Maybe it’s just the time of the year, but there’s been a lot of interest recently in whether there will be a PodCamp Barcelona 2011.

So here’s our thoughts on the subject:

When we began PodCamp Barcelona in 2008 it was primarily because we were doing podcasting and thought it would be really interesting to go to such an event. As we couldn’t find any close enough to get to, we decided to do it ourselves. At that time there were very few events around the so-called “new media”, “web 2.0″ or “social media” but now there are plenty of them.

There is a tendancy to do events “porque toca” (because it’s now a ritual) which is something we profoundly disagree with. If there’s nothing new or interesting to do or say, if it just the same format and speakers refritos we don’t see the point. In the light of the #acampadas, the occupations and reuse of public space in Spain and other places this year, we feel that a PodCamp is pretty redundant.

We recognise that events are important to communities and one of the initial aims of PodCamp Barcelona (along with the Barcelona Social Media Café) was to create community. However as the use of social media and “web 2.0″ tools has spread, peeps have become more focussed on specific communities such as journalists, food & wine, open data, open gov, marketing etc.

That each PodCamp Barcelona was different is something we are proud of. It would have been easy, and frankly boring, to repeat the same event every year – but we were lucky that peeps were inspired and added considerably to the mix. The spontaneous contribution by @Moof of @PBCNTweetlation in 2009 and the subsequent development of it in 2010 by @Moof and @pdavenne is a brilliant example which gave a new dimension. Last year we added workshops and cut down on presentations which led in part to the development of a new iteration of Kfé Innovación which is now spreading around the world.

The other thing is that we no longer live in or near to Barcelona. Right now we’re off in northern Europe sorting out our next destination. Does this mean we’ll never do another PodCamp Barcelona? We don’t know. Does it mean we’ll never do anything else in Barcelona? We doubt that. But we won’t be doing PodCamp Barcelona 2011.

So thanks to everybody who has been asking, and thanks to everyone who has participated in PodCamp Barcelona since 2008. It’s the participants who make any event a success and if people have been asking about PodCamp Barcelona 2011, then we think we can qualify it as that

Ana & Chris

Matthew Ray arrived in Barcelona 15 years ago and since then he has been “obsessed” with the English problem in Catalonia and the rest of Spain. His dream is for everyone in the Spanish state who needs English to be able to reach their desired level, and therefore avoiding the further loss of personal and professional opportunities.

Back on track: would you like to stay for lunch? Yes? Brilliant, tell us as soon as possible and we'll organize the lunch. The price is 15€ p/person Is that all right? Important: each one pays his/her own lunch.

Cava Berdié will bring the "Sensory visit" we do at the winery to PodCamp Barcelona, transforming it in the "Sensory Tasting", where we will taste three very different Berdié cava, smell surprising fragrances and taste three extremely original "pinchos". 

The tasting will take place on Saturday, September 18th, at 6.15 PM at Els Vienesos. Just one important issue: we need to know how many people we'll be. If you want to taste our cava, please leave a comment, send a message through the contact page or send us a tweet with the hashtag #pbcn10. 

Cheers!

What is Geoforum?

Geoforum is a versatile participatory online geolacalisation tool. Built on the geolocalisation system of Google Maps, it enables points to be added to the map of a specific geographical space (neighbourhood. city, county, region etc) and each point is linked to a discussion forum to where opinions can be shared and additional information such as photos or videos can be added.

Putting PodCamp Barcelona on the map

To add your info about the home of PodCamp Barcelona, El Masnou, click here and start geolocalising!

We will analyze the impact of the solidarity campaign '5 Cava for 5 solidarity projects' for the services offered by Cava Berdié in wine tourism. 

First of all we will explain the basis of this project, intimately related to one of the fundamental elements that drives Berdié in every action since its creation; the will to help, shown in this project as a solidarity initiative that will dedicate 7% of the sale profits (sales via Internet, telephone or at the winery itself) from five Berdié cava to five solidarity projects.

Second, we'll explain the motivation behind this project, related to another fundamental elements of Berdié: the will to offer another way of looking at the world of cava. To that end, Berdié has invested, and thus improved, the winery infrastructure, where now all cava fans can visit and enjoy this product, while at the same time carrying out several activities unusually related to wine tourism,  like cooperating with five NGOs.

Confirmed: ¡At the session's end we can taste a cava! See you there

We are pleased to announce that the live streaming of PodCamp Barcelona will be on the Civico platform.

About Civico

Civico is a practical online democracy engagement platform.
We specialise in enabling local councils and public-facing organisations, through their meetings conferences and events, to actively engage with citizens.
Technology and the social web are changing democracy, opening up the process, and enabling citizens in dialogue and delivering greater access and transparency. Civico brings the conversation together to share the stage.
Our creative passion for democracy is at the heart of everything we do. We are inherently inquisitive about new approaches and practices for democratic participation; constantly monitoring the latest advances in technology and trends to ensure we provide the most compelling and effective service.
We are always innovating to move forward the Civico system: blending expertise, experience and a dedicated live events team, to provide you with a complete system.

Ernesto Sorribas will tell us in 8 minutes at the PodCamp Barcelona Speakers Corner: What are the JPod Barcelona:

On October 29th, 30th & 31st, the Espai Jove La Fontana de Gràcia, will host the JPod Barcelona, the V Podcasting Conference.

The programme has activities for those familiar with podacasts, such as technical talks, current affairs, advanced workshops, etc.

It also includes activities for those who have never heard of podcasts: live podcast recordings, a beginner's workshop to show how to create your own podcast and, also, the Asociación Podcast will deliver the awards to this year's best podcasts.

The conference will also include a space where listeners, podcasters and the general public can share their experiences.

The conference's attendance is free, and it has been organized by a team of volunteers.

We'd like to invite you to come with us and to make it known that creating and listening to podcasts is fun, easy, free and that everyone can do it.

After the success of last year’s “Tweetlation” project, where @Moof provided near-real-time translations of the PBCN Twitter feed on @PBCNTweetlation , we’re hoping to enlarge it this year. We’re putting together a group of volunteer translators who will be translating all the tweets coming through on the #pbcn10 hashtag. That way everybody will be able to share in the Podcamp backchannel, regardless of language.

This is where we need your help: We’re looking for two or three people willing to do tweetlations (or, presumably, twitducciones) from English to Spanish/Catalan, so you can help out @Moof and @pdavenne who are going to be tweetlating from Spanish/Catalan to English. You don’t need excellent English, just enough to understand the thrust of most of the tweets, and you can always ask the English speakers for help with particular words.

Translating tweets is an interesting challenge, as you need to keep it within the 140 character limit, but it’s significantly easier than translating huge paragraphs of text, and immensely rewarding.

So why not give it a try? Contact us through the contact form, or tweet @PodcampBCN and we’ll get back to you about doing it.