This is the feedback that I recently sent to Doug Kaye with regards to my attendance at the Podcast Academy at Boston University.A little background on why I was there. Although I produce a number of independent podcasts, my attendance at the Academy was sponsored by the
Boomer Esiason Foundation, a New York City based charity that has embraced podcasting and produces the
Cystic Fibrosis Podcast. The host of that podcast, Jerry Cahill, attended the event as well. My goal in attending the event was to extend my knowledge of the tools and techniques used in creating and distributing podcast shows. Jerry is more of a beginner looking to learn podcasting basics.
I'll put the bottom line up front and say that neither of us got what we were looking for out of the event. Many of the issues that we were interested in (like hardware, metrics and marketing) were discussed, but not to the level of depth that would make them meaningful for someone looking to start podcasting or improve on an existing podcast. The sessions that we attended were great high level overviews, but could have gone into more depth in order to instruct the attendees on the finer points of those areas.
I'll give some specific examples along with my recommendations for improvement:
- The first session with Dan Bricklin was supposed to be about "How to Get Started", but it was really more of a discussion about Dan's personal feelings about media and podcasting. Yes, he discussed his journey from old media to new media publishing. But we were confused as to the real point of his speech and I even got text messages from people watching the webcast who were looking for a point as well. I guess my feedback here is to make sure that the content of the session actually matches the title. It was not clear to me before hand that this session would not be instructive. It felt more like a keynote speech.
- Paul Figgiani's session on equipment was very instructive on some of the equipment options for Podcasters. I feel that the value of this session could have been extended by having an area where people could see some of the equipment actually hooked up to a computer and then ask questions or get a demonstration. I would imagine that a local electronics store would be interested in providing sample equipment for the day in exchange for some promotion. I think that it's really hard to get an idea of how it all comes together from a PP presentation. In the spirit of better instruction I think that it would be worthwhile in the future to add this to the Academy.
- Ethan Fasset's talk on Directories: Getting Listed was inappropriately titled in my opinion. Ethan's presentation focused more on Meta Data and search engine discovery specific to Yahoo. Anyone who knows podcasting knows that you can get listed in just about any directory by submitting the url of your podcast feed. Directories other than Yahoo were not discussed and I feel that they should have been. Folks new to podcasting need to know about Podcast Pickle, Podcast Alley, The Podsafe Music Network, Odeo and other places where people can find and list Podcasts. I was also disappointed that Ethan did not demo the latest updates to Yahoo Podcasts. He could have at least shown the audience how to submit a URL to Yahoo on the live site. There was internet access in the room so it puzzled me as to why his example was a screenshot in the presentation. So I think that this session could benefit from enhanced content or a title that more accurately reflects the content of the session.
- The Metrics panel was a very important session that I believe failed to cover the proper ground. This session could have been very valuable if it had compared the various metrics that podcasters currently use to track their podcast subscribers. FeedBurner and LibSyn's stats models could have been presented and discussed. Maybe along with Google Analytics. These are metrics that many podcasters are utilizing so they should be included in any discussion on metrics. I think that there was too much emphasis on "Who Is Listening?" and not enough emphasis on "How does the average podcaster figure out who's listening?".
- The Podcasting and Public Radio session didn't seem to fit well with the rest of the event. A good part of the discussion focused on discussing the Public Radio Exchange which is a service that is directly related to distribution via Public Radio. I didn't see how someone interested in Podcasting could benefit by being a member of the PRX or by uploading to the PRX. Perhaps this time could be used for more Podcast specific instruction.
- One non-session note. I know that there was a representative from Apple at the event. I feel that this person should have been given a particular spot to base himself during the breaks with some kind of signage to represent that this person was a representative from Apple there to answer questions. The rep just seemed to be hanging around and demoing Apple's iTunes educational features. For me at least, it was hard to figure out who the person was and how I should approach him.
In general I feel that something labeled an "Academy" should really focus on teaching on each step of the process in a logical manner, while focusing on the popular options for creating podcasts. I would recommend a class on the options for publishing, including Blogger, Wordpress, Movable Type or Libsyn. I also think that this event could benefit from break out sessions that allow smaller groups to interact and share information. The Academy could certainly benefit from a structure that includes a few common sessions along with breakout sessions in an advanced and beginner track.
My feedback from the Academy is not all negative. I really enjoyed your session on Podcasting: The Concepts and Making Them Happen. It was a a great overview to put the event on target and in my opinion should have been the first presentation. Tony Khan's talk on Developing Your Style was an excellent primer on setting goals and expectations for podcasts. I like his "no pressure" attitude about adopting podcasting as a medium. Michael Geoghegan's session on Making Money was on target for folks interested in building a commercial podcast. As I said earlier, I departed before the afternoon sessions on Saturday and can't really comment on those sessions.
I want to thank you and all the folks who made the Academy possible. Even though I think there are many areas for improvement I believe that it's important to have some kind of education available, especially on the East Coast. So many events, including the Podcast Expo and Podcast Hotel seem to be focused on the West Coast. I hope that my feedback can make for better Podcast Academy events in the future. Feel free to contact me if you have any questions or would like me to expand on the comments made above.
Recently launched podcast directory that uses a Digg style rating system to highlight popular podcasts. Inline preview of audio and video posts, commenting and subscription tools are integrated into the service.
Just moved into open beta. Aims to be the place to listen to, discover and share podcasts.
"The fun new voice in personal media broadcasting." Look and feel a lot like Odeo. A place for creation and distribution of podcasts. Wild Voice Studio is a free, desktop recording program that accompanies the service.
Todd Cochrane's forthcoming service is not a directory. Blubrry will be more of a social community for podcasters who are interested in working together to build an audience. Hosting for those who need it and revenue generating opportunities for all via a non-exclusive distribution agreement. This is one to watch.
Adam Curry and Co. promise to liquefy the podcast competition with their soon to arrive super directory. Will podcasting ever be the same again?
