It’s an exciting time of year for social media types here in the northeast. Several events over the next few months will bring many of the country’s leading social media experts, wannabes, and up-and-comers under one roof, to discuss topics like RSS feeds, analytics, blogger outreach, link building, community development, and much more. All of these extremely affordable events function under the “Unconference” banner, deeming the tone of these gatherings as casual get-togethers where attendees are encouraged to walk out of sessions if they find them not to their liking.

The first event on the radar is Podcamp Boston, New England’s largest social media event. The 2009 version of this conference was my first foray into a deeper understanding of social media. I met several successful bloggers and podcasters, and learned much about the marketing aspect of social media. The first session I attended at last year’s Podcamp Boston was an eye-opening look at how individuals are using social social media skills to help business, small and large, achieve outreach and marketing goals. Podcamp Boston takes place September 25 & 26, at the Microsoft New England Research and Development (NERD) Center in Cambridge.

In October, the “unconference” mantra moves to The Granite State for Podcamp New Hampshire, which takes place October 23 & 24 in Portsmouth, NH. Last year’s inaugural event featured sessions about improvisational music in podcasts, producing live video with remote feeds, and a popular “Battledecks” session where a few good-hearted volunteers improvised a powerpoint presentation without ever having seen the slides. Good times indeed.

The unconferences take a break for the holiday months, and resume in January with Wordcamp Boston, a one-day gathering dedicated to all things WordPress. Last year’s event, also the first of its kind, brought together nearly 500 novice-to-advanced bloggers and site owners.  All Wordcamp sessions are geared towards maximizing the use of the popular blogging software, but many sessions touched on other social media topics including meta words and tags, search engine optimization, and Facebook/Twitter integration. Organizers have yet to publish a date for the 2011 gathering.

Of course, there are several hyperlocal events, including monthly breakfasts, meetups, and topic-based gatherings. Consult your nearest Google search bar for more information.

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