This weekend, my 30gb video iPod finally died. I’m not sure what happened, but after charging it just doesn’t turn on anymore, maybe it will come back to life, I don’t know. But as I was remembering how I acquired it a package came in the mail. I brought the package inside and glanced at a card from a friend on the refrigerator. What do all of these have in common?
Yes, Adam Curry. The “podfather” as he was known (Before Ricky Gervais stole the nickname). The MTV VJ I used to watch daily on TV. Of course, I knew him from his Daily Source Code, a daily podcast where he also promoted other people’s podcasts.
That is where I first heard of CC Chapman. CC is the author of Content Rules and a podcaster who produced a show called Accident Hash, and also contributed his favorite music to Curry’s show. I reached out with help on my podcast, and CC was more than happy to oblige. Eventually we became friends, and I went to Podcamp Boston to meet him and some of the other friends I met online. A couple of months ago I surprised him with a hand-written card, and he surprised me with a hand-written reply. CC is one of those people who is totally genuine. I have watched his growth in social media with a smile and give a thumbs up every time I hear he is speaking or when he posts a photo of his latest book translated for a foreign country.
Amy McIntyre was also heard regularly on The Daily Source Code. Her little segments called “Assercise” were a favorite of Adam’s and his listeners. Whenever I was depressed about not looking or feeling the way I wanted, Amy replied in email telling me to get up and do something about it. This past couple of months I sent her status reports on how I lost 20 lbs in April and she encouraged me to keep going. While I knew her as the Assercise voice, she continued to write books, create videos, and use social media to help people get fit. Her energy and personality are contagious and it’s sometimes really needed when I am feeling down and out. The package was a copy of her latest book, Fitness Made Too Easy, and some Mental Blox, which are great
Which comes back to the iPod. In 2006 I decided to try an experiment. I was late to the iPod scene, and my finances weren’t the greatest. So, I wondered if people would help me buy an iPod just because I asked for one. I set up a web site and elicited donations, and while I got a couple of donations from friends, it kind of stalled. Then I did a short audio clip in the form of a Star Wars spoof and sent it to Adam for The Daily Source Code. Not only did Adam play the promo, but it spawned a “hate ad” from a friend of mine who also sent his to Adam. It turned into the “Troy Needs an iPod” contest which went on for a month and had people buying domain names from goDaddy, with the best domain name as to why you need an iPod more than Troy would receive a video iPod. The event itself was a success, I finally got my iPod from the Podfather (as well as hate emails to me) and it is a great conversation starter among podcasting friends.
People involved in social media on the national level meet a lot of people both online and virtually. I am very fortunate to have met Friends who have become friends. In the world of collecting Friends on facebook, it is your true friends that get you through the tough times.
Thank you Adam, CC and Amy for being my friends. It’s been a great ride.
