Inside Chris's Head » Podcasting http://chris2x.com One man's view of life in Silicon Valley from Chris Christensen - a podcaster, blogger, social media consultant Fri, 27 Jan 2012 05:45:37 +0000 en hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.2.1 Anyone Can Make A Live Internet “TV” Call-in Show http://chris2x.com/2010/05/15/live-internet-tv-call-in-show/ http://chris2x.com/2010/05/15/live-internet-tv-call-in-show/#comments Sun, 16 May 2010 02:45:23 +0000 Chris Christensen http://chris2x.com/?p=1658 Last month I had the opportunity to join airline pilot / podcaster Joe d’Eon on his new live video show on uStream.tv – Fly with Me Live. It used to be that production of a live broadcast video show would require at least a cable access studio with thousands of dollars of hardware. And even then who watches cable access? The internet has brought video broadcast costs down to the hundreds of dollars. Joe’s setup is for two people with two cameras.
Audio:

  • T.C. Electronic Konnekt 8 firewire interface (they are no making these, but you can find them on ebay)
  • Heil PR 40 mic
  • Shure SM 58 mic
  • Behringer Mixer

Video:

  • 2 x QuickCam® Vision Pro webcams

joe-deon-studio

Joe’s setup is more complicated to run since he is taking Skype calls  live from listeners. If you just want to broadcast via uStream.tv you just need a uStream account, camera and microphone. The software setup Joe is using is free:

  • Skype – Joe takes calls via Skype. Add in a Skype-in account and people could also call from a normal phone.
  • uStream.tv – uStream supports a large number of users watching the video stream. It also adds the ability to have a chat associated with the event and records the event for the people who missed the live broadcast. It does all of this for free.
  • Camtwist - Camtwist is a great piece of free software (Mac OS) that allows you to switch between different video setups. You can program in setups like a lower third graphic, a slide show, picture and picture and also switch between video cameras and showing your desktop.
  • Soundflower – Camtwist is cool, but soundflower is arcane. This piece of software helps you take the audio output of one program and feed it into another. So soundflower is needed so that you can hear the callers on Skype and still have the audio be broadcast to listeners.

Joe and his lovely wife Sarah (who hides off camera) go through a pre-flight check list before the show to make sure all the settings are set. Sarah also monitors the chat room for questions. I look forward to where you can do this same functionality with on itegrated package. You don’t have to be a jet plane pilot to run your own live video call-in show… but it doesn’t hurt either.

]]> http://chris2x.com/2010/05/15/live-internet-tv-call-in-show/feed/ 8 The 71 Best Podcasts – Confessions of a Podcast Addict http://chris2x.com/2010/05/06/7-best-podcasts/ http://chris2x.com/2010/05/06/7-best-podcasts/#comments Fri, 07 May 2010 01:53:29 +0000 Chris Christensen http://chris2x.com/?p=1652 They say that the first step in dealing with an addiction is admitting that you have a problem. I have a problem. The list of 71 podcasts below are shows that I listen to or watch. I do occasionally skip an episode but generally consume every episode of the following shows. I do actually subscribe to more shows than this but I did not include any show that does not come out regularly or has not come out recently.

How do I listen to so many shows? I listen mostly on my iPhone at double speed which means that it is easier for an audio show to get my attention than a video show.

There are of course other podcasts out there that are terrific but honestly… I feel I am doing my part. So the list has no knitting podcasts or sports podcasts but clearly reflects my personal interests. But I listen to an awful lot of podcasts so I think my opinion has some merit. It is easier to get on my list if your show is short because of the number of shows I subscribe to.

I put my favorites in bold. This list is subject to change but these favorite podcasts are the ones I am most committed to.

Yes, I did include my 4 podcasts, but what did you expect?

Technology

Business

English

History

  • The History of Rome rss – audio – This is probably one of my two favorite podcasts. A show that can come out so regularly and come out with such high quality episodes is admirable.
  • Dan Carlin’s Hardcore History rss – audio – Dan’s show is much less frequent but another popular show for history buffs.
  • BBC History Magazine rss – audio – This show is a new addition for me and I find it a bit hit and miss.

Productivity

Comedy

News

Travel

  • Amateur Traveler Podcast – the best places to travel to rss – enhanced audio – The Amateur Traveler is an interview show focusing on travel destinations. This is my show.
  • Amateur Traveler Video rss – video – This again is my podcast which shows videos from my travel.
  • This Week in Travel rss – audio – I swear this is the last travel show I do. This Week in Travel is a roundtable discussion with Gary Arndt, Jen Leo, a guest and I looking at travel news.
  • Betty in the Sky with a Suitcase! rss – audio – Betty N. Thesky is a flight attendant with a major airline who records crazy stories about air travel.
  • Fly With Me rss – audio – Joe d’Eon is a pilot for a major airline that also records stories on air travel. Joe got Betty (above) started in podcasting.
  • WOR – Arthur Frommer rss – audio – Arthur and Pauline Frommer are each a font of knowledge on travel, although the questions they get asked on this call-in show do get a bit redundant.
  • Peter Greenberg Worldwide rss – audio – I have no desire to travel as much as Peter Greenberg does. Peter has great guests from the travel industry as he broadcasts from a new destination each week.
  • Redbelly Radio rss – audio – This is another great company podcast from Southwest Airlines.
  • TravelCommons rss – video – My friend Mark Peacock talks about life as a road warrior business traveler.
  • Travel with Rick Steves rss – audio – Rick Steves interviews his guides or authors. The content is great but the show has two musical segments I fast forward through since he is repurposing his radio show.
  • Home Based Travel Agent Podcast rss – audio – This is obviously a niche show by my friends Barry Kantz and Lorene Romero.
  • Travel in 10: 10 Minute Travel Podcast rss – audio and video – David Brodie, yes another travel podcaster friend of mine, does a show that is travel destination focused.
  • ontravel.com rss – audio – Veteran travel journalists Paul Lasley and Elizabeth Harrington host perhaps the shortest travel show.
  • The Indie Travel Podcast rss – enhanced audio – My friends Craig and Linda are Kiwis who host perhaps the best travel podcast for the backpack and hostel crowd.
  • Heather on her travels Podcasts rss – audio – Heather may have gotten her podcasting start on the Amateur Traveler but now has her own new travel show.
  • TravellingTwo: Bicycle Touring Around The World » Radio Shows rss – audio – Andrew and Friedel may have gotten their podcasting start on the Amateur Traveler but they now host a show about bike travel.
  • Galavanting rss – video – Kim Mance and her crew have one of the nicest looking video travel shows. At times the conversation seems scripted… just like on the Travel Channel which would do well to bring these ladies on board.
  • TIPS FOR TRAVELLERS: The Travel Destination Podcast rss – audio – Gary Bembridge does a travel show targeting more of the POSH style of travel like crossing the atlantic on the QE2. Gary always gives practical tips.
  • Lonely Planet Travelcasts rss – audio – This show is a bit hit and miss for my tastes as they try to cover the more unusual side of travel.
  • Hostelworld.com Podcasts rss – audio – This is another travel podcast targeting the backpack and hostel crowd.

Faith

  • The Bible Study Podcast rss – audio – OK, this is the last of my podcasts. The goal of this podcast is to cover the bible without all the politics.

Photography

  • Typical Shutterbug Podcast rss – audio – Victor Cajiao takes his congenial podcast ways (Typical Mac User podcast) and applies them to his hobby of photography.

Music

  • Accident Hash rss – audio – CC Chapman’s oldest podcast is this music show that looks at more independent bands. CC gets excited about music also.
  • Build the Church rss – audio – Podcaster Mark Linder knows I hate the opening and closing of this contemporary Christian music podcast, but I loved the music… usually. Mark’s show runs the gamut from blues and soft rock to head banging and rap.

Storytelling

  • Griddlecakes Radio rss – audio – Ron Ploof is a story-teller and this highly produced podcast shows that the art of story telling is not dead.
]]> http://chris2x.com/2010/05/06/7-best-podcasts/feed/ 56 New Media Cruise / Podcamp@Sea http://chris2x.com/2010/01/02/new-media-cruise-podcampsea/ http://chris2x.com/2010/01/02/new-media-cruise-podcampsea/#comments Sat, 02 Jan 2010 20:25:37 +0000 Chris Christensen http://chris2x.com/?p=1584 new-media-cruise-500x100

Sometime last year Victor Cajiao of the Typical Mac User podcast, Cali Lewis of GeekBrief.tv and I started talking about organizing a cruise for podcasters and other new media creators. All three of us got too busy to move this idea forward but since I am leaving my day job in 2 weeks I want to make this idea a reality.

The Idea

The idea is to create a floating unconference on new media. I have had a chance to do a themed based tech cruise and found that it was much more enjoyable and interesting than a regular cruise vacation (bingo is not my game). We will spend the time in port exploring but when the ship is at sea we will have sessions of interest to the attendees on new media and social media.

I want to keep the cost low so I am targeting a 3-5 day cruise with no additional fee for the conference as long as you register through me. By registering together as a group, the ship should provide the necessary meeting space with no additional charge. Also we will sit as a group rotating people through different tables to make it easier to meet people.

What is an Unconference

Again to keep the costs low it is my intention to do this as an unconference where the people attending will decide what sessions we will have rather than paying for speakers to attend. I would like to provide a place where novices and experts alike can learn something.

Who are we?

I am the host of the Amateur Traveler, The Bible Study Podcast and a co-host on This Week in Travel podcast. All together I have published more than 400 podcast episodes (both audio and video).

I am working with Lorene Romero of the Home Based Travel podcast to pull this off because she is a cruise travel expert and knows how to coordinate this with the cruise company and how to help people book their travel, excursions, etc.

For full and fair disclosure Lorene and I will make money on the commissions to help pay for our time working on this.

Where should we go?

If you are seriously interested please comment on this post with your thoughts. Because of the way cruise travel gets booked and cabins get reserved I am planning this cruise in  June – July.

My first choice is a cruise from New York City June 28th 5:00pm – July 3rd 8:00am that cruises north to Halifax and Saint John with two days at sea.

Some alternatives we have identified: 3-4 day cruise from Florida to Bermuda, 5 night cruise from Galveston to Cancun, a repositioning cruise September 19 from Vancouver to Los Angeles, 5 nights from San Diego to the Mexican Riviera

How much will this cost?

It will depend on the cruise and how fancy you want your cabin to be but figure that the base cruise with all meals and with the tip but without drinks at the bar, soft drinks, and excursions to be $110 per person per day or less.  Also remember that internet on a cruise ship is expensive and slow.

Do you want sponsors?

I would be interested in sponsors. If you are interested in sponsorship I would love to find sponsors to:

  • host a party the night before the cruise
  • fund a group excursion
  • subsidize the internet expenses of the attendees

Who is with me?

Comment on this post if you are interested. Also comment on the proposed schedule and destination. Based on what we learn we will reserve a block of cabins and publish the itinerary later this month.

]]> http://chris2x.com/2010/01/02/new-media-cruise-podcampsea/feed/ 31 Co-Host on CNet's Buzz Out Loud Listener Co-Host Show http://chris2x.com/2008/12/22/co-host-on-cnets-buzz-out-loud-listener-co-host-show/ http://chris2x.com/2008/12/22/co-host-on-cnets-buzz-out-loud-listener-co-host-show/#comments Tue, 23 Dec 2008 03:44:02 +0000 chris2x http://chris2x.com/?p=1461 buzz-out-loudI had the pleasure and privilege to be included as the second co-host in today’s episode of CNet’s Buzz Out Loud – Buzz Out Loud 877: Listener co-host show No. 1. I have long been a listener and sometimes a contributor of the show.

Just for context, on the show I am known as Chris the Podcaster. There is a mention made on the show about how I will trick them into plugging the Amateur Traveler next time. I had contributed to the show a few times before mention was made of what podcast I actual made. A funny series of events lead to the first time they mentioned the Amateur Traveler on the show.

  • I had met Tom, Jason and Molly at last years Podcast and New Media Expo. Specifically since Molly left a day earlier I had a chance to hang out with Tom and Jason and to introduce them to other podcasters. We also had lunch on the last day and I took them to the airport.
  • Shortly thereafter I called into the show to make another contribution and completely biffed the call. You know how it is when you are trying to leave a voicemail sometimes. I called again and left a coherent message but I was quite sure they would mock me and play the first call which they did. I think after that they felt a little guilty so they mentioned what my show was.
  • After they mentioned the show I sent this email:

    How sharper than a serpent’s tooth is to have a thankless technology podcaster triumvirate.

    I bet you think you are so smart. But as you sit there in your smug smugliness drinking your half-caf-mocha-latte-frapa-chino and thinking how you have powned me, know this.

    It was in fact I who did the powning.

    And now is the time to reveal my sinister plan.

    Clearly the Buzz Out Loud show has an enviably larger audience than the Amateur Traveler. So how to get the Amateur Traveler promoted on the air. Clearly this was against BOL policy so the plan must be intricate, ingenious, diabolical.

    1. Invent the character of “Chris the podcaster” and establish it with some familiar regular contributions to the show.
    2. Convince the CNET management to send the cast of Buzz Out Loud to the Podcast and New Media Episode. This was accomplished through a series of incriminating photos taken at last year’s company Christmas party. Eggnog? I think not.
    3. Send a brilliant piece of audio feedback the week of the show so that “Chris the podcaster” is fresh in everyone’s memory.
    4. Arrange for a speaker at the show to have an untimely accident so that Tom gets a speaking slot.
    5. Hand deliver fake schedules to almost all the conference attendants that mislabels Tom’s talk as “A Case for Cooperating with the RIAA… with root kits” so that most of the attendees are dissuaded from attending Tom’s talk.
    6. Offer “helpful” comments during the talk to establish a rapport.
    7. Casually use hypnosis so that Tom and Jason invite me to lunch and think it is their idea and that they are simply “hungry”.
    8. Cement the relationship with casual banter and a ride to the airport.
    9. Wait
    10. Submit a very badly done audio clip for the show that is too painfully funny not to use but will instill enough guilt that Tom will feel the need to plug the Amateur Traveler in return.

      11. Pownage

      I cannot believe you could fall for such a simple plot. And now the next time someone is craving the voice of a well spoken, erudite, prepared podcaster they will… oh wait! … oh no! Oh crap. Back to the drawing board.

      P.S. Thanks for the plug

]]> http://chris2x.com/2008/12/22/co-host-on-cnets-buzz-out-loud-listener-co-host-show/feed/ 0 Thoughts on the New Media Expo http://chris2x.com/2008/08/21/thoughts-on-the-new-media-expo/ http://chris2x.com/2008/08/21/thoughts-on-the-new-media-expo/#comments Thu, 21 Aug 2008 23:18:37 +0000 chris2x http://chris2x.com/?p=1412 Like so many others I have been meaning to write up my thoughts on last week’s New Media Expo. One thing that is interesting as i read about the conference on other people’s blogs is that there are three different conferences that are being described.

  1. The first conference that I have read about is the hypothetical conference described by people who did not go this year. Let’s set that aside as an echo of shows past.
  2. The second conference I read about is from people who attended for free so they only attended the keynotes and the expo floor. I did this at the first expo in 2005 because i registered too late to attend the conference sessions. There are various good reasons why people attend the conference in this fashion.

    Leo Laporte and to a lesser extent the Orange County podcasters spend the show broadcasting live from the expo floor.

    Some people attend the expo only for cost reasons because even though the conference is inexpensive for a conference, it is still too expensive for some. I appreciate that Tim and Emil Bourquin have added the free session to the expo floor for new podcasters who may not be able to afford the conference.

    Some people only attend the expo because they have been podcasting for years now and have less to learn from the conference or at least perceive they do.

  3. The third conference is the five tracks of the conference itself. This is the third year that I have attended the conference sessions. There were quite a few podcasters I ran into who were just getting started or who were just hoping to get started. The conference sessions target the practical aspects of podcasting and are well suited for someone who are still learning. I attend the conference because even though I have been podcasting for 3 years I love to learn and am constantly taking notes or mailing myself emails of new ideas I should try. I also like to support the Bourquin brothers and there effort which is one of the reasons I pay to attend.

My thoughts on the New Media Expo:

Las Vegas

I was one of the people who was afraid that it would be easier for a smaller conference like the NME to get lost in such a huge city like Las Vegas. We have friends in Las vegas who have a guest house where I could have stayed for free, but I specifically stayed in the conference hotel (the Hilton) because I knew it would take more effort to connect with people. Vegas is expensive, when you are buying a Rueben sandwich and a coke for $16 it feels a bit like the exchange rate in London.

Parties

The cost of doing business in Vegas seemed to be a big reason why there were no hospitality suites or big free parties. For people like me who were already connected this was a bit of a barrier for meeting new people but I would think it was a greater barrier for the first time attendee who might not know anyone else. They could not just stand in the lobby of the Hilton as I did on a few occasions to see who I would run into.

Brian Ibbot’s Coverville 500 was a wonderful exception. The music was great, the acoustics much better than last year’s concert and everyone I talked to seemed to be having a particularly wonderful time.

Expo Floor

I have heard it reported that the show floor was smaller this year. It wasn’t, but it was not really any larger either. I have heard it said that the show floor had less interesting vendors but I would say that over the years there has been an improvement in the quality of the vendors. Remember 2-3 years ago the expo floor had no microphone manufacturers and more than a few people just selling iPod cases. People like Rob Walsh of Wizzard Media did tell me they thought the foot traffic was down from last year. I only spent a couple of hours on the expo floor so i would not claim to be able to judge.

The biggest crowds were gathered by the live broadcasts which are always fun and I do wish I had more time to sit down and enjoy them. I would love it if the expo could stay open for another hour after the end of the conferences but i can understand if those who have been on their feet all day by that time might not agree.

The most useless booth in my opinion was Podcast Tuneup which had a great booth but could not explain to me in 5 minutes just what they were offering or at least could not make me care. Others who had been podcasting even longer then I have walked away with a similar impression.

Keynotes

I attended the first two keynotes by Gary Vaynerchuk of Wine Library TV and George Wright, VP of Marketing for Will It Blend, Blendtec. I thought both gave engaging and interesting talks.

I won’t say I agreed with everything Vaynerchuk presented (I personally heavily edit my shows) and yes his language was a bit coarser than I tend to employ (I know one person who walked out) but I appreciated that he knows what he wants (to own the New York Jets). My DNA and his are very different in our personalities but his talk gave me plenty of food for thought on what are my strengths and how I can leverage them.

Wright not only blended a cell phone and a rake but more amazingly described a marketing program that actually makes money and multiplied his companies sales by 7x. I find myself repeating his company’s story to others wondering how I can apply some of his lessons. Anyone got a blender?

Conference Sessions

A number of the speakers were doing return engagements but my overall impression was that the material being offered at the sessions was better than in years past. I did not miss the panel sessions which there had been in previous years. I often found myself listening to someone I have heard before like Tim Street, Tom Merritt or Don MacAllister but as the show went on I started ignoring some talks that I knew would be good to listen to people I have never heard of. I was trying to decide between a session with Rob Walsh, Shel Holtz or Paul Colligan only to have Melanie Van Orden run by excited about a session I had dismissed with Andrew Lock of Help My Business Sucks!. Andrew, who is new to podcasting, described an approach for putting together a video podcast that again was thought provoking.

One of my favorite sessions was Tom Webster from Edison Research who went through some of their research on podcast listeners/viewers.

Podcast listeners/viewers:

  • Are significantly more educated than the general public
  • Spend more money than the general public
  • Are much more likely to buy online than the general public
  • listen to 7.5 hours of audio a week vs 6 for the general public
  • Are less likely watch TV, listen to radio, play video games, click on banners

Podcasters

It was again a blast to hang out with other podcasters. I did not get to spend as much time with as many podcasters as i would have liked because of that whole pesky sleep thing. I was unable to attend Paul Colligan’s profitable podcasting meetup for the first time because of a conflict with the worship service hosted by Steve Webb. I still have not had a chance to meet Leo Laporte or Amber Mac which makes me sad. I missed all of those who have been there in previous years who did not make it but I also enjoyed encouraging new podcasters.

My Favorite Moments

Chris Marquart, Alex Lindsay and I were talking when someone came up and pointed at me and said “you were my first audio podcaster” and then at Chris and said “and you were my first video one”. He is now looking at creating a podcast about Philadelphia.

I talked to some podcasters who had never recorded a show last year but who now have done 200 episodes. I am afraid that some of the people who left with the impression that podcasting may be fading did not see Tom Webster’s statistics or get a chance to look in the eyes of some of the new members of the podcast community.

Thanks

My thanks again to Tim and Emil Bourquin. I know Tim has written that he is so frustrated with the conference business that he may quit. Whatever is ahead for the podcast brothers I appreciate the effort that has gone into each of the 4 conferences now called the New Media Expo.

]]> http://chris2x.com/2008/08/21/thoughts-on-the-new-media-expo/feed/ 7 Listeners Remember Podcasts http://chris2x.com/2008/06/20/listerners-remember-podcasts/ http://chris2x.com/2008/06/20/listerners-remember-podcasts/#comments Fri, 20 Jun 2008 15:33:36 +0000 chris2x http://chris2x.com/2008/06/20/listerners-remember-podcasts/ emarketer-who-downloads-podcasts

This is not exactly new news but I stumbled across this report today. Earlier this year eMarketer had some positive news for podcasters as well as some advice for people who are spending their marketing budget.

  • Podcasting downloading is growing

  • People who listen to podcasts remember them and are influenced by them
  • People who hear ads on podcasts are much much more likely to remember them than people who watch TV or streaming video

The bottom line here, in my opinion, is that for podcasts (like mine the Amateur Traveler) that are trying to monetize using sponsorship or advertising we are still in the early days. We are not seeing the beginning of the end for podcasting as some have predicted although we might soon be seeing the end of the beginning.

The companies [Podtrac and TNS] studied podcast advertising from February 2006 to March 2008 across multiple product categories and ad types. Unaided awareness for podcast ads was 68%, compared with 21% for streaming video and 10% for television.

“The data suggest audiences are paying close attention to show content and the embedded ads within them which greatly increased ad effectiveness in the studies,” said Doug Keith, president of Future Research Consulting. “The high unaided ad recall figures are no doubt the results of a less cluttered environment.”

“The studies showed a 73% increase in likelihood to use or buy an advertised product,” said Velvet Beard, vice president at Podtrac. “The studies showed that 69% of audience members have a more favorable view of in-show advertisers.”

Remember Podcasting? Listeners Do. – eMarketer

Blogged with the Flock Browser

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]]> http://chris2x.com/2008/06/20/listerners-remember-podcasts/feed/ 0 Interviewed by Cali Lewis for "On Location" http://chris2x.com/2008/05/03/interviewed-by-cali-lewis-for-on-location/ http://chris2x.com/2008/05/03/interviewed-by-cali-lewis-for-on-location/#comments Sat, 03 May 2008 16:21:31 +0000 chris2x http://chris2x.com/?p=1400 I was in Dallas on business last week and I have the good pleasure of getting together with Cali and Neal from GeekBrief.tv. Cali and Neal are getting ready to head out on a year long road trip (August) in an RV called the Big Trip. In addition to adding a new travel show for the Big Trip they have decided to shoot a new video show called “On Location” where they will interview bloggers and podcasters. As long as I was in town they shot the first episode of the show interviewing me about the Amateur Traveler podcast, my day job and whatever else the people in the chat room on ustream were asking about (besides “who’s the dude?”).

]]> http://chris2x.com/2008/05/03/interviewed-by-cali-lewis-for-on-location/feed/ 4 Facebook Is Not A Community (No, Nor is MySpace) http://chris2x.com/2008/04/21/facebook-is-not-a-community-no-nor-is-myspace/ http://chris2x.com/2008/04/21/facebook-is-not-a-community-no-nor-is-myspace/#comments Tue, 22 Apr 2008 00:37:33 +0000 chris2x http://chris2x.com/?p=1398 facebook populationIf you have ever been in a foreign country you have probably had a conversation similar to this:

“You are from California? I have a friend in California, maybe you know him!”

We always laugh when this happens because California has roughly 30 million residents and is larger in size than many countries (it is about the same size as Japan).

But if you had a conversation where you told someone you belonged to a particular church, graduated a specific high school in a given year, or had worked at a small company you would not be surprised to have the same conversation. What is the difference? The difference I would suggest is that a high school class is a community but California is not.

The point my seem obvious but I am surprised that this point of view does not always carry over to the internet. I was listening to the latest live call-in show for the excellent podcast For Immediate Release when I heard a caller express a comment that people should get involved in a community like Facebook. I am not trying to pick on Shel and Neville for their excellent show, but this comment mirrors an understanding of Facebook and similar sites that I have heard expressed on many occasions.

Facebook states in their press area that they currently have 70 million active users which is more than twice the population of California. Facebook and the other social networking sites host a great number of communities but are not communities. My daughter is a member of numerous communities on facebook like her college classmates and high school classmates. My son has many of the same high school friends but is attending a college all the way across the country. Their college communities don’t overlap. They are a similar demographic of course but demographics do not a community make. I also belong to facebook but my facebook friends tend to be podcasters and Amateur Traveler podcast listeners. I could try and befriend all my daughters classmates (creepy) but I would be treated as what I am, an outsider.

The distinction here is important. Many people confuse a community with a website or with a set of features. But communities are people. They are people who share something other than bandwidth. They share values, or experiences or interests. I have seen a number of people find no value in facebook or other social networking sites until they realize that they can use it to reconnect to their high school girlfriend or college roommate. They don’t find any value in it until they find community.

]]> http://chris2x.com/2008/04/21/facebook-is-not-a-community-no-nor-is-myspace/feed/ 2 Video – The Making of the Amateur Traveler Podcast http://chris2x.com/2008/03/31/video-the-making-of-the-amateur-traveler/ http://chris2x.com/2008/03/31/video-the-making-of-the-amateur-traveler/#comments Mon, 31 Mar 2008 16:51:24 +0000 chris2x http://chris2x.com/2008/03/31/video-the-making-of-the-amateur-traveler/ As I was recording and editing the Amateur Traveler podcast this week I took the opportunity to document the process using the new ScreenFlow application on the Mac. I skipped a bit as I spend 6-8 hours creating the show and the total video here is 15 minutes long but it should be long enough to give you an idea of the work flow.

The Amateur Traveler is a weekly audio travel podcast that is heavily edited (for polish usually not for content). This particular episode was Episode 131 – Walt Disney World. I use 4 main programs to create the show: Skype, CallRecorder, Levelator and GarageBand. The choice of GarageBand will clue you in that this show is created on a Mac, specifically on a MacBook Pro. This episode was a little more work, not just because I was trying to record it and ScreenFlow was unstable (with my experience I would say that ScreenFlow is Alpha quality software, it caused my whole computer to crash a couple of times) but because I had significant audio problems with Skype including one hang up.

part 1:

part 2:

equipment:

Plantronics DSP-400 Digitally-Enhanced USB Foldable Stereo Headset

Apple MacBook Pro

software:

Skype (free)

CallRecorder ($15)

Levelator (free)

GarageBand (free with Mac or $70)

]]> http://chris2x.com/2008/03/31/video-the-making-of-the-amateur-traveler/feed/ 3 Podcasting – It’s Not an Industry… Not Yet At Least http://chris2x.com/2008/03/20/podcasting-it%e2%80%99s-not-an-industry-not-yet-at-least/ http://chris2x.com/2008/03/20/podcasting-it%e2%80%99s-not-an-industry-not-yet-at-least/#comments Fri, 21 Mar 2008 01:57:58 +0000 chris2x http://chris2x.com/2008/03/20/podcasting-it%e2%80%99s-not-an-industry-not-yet-at-least/ disneyland signMichael Geoghegan (who hosts the Official Disney podcast among other things) is stirring up the podcasting community again (like the good friend who comes over to your house for an intervention) with an article titled “Podcasting – It’s a Community Not an Industry“.

I agree that “this is the year that podcast advertising takes off” seems like the slogan every year. At each of the last 3 Podcast Expos there was a meetup group about monetizing podcasting. The first year the group was just Paul Colligan and I and it has grown over the last two years. My feelings back in 2005 was that the whole ad selling process was harder than people realized based on my experience during the dot com boom at an advertising supported company. My guess at the time, as I recall, was that it would take 5 years for podcast advertising to take off. I signed with PodShow in 2006 in part because I did not see anyone else out there that I thought would do a better job and I thought they would help me grow my audience. A lot of people thought a potential 3 year contract was way too long, but I was pretty sure that I would be done with the contract before things really took off in podcast advertising anyway.

Part of the problem is that the whole advertising industry needs to change and that is only slowly happening. The money going into television is not proportional with the value that advertisers are getting from that media. The agencies actually know this now and a number of companies know this as well now. GM just announced that half of their budget next year ($3B) will go to the Internet. I would love to say that all of that will be for podcasting but that would be naive. I think that GM’s decisions is the beginning of a good trend but also of a period of instability and upheaval within the advertising industry.

The other unrealistic expectation that Michael did not touch upon was that advertising will pay based on what influence do you have and who do you influence. I have known people who have quit their day job to podcast when they have 50 listeners. That might be a good plan if you have a podcast heard by 50 billionaires.

When I was selling advertising on my own i was getting a $50 CPM for advertising on the Amateur Traveler podcast. But people spend more money online on travel than any thing else and my audience is not just composed of travelers but they are the people their friends ask for advise about travel (one of my listeners in Istanbul told the story her friends keep asking how she knows so much about different destinations) so many podcasts should not expect rates at that level. So best case, even if I was able to sell out advertising every week, traffic of 80,000 downloads a month would pay me $4000 a month or $48000 a year. My wife and two kids are all in private college so that would not be quit your day job numbers for me. And as Michael points out, podcast are generally not selling out ad inventory every week.

So is podcasting done? I don’t think so. Is it taking off slower than most people expected? Certainly. Will some companies go through hard times? I think so (see the rumor that PodShow is doing layoffs). But I also see some positive signs.

  • The audience for podcasting is growing. Dollars will eventually follow the eyes and ears.
  • Well known brands are starting to get more regular advertising by big brands, at least in my sector of podcasting which is travel. If advertising comes to podcasting on a regular basis we should expect it to come first to podcasts from old media. I expect that advertisers will start with the people in their rolodex until their is more demand than supply and then they will branch out to the larger podcasts and then they will look at aggregation of smaller podcasts. This is what I expected in 2005 and what I still expect in 2008. Of course, I also still expect that 2010 is the year podcast advertising will come together.

My plan is continues to continue to grown my audience and keep podcasting… for now at least. My plan is not to quit my day job… for now at least.

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