Women's Podcasting Expo vs. BizPodcasting

Jon over at BizPodcasting is a guy I like. He and I seem to think alike and his blog posts are just so clever.

He has a category called Snake Oil where he analyzes podcasting products and determines if the person is trying to make a fast buck in the podcasting world.

Well, Jon just analyzed a new item in his snake oil category and this time, he started a firestorm (read the comments). He analyzed the Women's Podcasting Expo taking place online July 14-16, 2006. Jon's beef is that the organizers are charging speakers to speak. In essence, you purchase a booth for $100 and that gives you the right to present at the expo.

Penny Haynes, who is really making an impact in the podcasting world, organizes these virtual expos and she does a bang-on job. And I know that she uses these expos to not only raise awareness of podcasting, but to do a revenue share with all the people involved in organizing this virtual event.

I spoke at the International Podcasting Expo in April which was loads of fun. I'm also speaking at this Expo in 2-weeks. I enjoy being part of this effort.

What do you think about this? Should speakers pay to speak at a conference? Should speakers be expected to pay the entrance fee to access an event they're speaking at?

(BTW, Tim Bourquin's blog post on this topic makes an interesting read. He organizes the Podcast & Portable Media Expo. I'll be speaking at this event in September.)

Technorati Tags: Tim Bourquin, penny haynes, jon watson, women's podcasting expo, Podcast Expo 2006