Yesterday I registered for PodCamp Boston 3 that is happening on July 19 & 20. Conferences to me, no matter the size, cost, location, topic all boil down to one thing for me and that is the people that attend. We constantly talk about "social media", but the majority of the interactions are happening through bytes and bits rather then hand shakes and hugs. I want to see more SOCIAL happening in Social Media.

One big change this year is that there is going to be a registration fee to attend. Most conferences I attend cost hundreds of dollars to do so. PodCamp Boston 3 is costing $50.

There was, is and will be lots of discussions about this. I've heard all the sides and sure this means some people won't be able to attend, but honestly if the desire is there and you really want to attend then I can't imagine that finding $50 between now and July is impossible. But, even with that being said, I know that some won't be able to and because of that I wanted to spend my usual sponsorship money a little differently.

This year I'm going to be giving away five scholarships to people who want to attend PodCamp Boston 3. I haven't figured out all the details yet, but I know I'm going to be doing this. I figured if I really want this to be about getting together and sharing in an experience that I'd rather help people attend that might not be able to. I'll figure out the details soon and let you know.

At the end of the day I can guarantee that PodCamp Boston 3 is going to be a great event. How do I know that? Because I know that it will be filled with passionate people, great presentations and hallway conversations that are only going to happen on that one weekend. I'm going to meet new people, see old friends, connect two people that can help each other and walk away re-energized in this space.