What? You weren’t there last year? You haven’t had a chance to check out our 2008 video archives? You want to speak at PodCamp Montreal… but you have no idea what “happens” at a PodCamp?

Presenting the “PodCamp for Dummies” guide, Montreal edition. (Not that you’re a dummy. No. Really. We luv you!)

1. Sign up to participate at PodCamp Montreal. It’s free!
2. Send us your conference proposal. And yes, it has to be about social media.
3. Be patient… no… more patient… yes… that’s it… wait for the schedule to be announced (this will likely happen about 2 weeks prior to the event)
4. Party with your roomies / your girlfriend / your boyfriend when you get the confirmation that your proposal has been accepted by the organising committee. Party even if it isn’t accepted and come to PodCamp anyway. It’s worth it.
5. Tweet (or Identi.ca) like a madman / woman to tell the world that you’ll be speaking at PodCamp Montreal. Don’t forget to fit that all-important hashtag, #pcmtl, in your 140 character limit.
6. Start to panic. Now that you’ve bragged all over town (or Twitter/Identica) you’ll have to deliver the goods.
7. Prepare your presentation, which should be about 30 minutes long, leaving 15 minutes for all those questions and congratulatory remarks your talk is sure to inspire. There will be a 15 minute window between presentations so that people have time to move between rooms as needed.
8. If you want to use visual aids, you’ll need to bring your own laptop. If you’re a Mac user, you’ll also need to bring your thing-a-ma-bob (you know what I mean) so that your Mac can connect to our projectors. Each room will be equipped with a projector and a sound system.
9. If you don’t want to be filmed for our live webcast, you’ll need to let us know by email at info@pcmtl.com asap. You should know, however, that all your fans in London, Sydney and Johannesburg will be mightily disappointed.
10. All presentations are subject to live-blogging, live Tweeting / Identica-ing and sound recording by people in the room. We don’t control the animals. There might be so many flashes going off that you feel like the paparazzi has invaded PodCamp. Think about that when you’re picking out your PodCamp outfit. Remember, your mother or significant other may be watching!

Whatever you do, don’t forget to take the time to network. On top of all the great content being shared between the four walls of our conference rooms, there are fantastic discussions and passionate people to meet in the hallways and hidden corners of the PodCamp Montreal venue. Take advantage of them.

Thanks to PH Carmichæl for suggesting this blogpost.