Podcasting, Blogging and Spreading the Word

Getting Your Message On-line in 2008

Dan KlassJacketMedia.com

Quintiles Pharmaceuticals, Greenleaf Book Group, Trend Micro

The Bitterest Pill (Award winning audio blog)

Old Wave Radio: New 80’s Music (retro music)

Animal Rescue Force Friends! (kids educational)

Original Programming

Dan Klass

Christian Science Monitor, USA Today.com, Radio Times (UK), NBC News, The CyberGuy (CW), Podcasting for Dummies,

Secrets of the Podcasting Masters, Absolute Beginners Guide to Podcasting…

Feature Writer, Blogger & Podcaster

“Podcast Solutions: The Complete Guide to Audio & Video Podcasting” (Second Edition)

Getting Your Message on-line in 2008

Podcasting, Blogging and Spreading the Word

Getting the Message Out

Blogs

Podcasts

Social Networking

Microblogging

Video & Photo Sharing

Social Bookmarking

Blogs & Blogging

A blog (an abridgment of the term web log) is a website, usually maintained by an individual, with regular entries of commentary, descriptions of events, or other material such as graphics or video. Entries are commonly displayed in reverse chronological order. "Blog" can also be used as a verb, meaning to maintain or add content to a blog.

- Wikipedia.org

Blogs & Blogging

• Easy to “post” new information

• Little-to-no need to ever deal with code

• Built for Web 2.0: tagging, comments, trackbacks, RSS, etc.

Blogs & Blogging

How are companies and organizations using blogs?

Blogs & Blogging

Putting a “face” (or several) on your company or organization

Top Blogging Platforms

Hosted:Blogger.com

WordPress.com

Stand Alone:WordPress

TypePadMovable Type

Hosted vs. Stand-Alone

Hosted

Pros:Free/cheap

Fairly easy to set-upAutomatically updated

Cons:Limited design template choices

Less control over URL/blogTricky to migrate to stand-alone

Hosted vs. Stand-Alone

Stand Alone

Pros:Adaptable

Multiple Feed CreationTemplate & Plug-In Development

Cons:Difficult to install/set-up

Hosting/UpgradesSpam

Anatomy of a Blog

(Front View)

Anatomy of a Blog

(Front View)

HEADER

SIDEBARMAIN FRAME

Anatomy of a Blog

(Interior View)

QuickTime™ and aTIFF (Uncompressed) decompressor

are needed to see this picture.

QuickTime™ and aTIFF (Uncompressed) decompressor

are needed to see this picture.

RSS (Really Simple Syndication)

RSS is a family of Web feed formats used to publish frequently updated content such as blog entries,

news headlines, and podcasts.

- Wikipedia.org

RSS (Really Simple Syndication)

RSS is what makes the internet come to you.

RSS (Really Simple Syndication)

List of podcasts in iTunes

Breaking news stories in My.Yahoo

Posts in MyBloglines, Netvibes, My.Yahoo, Google, etc.

Podcast

A podcast is a series of digital-media files which are distributed over the Internet using syndication feeds for playback on portable media players and computers. The term podcast, like broadcast, can refer either to the series of content itself or to the method by which it is syndicated; the latter is also called podcasting. The host or author of a podcast is often called a podcaster.

- Wikipedia.org

How are companies and organizations using podcasts?

Who will handle your podcasting?

• Podcast Producer • Internal Staff • PR Firm

Who will handle your podcasting?

Whoever it is, they need to have an intimate understanding of:

The podcast/new media landscape

Complete audio and/or video production process

Audio and video encoding for portable media devises and browser playback

RSS

The podcast/new media landscape

Peer v. Authority

• People want information from a trusted source

• Peers are the new authorities

Who is your company/organization?(notice that I didn’t say “what”)

Who is your audience?

What would they want to hear from you?

The Landscape

• Audio brochures are boring

• Conversations are interesting

• News is always interesting (to people who care)

• Who cares?

This is no time for a sales pitch

The ProcessCasting, Tone, Show Structure,

Preproduction, Show Prep, Production

Podcast

A podcast is a series of digital-media files which are distributed over the Internet using syndication feeds for playback on portable media players and computers.

- Wikipedia.org

What is a podcast really,and why is it so great?

• An audio file, video file, pdf, graphic, animation…file on the web

• It comes to you, you don’t go to it

• Downloaded, not streamed (thank goodness)

• Portable

• Time shifted (think TiVo, but free)

What do you need to have a podcast?

• Something to podcast (usually a sound recording or video file)

• An RSS feed

• Somewhere for the files to be stored on the internet

Seriously?

• Yes. Seriously. You need:

• The Show• The Feed• Some internet space

Everything else is gravy. Important to the meal, but gravy nonetheless.

Casting is everything

• Take the time to find the right people.

• Get out of their way and have faith.

Presentation

Professionalism vs.

Authenticity

Case in point: LA Opera

• Hope to build fresh interest in the opera.

• Talking to “non-opera” audience, while satisfying the current audience base.

Case in point: LA Opera

• Capture casual, real conversations with insiders.

• Give the audience something they can’t get elsewhere.

• Stick to topics within the sphere of interests of the podcast intended audience.

• Instill the flavor of the experience in the production.

Structure and Format

• There is freedom in constraint.

• Consistent formats make the audience & the bookkeeper happy

The Radio Clock

Case in Point:

Greenleaf Book Group

• Small, independent publisher• Interviews with authors• Prepare authors for radio guest spots

Company gives host/producer info on author, book, publication date.

Submit questions to host/producer or schedule a pre-interview.

Schedule interview time/date with author.

Case in Point:

Greenleaf Book Group

Case in Point: Greenleaf Book Group

• Create stock welcome and thanks I.D.s• Intro & Outro recorded by host in studio• Raw phone interview is cut

i.d.intro

telephone interviewoutro

i.d.

Always work at “full rez”

You will end up wit a digital audio file.

You may want to syndicate to radio/TV, sell CD/DVDs, make larger version when everyone has even faster connections…

Let’s talk about music

• The official word is that the major labels don’t want you using their music in podcasts.

• There is no way to safeguard yourself 100% unless you go “indie”

• Going indie rocks.

Benefits of using independent music

• You promote them, they promote you.

• FREE CDs!• Peace of mind

Where to find “podsafe” music

• Ioda/promonet• GarageBand.com• Podsafe Music Network• Archive.org

Flow

Stories, anecdotes, instructions, jokes, news reports all flow

Case in Point:

Speedo USA

Coverage of the 2006 Golden Goggles AwardsBeverly Hilton, Beverly Hills

Case in Point: Speedo

USA

• Immediate turn around - timely event

• Supplied pre-produced/approved podcast elements

• Speedo/PR Firm understood “casting”– Speedo staff support– Podcast Producer

• What is this event to the audience?

• Who are these people to the audience?

• Is there a story or flow to this material?

Case in Point: Speedo USA

Case in Point: Speedo USA

Speedo Bowman Spitz Coughlin Beard Phelps Gaines

B-roll: carpet, photographers, interviews, hotel exterior, Beverly Hills

Tape one:

Tape two:

Case in Point: Speedo USA

Welcome fashionTraining &

meetsGolden Goggles

swimming

Training & meets

File EncodingEnable for portable media devise and browser

playback

Encode to Shrink

• AUDIO: mp3, m4a

• VIDEO: mov, m4v

• CAUTION: m4a, m4v NOT compatible with all players

• OF COURSE: World record holder for most downloads was m4a, so what do I know?

Encoding

• AUDIO: use iTunes

• VIDEO: use QuickTime Pro

Video

• Free hosting services like YouTube, blip.tv, Revver, etc.

• They convert to highly compatible Flash format for browswer viewing

What are ID3 tags?

• The information that is imbedded in podcast file

• Name of show, name of “author,” URL, “album art”

• Don’t let me forget to show you this in iTunes!

You need an eye catching logo!(It needs to look good small and large)

Archiving

Ensure your finished shows & their elements are backed up at full quality.

Distribution & Promotion

Distribution & Promotion

• RSS enable• iTunes, Podcast Pickle, Podcast

Alley• Put URL in ads, flyers,

newsletters…• Link on website• Make e-mail notification

available

iTunes

Other new developments

Microblogging

• Brief text updates

• Viewed by anyone or by a restricted group

• Submitted by text messaging, instant messaging, email, MP3 or the web.

Microblogging

Video Broadcasting Sites

• Ustream.tv, Mogulus.com

• Stream audio and video from computer

• Live chat

• Embeddable players/chat

Questions

JacketMedia.com, Los Angeles jacket@danklass.com