For those of you that hold the dream of riding your podcast to fame and fortune, read on.

It's a little known fact that my New York Mets Baseball Podcast has been nominated in the "Sports" category for a 2006 podcast awards.

Voting is open today and goes for the next two weeks. I'd appreciate support from the NYC area podcasters in the form of votes. You can vote once a day if you like.

Head over to the Podcast Awards website. Scroll down to the 'Sports' category which is the second to last category on the right side. Select the button next to the New York Mets Baseball Podcast entry. Then scroll to the bottom to enter your name, email address and the type of listener you are. Then click the Submit button.

All voter email addresses are verified. So your vote won't count until you click on the link in the verification email.

The whole process is kind of a pain, especially if you do it everyday, but it's only for two weeks.

The favor of your support is greatly appreciated.

I can't wait to hear from the faithful who tell me that this is a bug. Or better yet, they'll get all shrill and tell me that I should be glad that my work is being presented in this manner. After all, I would be nothing without my big daddies Adam and Ron.

Nevertheless, PodShow continues to violate the rights of Podcast producers by commercializing content that is distributed under Creative Commons licenses that clearly do not allow for such usage.

Take the following image as an example:

When I do a search on "Flow Video" in the PodShow system, one of my podcasts is presented as the second result. Clicking on the link takes me to a page that has a variety of links including a "play it now" link. Clicking on that link invokes the player you see above, which includes a very prominent banner advertisement for Go Daddy. This is just wrong.

My RSS feed for Flow Video clearly contains Creative Commons license tags. What about 'non-commercial' do they not understand?

They're doing this to me for at least five podcasts that I produce. I have sent an email to PodShow requesting that these feeds be removed from their system. I'll let you know if (and how quickly) they comply with my request.

Dave Winer has gotten the ball rolling on a new, community podcast directory over at http://podcasting.opml.org. And have no fear. The NYC area is represented already here.

I signed up for the Yahoo Group and submitted the OPML file from http://community.podcastnyc.net.

Dave Winer is calling for a community podcast directory to replace the now neglected iPodder.org directory. He's even got a domain ready to house the new list.

The iPodder (or Indiepodder) directory has not been updates in over five months and now simply serves up Google Adsense and Banner Ads for PodShow. It's very clear that the promise of this directory is not being fulfilled. As such, it's time for the community to create something new.

Eric Rice is in for $100. Todd Cochrane is in for $100. Now I am in for $100 to donate to a non-commercial podcast directory that supports content in both audio and video form.

I'd really like it to be a community where people can sign up, rate and review podcasts. I like the idea of a directory with no agenda other than to spread the word on podcasting. The time is now!

I saw recently that Odeo has added Google Adsense links to the sidebar of their pages.

The biggest question that I have about the variety of podcast directories/networks/communities has to do with making money. How do these services propose to make money (and therefore survive) when the content they are presenting is owned by someone else?

PodShow owns some of the content in their network but the vast majority of the content is unavailable to them for advertising. They're current placing banner ads on web pages in order to make a buck of the content they don't own.

Blubrry is avoiding banners or links in favor of working out advertising deals for members of the community.

Pluggd is soliciting advertisters for their site but hasn't pulled the trigger on anything yet.

Podcast Pickle has been selling banner ads for a while now.

PodServe is not doing anything that I can see.

Odeo has started serving up the aforementioned link ads.

The Podcast Network serves up AdSense links and has a deal with Motorola.

Apple and Yahoo simply don't need the cash.

It seems to me that some of these players will either need to start charging for their services or make deals with podcast producers to negotiate ad sales in order to survive. Even then I'm not sure the money will be there to be profitable and keep podcast producers happy.

I tend to think that some kind of a user payment model is necessary to survive in the absence of a techy sugar daddy like Apple, Microsoft, Google, AOL et. al. Maybe I'm wrong, but I don't think that all these players can survive on the meager cash flow coming their way at the present time.

The $64000 question going around in my head is this. How can a directory significantly add value to a podcast channel such that a producer would be willing to pay them to be listed there?

Let me be the first to call for a standard directory Opt Out tag within RSS feeds. iTunes has one implemented. Why not the other directories?

I would like to see a standard tag like or something like that added to the RSS Namespace. Each directory should provide a single word, unique identifier that feed owners can add to their header information to prevent listing is they so desire.

And no directory should be able to auto opt in podcasts. In the early days we assumed that podcast directories would use our content in a non-commercial manner. Not the case these days. Podcasters should have a simple choice to keep their content listed on the sites they choose.

Remember the old days of podcasting? And I mean like February of last year. There was this cool, free app that everyone was using to subscribe to podcasts.

The app was originally called iPodder but later had a name change due to issues with Apple over having a name similar to the iPod. It's still around and still free but I don't think there have been any significant development updates in the last six to eight months.

The development blog is DOA right now. You can still download the app but it hasn't moved forward and appears like it won't anytime soon. And I rarely see anyone referencing the application as a podcatcher anywhere anymore. Coincidentally enough, one of the lead developers was hired by PodShow back in November 2005.

It's nice to have an open source alternative to the interfaces pushed at people by the big players. But Juice won't be around too much longer if it doesn't have an update that grabs people's attention. You can still pay to create a custom version of Juice so that visitors to your site can download the app preloaded with the feeds of your choice.

Have you heard of Blubrry? If you're a podcast producer or podcast companion then I recommend you stop by there and see what's happening.

The first thing you will realize is that the site is not sexy. It's a pretty basic approach that focuses on the experience for both the companion and the producer. No flashy ads, no movies that play automatically urging you to get in the game or gamble online.

What you can't see by looking at Blubrry is the new approach to building a podcast community. Looking through the podcasts on Blubrry you won't find thousands of shows, but hundreds. That's because Blubrry is not a podcast directory, but an opt in community. Community members sign up to have their podcast listed and agree to some basic terms that include agreeing to do a very small amount of promotion for Blubrry in return for the possibility of Blubrry negotiating an ad for the podcast.

As a podcaster you get a profile page that includes the ability to add your podcast image plus a nice sized header image as well. There are also links to the podcast home page and a feed image that links directly to the podcast RSS feed. The design is very clean and respects the podcast producer's branding and creativity. There are also links that allow users to Digg a podcast or submit the link to Del.icio.us. Plus, podcasters have the option to add links directly to podcast pages on Odeo, iTunes or Yahoo! Podcasts. If you don't want the links there they won't show up.

In my opinion, the profile page alone tells you that the folks behind Blubrry respect podcast producers. And they're doing so while also offering the potential to make some money. And it's obvious that the way they plan to make money is via ads on podcasts where the revenue is shared with the podcaster and not by links or banners whose revenue is solely pocketed by the site owner.

Now there were a few bugs at launch which are being addressed quickly it seems. And the site does not have features for video podcast producers, yet. Listening to the newly launched Brrycast, I heard Todd Cochrane address the issue of bugs and also talk about planning for features related to videocasts. There's also a plan in the works to help people get educated on the ins and outs of podcast.

And please consider this. This is coming from folks who have no VC funding and are still working day jobs. So even if the functions you're looking for are not 100% present at this time, you've got to give them credit for what they've done so far.

Some people might say that Blubrry pales in comparison to the cash hearty companies that I mentioned in the previous post. They might pale cash balance wise but they're doing very well innovating solutions to connect podcast producers and podcast companions. Their goals are realistic as well. There's no exhortation to quit your day job or promise of great riches. But there is a call to develop great content and take part in a forward thinking community.

That's a call I've answered and I look forward to reaping the rewards, whatever they will be.

If you're one of the wannabes that fawns over every move made by Adam Curry and Podshow then you won't like this post. Ditto for those who aspire to sign the PodShow agreement so that you can cease to personally promote your podcast while hanging with the cool kids of podcasting.

Venture capital funded podcast start ups are aiming to kill the personal voice of podcasting. And given the amount of money and the amount of press heaped on them they may just be successful at doing that.

To be fair let me start off by saying that it's not all Podshow's fault that this is happening. They are not the only VC funded (or mainstream tech) outfit wielding a machete and hacking away. Count in Odeo, Yahoo, Apple and Pluggd to name a few.

I'll explain but it won't (and can't) be brief.

First of all this post is prompted by the launch of PodShow+ this week. I had hoped that the smart minds behind this like Andrew Grumet and Chris McIntyre would do the right thing and create a community that respects podcasters and puts podcasting first. After all, with $9 million in venture capital funding they have the muscle to do so. And I have no problem with folks who do that while garnering nice advertising dollars. You gotta eat after all.

I can honestly say that they haven't done the right thing. And this has nothing to do with all the RSS Hijacking talk from earlier this week. This is about an experience that respects the people who create the content that power these sites. Look at any of the outfits mentioned in this post and you'll see that there attitude is mostly, "Thanks for the content, now screw off!"

I believe that's the attitude because if they either a) knew a freaking thing about podcasting or b) listened to the people that powered the community, they would certainly change some of the things about their site that disrespect podcasters. Here are some examples of things that they do to disrespect podcast producers:

1. Creating an alternate RSS feed or failing to display the original RSS feed altogether. This includes people who put links to .m3u, .mpu of any other format than the original RSS feed. Popular offenders in this category are iTunes, Odeo, Podshow and Pluggd.
   
2. Failing to allow moderation of comments and reviews posted about podcasts. iTunes and Yahoo get a big fat F in this category.
3. Using ugly, nonsensical urls that make it very difficult for people to find your podcasts. They all mess this one up badly.
4. Placing advertisments all around your content in such an obtrusive manner that visitors are likely to be put off. This means you PodShow. Putting Go Daddy ads in the podcast player is a form of commercialization of content that is released under a non-commercial license.
5. Hiding (or password protecting) links to actually download files from unregistered users. Yahoo and Podshow are pulling this crap as we speak.
6. Failing to explain what a podcast is or how to subscribe using an RSS feed. They and they being particularly PodShow, Odeo and Pluggd don't want you going off their sites so they leave out info that lets the user make their own choices.
7. Stripping out meaningful formatting and otherwise altering the show notes for podcast episodes. Odeo and iTunes are the worst offenders here. At least Odeo allows you to edit the HTML after the fact.
8. Creating a presence for a podcast and failing to allow a podcast producer any control over that presence. iTunes and Yahoo are the absolute worst in this category. Some may consider the image and description tags as adequate control but I don't. Podcast producers should control over how every episode is presented.
9. Failing to share revenue generated from advertisements included alongside podcast content. This means you PodShow. Someone listens to one of my podcasts in a player with ads for major companies. Then they click on the ad and you're keeping all the revenue. The same thing goes for the Podsafe Music Network. Ads everywhere generating revenue but no sharing with the artists who bust their butts to create the content that brings in eyeballs.

I have more to say on the problems but what's the point? Those are the major issues and until those are solved we shouldn't address anything else.

So how is this killing podcasting? First off, the podcast subscriber is hurt. The highly funded outlets for podcasts fail to educate users and they become confused, frustrated and filled with misconceptions. Podcast subscribers (and potential subscribers) are also hurt because the connection between the subscriber and the individual podcaster is castrated. People think they are getting content from PodShow, Odeo and iTunes so they fail to interact on a meaningful level with the podcast producer.

It's the individual connection between the producer and the subscriber that makes podcasts different from other forms of media. So diminishing that ability diminishes the medium as a whole.

Podcast producers are highly damaged as a result of this situation as well. They're cheated out of dollars that they have a right to a share of since the podcasts are the reasons that anyone is visiting these sites. They're cheated statistically because alternate versions of feeds provide invisible statistics that would otherwise improve the value of their podcast to potential advertisers. The folks at iTunes, Odeo and Podshow need to fix this. Either direct all traffic through one RSS feed or make the stats easily available to the podcast producer.

How many podcast producers will alter their shows or leave podcasting altogether out of frustration related to these issues?

Sites that fail to educate and encourage the use of the individual podcast aggregators are also robbing users of the experience that makes podcasting what it is. The whole reason that people got into this thing was so we wouldn't need to check web pages for new content. And outfits like PodShow make it a virtual requirment that you return to their website to see what's new. This will lead to lower subscription rates and the assertion that podcasts are nothing new and nothing special.

The companies with the big money behind them can afford not to listen, for now at least. Conversely, the bootstrap startups like LibSyn and Blubrry can't afford not to listen. Strangely enough those outfits reside outside Silly-Con Valley.

The probation period is over folks. Don't start acting like Microsoft and claim it takes a year to make a software change. Address these issues. Respect podcast producers. The one's who were dumb enough to sign away their content to you represent a small percentage of the podcasts in existence. You may have the right to do what you want with them but you know the best content is not owned by anyone but the producers. Instead of being dogged by that fact, work with people and you'll see how we can all benefit.

So who will be first to acknowledge and take steps to right the wrongs? Podshow, Odeo, Apple, Yahoo, Pluggd? Whoever does can have an inside track on building a brighter future for podcasting.

Podfather: Part IV

Originally uploaded by l0ckergn0me.

Hysterical!

Oh boy! PodShow has launced their mighty PDN, which is not to be confused with the PDN related to photography that's been around for years. Yawn.

Dave Winer says, "They're doing lots of nasty stuff..." and he later adds, "They're really asking for trouble. On a massive scale."

Todd Cochrane says, "I am sitting here beyond pissed..." partly because, "I can accept almost anything, but the RSS feed Hijacking has me angry."

Michael Geoghegan says, "...you have to dig and dig to find an outbound link to the actual content producer’s website..." and later goes on to state, "As a content producer you will find something disturbing. PodShow builds its own RSS feed for your podcast with all your content..."

Definitely some major concerns from folks who have spent a lot of time and sweat promoting the ideas of podcasting. PodShow's actions in the days following the launch of PodShow+ (with molasses speeds I might add) will determine whether or not they are thrown a party or thrown out the door when the Podcast Expo comes around.

Looks like the main PodShow site has been down for a couple of days now. There's a redirect to a page that shows an embedded flash video of Adam Curry waiting for a page to refresh and then a graphic that asks the visitor to "Please Stand By". You would think that a high $$$ outfit like PodShow could execute a cleaner cutover.

Soon the fearsome PodShow Plus Podcast All Powerful Delivery Podsafe Network will be online and all Podcasters will bow in awe with their scissors and duct tape file hosting and RSS feeds crumbling around them.

You just know the blogosphere is going to be flooded with content about Amanda's departure from Rocketboom. This one really made me laugh and I have to share it.

Steve Rubel reports that Rocketboom host Amanda Congdon has called it quits, splitting from the show and her business partner Andrew Baron. This news is confirmed by Amanda herself on the Amanda Unboomed website.

I'm not sure what the disagreement is about. Could be about money, could be about the direction of the show. Maybe they got some kind of a partnership offer. Who knows? But that's the reality of business. Will Andrew help to make someone else a Podstar? Will Amanda start her own blockbuster video podcast brand? Or will she sign a huge deal to work for Access Hollywood?

Anything is possible in this day and age. And that can be good or bad depending on your position in the world. If Baron is slow to follow up with a new host the vacuum could be filled by someone like ZeFrank or some other daily vlog type program. The resulting interest and curiosity could also propel Rocketboom to new heights. Time will tell.

I do believe that Mr. Baron has a hard edge to him that may make him difficult to work with. My one comment on a Rocketboom post was a snarky remark about a guy who was accusing police officers of brutalizing him on a show where the accusers threw out names and badge numbers and the police were not afforded a defense. Baron subsequently labeled me a racist (because the gentleman I disparaged happened to be African-American) then got real nasty via email.

No one can deny that the world of podcasting is a very interesting place.

Just published a book on podcasting? Congrats! Oh and one more thing. IT'S OUTDATED ALREADY!

I hate to be the one to rain on folks' parades but it's true. And I can't understand why people who appear to be so commited to new media bust their butts to put something out in the old media world. I'm sure that money is the driving factor. You can make some good money off of publishing a book.

But what about the person who buys the book? Shouldn't they get the most out of the experience? Is it a good value to buy something that doesn't include the most current info on a topic? Maybe it is and maybe it isn't.

I wonder if any of the recently published books on Podcasting include information about Blubrry? Blubrry is a very important Podcast community site that opened for biz on June 30th. And it would be interesting to see if any of the podcasting books mention PodGuide.tv. PodGuide.tv is a video podcast review site that recently stopped publishing new content.

My point here is that the landscape changes so fast that any truly complete book on Podcasting won't be complete for long. Except for time honored audio and video production techniques or good Podcast etiquette, much of the advice has a short shelf life. The tools for production are changing. The players are changing. The landscape will surely change as quickly or quicker than it has been. Even the tools and players that don't completely change will have re-organizations and software upgrades that change the game.

I believe that there is a strong need for a different kind of resource to educate people about markets and industries that experience frequent change. There is a need for a new type of resource that is convenient and provides real value over time. A book on Podcasting published a year ago or even a month ago does not provide value over time. The only way to keep providing value is to re-publish at least once a year. And I don't think that approach is something that fits in with way that author's and publishers do business.

Why don't podcasters who write books use the internet to publish their knowledge and provide updates over time? Surely, this can be an efficient way to spread information. And surely money can (and should) be made by the people who make the effort to do so.

I welcome the comments of folks who either think I'm wrong or would like to expand on my thoughts on this topic.

A year after giving podcasting a boost by adding a podcast directory to iTunes, Apple is shaking things up by revising their list of categories as detailed in a very long (and too long to post here) email they sent out early this morning.

If have a podcast in iTunes you probably got the email. Technical details on the change can be found here.

The changes mean that all podcasters will need to update their feeds to match up with iTunes' category structure or they risk getting lost in the directory. So ya better get a move on!

Of course, Apple shook things up when they introduced the iTunes podcast directory due to their insistence on separate, and totally new, iTunes tags in podcast RSS feeds. Luckily for folks like me the people at Feedburner were on the case and supported the changes quickly. LibSyn did the same by adding iTunes tags to their publishing tool as well.

There is a question that must be asked here though. Should Apple continue to be the entity that sets the defacto standard here? It seems to me that the players in the podcasting directory space and the RSS thinkers (like Dave Winer) should get together and hammer out a common spec that will stay consistent over a long period of time.