Podcast Newbie
June 26, 2008
I have heard about Podcasts but haven’t really gotten around to listening to one. I frequent this one website that does podcasts to talk about so many topics but I didn’t try it at that time.
Now that I have looked up information about it, it seems promising. Imagine a teacher whose lesson has been on podcast. If a student was absent, the lesson can just be downloaded and the podcast can be listened to on an mp3 player or media player. There are a lot of ways to listen to it. I even heard that conference meetings are done on podcasts as well for the reference of those who were not able to attend the meeting or simply for reference.
Before it was used only for communicating but now that it has been explored, many possibilities came out and can be useful for a lot of people. As for me, I’ll listen to one first so that I can also think of ways to use it to the hilt.
How To Podcast on Your Treo
October 10, 2006
Podcasting is a headache for some and a breeze for others. Here is simplified instructions on how to podcast on your Treo.
Ad Spending on Blogs, Podcasts, RSS to Hit $50M in 2006
April 15, 2006
According to a study conducted by PQ Media, ad spending on blogs, podcasts and RSS will reach $50 million this year.
The report found that blog, podcast and RSS advertising are the fastest growing segments of the alternative media industry. Spending on user-generated online media expanded at an aggregate 198.4% to $20.4 million in 2005, and is expected to grow another 144.9% to $49.8 million in 2006.
By 2010, that total is expected to be a whopping $757 million — with blog advertising making up 39.7% of the total and podcast advertising comprising 43.2%.
Which marketing categories are the most profitable? Technology, automobile, and media. Last year, these three accounted for more than half of total spending on user-generated online media.
Source: BtoBonline
A Simple But Sure Way to Make Money Blogging
April 21, 2005
One sure way to make money blogging or podcasting is by having visitors to your site click your ads. The question is, how do you get them to do that? You can’t just set up a blog and expect visitors to click your ads out of the goodness of their hearts. You’ve got to give them something valuable in return, such as information they may already be seeking–good content, for example.
Let’s pretend you’ve set up a blog dedicated to providing information about audioblogging. Your visitors may discover your site using their favorite search system or by following a link posted on another website or blog, and it’s likely they’ll be expecting some good information about audioblogging. They may even be seeking product information; perhaps they’re interested in setting up an audioblog of their own.
The best thing you can do is provide your visitors with the content they’re seeking. In the case of the example above, it would be well for you to write compact, information-filled articles about audioblogging. Don’t stray into topics only marginally related; most of your visitors will be willing to stick around and read, bookmark, or subscribe to your RSS feed only if you stick to the topic for which they are seeking information on.
Your ads should, of course, also be relevant. This may seem an obvious point, but I’ve encountered too many blogs with ads that seem to have nothing to do with the topic being discussed; why on Earth would I want to click an ad pitching DVDs when I’m looking for information on healthcare? If you use AdSense, of course, your ads will be highly relevant to your content–so make sure to develop that content if you want your visitors to click those ads!
Yahoo! Feature on Podcasts
April 10, 2005
Yahoo! currently has a feature on podcasts,“Homespun ‘Podcasts’ Explore Universe of Topics”. Here’s a taste:
Some amateur podcasters hope to quit their day jobs.
Todd Cochrane hopes to attract more advertising dollars for his twice-weekly technology show “Geek News Central” (http://www.geeknewscentral.com) by setting up a network of podcasts that meet professional standards for sound quality and family-friendly language.
“We’re trying to build a brand out of many individual brands,” Cochrane said of his fledgling Techpodcasts.com network (http://techpodcasts.com).
Music remains a hurdle for podcasters. Because no licensing rules exist, podcasters must secure permission from individual artists and songwriters before playing their songs.
To Make Money, Podcasters Must Be Willing To Sell
April 9, 2005
Truth be told, there’s very little money being made in podcasting today, but that’s only because most podcasters haven’t found their advertisers yet. Soon–very soon–lots of money will be made in podcasting–for those willing to cash in. The question is, how willing are you?
You see, podcasting, like traditional (terrestrial) radio, is an intimate media. Yet it is more of a two-way media than traditional radio, and therefore more intimate than traditional broadcast radio programming. To be sure, there are varying degrees of intimacy, but the overwhelming majority of podcasts are similar in tone and voice to that other highly intimate form of digital media, weblogs.
Some advertisers may not be comfortable with the idea of selling their product through blogs or podcasts, which mainstream media has thus far unfairly and inaccurately disregarded as the domain of amateurs. Yet advertisers have a tendency to go where the money is, and just as they’re now beginning to embrace blogs as legitimate vehicles for marketing products, we can expect they’ll similarly grow to accept and eventually to actively pursue podcast advertising.
One has to be willing, however, to sell. That doesn’t mean that podcasters have to sell their souls or anything, but they’ll have to be careful if they wish to preserve a reputation of integrity and honesty. Take Chris Pirillo, for example, a tech blogger-broadcaster-turned-podcaster. Chris has a podcast the tagline of which is “It’s Like Tech Support - Only Fun!”. Additionally, Chris streams and podcasts his show in Microsoft’s Windows Media Audio (WMA) format. So it’s appropriate that his show is also sponsored by Microsoft’s Windows Media Player division.
It would be difficult to trust Chris’ podcast voice, however, if he was staunchly opposed to using Microsoft products. (As far as I know, Chris isn’t, so his integrity remains intact.) Some podcasters won’t sell product at all, fearing their listeners would distrust their voice due to an affiliation with advertisers. I can understand their hesitation, having just recently (and after months of internal debate) begun to include AdSense ads on my podcast sites. Listeners have come to expect a level of intimacy that may seem violated if interrupted–or perceived as biased–by ads. My decision to include ads was based on my conclusion that integrity can and will be preserved for those of us determined enough to speak our true minds.
When it comes right down to it, everyone is selling something, and if they’re telling you they’re not, they’re lying. People have to sell in order to live–especially in a capitalist nation such as the United States. Those who are already making or have already made a living selling something else may not want to sell anything other than their ideas through their podcasts; yet there are others who, like Chris Pirillo, will choose to make a living selling product through their podcasts, and who will also find the ideal match for their voice: sponsors they already respect and would promote with or without the pay (though perhaps less adamantly).
Am I Missing Something?
March 31, 2005
It looks like LoyalEars.com is trying to promote podcasting to traditional radio broadcasters. I don’t know where they’re getting their information about podcasting from, since they don’t actually point to any other information. They just tell their visitors that if they don’t know about podcasting, they need to go “Google it, right now!” In the very next sentence, they lead their visitors to beleive that there’s listeners paying to download them:
“Your listeners, in startling numbers, are listening (and in some instances paying for per download) to targeted, niched, homemade broadcasts known as ‘podcasts’.”
The rest of the page explains how they can help traditional broadcasters make money and how there are “opportunities to brand and create podcasts that a loyal and hyper targeted audience will pay for by download”. They don’t get it, though. If the people that are listening to podcasts wanted to listen to the radio, they would! People are sick and tired of the same old “morning zoo” radio shows that have been such a huge part of the morning commute for the past 30 years.
They (a word which covers a large population of narrow-minded, traditional media) just don’t understand how things have become more personal, and more “directed”, and more real. “They” need to stop trying to turn podcasting into radio. If we wanted to hear the radio, we’d turn it on. We’d rather listen to Dawn and Drew or Adam Curry. …and when we “really” need a good laugh, we’d rather listen to Croncast or Switched:on.
For Those Interested…
March 30, 2005
…in making money producing podcasts. You might want to take a look at Harold J. Johnson’s latest post at Audioblogs.info. In the enclosed MP3 file, he reads a text post that he made a few days ago.
I agree that there “is” money to be made, but I still question how much and how many. I hope that what Chris Pirillo said to me is true. I hope I “am” surprised!
How To Make Money Podcasting
March 29, 2005
Scott McNamee is one of the partners with Absolute Net Solutions. They are responsible for such podcasts as The Miller Report, Why-Fish Radio, The Mayor’s Podcast, The Blues Shop, and It Stinks: The Movie Review Podcast, all bundled under Absolute Net Radio.
In the Podcasting World forum, he says that that being honest with a potential client or sponsor is the most important thing. He also says that getting demographics is important. Use an online form, to collect information from your listeners. The current rate is at about 10 cents per listener.
Myself, I think that the rate could be higher, depending on your client, location, audience, and topics discussed.
Will Podcasting Give Broadcasting A Run For It’s Money?
March 28, 2005
In a segment from Next@CNN that aired on March 27th, they had a general description of what podcasting is, and questioned if they could be as good as “broadcast” radio. There was no real mention of money for podcasting, but the fact that podcasting is getting more and more attention, lately has to make it look better and better for sponsors and advertisers. They mentioned PodcastAlley, but forgot to mention PodcastHost, which doesn’t use the “voting crap” and isn’t a popularity contest.
Turn down your volume, just a bit before playing this clip from Next@CNN.
