Corporate Podcasting Expressway

It is a question to consider… i.e: At this moment, what direction is the Corporate Podcasting Market heading towards or is it morphing into something else. Is New media the new term to encompass Corporate Podcasting as just an element?

One way to consider this question is to consider what kind of organisations are taking up new ways of communicating.

From a market segmentation perspective let us look at a few:

Education - Already pioneering educators are providing ipod based learning materials, e.g: lecture notes, full audio versions of lectures and selective course pointers. Blackboard Learning Management systems have already incorporated a feature to store educational podcasts. In terms of standards and content formulation self-driven initiatives appear to be the driving force.

Traditional Media -Someone mentioned to me that the BBC TV are increasingly saying , ‘Download the programme / highlights for free’ - I’m not sure that I have noticed this. Interestingly their i-players has been phenomenally successful. This will obviously make the Director General and their governors happy that their direction is on the right path - especially with their recent announcement of building a multi-media portal.

Marketing and Public Relations - I noticed the term, ‘Digital Marketing’ being used instead of Corporate Podcasting.
It could be that this term is wider, incorporating on-line digital mailing campaigns supported by audio content.

The good news is that although new names are being adopted,there appears to be a general acceptance that content in the form of video and audio is increasingly being accepted as useful for organisations to communicate key facts.

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One of the great things about the Internet is the way it has dramatically facilitated greater creativity and innovation. Once somebody said that the difference between the latter two words is that Creativity should be considered as creating something new, whereas Innovation is a variation of the idea yet still original!

The first is the original film edited and directed by Aaron Platt. (It is actually the music video for Apologize by One Republic, the same band who has written Bleeding Love, a seven week UK number one single by Leona Lewis, winner of last year’s UK X-Factor. The second is involving probably a lower budget production cost model but in my view creating a great impact.

I have always been a fan of using technology that is more accessible, i.e.: Creating a similar affect but at the fraction of the cost is in my view an innovation.

I guess what I’m trying to say is that YouTube with all its value in bringing people together has both a positive and negative aspect. From a positive perspective it is a platform for self-expression, hot news and reminiscing – Yes, I too have to admit to watching an old episode of Monkey Magic, organized into 4 different 20 minute segments! We have to also consider in light of recent tragedies YouTube’s negativity is the compulsion for fame.

A few years back my company completed a project for a Video-to-video mobile phone company. They were adamant that video calls would be the next big thing. At this stage of our mobile communications path, this is still not the case. Generally, people prefer text messages or voice calls. Maybe it is not possible from a practical perspective. Interestingly, the firms strategy changed during the project from content choice to what I describe as content presentation. For example, finding innovation in the way content is being ‘pushed’ - e.g: presenting top 10 clips of movie releases.

What is interesting is that people are still recording video albeit using increasingly better mobile phone technology but instead of sending recordings to each other, they are using video upload sites like YouTube to broadcast them.

Therefore, the future of television and what we watch will be changing for the better. Is this good news?

We now have an opportunity to enjoy entertainment that the public create. This maybe a long way off from quality formatted programmes. NB Traditional media outlets must know that they have this advantage, i.e: skills and heritage in editing, presentation, advert insertion, targeted marketing and relationships with massive Public Relations organisations!

I also wonder if the traditional media outlets/channels will still retain editorial control. The risk of losing control is the potential loss of advertising revenue and targeted marketing. There is a lot of money riding on the future of media!

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It has been a few weeks since the last posting and show. The main reason has been the extent of project work we are trying to complete in my company. One of our clients has asked us to accelerate the development of online assessment systems.

Recently I had a opportunity to catch up with a great friend of mine, Walter Adams, Managing Director of http://www.metagination.com/.
His company are continuing to implement successful virtual business environments.

I got chatting to him about the following:

* Could virtual environments become an extension for todays social networks?
* How could todays companies take advantage of simulations?
* Is there a place for e-Learning and virtual simulations?
* How can companies get started?
* What is Second life and why do people go there?
* Are there any examples or case studies where virtual business world applications could work?

It was great to capture his thoughts on the latest audio podcast and I am grateful to him for all his time and advice for us to share.
I welcome your feedback.

Interestingly, I also found this video on the popular virtual world, Second Life:

PS All new shows will now be released every 2 weeks on a Sunday night.

Until next time…

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It is interesting the way in which Blogging has now at last found its place in corporate life.
In the last few weeks I’ve noticed the following:

* Online publishers - Key writers publish their thoughts
* Pop Stars - Who is really writing their entries/postings - especially on Myspace where I’ve noticed that the management of a musicians page can be outsourced!
* Recruitment sites - Just take a look at http://www.jobsite.co.uk - They have a section called, Inside Jobsite with selected blogger comments.
* Tailorable social networks - specific communities communicating for common goals
* Political Bloggers - Was Sandra Howard actually blogging whilst touring the hustling with her husband during the last UK election campaign?
* Named Journalist Bloggers - Complementing their printed columns with additional insights, published online.
* A CEO Blog - NB Few and far between but suggested with some potential to develop rather than an actual reality

Interestingly, I’ve just returned from a client in the city (London). The Chief executive I met said that he had read in a recent copy of Investors Chronicle. He noted, are PR agencies now seeing the need to control blogger postings that could potentially be detrimental to an organisation they are serving? Read this too.

The latter implies a new era in blogging, where only a select few will be allowed to have the opinions voiced. Or, are we approaching a situation where litigation needs to be controlled?

Either way, one could argue that there maybe a slow down of traditional bloggers (from all walks of life). Instead, a steady increase in the acceptance of what blogging can give to a corporation, i.e: Should the phrase, ‘Knowledge is power’ now be replaced with, ‘Content is power’ whereas it Content was always considered, ‘king’?!

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It was interesting to see yesterday’s announcement of Independent Television’s (ITV) new Upload Now service.

The service has been introduced partly from research that suggests that the Public are increasingly viewing the Internet for news. They (ITV) also believe that increasingly people are blogging and involved in View Created Content aka VC2 - based on their own commissioned research.

The Times (UK) today ran an excellent article entitled, ‘Log on and rediscover the generation gap’. Although initially the point made by the writer is one of who is actually using social media tools, e.g: Facebook and Myspace, the article moves on to the risks of public exhibitionism and the possible future risk of being exposed in terms of either one’s early life or being ‘open’ for others to use information for their own investigative purposes, e.g: job references et al.

ITV’s suggestion that many people are now blogging is probably true, but who and how many actually are.

Sure, anyone can get a blogging platform but are there only a select few who are able to turn the ranking or prominence to their advantage?
Probably yes, as PR and the media are more savvy than many give them credit for. They (agencies) create the outlets and their reliable sources.

e.g: Why is Dafur is currently a hidden news item? Who selects the stories for the day?

Will upload now further support the public news feed?
What we really need is a news feed that we create.

I welcome Upload Now but wonder what we will filtered?!

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is Podcast talent getting limited exposure?

Is Podcast talent not part of a familiar brand being somehow blocked !?
Do role models get defined / constructed or do they actually emerge from hard work and then eventually being recognised?
Are the search algorithms unintentionally working against ‘everyday man’?

In society today the reality is that the Media is king – deciding on what is newsworthy and what content can be tossed aside in favour of sensationalism or simply siding with familiar brands or channels to market.

Is Big Brother (BB) a true representation of what people are really like? The answer has to be a resounding NO as BB feeds the media and vice-versa!

One could blame us for encouraging this behaviour, journalist training or is there something more subtle and suspect going on?

Take for example, recommended podcasts, or the latest CD from an established artist. In both examples newcomers are in my view squeezed out in favour of fine tuned Public relations machines.

Let us now switch our thoughts to role models. Why do we need them? Actually we don’t as many use them as a vehicle to motivate people to achieve. Somebody once said if there are lots of multi-cultural faces on the BBC does this mean that equal opportunities are being exercised? Should not the question really be: Who is allowed to examine news content and also who controls the editorial?

‘Other’ areas to consider:

* Why are the same faces being asked to comment in the media (wheeled out and well oiled)?
* Who really controls the editorial?
* Why are we not seeing the emerging new ‘new media’ talent?
* Is a sports personality a true community spokesperson?

The answer to all of these questions has to be a combination of apathy on our parts but also not campaigning loud enough to bring about a change.

Maybe money talks?

Or, maybe the media is scared of the people’s agenda coming to the fore – something that they will not be easily able to package and then eventually control.

The quality of podcasts is varied but there are many outstanding contributions and subject matter experts that are not getting a ‘look in’. Who chooses the ‘featured podcast’ on some of the podcatcher sites, e.g: through i-tunes? I see lots of familiar operators but very limited new talent being exposed??

I hope that sincerity and goodness prevails – and that quality will eventually ‘shine through’.

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This write-up from Yahoo outlines a well constructed and written list of the top 25 sites to watch…

Top 25 Sites to watch.

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