630- Podcast conferences — a perspective from a podcaster

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In this episode of The Podcast Reporter Show, we deliver a perspective from one of the very first podcasters in the podosphere about the future of podcast conferences.

As a podcaster, I have had experience and have seen and participated in just about all the USA meetings, conferences and podcamps since the beginning. And so now, I am giving my perspective on the present and the future of podcast conferences — especially the large ones.

Since 2005, I have followed the following podcast conferences:

Portable media expo;

Podcast and Portable Media Expo;

Blogworld and Podcast Expo;

New Media Expo

Podcast Movement – Evolutions;

Podcast Movement;

Podfest or Podfest Expo;

Podcamps (since September 2006 to the present);

She Podcasts

International Podcast Day session(s);

and other conferences that you may find at this web site (even though they may be outside the USA): https://www.buzzsprout.com/blog/podcast-conferences

So, since 2005, I have been an active and serious podcaster since The beginning —

And now, with over 17 years of podcasting, I am very concerned and participating in The present —

But I also have strong feelings where the problem of PM 2022 will lead — that is, A perspective for the future —

Looking forward to the VALUE for the podcaster in having (or attending or participating) in a podcast conference — perhaps the best alternative is to make every conference it own private platform in which the organizers can commit discrimination and bigotry and cancel culture and censorship.

Why?

Because, you see, in this way, the owners can determine who will be allowed to attend or participate and who will be rejected and not permitted to attend or participate based on political bias or race or gender or background or anything that the organizers do not agree with. While in the past prior to the Civil Rights Act, it was a common practice to have signs and postings that read “Whites Only” or “No blacks allowed” or anything like that in the area of race — it is now the same thing to say that a podcast conference may be the largest in its propaganda and welcomes ALL podcaseters…that is, all podcasters except those who are conservative or those whom the organizers target as unacceptable and those who promote free and open platforms for publishing their messages in a free-speech society or those who do not agree with the political views of the organizers.

Does this sound familiar?

Well, PM 2022 set the stage and those who DEMAND that the conference adhere to their own personal whims and bias and prejudice will commit acts of protest or even violence if they don’t get their way. Just because a firm signed up for a booth and paid for a spot in the exhibit hall of the conference, they should not be banned or canceled or censored or threatened by some of the woke activists that do not believe that all podcasters have a right to publish their own message.

Thus, I feel that the only way to go in the future is to have the woke platforms create, organize and start their own conferences, in which podcasting may or may not be the prime media. Thus, ShePodcasts is the first to target a specific audience (even though they had not canceled or discriminated against the very few males that arrived to demonstrate at the exhibit hall or attend the sessions — e.g., Dave Jackson at the Libsyn booth in the exhibit hall).

Now, I suppose that every group that has a root of hate or bigotry for another group should start their very own podcast conference. In this way, they can manage their own discrimination and bigotry and restrictions — in fact, they would be like the old signs of “Whites Only” and “No blacks allowed” (and remember that in South Africa, this was the custom and law until recently; so it was not just the USA that had these restrictions).

Thus, for myself, I will not believe the propaganda from Podcast Movement that it is the “largest podcast conference for podcasters” at the time — because they are the ones that will try to promote the idea that podcasters are welcomed — well, but except for the following podcasters that they do not want to admit, due to the reasons of bigotry, hate, racism, political views or disagreement of messages).

So where do I stand?

I will NOT attend or support Podcast Movement, due to this type of extremism and bigotry. Although I did support it from the beginning by donating to the start in its kickstarter — and also presenting at the very first conference in Dallas in 2014 — I will no longer support this type of organization that prohibits a podcaster from attending. I will NOT believe their propaganda at all. In fact, I will be waiting the for the day that they will promote “PM is a conference for liberal and left-wing radical and woke podcasters ONLY.”

How is that for the future?

However, if there will be open and welcomed podcast conferences for all podcasters, it will be up to the Podfest Expo organizers, as an example, to make an open podcast conference continue. And for their efforts in promoting their conference this way, I do plan to follow, support and attend their event — mainly because they are NOT discriminating, show no bigotry and will not cancel or censor any podcaster.

We will see where this leads to and I myself will follow the backlash after the PM 2022 intent of prohibitions of all-inclusivity for podcasters ends up.

Thank you for your attention.