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"Life is too short not to screencast..." That was one of my favorite quotes of the weekend at ScreencastCamp by Mark Bly from the New American Conservatory.

We just had the first ScreencastCamp earlier this month at TechSmith. ScreencastCamp was an unconference where attendees set the schedule and topics. If you couldn't attend ScreencastCamp earlier this month, I have some materials to share with you. We had sessions ranging in topic from "How TechSmith creates their screencasts" to engaging your viewers. You can see all the sessions here. It was great to see campers teaching each other and learning.

ScreencastCamp camper, Robert Talbert shared three things he learned at ScreencastCamp here on his blog.

Michaella Hammond drove all the way from St. Louis, Missouri to TechSmith HQ in Okemos, Michigan to attend ScreencastCamp. She took great notes over the weekend and shared them. Check them out here . She also started a 'Letters from ScreencastCamp" blog with fellow camper, Christine Padberg. I should also note that Kella and Christine actually camped out on the TechSmith lawn in a tent. I did too! And, that was half the fun!

You can also see some notes and resources from sessions here on the ScreencastCamp wiki. We also got some video from the sessions. I'll share that shortly.

And, enjoy this slideshow with some of my pics from the weekend. Don't want to watch the slideshow? Click here to see the group.

If we had held another ScreencastCamp, would you like to attend? Why or why not?

I think I'm still recovering from ScreencastCamp earlier this month! I'll have a round-up for everyone later this week!

During ScreencastCamp, we recorded an episode of The Forge in front of a live studio audience. That was a first and it was a lot of fun! And, just like any live event, we had a few technical snafus in the beginning. Check out the video below.

In this episode of The Forge, we had a ScreencastCamp attendee visiting from the UK, Russell Stannard. Russell is an educator and lecturer for Warwick University in the UK. We also had a "Screencast Champ of Screencast Camp", our screencast camp round up, and the screencast of the month. And, watch for some shenanigans with oversized sporks! Enjoy!

Tents, s'mores, beer, BBQ, brushbots and screencasters... What do they have in common? They're all part of the first ever ScreencastCamp this weekend at TechSmith HQ. (And, yes, that is a picture of my tent! I'm camping on the lawn at TechSmith!) I'm so excited to learn, be inspired and hang out with fellow screencasters this weekend!

I heard from a few of you that you could not make it to ScreencastCamp this weekend. Never fear... We'll stream some sessions live from the main conference room. You can see the schedule of the proposed sessions here. And, several campers have agreed to record their sessions with Camtasia Relay and we'll share those with you after the event. Just come to this blog post and you'll be able to watch!

And, we also will recording an episode of The Forge Saturday night at 9:00pm EST. Just tune in on this blog post to watch us live!

I will be posting pics from the event here. We're using the hashtag #screencastcamp.

Enjoy! And, hopefully you can join us at the next ScreencastCamp (or let me know if you'd like to host your own!

Welcome to "The Forge" Chat!

We're just a few days away from the first ever ScreencastCamp. There are still some spots left if you'd like to attend - register here. And, the price is right - it is free to attend! Come make history with us!

Several companies have generously sent some great items for ScreencastCamp attendees to use this weekend. And, a few lucky Campers will get to take some items home as prizes!

A big thank you to the following companies for supporting ScreencastCamp. These are all useful items for new or veteran screencasters.

Blue Microphones - Blue Microphones is sending several different microphones for Campers to try out over the weekend. We'll have a Snowball, Yeti and their Spark XLR mic with an Icicle XLR-USB converter on-hand to use during ScreencastCamp!

C.C. Chapman - You've heard me say that "content is king" before. C.C. Chapman has written a book to help you make content that people will love. This is perfect for screencasters! We'll have a couple copies of his book, "Content Rules" on hand for Campers to use over the weekend and we'll give them away for prizes too.

Cliff Atkinson - Cliff's book, "Beyond Bullet Point" is a great one for screencasters. Boring content leads to boring screencasts. Cliff wrote a book that helps you effectively communicate and better present yourself. Cliff is sending over a couple copies of his book for Campers to use and for prizes.

DapperText - Daniel Park got his start making screencasts at TechSmith over 10 years ago. He made the screencasts for Camtasia v1.0. Daniel has started his own company, DapperText, that provides Camtasia training and creates screencasts. He is an experienced screencaster. Daniel has written the book about Camtasia Studio, "Camtasia Studio, The Definitive Guide 7". Daniel has sent several copies of this ebook to give-away to some lucky Campers!

Kodak - My choice for adding camera video to your screencasts has been the Kodak zi8 video camera. I love the option to hook up an external microphone for high quality audio. Kodak has updated the zi8 camera and they're sending a couple of the updated model, the Kodak PLAYTOUCH camera. Campers will get to use this camera over the weekend and a few lucky people might even win one to take home!

O'Reilly - The good people at O'Reilly are sending several books that will be useful for screencasters to use during ScreencastCamp. We'll have copies on-hand of "slide:ology" by Nancy Duarte, "Confessions of a Public Speaker" by Scott Berkun, "The Book of Audacity" by Carla Schroder, "YouTube: An Insider's Guide" by Alan Lastufka and Michael W Dean, "Mastering HD Video with Your DSLR" by Helmut Kraus, Uwe Steinmueller. And, a few lucky campers will get to take home their own copies!

Sony Creative Software - Sony is sending a couple copies of their Imagination Suite for prizes. This is a great product to edit your audio, make your own original music for your screencasts or use Sony's ready-to-use music, and create DVDs of your screencasts.

Steve Garfield - Steve is a videoblogging hero! He's an expert at video and has written a great book that is useful for screencasters, "Get Seen: Online Video Secrets to Building Your Business". After you make your screencast, you want others to see it. Steve's book shares his secrets to making your screencast more visible, increase views and more.

Wacom - drawing on the screen with a tablet can make your screencast more interesting and dynamic plus it helps you illustrate information for your users. Wacom tablets make it easy to do just that. Wacom is sending a couple Bamboo tablets for Campers to use over the weekend and a few lucky people will get to take one home!

A big thank you to all the companies above for supporting ScreencastCamp and making it special!

Can't make it? We'll be streaming some of the proceedings live. And, we'll also be streaming and recording an episode of 'The Forge' during ScreencastCamp live in front of a studio audience! Another first for us too! Watch the Visual Lounge blog on info about how to tune in to ScreencastCamp live.

Hope to see you around the campfire at ScreencastCamp!

We're a few weeks away from the first ScreencastCamp! Have you registered yet? If not, what's holding you back?

I'm excited to see attendees coming from around the world! We have a few more spots left if you'd like to attend. We've been busy behind the scenes planning to make this the best unconference yet and I promise there will be several fun surprises!

We've added a wiki to the event site. This is a great place to introduce yourself so you can get to know other ScreencastCamp attendees before the event. There is also a section where you can share what you'd like to learn and what you'd like to contribute. You can visit the wiki here.

Here are more details about ScreencastCamp:

• ScreencastCamp is on August 12 - 14 at the TechSmith headquarters in Okemos, Michigan (It's near Lansing, Michigan). It's free to attend.
• Register for ScreencastCamp here
• Email ScreencastCamp at screencastcamp@gmail.com
• 'Like' us on Facebook here
• Follow us on twitter @screencastcamp.
• Our hashtag for the event is #screencastcamp

I'll meet you at the campfire on August 12 with marshmallows and sporks!

Come on in! Our doors at TechSmith are open! I'm really excited to invite you to the first ever ScreencastCamp!

So, what is ScreencastCamp? It is a gathering of screencasters and visual communication aficionados who want to network, learn, and collaborate on the art of screencasting.

The event relies on... YOU! All sessions, discussions, and demos are led by attendees sharing their knowledge. The program isn't determined beforehand--it's created the first day by the participants. Anyone with something to contribute or with the desire to learn is welcome and invited to join. ScreencastCamp follows the BarCamp model-an ad-hoc unconference born from the desire for people to share and learn in an open environment. It is for new screencasters and veterans alike.

TechSmith trainers, developers, video staff and evangelists will be onsite and sharing their knowledge too. You'll have access to TechSmith's studio and sound room. You can even visit the giant spork.

Here are some more details:

• When: Friday, August 12 to Sunday, August 14
• Where? At TechSmith headquarters, in Okemos, Michigan.
• Cost: Free! All meals and drinks Friday evening through Sunday afternoon are provided by TechSmith.
• How do I sign up to attend: Sign up through the Eventbrite site here. Note: We have a limit of 100 attendees.

I know you're probably thinking, "Do I really have to set up a tent and camp?" No, you don't have to camp. If you don't feel like roughing it, you can camp inside TechSmith or there are a couple hotels within walking distance. I'd encourage you to camp - around the campfire is where great ideas are born, interesting conversations happen, new friends are made and creativity is sparked... and, lets not forget about s'mores (did I mention I make homemade marshmallows?)!

The hashtag we're using for the event is #screencastcamp. You can follow @screencastcamp on Twitter. You can find out more about ScreencastCamp here plus I'll make periodic updates on the Visual Lounge as well.

Will I see you at ScreencastCamp? I'll bring the marshmallows if you bring yourself!