I was a REBarCamp Virgin… until Wednesday. My schedule finally allowed me to attend the wildly successful REBarcamp in Philadephia. Check out the coordinators and sponsors here. (A big shout out to Kim Wood, Bill Lublin, and John Lauber for all their hard work.)
A group session started us all off. We were all encouraged to host one of the sessions being offered. There were 6 rooms and 5 time slots so lots to choose from. Some rooms were standing room only and some had half a dozen people. I attended all types of sessions and all were outstanding. So what did I learn?
Social Media is Evolving
A Rebarcamp is truly a holistic experience that helps you focus on your areas of need.
It is all about People . . . Period
This digital divide where are meeting people online has actually created more solid and deep relationships – We are all seeking meaning, relevant connections and communities. If done properly we are accomplishing this with our social media connections. It’s all about personal touch.
Where is the Beef?
Lots of conversations on creating meaning and value and NOT on creating features and applications. I LOVED that. If we have meaningful topics to have a conversation around the conversation will continue.
Cross Platforms thriving
There are some new solutions to get connected that cut across mobile, web and live interaction. You can be on all of them or just one. Cross platform solutions will thrive.
Help me Organize . . . Please
Lots of discussion of how to organize all our feeds, posts, subscriptions, all these bits and bytes that we like to have. I call them aggregators, and I am still searching for one that is cross platform. Is it friendfeed? Is it Digg? The winner in my mind has not surfaced yet, do you know one?
And last but not least
Todd Carpenter (Social Media Director for NAR) is just the forerunner for a whole new world of social media jobs. NAR is so honored to have Todd. Will your association or company need a social media director? It may be you!
All in all, a great experience, so if there is a REBarCamp near you, you should plan to attend. It is free education and you get to hang out with some amazing people! Check out when a REBarCamp will be in your area! Click here.
Dan Connolly
May 30, 2009 at 8:23 am
If you want a good feed aggregator try the Firefox add on “Sage”. It is lightweight and works well. With a click it tells you which feeds have been updated since the last time you were there, you can organize them in folders and subfolders.
Joe Loomer
May 30, 2009 at 8:56 am
Nice Post Amy – wholeheartedly agree on the benefits that we will all reap from the selection of Todd as the NAR SMM.
Ken Montville - The MD Suburbs of DC
May 30, 2009 at 3:37 pm
Amy – Congrats on making it to your first REBAR Camp. I went to one in Fredericksburg, VA a few months ago and I was hooked. You are so right that connecting with people who you might have “met” online,,people you already know and people who have a huge storehouse of knowledge they are willing to share make it a great event. Free helps.
I was at the REBCPHL. It had a big turnout. It was a great event! Maybe we’ll run into each other next time. 🙂
ines
May 31, 2009 at 10:38 pm
It was so great to meet you F2F – to me barcamp is about the collected energy shared with like minded individuals. I wish I could become a groupie and go every single one of them.
As for an aggregator site – can’t help you there – I like going to the different places because of the different cultures, but curious to see what people come up with.
teresa boardman
June 1, 2009 at 10:42 am
IU like ReBar camps they have an energy about them and work well for someone like me who isn’t comfortable sitting still for long.
Stefanie Hahn
June 2, 2009 at 10:13 pm
Philly was my first RE Bar Camp too! What a great day. I met 2 of my biggest geek crushes in person 🙂
For me – the day was all about getting the most out of what I am doing online and figuring out what is working for agents who are out there using these tools everyday. Plus I want to know about all of the latest and greatest …
I am FriendFeed gal – so many cool things you can do with FF.
Amy Chorew
June 3, 2009 at 9:27 pm
Well, I am ready and raring to go to my next Rebarcamp. I sponsored the Boston Rebarcamp, anyone want to go as my emissary?
Doug Francis
June 17, 2009 at 7:40 pm
Okay I’m on board but now have to get to one. Virginia Beach looks over-subscribed and I probably would have driven to Philly… rats!
I will keep an eye on the schedule @ https://rebarcamp.com/