PCPGH3 Friday 5 – The Late, Late Edition

So, I tend to not read correctly sometimes. I noticed the Friday 5 – Podcamp Style over at the PodCamp Pittsburgh site, but didn’t read that my answers were supposed to be posted by this past Friday. I’m posting them now, … ’cause that’s just how I roll.

PodCamp Pittsburgh is only 20 days away and I am very stoked to attend my first “unconference.” I signed up to attend last year’s event, but couldn’t make it due to B-School finals. (Yeah, I had school on the weekends – it was actually fun /nerd).

Hokay, without further adieu–

What brought you to Social Media and what keeps you hanging around?

When I thought AOL was the greatest thing on Earth, I participated in these online magazines (‘zines) created for teenagers, by teenagers. The types of ‘zines were endless, ranging from music to personal journals. I wrote the music section for one at the tender age of 12 before moving on to running my own, “Crunkiez 4 NSync” (shutup, I was, like, 14) and The Tiki Lounge (a variety mag. covering everything from music and movies to college spotlights, as I was getting ready to press on to college). Everyone had something to say, and you wouldn’t believe how talented some of these kids were whether they had an eye for design with colorful layouts or exceptional writing skills.

Flash forward to the end of my college years. I had kept an online journal since the end of high school and wanted to start another one about my pursuit of a communications/current events study (which, as I’ve said before, never came to fruition) and I became wrapped up in blogging. I’d already been on Myspace, Facebook and other sites and it’s only grown from there.

I guess you could say I’ve been participating in some form of SM for more than 13 years now. (It obviously didn’t have a name back when I was 12). What keeps me hooked are the connections and content. There are almost seven billion people on the planet and they all have a voice. The internet has become that almost borderless platform where we can connect instantaneously.

Which social networking tool gives you the shakes when it’s not updated or is experiencing down time? (Podcasts, Blogs, Micro-blogging, etc)

I would definitely say Twitter and Plurk. Both allow for conversations and an exchange of ideas in real time. I love reading about other people’s thoughts, actions and knowing what’s important to them. It’s rough when you’re in the middle of an exchange and the Fail Whale decides to drop in for a visit. In addition, I also become sad when The Burgh Blog is down. It has the ability to make me laugh out loud or become weepy. It’s my main form of “blog crack,” but I really enjoy reading all of the Pittsburgh blogs in my Google Reader as well as others.

What kind of insight could you offer to others on a topic at PCPGH3? If none, then what do you most want to hear more about?

As this is my first PodCamp, I’m going to be more inclined to take it all in, but I am definitely looking forward to hearing about how other people are using SM-initiatives to share content.