representation; after the past couple weeks, she should have plenty to talk about! (Not as if she didn’t already!)
• Apparently my site, like a lot of Dreamhost sites, was down for a few hours today. One of these days I’ll actually switch hosts, I swear. Anyway, this means my del.icio.us links didn’t get posted today, which annoys me, because I had some good ones. I’ll probably post them manually tomorrow, but in particular I wanted to point out that this post really resonated with me, and I might have more to say on it later.
• I cross-posted my “Why I Quit Download Squad” treatise on BlogHer.
• Be sure to register for Sex 2.0 by Friday if you want to pay $40 instead of $50! Meanwhile, I will try not to freak out too much between now and April 12.
• I swear I’ll blog about the manicure thing one day. I have lots to say, oh yes. Dacia and I are getting manis and pedis Friday night in Boston. So maybe I’ll blog about it then!

* I’m a naturally sleepy person, but the Lexapro has made me feel downright fatigued. I don’t like that one bit. So this morning I cut the pill in half, and it seemed to help a bit. Hopefully that’ll be the way to go.

PodCamp Atlanta was one year ago. It was a rollicking good time, and a hell of a lot has happened since then! At the moment, it doesn’t look like there will be a 2008 installation of PodCamp Atlanta, because no one has stepped up to organize it yet. So if you think there should be one, don’t just sit there and complain… organize one!

Some photos from last year:

Many more here.

Technically yesterday was the one-month-out mark for Sex 2.0, but I was too wrapped up in day job work and Spitzer madness to write about it. So, we’re less than a month out. *gulp*

Sessions are scheduled. Someone is bringing a wifi router. Someone else is bringing a digital projector. I’ve ordered chairs, tables, and a projection screen from a rental place and arranged delivery. I know where I’m going to order lunch from. We’ve reserved a van for transporting people to/from the hotel/venue. People are registering. I’ve been sending out reminder emails for registration and hotel rooms. I’ve got promotional postcards that I’m putting everywhere I can think of, and giving to other people to put places. Promotional condoms should be here next week. I’ve got one day-of volunteer, maybe two. I’ve got two reliable women working with me to help me be less crazy (especially when it comes to nudging sponsors to actually pay).

But yeah, I’m feeling nervous. Even though, rationally, I feel like I’ve done the best I can possibly do with this - I’ve worked super hard on it, tried to be a responsible and responsive organizer, tried to cover all possible bases - still, my stomach is doing flip-flops when I think about it actually happening. And then the What-Ifs start:

• What If not enough people show up? (Only ~45 people are registered now, but I know from PodCamp experience that registration doesn’t really ramp up until 3-4 weeks beforehand. And I know there are several people who are coming who haven’t registered yet.)
• …and What If the sponsors are pissed off because of that?
• …and, for that matter, What If we (I) end up in the red because of that?
• What If we don’t use up all the hotel rooms we’ve got reserved?
• …What If the hotel tries to screw me over and say people didn’t use all the rooms even though I know they did?
• What If sessions don’t stay on schedule, it turns into herding cats, and I’m not able to enjoy the event I’ve worked for almost a year to put together?
• What If something goes terribly horribly wrong and everyone hates me? (Wifi doesn’t work, food doesn’t show up, run out of food, people are pissed that it’s not easily accessible via public transit, etc. etc. ad nauseum)

I just try to push those thoughts out of my mind. Because, at this point, it will happen, one way or another; that’s the truth. And if some things go wrong, well, they go wrong; but I have to keep reminding myself that I’ve done the best I can do, and it’s impossible to foresee every possible problem or to please everyone.

And first and foremost, our line-up of sessions is awesome, and if content truly is king, then this conference will kick serious ass even if there’s no wifi, no food, nowhere to sit, and whatever other logistical disasters could happen!

If you want to come to Sex 2.0, register by tomorrow in order to take advantage of the $10 early bird rate. On Monday, registration goes up to $40.

For those who were wondering, there will be a few volunteer opportunities. If you’re interested in one of them and have already registered, I’ll refund your money when you commit to the spots. I just need to wait a couple weeks until some of the money situation (as in, do we have any) gets sorted out before I’ll know how many and what type of spots there are.

If you’re looking for something to do tomorrow night, come to this!

—

DATE: Thursday February 7, 2008
WHERE: Defoor Center, 1710 Defoor Avenue NW, Atlanta, GA 30318
TIME: Doors Open at 7:30p
COSTS: Free
CHARITIES: Georgia Coalition Against Domestic Violence & Helping Home Foundation
PARKING: Free of charge and plenty of parking spaces.

We are excited…our 2 year anniversary. And of course we want to share it with everyone! We will be having an awesome fashion show, prize giveaways & pole/exotic dance performances. Bring those dollar bills and throw it on stage because all proceeds will go towards the two charities listed above. Bring lots of people!

Here is some more information about our charities and their mission statements:

Georgia Coalition Against Domestic Violence:
The mission of the Georgia Coalition Against Domestic Violence (GCADV) is to support its member programs to achieve safety and justice for domestic violence victims. To Inform and mobilize the general public on issues of domestic violence through workplace trainings, public presentations, involvement in statewide and local task forces, statewide conferences,and a quarterly newsletter.

Helping Home Foundation:
To help Atlanta’s more than 5,000 homeless families by finding them a safe place to call home and providing rent for a year. At the same time, to help local Realtors and real-estate investors struggling on today’s housing/leasing market by matching them with these families.

HELP US RAISE MONEY FOR THESE VERY IMPORTANT CHARITIES. BRING JUST ONE DOLLAR , 20 DOLLARS, OR MAKE IT RAIN! EVERY PENNY COUNTS.

—

Please feel free to repost!

Sex 2.0 has lost its venue. Spring4th has been forced to close its doors due to the meddling of the Midtown Neighborhood Association (the same people responsible for the appalling harassment of street prostitutes) and the arcane hoops through which the City of Atlanta has forced them to jump. We are currently seeking a new venue. We need all the help we can get - time, energy, MONEY, resources, everything.

If you can help, please join the Google group ASAP.

More details to come soon.

[Cross-posted on the Sex 2.0 blog]

I won’t be there this Saturday because I’ll be in Augusta, but here’s all the info…

On Saturday, January 26, 2008, Atlanta, host city of the first U.S. Social Forum, will be the venue for a statewide People’s Assembly, beginning with a caravan and rally at the State Capitol. SPARK! is leading the reproductive justice contingent and will be at the GA State Capitol from 11:30-12:30 as our site of struggle where we will speak truth to power FOR OUR BODIES, OUR LIVES, AND OUR FUTURE!

At 11:30 join us for drumming by Cakalak Thunder, Puppets, Teach-ins, an Art Exhibit, Giveaways, and MORE.

At 12:30 the entire caravan will converge at the Capitol for a dynamic Action and Rally where SPARK! will be met by other movements, issues, and hundreds of activists.

From the Capitol, SPARK! will have flatbed trucks and vehicles for activists to join the caravan as we continue through the streets of Atlanta, chanting REPRODUCTIVE JUSTICE NOW! The caravan will end at the Hunger Coalition where hundreds of activists will exchange views, plan ongoing actions, and continue to build our movements!

This year, let’s show our power in numbers and send the message that reproductive justice is not a wedge issue!

Instead of solely Walking for Women’s Lives, help make a BOLD reproductive justice contingent happen on January 26 as we march as movements united for power and action.

Date: Saturday, January 26, 2008
Time: 11:30am - 12:30pm
Location: Georgia State Capitol
Contact: (404) 656-2844

Visit legislatethis.org for more info.

—

Local folks who are into the whole citizen journalism thing? I recommend you get all up in this.

Now that it’s 2008, Sex 2.0 seems like it’s just around the corner.

I have posted the schedule, showing the times and locations of sessions, on the Schedule page. You can check it out here.

Session leaders, if any of you need to move your session to a different time for some reason, please send a message to the Google group and we’ll shuffle things around.

And, of course, if it turns out anyone who’s listed as a session leader is no longer able to attend (wah!), let us know so we can take your name off the schedule.

[Originally posted on the Sex 2.0 Blog]

The IDTEVASW event at Charis last night was a success! We had a great turn-out, some inspiring conversation about local action that we can take, and only one technical difficulty. ;)

I was really happy to see how many names were on the contact list by the end of the night! Soon we’ll be putting together some kind of Google group or listserv or something. By this time next year, we should be able to put on a huge, bad-ass event that will get tons of people’s attention!

Thank you to everyone who came out last night and participated. It made me feel all warm and fuzzy inside.

And of course, thank you to Caitlin and Tabby for all your hard work leading up to yesterday!

I hope all you ATL folks will be able to make it to Charis tonight at 7:00! As a reminder, here’s the pertinent info…

What: 5th annual International Day to End Violence Against Sex Workers - film screenings, open mic, and roundtable discussion
When: Tonight, 7:00 p.m. - 8:30 p.m.
Where: Charis Books and More, 1189 Euclid Ave., Atlanta, GA 30307
Why: To draw attention to the global struggle for sex workers’ rights and discuss concrete strategies at the local level!

For more information, please visit www.swopusa.org/dec17 or www.chariscircle.org.

Films we will be showing:

• Measure Q: A Brief History of Sex Workers Outreach Project
• Sorry Your Grandmother Was Mugged, But I Was Busy Arresting A Hooker!

There will be yummy vegan desserts from La Dolce Lulu! Anyone who was at Sex, Wine and Chocolate last month can attest that Lulu makes some delicious cupcakes. See photos here.

More on…

• Facebook
• MySpace
• Upcoming

Hope to see you all tonight!!

December 17, 2007 7:00-8:30pm at Charis Books and More (1189 Euclid Ave NE in the Little Five Points Business District)

December 17th is the 5th annual International Day to End Violence Against Sex Workers. This event was created to call attention to hate crimes committed against sex workers all over the globe. Please join us as we celebrate this important day of action with a sex worker open mic, a few brief video screenings and inspiring conversation on the movement for sex workers rights, dignity and decriminalization! This event is free and open to everyone; however, to participate as a performer in the open mic, the organizers request that you be a current or former sex worker.

For more information, please visit: www.swopusa.org/dec17 or www.chariscircle.org.

ATL peeps, please spread the word and please come on the 17th if you can make it! I also created an event on Upcoming.

For any of y’all who will be in town Friday night, two of my photos are in the latest Atlanta Photography Exhibit at The Granite Room. The exhibit is part of the Castleberry Hill 4th Friday Art Stroll. I’m excited but also nervous about having my photos in the same exhibit as a bunch of professional photographers! (And I’m still pissed about the shitty frame job on one of my photos, thanks to Hobby Lobby not knowing how to cut a mat correctly. But theoretically if anyone buys the photo, they’re not buying it for the frame anyway.) I hope to see some of you there Friday night. And yes, it’s free!

I’ve been trying to decide whether or not I want to be the main organizer of PodCamp Atlanta again in 2008. Lately, I’m leaning toward ‘no.’

Being in charge of the first PodCamp Atlanta was exhilarating and I wouldn’t change anything about it. But I think this time around, someone else should be in charge and put their own spin on it.

Since I scheduled both of them, I’ve known for months about PodCamp Atlanta ’08’s proximity to Sex 2.0. People have asked, “Can you do that?” Sure, I can. But the more important question to me now is, do I want to? Because if PodCamp starts to feel at all like an obligation instead of something fun, then I know I shouldn’t be the one leading the effort.

When PodCamp Atlanta ‘07 was in the planning stages, the social media climate (god, did I just use the phrase “social media climate?”) in the Southeast was different from what it is now. It was very nascent at that time (in terms of events, that is; not in terms of how many people were blogging or whatever). SoCon07 was being planned at the same time, and was held in February 2007, as Atlanta’s first social media conference. Since then, there have been tons of other events and gatherings. There’s no shortage of people in this city who could easily lead the PodCamp effort in ‘08.

One thing I know about myself is, I have a history of taking on too much and cleaning up the mess if other people drop the ball. And it takes a toll on me, physically and emotionally. I don’t want to be put into high-stress mode come April of next year, when what I should be doing is celebrating and having fun.

Sex 2.0 is where my heart and soul is, and that’s where I want to focus my energy. Obviously, I will happily be involved with PodCamp, just as I will happily be involved with any social media coolness in the Atlanta area. To whomever ends up taking PodCamp and running with it, I’ve got a collection of great quotes about PodCamp ‘07 that can be used on promotional materials for next year, including Julie Squires saying, “PodCamp Atlanta changed my life.” That’s sure to rope in some sponsor dollars! :)

…that Sex, Wine and Chocolate was a huge success!!

Apparently the emcee took her top off, but Rusty and I had already left by that point.

I loved watching people throw money on stage for the burlesque troupe and the pole dancers. Heh. And it all helped us reach our goal, which meant everyone got the free panties we worked so hard to iron for y’all.

We’ll be doing it again next year!

There’s so much I want to say, but I feel a bit overwhelmed. I’m not sure where to start!

I guess I’ll start by directing you to the PodCamp Atlanta media page, where you can find links to all podcasts, vidcasts, etc. from PodCamp Atlanta. The page will be updated constantly as new stuff is posted. Click the Flickr and Technorati links to see photos and read blog posts. There’s also a link to Google News, where you can see all the MSM outlets that picked up the AP story.

Oh, and on Sunday, “podcamp atlanta” was the 8th most popular search term on Technorati! Woohoo!

Well, since I can’t think of some profound way to launch into the “Here’s what I learned…” homily, I’ll just do a bulleted list:

Stuff I learned / take-aways for next year

• Length of sessions should be variable depending on the topic (anywhere from 45 minutes to 90 minutes), and there should be padding in between sessions.
• Prize drawing: The tickets were kind of a PITA. We should do it differently next year, but I’m not sure how yet. (Just draw people’s names, maybe? Put each session leader in charge of one or more prizes?)
• People didn’t drink nearly as much coffee on Sunday morning. No idea why.
• Sponsorships: I’m thinking the best way to handle it might be how ConvergeSouth is handling it this year… have a set of items and let potential sponsors pick which ones they want to sponsor, rather than waiting around for them to toss $50 at you. Individuals, smaller businesses, etc. could make donations in any amount as a “friend of PodCamp” or something. But, on the other hand, I also like the idea of having different “levels” of sponsorship, like PodCamp NYC and some other uncons. So, I’m not sure about that yet.
• Paypal and other money lessons… basically, let whoever the money’s going to (in this case, Elemental Interactive) pay whenever possible, instead of writing a bunch of checks back and forth. I bet my bank thinks I’m laundering money by now.
• Let’s not have it on St. Patrick’s Day again if we can help it. (We couldn’t help it this time.)
• I didn’t know it would be such an emotional rollercoaster!! Next year I would like to start planning a little earlier, and enlist the help of more people (that is, delegate more stuff rather than trying to do so much of it myself). Delegating has always been hard for me, but I know it’s necessary, because when I don’t delegate enough, the emotional toll on me is too high.

What was a smashing success:

Really, overall I think the whole weekend was a success, but here are a few particular things…

• Friday night pre-party at Manuel’s was awesome! There were so many people there, and it was just a damn good time!
• People really liked the lunch both days. This makes me happy, because I have to admit I was a little worried about the catering situation. We didn’t have much choice in which caterer to use, since the venue had an “approved caterer.” They were pretty expensive and this led to some stress on my part that we’d end up in the red - and I’m still not sure whether or not we did. But the food was great, and the caterers were prompt, professional, and made sure everything was just right.
• The diversity of the crowd was great! I am really happy about that. And, next time, I would like to have even more topical sessions (e.g. queercasting).
• Thanks to Sam Chupp for stepping in for Rob Safuto, who was stuck in Newark due to bad weather, to lead the “Podcasting on a Budget” session! Hopefully Rob will be able to make it next year.

General notes / questions / pondering

• The most common complaint was that the wifi was flakey. All I have to say about that is, “eh.” I think the minor inconvenience of the network apparently having some kind of load capacity was well worth the trade-off of having the event in such a nice venue. (And I would love to have it in the Miller-Ward again next year, if they’ll have us back!) I’ve been to paid conferences where the wifi was even flakier, so I can’t really get too worked up about it. People can deal.
• Someone suggested having music. We tried but weren’t able to get anybody to do it in time. Planning ahead and delegating should take care of this next year. I’d like to assign this out to someone like Heather, Cable and Tweed, or someone else who is more “plugged in” to the local music scene than I am.
• There was a minor kerfluffle with the guy with the dog, but we seem to have sorted it out in the relative public space of his blog. Talk about stuff we never in a million years expected, much less planned for! I guess there’s always something.
• A lot of people are still trying to grasp the unconference concept. Len Witt did the right thing by taking the reins and making something happen instead of just complaining about it. Also if people want hands-on stuff, it’s their responsibility to schedule it ahead of time.
• Shelby says there were too many sales pitches. I don’t know, because I wasn’t in all of the sessions. Sales pitches at unconferences annoy the shit out of me, as I mentioned when I wrote about BlogSavannah and probably a few other times. But how to prevent this? Thoughts? Here’s what I wrote on Shelby’s blog:
  

  In the opening remarks on Sat. I said that thing about, “if someone is saying something crazy, it’s your responsibility to grab the mic and put a stop to it” - or whatever it was I said. I meant to also say, “No selling!” - but I forgot. Anyway, the beauty and the sometimes annoying thing about unconferences is that it really drives home the point that you can’t control what other people do.

• Finally: I love coming together with people like this and having fun. Sunday lunch was my favorite part of the whole weekend, because people were sitting around eating, talking, and laughing - A LOT! Quote of the weekend, from Penny: “It’s called social media for a reason.”

I’m sure there’s something I’m forgetting, but this is long enough already.

Actually, one last thing… the emotional rollercoaster aspect of it all has triggered some of those “OH WHY ARE WE HERE” crap moments again… bleh. Then I get carried away and start worrying about death and it just gets waaaaay too emo to handle. So, I’m trying to remember what Steve Eley always says at the end of a conversation, and how he signs all his emails: “Have fun!” I am going to make that my mantra. Because really, that’s what it’s all about.

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