I was at the 2007 Podcast and New Media Expo two weeks ago and I was pretty shocked at how light the traffic was on the exhibition floor. I have been to the previous two expos and there was much more foot traffic on the floor at each of the first two events. I don't know what the attendance levels were at the individual learning sessions as I didn't attend any of those.

The gentlemen who organize the event, Tim and Emil Bourquin, are calling the 2007 expo a success for all on their latest Podcast Brothers episode. I can't say that I agree. If you paid for a booth on the exhibition floor in 2007 you didn't get very strong traffic.

Tim and Emil are making changes to the name and location of the Expo for 2008. In 2008 the gathering will simply be called the New Media Expo. The venue will also be changed to Las Vegas, NV from Ontario, California. I don't know that these changes will necessarily help attendance. More people will certainly be attracted to Vegas but once there they may find the many distractions more interesting.

It is very likely that traffic to the Expo from podcasters will be very light next year. First off, with the word podcast excised from the name I think that many podcasters are going to get the feeling that they're not as welcome. My perception as a longtime podcaster is that there is a distinct difference in the vibe of podcasters as opposed the many generic new media types out there. The shift in traffic will be better for the Expo but not necessarily good for the podcasting community.

I think you'll see more mainstream press, public relations and corporate marketing folks at the 2008 expo. These are the people that live at Las Vegas conferences. And with Vegas being more expensive than Ontario those types of people will be the ones who can actually afford the trip.

None of this news is bad for podcasting. I think that 2007 is the year when the community came together on their own terms. That's because PodCamp has come of age. What Chris Brogan and Christopher Penn started in 2006 has exploded.

I count sixteen completed PodCamp events worldwide in 2007. There are six more PodCamps planned this year including Perth, Australia and Cape Town, South Africa. The local nature of these events makes it eminently more convenient for people to go to a local event to get their podcast community fix rather than heading across the country or the world to go to a gathering.

You will ultimately make your own decisions about going to these types of events. For 2008 I think I'm turning over a new leaf and committing to going local on these events as much as I can.

Labels: conferences, new media expo, podcasting

Once again the discussion of whether or not podcasting will survive has been place on the table via a recent blog post. I'll dispense with the drama and tell you that podcasting will survive. I guarantee it.

At its core podcasting is not a very complex thing. It involves the combination of online media and RSS. Is online media going away? No. Is RSS going away? No. So if those two things aren't going away then podcasting isn't going away.

The author's lament is the fact that, "We certainly no longer hear about it as much as we did in the past." He goes on to say that, "We certainly no longer hear about it as much as we did in the past." The inspiration for the author's post is the fact that John Furrier has left his position at PodTech.net.

Let's get something straight here right off the bat. John Furrier is not and has never been a person who can make or break podcasting. I don't believe that Mr. Furrier has ever staked that claim but for some reason he is elevated to that level in the blog post. There are many more important figures in the movement. Names like Dave Winer, Adam Curry and Leo Laporte come to mind. When those people get bearish on podcasting then you can call me on this post.

All the trends that mean anything point to the growth of the medium. The number of independently produced podcast shows is up significantly from a year ago. The number of new podcast networks is up from a year ago. The number of industry related events is way up from a year ago. I counted four PodCamp events in 2006. In 2007 there will be about twenty such events. The Podcast & New Media Expo has expanded from two to three days and in a larger hall at that.

I'm also seeing much more interest in the medium from businesses and advertisers. These people recognize that podcasting is a great way to connect with people.

Let's take a look at the technology for a moment. The Blogger platform that I am using to write this post has recently added enclosure links and increased video podcasting support. I guess somebody forget to tell Google that podcasting wouldn't survive. We also now have the iPhone which for the first time connects a mobile phone with the world's largest podcast directory in iTunes.

I could go on (you know I'd love to!) but what's the point? All of the meaningful signs point to growth. Some of the lazy metrics look weak. Sure there hasn't been a big mainstream cover story on podcasting in a while. That proves nothing. The larger, deeper discussions are happening online and at events around the world. The communities that are being built around media don't require mainstream media support to survive or thrive.

Labels: opinion, podcasting

Google has had a hand in podcasting in one way or another since the very beginning. My very first podcast had a site on Blogger, a FeedBurner feed and my own media hosting.

With the acquisition of FeedBurner Google has been able to get the second piece of the puzzle in line by integrating the ability to redirect your feed over to FeebBurner.

Now Google has announced integrated video podcast support. So you can upload a file from withing a blogger post and it will automatically become embedded in a post and linked as an enclosure.

I gave it a shot with the video you see below. My first attempt at uploading a QuickTime movie failed with an error. So I gave it a second shot with a video in the iPod format.


As you can see the second try worked. It looks like Google is using their Google Video engine to power the flash conversion and player. Since the Google Video platform leaves something to be desired on flash encoding I don't think any hardcore video bloggers or podcasters will be too excited. And you can also see the nice Blogger logo which will definitely put off this interested in maintaining complete branding control.

The upside is that this makes it easier for the average user to get started in video podcasting. And the people who are learning and experimenting won't be deterred by the things I've pointed out.

Where this can get interesting is when Blogger starts integrating those new advertising options that they have on YouTube.

Labels: blogger, google, podcasting, video

After getting raked over the coals in the most recent episode of P Dilly's Today In Podcasting I thought it was time to give the other side of the new media story.

Some see it as unfair to compare one company to another. Some look down on me for pointing out that some companies are no longer operating. Heck, the company I am involved with just might be in that same situation one day.

I'll tell you what though. I always reserve the right to have an opinion. You can disagree. But lets make sure we get facts straight when we do. I've always been in this on the side of growing podcasting as a medium. I've spent a lot of time helping others get involved and get the most out of the medium. I will continue to help those who come to me. I've organized charity events so that we can use this technology to help people. And I'm gonna let people know the deal as I see it.

I believe that teaching openly and doing good things should be the price of entry to the medium. Others will disagree. So be it.

So who should we be watching? Who's doing good?

Libsyn has been there since the beginning offering podcast hosting at a very fair price. Thankfully they keep on trucking along. I've used their hosting for over two years.

Podcast Alley continues to be a place that podcasters use to promote their shows while the forums are very active. I still here plenty of shows pimping for those votes at the start of each month.

Podcasting News features a steady stream of all news related to podcasting.

PodCamp keeps getting bigger in spite of my blatant attempts ;) to blindside the movement. They've even got a cruise coming up. Woe to the cruise operator who fails to have plentiful internet access and power plugs.

Podcast producers have created a shift in the media patterns of the mainstream media. Mainstream media and entertainment outlets are embracing the medium. Yes, You are the person of the year!

Podcast Pickle has long been a place where you can get into a good discussion in the forum. Heck I even added them to a Beginning Podcaster Guide I wrote recently. No hard feelings Gary.

I think PodShow is doing some very good things for podcasting. I disagree with parts of their approach but at the end of the day they are helping some podcasters to get paid. And they are bringing new advertisers into the medium. And those achievements parallel some of the things we do over at my house.

Blip.tv continues to impress me with what they're doing to put video podcast publishing within reach of the average person.

Look, I don't care if you know who my name is. I didn't get into this to be somebody. I'm already somebody to my family and friends. I got into this to teach and help others via my podcasts, my knowledge of business and my love of technology. I know that I've been successful. People tell me so when they contact me. And my definition of success is more about those who are close to me than those who can't pronounce my name.

If you're doing good things with podcasting then by all means let people know in the comments here. Do your part by helping others to separate the signal from the noise. And don't be ashamed when you do.

Labels: opinion, podcasting

I won't bother going into a soliloquy about the reasons why taking someone's feed over without their knowledge is wrong.

Have a look at the following blog post from Rob Walch at Podcast411. It details the odyssey of a podcaster who decided to submit her feed to Podango.

http://podcast411.com/blog/?p=32

Labels: feed hijack, podcasting, rss

Back at the 2005 Podcast Expo Audible had themselves the prime position right at the entrance to the exhibit hall. They were the bells of the ball.

The tag line for Audible's marketing pitch at the 2005 Expo was something to the effect of, "Podcasts are like hot air. Very powerful when harnessed." Unfortunately the harness that Audible spoke of was a DRM wrapper that called home when you played a media file. Not good.

Their Audible Wordcast service did score an early coup, signing up the wildly popular Ricky Gervais podcast. Walls were erected, service fees were charged and on the podcast went. No one is really sure how many listeners stuck around to pay up to $1.95 per episode. You can now get Season 3 (what chutzpah to call six audio files a season) for the bargain price of $6.95.

It's not about the money. A couple of bucks a week isn't going to break anybody. Its about the fact that you pay for a file that sits in a locked box on your computer (or portable device) and its only playable under certain conditions. Didn't I just buy the thing? And then it phones home like E.T. or something.

Don't believe my words. Check the quote from the original Audible press release about WordCast.

"The business of advertising requires measurement that will stand up to a third-party audit, and AudibleWordcast will be the first "audit-ready" podcasting platform capable of measuring actual subscribers, not just file downloads. Audible's TrueListener audience measurement system reports the metrics required by advertisers, which are determined audit ready through third-party media auditor, ImServices Group (http://www.imservicesgroup.com)."

You see the mistake here was that the execs at Audible only thought about one of the three parties involved in the transaction. I'm sure the advertisers loved this stuff. But what about podcast producers and their audiences?

It seems to me now (and I thought even then) that DRM and proprietary file formats are dealbreakers when it comes to podcasting. People will go for free with ads much more than they will go for pay with an invisible leash. At least they will when it comes to podcasts.

So how come the iTunes music store does so well? Ya know where I can find a non-DRM digital version of Billy Joel's greatest hits? No, because you can't buy one without DRM unless you get the CD. And even then you never know. People have an overwhelming choice in podcasting and 95% of the content is free and open. Makes competing tough if your selling a podcast in a box with a leash.

As a podcaster and an entrepreneur in the space it is in my best interest for things like Audible Wordcast to work. I'm sorry it didn't. But it was messed up from the start. And someone who really knows the podcasting market could've told the good folks at Audible that before they went through all the trouble.

[via MWG Blog]

Labels: audible, drm, podcasting

I remember it being big news in 2005 that PodShow would be syndicating their best and brightest to Sirius Satellite Radio. PaidContent is now reporting that the deal has ended in a very abrupt manner.

According to the PaidContent blog post, "the block was pulled from the air without notice from PodShow to more than two dozen contributing podcasters."

I'm really not sure if there is a winner or loser in this case. It couldn't have costed Sirius much money to pump the podcast content through their system. At the same time it probably didn't bring Sirius any subscribers. Why would you pay for something that you can download for free from the internet?

It was great PR for PodShow to be able to say that they could get certain podcasters on satellite radio. But what does that really mean? Satellite radio has a much narrower reach than podcasting. And you still have to be listening at the time a show is aired to hear the content.

So I'd venture to guess that podcasters were not gaining many listeners from the Sirius-PodShow connection. If anything, this indicates that podcasters are better off focusing on the common network medium known as the internet.

I have no doubt that Sirius will be evaluating their content offerings and eliminating more low value shows as their deal with XM nears closing.

Labels: podcasting, podshow, satellite radio, sirius

Odeo is for sale.

The folks at Obvious Corp. are selling, "...odeo.com and studio.odeo.com, including all code, the domain, brand, database of three million MP3s, etc. Not a company, but a site and platform that could be ramped up to something much bigger."

They built something good looking and functional. And they still get quite a bit of traffic. So where did they go wrong?

It sounds like they just lost passion for the project. Their newer project Twitter appears to be on the rise. I wouldn't be surprised if someone picked up the project in order to leverage the infrastructure and tools rather than the Odeo brand and domain.

Labels: odeo, podcasting, sale

Two years ago today I made a very bold statement about podcasting and how it would affect satellite radio.

Yesterday the news came across that XM and Sirius satellite radio announced plans for a merger.

So what's the deal here? It's the same deal that I said it would be.

"Both players in the game, Sirius and XM, are losing cash by the bucketful."

"At this point the name of the game for both these players is survival."

"They've spent way too much money to establish a space based version of regular radio, while podcasters have pooled together to create a land based worldwide network with almost no central investment."

Read the original post to get the entire diatribe. There's not much left to say except that if the merger doesn't go through there will be a few useless satellites orbiting the earth two years from now.

Labels: podcasting, prediction, sirius, xm

Chris Penn (no not Sean's brother) of the Financial Aid Podcast has put together a video that shows musicians, "how to get the most out of the music they’re already selling in iTunes." Check it out here.

Labels: itunes, musicians, podcasting, video

The recently announced iPhone from Apple is very promising indeed for podcasting.

Think about it. Millions of people with a direct connection to the iTunes podcast directory in their pocket. Plenty of storage (4GB or 8GB). Audio and video playback capability. It could be a podcast consumption juggernaut. Wait a minute though.

This isn't an iPod, it's a cell phone. And that means people will have to make a big decision before picking up this sweet piece of hardware. Do they really want to switch to Cingular (soon to be AT&T again) wireless?

It's a fact that people can be pretty darn loyal to their cellular providers. Especially since departing mid-contract can mean a financial hit of up to $200. I just recently extended my contract for two years, upgrading to the pretty darn good Samsung Blackjack. I like the look of the iPhone but there are some concerns that will prevent me from switching.

• No 3G support. Yeah, I know it has WiFi but 3G coverage is more widespread. Sure you can connect at Starbucks and lots of other places. But you also need a separate paid account for many hotspots. Why pay the $$$ for a cellular data plan and pay for various WiFi plans?
• Potential battery life issues. This device has all the great power suckers including a big screen, wifi and bluetooth. And the battery is not replaceable. The one big difference between an iPod and a phone is the fact that you need your cell phone to be with you almost all the time. The iPod is carried typically by preference but no necessity. Powering up on the go would be easier if the battery lasted longer and was replaceable.
• Lack of support for 3rd Party apps. The Windows Mobile and Series 60 platforms both have a robust suite of independently developed applications. There are questions about what will be available for the iPhone since it will run OS X. There's no doubt that OS X is great for the computer. But will it work for the cell phone?

In my mind this device would be ten times more killer if it were not a cell phone. Heck, Id put an order in tomorrow if you took away the cellular requirement and made the battery replaceable.

I think this phone will be good for podcasting because a lot of non-iPod users will switch over, thereby adding to the number of people who will seek to leverage iTunes for their entertainment. I don't think it will be the blockbuster success that is being predicted by the hype. Initially I'm willing to bet that there will be hardware and software issues that will make the overall experience less than stellar.

Apple will make adjustments though. And with future releases the experience will improve greatly. So put me on the waiting list for an iPhone for June...June 2008 that is.

Labels: apple, iphone, podcasting