There's so much happening with podcasting these days I just had to write a post to get my thoughts out on what I'm seeing. Much of what I see is not good. At least, it's not good in terms of my general perspective on the world.

So what makes me think what I've got to say is worth taking to heart? In short, I've been around. It's been fifteen years now since I graduated from college. Since then I've had at least a half dozen careers (by my own design) including small business owner and military officer. I've explored good portions of this planet above and below the surface of the water. And a year ago I welcomed a new being into the world as part of my family. If you want to know the details of these exploits, just ask me (but buy me a beer first.)

I'm hearing a lot of static these days in the buzz around podcasting. The signal to noise ratio is getting worse every week. There are a lot of lost people. A lot of people who think they can get a free ride on someone else's train. Even worse, there are a lot of people who are simply full of it. They do next to nothing, proclaim themselves leaders in the medium and then sell themselves on the lecture circuit. These folks will be in a town near you soon. And you'll be asked to pay to hear them talk in circles. These are just some of the ailments that threaten podcasting as an independent medium.

Are there good things happening? Lord Yes! Every day folks are jumping in with all the right intentions in mind. But every day the voices of the charlatans get louder too. So someone's got to tell it straight. And why not a guy born in Brooklyn and raised in Queens.

So without further fanfare, here are my new rules of podcasting.

1. Networks are a losing business model. The economics of media are subject to the same forces as any commodity. Winners benefit from great demand and constrained supply. Let's throw in the additional factor of originality just to keep ourselves honest. Podcasting has a such low barriers to entry that the market is already flooded with a supply of content. Ninety-nine percent of that content is not affiliated with any kind of network. Podshow has somewhere around fifty podcasts under contract. The Podcast Network has about sixty-five shows. There are other networks like PodTech, PodcasterNews.com and TechPodcasts.com.
   
   Add up the shows in all the aforementioned networks and you've got hardly a drop in the bucket compared to the 15,000 plus active podcasts in existence. In traditional media networks can work because growth of new outlets is constrained. Not so in podcasting. No one can constrain the growth of podcast shows. And with growth comes alternatives to everything that exists today. Listened to a few music shows on your favorite podcast network? There are a thousand others available for the ears of every potential new subscriber. Just watched the new video podcast with the chicks ta ta's hanging out? There's plenty of raunchy podsexy content available from other independent producers.
   
   Add to the mix the fact that advertising dollars are trickling in to the medium. You watch as advertisers make an end around and start producing their own podcasts instead of taking their chances on a rag tag bunch of indie media producers who night just screw up their message. The dollars that do flow in will get real thin by the time they get to the working stiff who signed away their podcast for the possibility of $400 a month. And those folks will be none to happy.
   
   If you want to start or join a network, only do so in the spirit of aggregating like content so that subscribers can more easily find your genre of show. Do so in order to build a community and gain subscribership. The Culinary Podcast Network (no VC money needed here) is a great example of such an endeavor. But don't think the economics of that network will ever truly support your lifestyle.
   
   
2. Signing away the exclusive rights to your podcast is a stupid thing to do. If you think you have any talent you should never sign away the exclusive rights to anything you own unless you get paid nice $$$ up front. The guy who wrote the Good Will Hunting script (and no it wasn't Matt and Ben) got paid a huge six figure sum to walk away from his original work. That was a smart move. Signing away the rights to your name, likeness and any podcast you are involved with for nothing up front is the same thing as saying, "I know I suck and I'm hoping that someone else's name on top of my podcast will make it better and more marketable." Remember when Michael Jordan owned the Washington Wizards? Didn't do a friggin thing for that team.
   
   "But I wanna make some money!" you cry. Then do this. Produce your podcast for at least a year. Find your voice. Hone your craft. Develop a mini brand. And after you've done that take step back and ask yourself if you're proud of what you've done. If the answer is yes then that's something worth money up front. If the answer is no then sign away but it's still gonna suck even with a shiny new logo on your WordPress pages.
   
   If you're proud of your podcast and think it's worth money, do the following. Hook up with people who deal in non-exclusive agreements that don't include the right to youre name and likeness. Even if they don't pay something up front you'll have a lot more freedom and options. Create a sales pitch and spend some time pounding the pavement to find sponsor and solicit their business directly. The worst thing anyone can say to your pitch is "No!" And if you do snag a client you'll get 100% of the money instead of the much smaller percentage paid by the folks rolling up all those podcasts for nothing.
   
   
3. Speaking at conferences does not qualify as an accomplishment. Some of the folks that speak at conferences are very knowledgable people who do a lot for the medium. There are others who do little more than well...speak at conferences. The real accomplishments involve practicing the medium in such a way that you deliver quality content and empower others to create and distribute quality independent content. There are people I know who bust their tail and create great, inspiring podcast shows. They don't happen to be part of the freshman class or the self appointed podcasting glitterati. But these are the people that I would pay to hear speak on podcasting.
   
   So if you want to be a cocktail party podcaster who puts out two shows over a six month period and then starts promoting yourself as an 'expert' then go ahead. But the real podcasters will know you're full of it. And sooner than you think everyone else will too.
   
   And that's not to say that you can't be knowledgable and speak on podcasting if you rarely publish a show because there are some very smart folks speaking out there. But there are just as many arrogant, elitist types who are dabbling in the medium.
   
   If you want to be an accomplished member of the truly respected podcasting vanguard, do the following. Do your best to create a quality show. Be knowledgable on the latest podcasting tools and techniques then share that knowledge as much as you can. Treat your subscribers like friends, rather than a demographic. Listen to what your subscribers have to say and always reply to their emails. And ALWAYS thank people for subscribing to your show.
   
   If you're an individual looking to get podcast knowledge, your first choice for development on the topic should be folks in your local area who are already practicing the medium. Meetup.com has been out on the forefront in bringing groups of podcasters together. And associations like Podcast MN, Britcaster and the NYC Podcast Community are some examples of places where you can find and connect with podcasters from a local community.
   
   So before you spend your hard earned money on travel costs and entrance fees, consider connecting with the locals to find out all you need to know about podcasting.
   

Part II coming soon.