Podcast Freq

Interviewing is a great way of adding a different feel to your show. One of the problems is often you don’t know what kind of interviewee that you are getting! They can be gushing, maybe a slow talker, give short answers or have annoying phrases….all of which you need to address when you come to the editing.

There is one phrase that I believe you should keep in mind - if it irritates you, it may well irritate the listener so remove it! Also, another good rule of thumb is to ensure that the interview is 33.3% you and 66.6% the interviewee. If the interviewee rambles it is important to gently interject…..rambling will soon shut the listener off…so even if you can’t stop it happening, when it comes to the edit ensure that you shorten the replies. Some other tips

1) If someone is slow….take the time to edit out some of the gaps to increase the pace.
2) We all have phrases…I tend to say “Does that make sense?” - you can keep one or two in but edit out the rest to stop that grating on the listener.
3) If someone is giving very short answers, the magic word to use is describe….

Interviews are great but always remember if people are giving you their time for free, ensure that you sell them in the best light…make the interview showcase their talent.

I am so excited as I have just received my birthday gift from my friends - who all pooled together and bought me a new M Audio Microtrack 24/96. This is a high fidelity 2 channel digitial recorder which I will carry with me everywhere! When you are out and about it is easy to be inspired by the surroundings and with this if I meet or talk with someone about my business I can record and put in the show.

The MP3 recording is 96 to 320 kbps at 44.1 or 48khz so the quality is excellent. It also means that I can record speeches that I make to put into my feed, or interview people at conferences.

At $500 it is not cheap but if like me you are on the road, I beleive this is an invaluable tool for podcasters. The cool feature that I like is that via a USB you just simply drag and drop recordings to your computer for editing or immediate web posting.

Don’t you just love birthdays!

I just received as a gift a great read for all podcasters - Promoting Your Podcast by Jason Van Orden. The book itself is so readable and only 190 pages but it is crammed with great ideas from

Podcast Directories
Plugging into the Social Media Revolution
Search Engine Traffic
Tags
Cross Promotion
Keeping your audience
Tracking and COnversion

The foreward is by Robert Scoble who is one of the leaders of the social media revolution. The book is one of the most practical I have read and is a great mix of using simple terms but stretching your thinking. There is also a code to allow you 2 months free access to which is packed with tutorials to help with your podcasting development.

If you are on the look out for a fantastic booK, I would highly recommend this one.

Podcasting is a wonderful medium. It also has an incredible value to the listener. Let’s face it something that is content rich and free, is providing incredible value. I still believe that podcasting has a huge role to play in the learning and development field especially within corporations. Here are my ideas that I believe should be explored by companies.

1) Most companies do have an abundance of written content. Why not get that into audio format? It is a cheap way of making content available to people.
2) People learn in different ways - and some people prefer audio. So why not use podcasting as a learning tool.
3) More and more companies are geographically spread. Making classroom training expensive to many. Podcasting is one way of providing development at the time, place and format that is convenient to the person.
4) It can be tailored. Each person is different and standard formats do not necessarily work. So why not podcast and attach a wiki and a forum so that people can collaborate.
5) Time is a limited resource. Taking time to attend training sessions is sometimes difficult. Podcasting can use the downtime, reduce downtime in terms of travel and allow people to learn at a time of day that suits them not you.
6) The new generation are much more comfortable with technology than classrooms - use the medium that suits the generation.

There are consultancies that specialise in this area - eg The Engaging Brand, which for disclosure I am involved with, but are doing incredible work with companies who understand the power of this medium.

Podcasting depends on people finding your work. People find it by browsing directories, browsing featured podcasts and also by searching on Google etc

In order that people find your podcast you need to ensure that your tags are relevant and words that people search for - this also applies to your blog posting. It is an area that I have not concentrated on enough in the past. I am using a coach - Penny Haynes - to understand Search Engine Optimisation more and ensure that you get listeners from the extra resource of search engines.

I have to say that I have found this very difficult but Penny has sent me to WordTracker which is a great research tool and you can buy a day’s use of the tool for virtually nothing.

I want to collect some of the best articles on how business can benefit to podcasting. If you want to add an article then please do so by following the link


Welcome to the February 21, 2007 edition of how podcasting can help your businss.

Jack Yoest presents >Stanley Kurtz and Paul Mirengoff: Research and Writing posted at >Reasoned Audacity, saying, “Anyway, we sat behind Paul Mirengoff from Powerline at the National Review event. (Surprise!) I ask him, “Will you be live blogging?”

“No,” he says instantly. “I never live blog.”

He was taking notes on a reporter-like skinny spiral note-pad just like MSM-types. I was expecting a yellow legal pad from the famed Washington attorney.

Paul then says “I like to think about the topic and write later.”"

Anna at Using Podcasting to Engage Employees at The Engaging Brand

Claire says Hello to Women in Podcasting at Women in Podcasting

WomeninPodcasting presents Podcasting in Business

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Gigavox is a company I watch with anticipation. They really understand podcasting as they podcast themselves. They have already given us the free tool - the levelator which evens out the sounds across the audio, fantastic tool and how they are launching a new way to bring podcasts together. Here is the quote from their site
“Designed for professional podcasters, organizations and media companies, the same content-management and show-assembly system used by the longest running podcast network will soon be available as a web based service. GigaVox Audio is based on version 3.0 of the technology that powers GigaVox Media’s IT Conversations. Find out how to make podcast creation and management quick and easy with the powerful tools that the pros use.

* Automated Show Assembly
* Ad Insertion With Complete Campaign Management
* Automatically Update Old Podcasts With New Sponsors

Get ready to take control of your content!”

This appears to be a great tool and if anyone is interested in seeing a demo check out the Scoble Show which has an interview with Doug Kaye and a demo - it looks incredible!

On March 19th and 20th there is a European Corporate Podcasting Summit which looks at excellent 2 days for anyone based in Europe. I will be on a panel at the event and if anyone is going or planning to go please drop me an e-mail - anna@theengagingbrand.com so that we can meet up. There are some excellent speakers and tailored towards how business can and should be using this medium to increase both customer and employee engagement.

In the UK the take up has been slower in podcasting and blogging from corporations compared to France and the US for example. But the interest is starting to grow and it is important that business leaders understand the power of this medium. It is filled with case studies from companies such as Sun Microsystems, Alcatel Lucent, First Direct, Price Waterhouse and even the Office of the Lord Mayor of London.

A great event and one I hope to see you there at!

I have always been an audacity user and love the program. However, at the start of the year I was experiencing sound problems with the tracks. They were “tinny” and also lacked clarity, even when it wasn’t a recorded telephone conversation. What I found that I had accidently changed some of the defaults on the sound effects which was affecting the recording. On many of the effects it does not allow you to go back to the default position - I had assumed that this happened when you closed and reopened the program.

The solution, for me was to remove the program and download it again from SoundForge. Since I have done this the audio has returned to a clean sound once again and the quality is fine. I thought I would share this with you in case you find the same problem, and then you won’t waste as much time as I did!

When I started out, I had no technical knowledge - AT ALL. I didn’t even know what a blog or podcast was! I learned through on line tutorials and by asking questions to other podcasters. However, today I came across a blog coach who is excellent - if you want to build a blog to support your podcasting audience - A MUST - take a look at BusinessBlogAngel. She is an expert on blogging - she uses typepad, and can help you differentiate yourself through your format and offers.

I have no connection other than looking for a coach to work with, but the areas that I want to expand my knowedge upon are:

1) Adding pages to my blog
2) Stretching the format across the page
3) Building a community forum page
4) Offering products for sale

Blogs are moving on rapidly and becoming more like websites. To ensure that you give your listeners a total experience make sure that you give a full focus to your blog page and style. It will help with the promotion of your podcast.

When you have been podcasting a while, it can become a little repetitive in format for both you and the listener. I wanted to share with you an idea that I had for Valentine’s Day.

I asked friends, people I have interviewed to send an audio comment about sharing a learning tip for managers. The result is here In doing this it just gave a different feel to the show, and also gave the contributors a chance to promote their shows - so a win-win.

Can you build a show around an event - your birthday, mother’s day, father’s day, thanksgiving, anniversary of your first podcast….it doesn’t matter what it is as long as you have a general theme. You may be able to put a show together from your listeners comments - always remember that some people do not have a microphone so allw them to e-mail in to the show or have an answerphone service.

From my post yesterday I feel strongly that we are at the start of an evolution in creating communication that adds value at an individual level. I discussed yesterday about ideas for corporations but I also think there are areas for individuals

1) Using podcasting to develop your skills eg learning french
2) Using podcasting to supplement your income
3) Using podcasting to tailor the information that you receive. An end to general information and the start of tailored news.
4) Flexibility of gaining information - receiving what you want, when you want it. So you can use the downtime constructively like travelling - freeing up time for the family.
5) Increased time interacting with technology rather than interacting with people - this could be a profound factor.

I love podcasting, I don’t watch the television now for any news I rely on podcasts. I get all my self development from podcasting, I feel more connected to the world in general rather than my locality. These are profound changes when you think about it….some good some bad….evolution must be about how to leverage individuality without losing the sense of community.

I have been giving some thought to business podcasting and ideas of how you could use podcasting in unusual ways

1) Team briefings to field based people.
2) Introducing strategy to people at work - like an audiobook
3) Functional heads to give an insight into their area - terminology, aims, etc
4) Something for the families of your employees….depending on your product. But maybe a podcast in Jan about sorting out your finances, moving home, arranging a wedding, having your first child etc
5)Instead of the awful music when you are put on hold - stories about how your company has helped customers?
6) Showcase talent within your workforce…be it musicians, comedians, singers, poetry writers etc

A podcast is an audio file, don’t get stuck in the interviews or getting the message out…think about how to use this low cost tool to improve employee engagement.

I love the idea of learning and also have on line conferences. The value is incredible and you do not lose time with your family. There is a podcasting on line conference in April that I would highly recommend. I have been to the previous two and the learnings have been huge.

Here are the details, and the place to sign up online.

ONLINE International Podcasting Expo (PLUS Data DVD of ALL recorded sessions!) - April 20-21, 2007. EVERYONE WILL RECEIVE: Free Podcatcher, Multi-Media Podcasting Handbook, Audio Recording, Editing and Mixing Software.

The key for me for these king of conferences is that you can interact with the presenter, either by typing comments or by speaking. This means that you get more from the sessions as your questions are handled in real time.

People are always looking how to drive traffic - well here is an idea. Why not run your own podcast directory. There is a company that you can buy domain names from and is an idea from the podcasting genius Penny Haynes. Here is the link to podcastdirectories4sale.

This kind of directory is for small niche categories costs $1,250 but the income generation would cover this quickly and the hosting cost is just $6.99 per month. I think it could be a great way of developing your personal brand and showcasing yourself as an expert in your chosen area.

Anyone already got one…is it driving growth?