Scoble to PodCamp NYC, "Pay Me!"
I can't even believe this is true but it seems that it is. A recent thread from the Google Group for the team planning PodCamp NYC goes like this, "Robert Scoble is interested in coming to podcamp nyc but has intimated (okay, said) he'd want his expenses paid. My vote is we pay them and try to find someone in NYC with really nice digs to save on housing. Why should we do this? Answer below."
WHAT???????
Has King Scoble not heard that PodCamp is an Un-Conference. As in Un-full of the graft and inside favors standard at the major conference events. As in Un-selfish approach by speaker and attendees alike. As in Un-like the fiefdom hierarchy that stinks up the streets of Silly-Con valley.
Almost as ridiculous as the request for travel expenses is the statement by one of the organizers that legitimizes the request and even recommends they meet it. So basically PodCamp NYC is planning on taking sponsor money and handing it over to Scoble so he can put his ass in a plane seat and get a nice room at the W hotel in Times Square. Meanwhile PodCamp participants will get to eat potato chips and drink soda as a reward for paying their own way to be in one of the most expensive cities in the world.
Another member of the organizing team chimes in, "He gets a ton of speaking invites, and he's not on Microsoft's travel account anymore. It's fair of him to ask for expenses. It may be fair to tell him "no" as well - if that's what the group wants."
Is it fair? And if so then why is it fair? Many other people are going to fly themselves from all over to be in our city. Some of those folks will contribute their wealth of podcasting knowledge to the conference. Are they getting paid?
And let's not forget the fact that Scoble's current outfit PodTech is famously cashed up to the tune of $5.5 million in VC funding. They can well afford to pay for Robert to come out to this groundbreaking event. If they don't want to do that then Robert should reach into his pocket to pay his own way or stay home.
I have no animosity towards Robert or PodTech. But I can quickly develop some if this is the way they treat the community of podcasters. I was planning on providing more support for this event but honestly can't do so if money granted to the effort is going to pay for travel and hotels so stars of the world of technology can attend.
WHAT???????
Has King Scoble not heard that PodCamp is an Un-Conference. As in Un-full of the graft and inside favors standard at the major conference events. As in Un-selfish approach by speaker and attendees alike. As in Un-like the fiefdom hierarchy that stinks up the streets of Silly-Con valley.
Almost as ridiculous as the request for travel expenses is the statement by one of the organizers that legitimizes the request and even recommends they meet it. So basically PodCamp NYC is planning on taking sponsor money and handing it over to Scoble so he can put his ass in a plane seat and get a nice room at the W hotel in Times Square. Meanwhile PodCamp participants will get to eat potato chips and drink soda as a reward for paying their own way to be in one of the most expensive cities in the world.
Another member of the organizing team chimes in, "He gets a ton of speaking invites, and he's not on Microsoft's travel account anymore. It's fair of him to ask for expenses. It may be fair to tell him "no" as well - if that's what the group wants."
Is it fair? And if so then why is it fair? Many other people are going to fly themselves from all over to be in our city. Some of those folks will contribute their wealth of podcasting knowledge to the conference. Are they getting paid?
And let's not forget the fact that Scoble's current outfit PodTech is famously cashed up to the tune of $5.5 million in VC funding. They can well afford to pay for Robert to come out to this groundbreaking event. If they don't want to do that then Robert should reach into his pocket to pay his own way or stay home.
I have no animosity towards Robert or PodTech. But I can quickly develop some if this is the way they treat the community of podcasters. I was planning on providing more support for this event but honestly can't do so if money granted to the effort is going to pay for travel and hotels so stars of the world of technology can attend.
Recommend Podcast NYC To Your Friends
posted by PodcastNYC.net at 8:51 PM
26 Comments:
It's amazing that you took this out into public view just to try to embarrass me or PodTech. I asked for expenses. I didn't expect them. But I asked. All you had to do was say "no" and turn them down. Now you've taken private emails into public view. Congratulations. I answered over on my blog at http://www.scobleizer.com.
My, we're quick to jump to conclusions, aren't we? How about talking with Robert and figuring out what he meant before blogging it? Or is that just too much to ask? Or maybe it's more FUN and righteous feeling to assume you've been slighted?
Nice job of going public with this before the issue could be resolved. I hope no speaker wwill even want to come to your little conference now.
I would think it to be a standard practice for Robert to ask for expenses when asked to attend your show.
The reason you would have asked him to attend would be his crowd pulling ability and the more people you get the better I'm sure. Did you bother to ask what expenses he wants paid? If he says no then did you ask if he will still attend?
Don't rubbish the guy before you have concluded negotiations. My two cents worth....
Grow up. If the answer is no, just say no. You sound like you are 8 years old.
Hey guys, being a speaker is 1) stressful and 2) expensive. Asking someone if there are funds available to cover expenses and MAYBE even pay someone for their time - well that is just normal. Unconference maybe, but very real time. Give the guy a break!
you guys are losers. you want someone to speech, you pay their expenses and even sometimes a per diem. What are you guys...new? How unprofessional.
He was solicited as a speaker. Part of the negotiation is settling terms.
That's how it works. If you don't like his terms, don't agree to them. Same goes for him - but I don't see how you can fault him for clarifying the terms themselves.
Perhaps you are just trying to use his name to drum up a little publicity? If not, perhaps if it is such a touchy point, the organizers should make sure that the lack of compensation is mentioned at the same time the speakers services are requested?
You sir, are a jackass.
From what I've read on Robert Scoble's blog you are not telling the whole truth and are in fact mis-representing the facts. You are on dodgy ground!
Asking if travel expenses can be covered is question 1 for anyone who speaks at a large number of events. This is not a slam at the unconference philosphy or anything of the like. He's just asking a question.
I'm not piping up because this is Scoble. I'm piping up because I think this makes Podcamp NY look bad and I know that it's not. I know there are good people involved with the event and having been a sponsor of PodCamp Boston I love the idea.
But, this isn't the approach you want to take. It tarnishes the whole event.
I speak at lots of different events and no matter what the size I always ask about expenses. Most can cover, some have not. And when the answer is "no we can't do that" I still sometimes go on my own tab, but sometimes I just can't.
Sorry, it's early and this post really feels like it's going to do the event more harm then good. It's too bad....
I guess that I thought the idea of a PodCamp was that it was about setting up an un-conference style event in order to benefit podcasters. It seems to me that using the sponsorship money to pay for expenses for high profile individuals runs counter to that idea. Hence my strong opinions on the topic.
So if the message to Robert Scoble was "we have sponsors and we can pay your way" then I can't take any issue with Robert saying yes to that. The note in the Google Group indicated that Robert had asked to have his expenses paid as a condition of making the trip. So it seems like there are two stories there.
I've not yet committed any time or resources to PodCamp NYC planning, and am pretty sure that I won't be asked to ;) So the person to blame for having a strong opinion on this topic is me.
As far as this information being made 'public', it was already made public when it was displayed on the Google Group that was being used to discuss ideas related to the planning of the gathering.
The question was asked on there as to whether or not Robert Scoble's expenses should be paid out of sponsor revenue from the event.
Do you think they should? And if so, who else should have their expenses paid?
I guess that I thought the idea of a PodCamp was that it was about setting up an un-conference style event in order to benefit podcasters. It seems to me that using the sponsorship money to pay for expenses for high profile individuals runs counter to that idea. Hence my strong opinions on the topic.
So if the message to Robert Scoble was "we have sponsors and we can pay your way" then I can't take any issue with Robert saying yes to that. The note in the Google Group indicated that Robert had asked to have his expenses paid as a condition of making the trip. So it seems like there are two stories there.
I've not yet committed any time or resources to PodCamp NYC planning, and am pretty sure that I won't be asked to ;) So the person to blame for having a strong opinion on this topic is me.
As far as this information being made 'public', it was already made public when it was displayed on the Google Group that was being used to discuss ideas related to the planning of the gathering.
The question was asked on there as to whether or not Robert Scoble's expenses should be paid out of sponsor revenue from the event.
Do you think they should? And if so, who else should have their expenses paid?
Sir,
If this was your intent for your post, then you did not present your argument very well until now in a follow comment. This seems very CYA
You might want to try and be Un-stupid over this issue. Has your blogging killed your ability to contact people directly for clarification? I suppose it's better to drive traffic to your blog with inflammatory posts.
Having a strong opinion is not the same as acting like a spoiled three-year old.
"King Scoble"? You're Prince Jackass in that case.
You must be somebody who still believes any publicity is GOOD publicity. It's not. You've only harmed yourself and your group. Perhaps if you apologize sincerely and don't rush to public condemnation in such a rude and unprofessional manner.
That's kind of a weak cover. You're trying to change it into a question of should the expenses be paid or not. That's NOT the point.
The point is you publicly savaged Scoble and still haven't apologized for jumping to conclusions and just generally being an ass. Grow some backbone and apologize already!
Instant anti-case-study in how to manage conflict. Well done.
Have you ever appologized in your life before? Try it today.
And mind you ...all your readers cannot be wrong.
Why wouldn't you pay expenses for a guy who busts his butt for the blogging and podcasting communities? Isn't Scoble a draw? What kind of a businesss person are you? Never mind... Now unsubscribed from iTunes. Guh-bye!
You really should have handled this privately. Very poorly handled. I reckon you've learned your lesson, though.
First of all I want to say that it's pretty open of you to keep your comments open in light of the fact that they are overwhelmingly negative towards your position and/or method of airing your grievance - that's the true spirit of Open Conversation. Secondly, I’ve invested in a podcast company and I’m going to try to make it to podcamp NYC since I heard how well PocCamp Boston went, but I fully expect to pay my own way. Lastly, I want to tell you that I ran into the exact same issue when I co-hosted a BarCamp in June. I wanted to invite a local technology-related celebrity in order to have him promote the event on his weekly radio show and then do a live remote from the show itself. I contacted him about it since I had a previous relationship with him. He completely “got” the fact that it was a sponsored unconference, but he told me upfront that there were some hard costs involved from his radio station (rhymes with ‘Beer Flannel’) and they had set rules about this sort of thing. When I brought that information back to my co-hosts, we decided to politely decline because we couldn’t make it work with our budget. He still took my call and interviewed me on the show live from BarCamp that day, but cost discussion got back to the host of another tech-related radio show here in town who was in actual attendance at the show he blogged about his opinion of the costs, painting the original guy in a bad and greedy light. I spent much of that evening and part of the next day straightening out the dust-up – but for a few hours it got pretty ugly. Everyone acted like gentlemen once I explained the situation and now we’re all on friendly terms (at least I am, I think). The bottom line is that a misinterpreted bit of information went public and smeared a guy who didn’t deserve it – which sounds to me like a parallel of your situation. I’ve met and chatted with Scoble a handful of times (not that he would remember me) and he didn’t strike me as shady or the kind of guy who would twiddle his moustache figuring out ways to exploit poor podcasters. I’ve done a fair amount of speaking myself and I always considered it a good trade to get a pass to attend whatever conference it was, but I’m not even in the same ballpark as a guy like Scoble who I think is justified in getting expenses paid to show up. I’m not going to sugarcoat this – I think you were wrong to be offended in the first place and I think you made a worse by not having the sense to play politics and keep your opinions to yourself. I hope we can laugh about this together face to face at your PodCamp, but this whole issue will hopefully be long forgotten by then.
I have no idea what's going on in the dramasphere, yer both pals o' mine, and it's late here in the hotel, so a couple quick points.
But I do find it amusing that UNconferenceCamps have sponsorships.
I think we need to go back to a middle ground between ridiculous overpriced megacons and unUserCamps.
Also, as a speaker myself (unless it's something local to me), I will always ask about expenses, no matter if it is a small thing or big thing. Period, *especially* with sponsors around. :D
I make media, and I make money. We can do that. ya rly.
Eric, as a sponsor (both my company and a client) of PodCamp Boston, it was pretty clear to me that the organizers thought sponsorships were necessary-- it was far from a formal process, with little more physical presence than a little table space and an 8 1/2 x 11 logo scotch-taped to the wall, but we hoped it would generate goodwill for both our entities in a very relevant community.
I'm not sure how the PodCamps could go without sponsors.
Not sure exactly how this kerfuffle unfolded, but it appears that the Wiki nature of the organization of these un-conferences has turned up an unintended dark side.
I just hope the reaction has been enough to educate people without tarnishing reputations-- though it appears Podcast NYC may need to eat a little -- crow.
And back to sponsorships-- perhaps there is someone in the NYC podcast community willing to stake a few sponsorship $$ specifically to cover Scoble (or anyone else they really want to come) expenses-- just as the $$ from Topaz partners and Podcast Ready in Boston was ostensibly tied to the evening party.
John, Scoble is a jerk and the only ones who dont think so are his buddies....Plus he is a has been........90% of the blogosphere has no clue who he is.
I wonder what arrington would ask for?
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