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I am.
This is just lame, not only does he state that he is stealing the table, but then he complains because he is booted. Doesn't the admission that you are steeling usually mean that you don't get to complain about it?
Even with an admission fee, you will still get children who don't know how to behave at events.
This kind of behavior is an insult, and a stain on our community. They actually called Whitney names on their blog for pointing out to them (quite nicely, I might add) that they are THIEVES!
You have to register for their site to leave a comment there, and I won't do that. Good for you, Chris for calling them out on it.
When idiots and jerks behave badly, most good people just cluck their tongues and do nothing. I think that's a mistake. It takes a few good people like you to stand up for what's right, and then you'll quickly see that the majority won't tolerate it. They're just all afraid of being the first to speak up.
These "lifecasters" are supposedly trying to make new media a full time job. They won't succeed with antics like these.
As tempting as it is though to deal with this problem by raising prices enough to make it a real financial consequence for people who act out, it would also undermine the accessibility of a lot of the podcamp community at large to attend. I wouldn't be able to justify the costs and I would have far less cost involved since Boston would be local to me. It would splinter the community to those that could be sponsored via work, etc and others of us that would have to settle at maybe getting a chance to interact at coinciding meetup.
I saw some of the effects of something similar (but for different reasons) at BarCamp Austin and SXSW. The localized Austin community, who obviously still had tons to contribute and say really were not visible as much in the larger SXSW event. But just 5 minutes away you got a glimpse of that at BarCamp and in attending Barcamp and talking to other attendees...most couldn't afford to attend the larger SXSW event.
I agree that behavior like this is unacceptable and puts a burden on the very organizers we all have to thank for the tons and tons of hard work put into podcamp and other type events. (Thanks & hugs Whitney!)
I guess my answer to this lies in not how can we exclude the problem...but how can I help with it. I see this falling to the responsibility of the community at large, all of us taking pride and stepping in where needed. Whether that means lending a hand to the organizers as extra event staff to help monitor and facilitate or even just having the conviction of doing what is best for the group and event and speaking up to offenders when something isn't quite right like in this situation.
Thanks,
Joyce
www.twitter.com/RhiannonSL
What really got me was his whole attitutde towards it. He was giggling to himself at first, then with a "I don't care" attitude said he "pirated the table". He knew from the get-go what he did was wrong, because he was doing something that he thought he could get away with. If it was an honest mistake then I can excuse the guy, but since his attitude was like that, he really disrespected justin.tv
That's my thoughts on it.
Regarding the PodCamp: Boston3 charge, I'm not for it. As a knowledge provider, I love going to PodCamps to impart some information to podcasters who are doing this for the love of it (or money or both). More often than not, they don't have the resources to spend on "pro" conferences, so charging -- I believe -- will eliminate a lot of this grass-roots base.
I'd call for a boycott of their material or whatever, but that would feed the fire and I don't want one person's actions to reflect justin.tv at large. Suffice to say, however, unless we hear from Steve and work something out soon, I'll post on the PodCampNYC blog about this as a lesson for how NOT to treat real sponsors, Podcamp organizers, and the community in general.
I however believe that participants should foot a bit of the podcamp bill, and for that reason I'm not a bit bothered that podcamp boston has a $50. I understand that lots of people who attend do not have the resources to spend on a "pro" conference, but i'm sure that they can spare $50 to support a cause we're all in together! Long Live Podcamp! LONG LIVE NEW MEDIA!!!
What raising the price does is essentially the same as wrapping something in DRM. You're not going to shut out the people that you're attempting to, and the only people you're hurting are the unexperienced. I highly doubt that the people that I met with little to no podcasting experience would have attended PodCampNYC. The idiots will always attend. If they weren't inside they would have been outside doing the same crap.
The extreme downside of raising prices would be making money off the idiocy that happens. And when it happens, then what? The prices get raised again? The price of conferences is why unconferences started happening to begin with. I doubt that any of us will be using Justin.tv in the future and this alone will probably be enough.
Please find a different method of "punishment" that doesn't hurt the rest of us.
People don't seem to be in an uproar over the fact that just about EVERY podcamp has had a pretty appalling attendance rate: Not that the number of people there wasn't great, but that the number of people who PROMISED to be there and didn't come is pretty high. We simply can't keep having events where that happens. The sponsor support will dry up pretty quickly if we're significantly under-delivering on attendees vs. what was anticipated.
So whether you're doing this as a hobby or as a profession, it's important to get serious about it.
And pushing the price to around $900 (this was brought up in a tweet from Mr. Penn (http://twitter.com/cspenn/statuses/799776607) would be seen as punishing those of us who choose to go in my eyes. I know that I wouldn't go for that price.
Perhaps in the future PodCamp would be too good for their money? I don't want to suggest that the conference go without a sponsor, but it seems like they have some bad mojo.
Thanks for your thoughts. I don't want to suggest that the folks at Justin.tv were aware of what happened or sanctioned it. I think they have a good service and if other footage at Podcamp helped participants, etc., that's great. But shooting footage of Whitney doing her job and putting it in a nasty light when they're squatting on purpose doesn't fly.
If Justin.tv wanted to sponsor future events via regular channels, that's fine by me. I don't hold grudges but I also can't allow sponsors who did participate in a positive way to help the community be maligned.
As Chris said, reputation is everything. I know how I feel about them and their brand now.
I'm just going to bite my tongue. This is pathetic.
I hope they won't be dissuaded by the immature actions that we've seen here from participating in the future.
I knew that I had a very light marketing presence (no booth or demo monitor, etc. with me for this show), so I told her I would be okay with sharing my table with them. She was fine with that, and allowed them to stay at my request.
I was concerned that PodCamp come across as the awesome community event that it is, and I knew these guys were streaming. I worked with them, making sure they had the space they needed, and I even explained to them why, in my view, Whitney needed to take the stance that she did. I also told that that Whitney is totally cool and that they should just let things be.
So, seeing this reflection of ingratitude and punkish behavior really makes me sick. I wish, now that I see this, that I had stood with Whitney and told these guys to take a hike. What a disappointment!
Still, PodCamp NYC rocked, and I would sponsor again in a hearbeat.
To be honest, I thought of a few lofty things to say about this, but forget that. If it comes up again, tell them to "Leave Now" and help them pack up their table.
This event must always be attainable to amateurs. Raising the price will keep out the people who need it and benefit from it the most. Raising the price will keep out the bad rabble at the expense of the good rabble. It's simply not right to allow this behavior to hurt others.
If we get some occasional bad rabble, we deal with it. THAT is what it means to be a community. We act as a community through the good and the bad.
In this particular case, I think it just means negating the benefits of the table. Public embarrassment. The point of the table is to present what you're all about... if people are all about breaking rules, then show it's the case.
Maybe I'd have sat on their table and disagreed with what they tried to present to visitors. Something funny about hijacking the hijackers. Do it with good humor so the rest of the community doesn't have to suffer because of them. It'd make for some fun and entertaining video on the net for sure.
http://www.thesmojo.com/justintv-lifecasters-hi...
Sorry you guys had to deal with these jokers. Its like High School.
m
But the important point here is that the community can't be complacent or a door mat for bad behavior. We chose not to make a huge scene at the time to keep things cool and try to handle it after the event quietly. We could have chosen to call security, and if he really wanted to see bitchiness, I could have chosen many other tacks of action that would have been considerably more harsh.
Steve chose to post the video advertising his bad behavior and contempt for Podcamp, which saddens me, but it opens the door for this community discussion, which is an important one to have. How do we self-police? When should things like this become public during an event, and when is it more appropriate to try to handle things as adults after the event?
John Havens and I spoke, and what we'd really like to see Steve and Justin.tv to do is either to become legitimate sponsors of Podcamps in the future, or give the same value it would have cost them in community service- teach kids to podcast at a local school, work at a Podcamp or community event, or otherwise do something to give back rather than just take from the community. That's the whole point of having community events, anyway, and maybe by having them go through the hassle and time commitment of putting n an event, they would appreciate them a little more.
But it does need to happen since the issue has been brought out in the open to such a degree.
so since nobody bothered to ask our end of the story I shall explain.
This was my very first podcamp. I was very excited to be at this event. I plastered this events logo all over my broadcast promoting it to no end. I even contributed to having others attend this event cause it was poorly advertised and nobody knows what it is outside of this wonderful clique you kids have.
My friend named the clip that out of a joke after we were rudely spoken too more than once by whitney. within 5 minutes of me being at the event I had placed my bag on a table simple to rest for a second because I was carrying alot of equipment. I was told by whitney "you cant keep your stuff there" I had no intention of doing so. So I moved. After I was told by John that I could receive a tshirt for promoting podcamp so nicely on my page I was rudely told that "ONLY SPONSORS GET SHIRTS AND THATS IT" by the oh so friendly and welcoming whitney. Let me remind you all this WAS MY FIRST and definately my last podcamp ny. so after listening to that inspiring welcoming speech in the auditorium about being able to drop and start podcasting or webcasting anywhere we wanted too well we gladly did so. There were no signs anywhere stating the tables were just for sponsors. I did not hear anything of the sort during chris's speech either.
So day 1 after lunch we casually placed ourselves on a table that was empty along with 3 other tables. Nobody said a word to us then that we couldnt be there. So day 2 we gladly came by and placed ourselves in the same location. meanwhile 4 tables were sitting empty. Whitney then rudely said uh this isnt your table. instead of saying im sorry these tables are for our sponsors would you mind moving your things. which would of been more professional instead of childish. at that point when the clip ends. You guys negelct to hear the sponsor volunteering half the table for us to occupy since all he had was a pile of papers. and didnt NEED a whole table. So for next time yes please do make it clear to others that your not allowed to occupy those tables cause we would of gladly brought our own if that were the case. And you can be sure that I will never attend any event again that involves any of you. Thank you for welcoming us so kindly and be sure that I will make it loud and clear how we were oh so welcomed to podcamp.
and please forward any comments to me personally because Justin.tv had no involvment in us being there what so ever. We were there to cover the event of podcamp via JTV not to advertise JTV.
The only reason we did what we did was because of the OVERWHELMING response from people who wanted to know who we were and what we were doing.
So I look forward to hearing from you all cause I am the one directly involved with this incident.
Anthony Quintano
aquintano@gmail.com
There's absolutely a common sense aspect to this, and any reasonable person would understand the distinction between "hey, take pictures and record the sessions", and "feel free to take any place you like."
Usually, when I enter another's space for the first time, I try to get a feel for the way things are done. You obviously didn't do that.
And don't try to make this about "how poorly advertised" the event was, in your view. That's irrelevant to your poor behavior. You could have apologized for (even unwittingly) doing something that was seen as insensitive and rude to many others.
And even if you would interpret Whitney's manner as brusque, or even rude, how do you justify calling her that name? Do you kiss your mother with that same mouth?
I know, why don't you show that clip TO your mother, and see what she thinks?
and we did know that they were sponsor tables but we figured since the sponsor wasnt occupying it we would use it. We were kindly ready to move if we had too. and no i dont feel the need to apologize cause I didnt do anything wrong.
Excellent move coming to an event you know little about and picking the most respected person in East Coast Podcasting to screw with. You've successfully introduced yourself to the world as a total toolbag and SEVERELY tarnished the Justin.TV brand. I hope they distance themselves from you and formally apologize in an effort to save face (and maintain viewers). Everything you say or do at an event like PodcampNYC is a reflection of your character and effects the reputation of the company/podcast/website you work with. As of today your reputation (and that of Justin.TV) is in the gutter.
If your looking for a public forum to discuss your actions I invite you to skype call the live taping of the Best Damn Tech Show, Period this Thursday evening. Email me at roadieshow@gmail.com if you have any interest in apologizing or at least explaining yourself to the angered podcasting community.
And, even if the sponsor, who did pay the $500 for the table, rather than cause a scene, offerd to share, somewhere you should have seen his being nice and realized 'oh gee, didn't realize you paid for this space.' End story. And yes, an organizer with far too many responsibilities on her plate I think has the right to make sure everything is in line, including that all spaces are available for a sponsor who paid for them...irregardless of whether they were there at that moment or not.
It is just etiquette and anyone with a camera should be even more aware of this...even those live streaming. BTW, I myself have had a channel on Justin.tv for quite awhile, long before it was publicly open to add a channel and this all just throws mud on the brand that Justin, Daniel and crew have worked to build up. Just apologize for misinterpreting the situation and not enquiring a bit more and offer up some kindness to a woman (Whitney) who deserved a bit more considering all she did for the event.
Thank you
Lee Gibbons is the CEO of Podango (not Podcamp). If our event was so poorly advertised, how did we get 800 people to show up in Brooklyn on Passover weekend?
And in terms of speaking in person before posting on a blog, I only commented here AFTER reading the post with the title about hijacking a table at podcamp. I can understand that if Lee offered to share his table that there would be confusion in regards to our concern about your staying at the table. That makes sense. But filming Whitney in a snarky way and then posting about hijacking means you not only did knowingly stay at the table when the organizers didn't think it was cool, but flaunted it.
And here's the end of the discussion for me-you admit in your comment above that you called Whit a bitch. Fact-she was doing her job. Fact-no matter how she approached you, even if you had/have a right to be upset, calling her a bitch means you're not willing to behave in anything resembling a civil manner. There's simply no reason to publicly call Whitney a bitch, period. There is no logic, skewed or otherwise that will answer your calling her a bitch. And here's the folks who agree with me (according to emails, etc. passed around today):
Chris Brogan
Chris Penn
C.C. Chapman
-Among others. This event that was so poorly advertised happened to attract a number of the leading voices in new media. Your insult to Whit is an insult to me and to them. You don't seem to care, but fyi.
And if you live in the NYC area, I'll meet with you face to face. Or you can call me at: 917-597-3323. I had hoped to talk about this situation privately so we could work out whatever differences we had and clear the air. But the videos and blog posts I saw/read were up BEFORE this post.