Jeff Pulver hosted a social networking breakfast this morning at the S & S Restaurant and Deli in Cambridge, Mass. This podcast episode contains excerpts of conversations I recorded during the two-hour event.  Included are Bryan Person, Israel Drori, Chris Brogan, Joyce Bettencourt, Michael Mikek, Oleg Puzyreff, Ian Carpenter, Steve Garfield, and Jeff Pulver.  That much creativity in one room left me energized and glad for the chance for face-to-face time with people I find so intriguing when I encounter them on my computer screen. Many photos were taken and uploaded, mostly to Facebook, as well as some to Flickr.
The music for my podcast is "Going to the Sun" composed and performed by Montana musicians Christine Dickinson, Janet Haarvig, and Matthew Lyon, from their Glacier Journey CD.

I met Paul Foley through Steve Garfield’s Boston Media Makers, and today Paul joined me for a conversation about his explorations of multimedia tools and the Internet.  An accomplished freelance environmental portrait photographer, Paul sees a squeeze developing in the market for such work, especially in print.  In his mid-50s, he is ready to cross the digital divide into story telling through still photography, video, and audio. He’s also looking to social networks such as Twitter for worldwide distribution.  After our interview today at my Cambridge place, Paul e-mailed me a handsome portrait of himself that I used as the thumbnail for this episode. 

Music for my podcast is "Going to the Sun" composed and performed by Montana musicians Christine Dickinson, Janet Haarvig, and Matthew Lyon, from their Glacier Journey CD.

Loïc Le Meur, the charismatic Frenchman who is starting a video conversation startup named Seesmic, spoke with me in the hallway today at Video on the Net (VON) in Boston. 

Loïc explained why radical transparency in his venture is not a risk, but a competitive advantage. That’s why he and his team are posting videos five times a week, showing every detail of the startup and asking for help from the approximately 2,000 people subscribed. They give lots of it.  Tres interessant!

The waiting list to join Seesmic stands at about 5,000 and I’m right in there, hoping to get a chance to try it out.  Loïc is wisely waiting until the alpha program is well tested before opening up to everyone who is eager to join the video conversation. He says in this interview that we will only have to wait another month or two. 

Photo by Nate Aune. Thanks, Nate!

Veteran Podcaster Dean Whitbread, a founder of the UK Podcasters Association, was in town this weekend for Podcamp Boston 2. We met online mainly through Twitter, and I enjoy following his smart and artful blogs, The Blog of Funk and Dean Whitbread.  The iTunes Music Store contains his audio podcast, the Pod of Funk, and his video podcast, deek deekster: innit, both highly recommended. He also introduced John Cleese to podcasting. All this gives Dean lots of experience in podcasting and blogging, so it was a great opportunity to learn from him.

Also on this episode, I hear from Simon Young of Auckland, New Zealand, who left an audio comment at the Pod Chronicles line, 206-202-0890. Simon and his wife have a new consulting venture, iJump, helping organisations jump into the social media playground. I first heard about him in an interview he did with Anna Farmery of The Engaging Brand podcast, and I was very impressed with what he had to say about different kinds of writing styles.

Music is "Going to the Sun" composed and
performed by Montana musicians Christine Dickinson, Janet Haarvig and
Matthew Lyon. From their Glacier Journey CD.

I’m glad I had a quick trip scheduled to Denver this week, because it gave me a chance to experience the stunned joy of Colorado Rockies fans looking forward to the club’s first-ever World Series.  I turned to two of my most baseball-savvy friends for explanations, Kes Woodward who was in town from Fairbanks, Alaska, and Michael Drummy, a longtime Red Sox fan who moved to Colorado 10 years ago.  This episode has other voices, all helping tell an amazing sports story.

Music is "Going to the Sun" composed and performed by Montana musicians Christine Dickinson, Janet Haarvig and Matthew Lyon. From their Glacier Journey CD .

At my 30th reunion of the MBA Class of 1977 from Harvard Business School last week, I asked 13 of my classmates what was the most important thing they had learned at HBS. The answers were as varied as the people with whom I shared the B-School experience.  Was it the people? Was it a way of thinking that amounts to applied common sense?  All of the above and more.  It was fun and enlightening to be with these folks again, and I’m grateful to everyone who spoke with me for this podcast episode.  See you in 2012!

Erin Trapp, director of the Denver Office of Cultural Affairs, talks about how a new cultural center could reinvigorate Denver and help establish the city’s claim as the Creative Capital of the West, as Mayor Hickenlooper likes to say. In this interview in Erin’s office today, I learned some things I didn’t know about the historic Carnegie Library/McNichols Building, where a cultural center might be created in Civic Center Park.
 
The Audio Pod Chronicles theme music is "Going to the Sun" composed and performed by Montana musicians Christine Dickinson, Janet Haarvig and Matthew Lyon, from their Glacier Journey CD 

Rob Simon, the founder 30 years ago of Denver’s well-known alternative weekly, Westword, has in the past few years turned his creativity and entrepreneurial talent toward podcasting. His company, BurstMarketing, created the impressive Cherry Creek Arts Festival podcast and continues to help business clients find solutions in podcasting.  In this interview on Sept. 4, 2007, at Common Grounds Coffee Shop at Wazee and 17th Streets in Denver, he talked about what makes a successful podcast and about what he’s looking for in the podcasting contractors whom he’s hiring to help keep up with the opportunities.   Special thanks to Twitter friends Goldiekatsu and Genuine for suggesting questions to ask Rob!

Yesterday I took Amtrak’s Downeaster from Boston to Old Orchard Beach, Maine, hoping to capture words and sounds reflecting my lifelong love of trains. I also hoped I’d find someone to interview.  Enter Peter McHugh. I think you’ll enjoy his story.
Flickr photo by Eric Olson (username: broccolbee)
"Going to the Sun" composed and performed by Montana musicians Christine Dickinson, Janet Haarvig and Matthew Lyon. From their Glacier Journey CD

August 4, 2007 was the 46th birthday of Barack Obama, and the New Hampshire campaign celebrated with a canvass in several cities. I answered the call to go to Portsmouth, where I spent four hours in very hot weather knocking on doors in nearby Dover.  My partner was Will Gattis of Falmouth, Maine, who happens to be a terrific singer-songwriter, as well as a young man who believes Obama is a dream candidate who just might change the country.  You can hear "Christopher," Will’s song that closes the podcast, and several others at his MySpace page .