Canada's Largest Social Media Gathering Converges in Toronto

TORONTO, Feb. 19 /CNW/ - PodCamp Toronto 2010, a free two-day conference exploring the world of new media community tools, is taking place February 20-21, 2010 at the Rogers Communication Centre at Ryerson University in Toronto.

"PodCamp Toronto resonates with hobbyists and professionals alike," says Eden Spodek, a member of the volunteer PodCamp Toronto 2010 organizing team. "Yet, we share a passion for storytelling. That common thread is weaved into all of the sessions. There's something for everyone."

Key features of the event include:

- PodCamp Toronto 2010 is a free event. Costs are offset by event's sponsors such as SMG, Chevrolet, CNW Group, High Road Communications, Microsoft WebsiteSpark, Rogers, Voices.com, and Web Host Industry Review.

- Anyone can register to deliver a session or volunteer to help by signing up at PodCampToronto.com. Sessions can be on any aspect of social media.

- This entire event is managed by volunteers offering their time, talent and efforts to discuss their passion for building community, blogging, social media, pod/vod casting and much more.

Over 1,200 people have signed up to explore the cutting edge of new media in this unconference setting. This means that PodCamp Toronto 2010 is organized by the participants for the participants. The participants design and manage the content of the sessions. "Our role (as organizers) is to set up an infrastructure to make the whole event work, such as organize a location and facilitate the schedule," says Connie Crosby, a member of the PCTO organizing team. "However, it is up to participants to set the agenda for the weekend and develop the subjects and content they would like to see."

It does not stop with the design of the event. "It is up to participants to pursue what they want to get out of the weekend the most, and find the conversations and sessions that fill those needs," says Crosby.

With over 60 sessions scheduled, there's something for everyone. Some of the scheduled sessions include:

Crowdsourcing Technical Communities with CrisisCommons with Heather Leson, Brian Chick, Rachel Young & Jeff Kolesnikowicz

CrisisCommons (Toronto) and CrisisCamp (Haiti)- Toronto is part of a large, International volunteer movement of technologists, social media/organizational knowledge workers, programmers and Geocode mappers working together to crowdsource collaborative open source technology. They aim to "help the helpers": disaster relief organizers from the large non-governmental organizations in Haiti. This session discusses their ongoing efforts.

Usability & User Experience with Jeff MacArthur

An overview of usability concepts for the web, mobile, and other devices, followed by several quick case studies and recent research in the area.

Recording and Livestreaming a Podcast from Two or More Cities With Bill Deys & Will Spaetzel

During this practical session, learn how to manage co-hosts in different locations, get great audio quality and how to include an audience with a simultaneous live stream. Demonstrations of Skype, Audacity and uStream are part of this discussion.

BizCamp: Showcasing Intellectual Capital at RBC Global Asset Management with Mircea Baldean

In this session, business meets social media. Learn how we chose to use the right digital communication vehicles and how to make them a dependable resource.

Learn more about PodCamp Toronto 2010 and register by visiting the event website. http://2010.podcamptoronto.com/

For further information: Media Contact: Sheri Moore, [phone], [email protected], http://2010.podcamptoronto.com