#campchat

Big Agnes Helinox Swivel Chair

[Editor's note: This is my last Gene reference for a while. I promise.] 

Over the last month or so I've been chatting with other folks in the camp community. Not on the phone or in-person, that would be crazy, but on Twitter. We've had some really interesting conversations too, 6 to be exact. You can read them all here. 

But the weekly format has proved to be a bit too much—for me and for others. At first it felt necessary to get things off the ground, but it's simply not sustainable. 

What does that mean? Is #campchat going away? Why is this section in italics?

CampChat is not going away, it's just getting bumped. Instead of a weekly chat, I'm planning on hosting it once a month. What does that mean for the loyalists? 

Longer Format - If we only chat once a month, we might as well do it right. Instead of a frantic 30 minutes of chatter, let's set aside an hour to have a real conversation.

Better Topics - With a month to prep you can expect more a more focused Q&A format that digs into the topics that matter most. Each chat will feature 5 questions that relate to that week's central theme. 

Smarter Promotion - The camp groups on Facebook & LinkedIn bring up a ton of topics, all of which will help set the agenda on Twitter, but I need some help convincing others that a real-time conversation is a better conversation. I can look into making a badge or something shareable, but simply inviting friends to join is a step in the right direction. I'm always open to suggestions too. 

Richer Recaps - I promise to do more than blast a storify update. With a meaty conversation, I'll have more content to play with. Hopefully this type of reflection will lead to a few insights and ideas for future conversations. 

Greater Participation (I hope) - Let's face it, we need to get more people involved. These chats have been really fun, but we need to see some new avatars in the mix. By switching to a monthly format, and doing a bit more recruiting, I think we'll have a better shot at building a strong, opinionated, passionate community. 

So let's kick things off next month, on the first Wednesday of December (12/5). You can still find all the details here. 

@campnabby It's a safe place, a community that embraces the good and allows kids and staff alike to be supported in an otherwise crazy world

— Laura Petersen (@HantesaTex) October 10, 2012

Another topic, another great chat. Today we tackled what it means to work, live or play in this crazy world called camp. I was curious to find out how others in the business define camp and how it has shaped who they are today. You can check  out the abridged version below, or pop over to our Storify page for the full convo. 

Camp is challenging

Camp makes people better

Camp is the real, "real world"

Camp is movement, play, cooperation, creativity & willingness to try

Camp is a safe place

Camp is a supportive, welcoming community

Camp is a huge extended family

Camp is where you can grow into your real self

Camp is finding faith and making friends

Camp is where confidence grows

Camp is cool

Camp is for mosquito bites, sunburns and skinned knees

Camp is for dirty clothes

Camp is exhausting

Camp is for open minds

Pretty nice range of definitions. I guess what's important to take away from this is that it doesn't matter how we define camp. What matters most is that we let each and every camper (or staffer) come to their own conclusion; the experience is meaningful and educational in a variety of ways.

@campnabby This is fun. #campchat

— Summer Camp Culture (@campculture) October 3, 2012

Success! Thanks to everyone who participated. Head on over to our Storify page for all the juicy camp chatter. In case you need teasers, here you go:

Vimeo > Youtube

FB groups to onboard new staff

Pinterest as a "what to pack" reminder for parents

Tumblr is to Mac, as WordPress is to PC

MailChimp is awesome

Instagram is exciting, but...didn't...really...get...more...feedback...