The Electric Sky outtakes and behind-the-scenes show, ES2, has been moved to this site. This post reflects the first episode of that Podcast.

This is the first edition of ES2 (RSS, iTunes), a Podcast I will use to share Electric Sky outtakes and some of my own personal views. In this first episode, I include an outtake from my interview with Jim Terry, owner of the Pacific Prowler. The interview was initially released in Preserving Aviation History.

 

 Electric Sky Outtake - The Monkey [2:20m]: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

PodCamp Toronto is officially booked to take place February 24-25, 2007 at Ryerson University.

Some time ago, I figured out how to use the category-casting feature of the PodPress plugin.  It was the perfect motivator for me to create a second, category-based feed for Electric Sky; a feed that features outtakes and a behind the scenes look of that Podcast.  Then, PodPress v6.7 came out with significant problems in the category-casting feature.  So, I downgraded and ran into different problems.

After three months, there is no immediate indication that the category casting feature is under repair.  So, I am moving ES2 to this site and making it part of a relaxed and similarly irregular Podcast.

In case you weren’t aware, The Barenaked Ladies are redefining everything that the music industry knew about itself (New Artist Model at Work). Notwithstanding their established success, BNL has been very effective at marketing itself using social media tools such as their own website, MySpace, iTunes and, yes, even Podcasting.

Daryl Cognito (Poddog Show) has brought Tariff No. 22 to my attention. It’s part of a document that was released on May 20, 2006 by the Copyright Board. Tariff No. 22 deals specifically with COMMUNICATIONS OF MUSICAL WORKS VIA THE INTERNET OR SIMILAR TRANSMISSION FACILITIES.

A quick read through suggests that there will be a minimum monthly fee of $200 for online services that allow users to “select and listen to, reproduce for later listening, or both listen to and reproduce for later listening, a musical work or part of a musical work”. The tariff appears to allow the service to play all covered musical works “as often as desired in 2007″.

In an effort to figure out more about the scope of the tariff and what it means to Podcasters, I’ve sent an email to a few experts in this area. I will keep you posted.

What was once a single event for the Podcast community, PodCamp Boston has spawned an entire movement - at first stretching its legs throughout the north-east including Pittsburgh, Philadelphia, New York City, Toronto, Kingston and a reprise in Boston. Now PodCamp events are being planned for San Francisco and Atlanta. I wonder how far this movement will carry.

I wish I could attend every PodCamp - it’s just not practical. I’m pumped about being a part of the Toronto, Kingston and Boston 2 events.

I received an email from Apple that they’ve received my iPod and it’s on the surgical table right now being diagnosed.

While it may be killing me to be without my iPod, I have to admit that Apple’s service is much better than I had expected.  Having said that, when I needed to have my iRiver serviced, iRiver sent me a replacement unit ahead of requiring me to return the crippled one.

The evangelists have spoken. They have called from the mount to change the way you manage your site; that optimizing for Internet search engines is the true way to attract web traffic to your site, and ultimately convert blog readers into Podcast listeners.

Do they know what they’re talking about?

One of the most outspoken of these evangelists, that I know, is Julien Smith. He swears by search engine optimization and has invested a lot of time into his own website in the hopes of increasing traffic. One such optimization that he is particularly proud of has resulted in #1 status for a Google search on “Godaddy promo“.

This status translates into significant web traffic. Prior to May, Julien was seeing light traffic on his Godaddy promo code page - maybe 100 hits per month. Since then, traffic to that page has increased significantly: 800 hits in May, 1300 in June, 2100 in July. Now he gets 3000 hits per month on that one page alone! Remember, that’s not his main page, and just one of many on his site that generate traffic. And… all of that traffic from a single Google search string.

Here’s what Julien did:

• created a descritive, keyword-based, title
• made sure the URL included the keywords (in WordPress, this is done through the Permalinks configuration)
• saturated his post with the keywords
• used tagging tools to cross-reference popular social media services such as del.icio.us, digg and Yahoo!

Be sure to listen to Julien explain some social networking strategies on a special edition of the Canadian Podcast Buffet.

Less than a month after buying my 60Gb iPod Video, the unit started to act up.  On many occassions, I have been able to operate the iPod with the hold button on, and more recently, the volume jumps to full volume all by itself and deafens me in the process.

On the recommendation of the store from which I bought the iPod, I called Apple.  Phone support couldn’t help me.  Apparently I need to submit my service request online - it’s a  good thing that the series of tubes has an opening at my house.  What the support tech was able to tell me was that once the service request was opened, Apple would send me a plain brown box with instructions.  I am to put the iPod in that box, put the UPS sticker that they provide on the outside of the box and ship it to Apple.  They will service it and return it to me.

Here’s the kicker.  The tech said that I should expect the service to take fifteen days.

FIFTEEN DAYS??????!!!  How the heck am I supposed to live without my “pacemaker” for fifteen days?

To Apple’s credit, the box arrived yesterday, just two days after I opened the service request.  My iPod is safely packed away in the foam bed and the box is sealed with packing tape that Apple provided as part of the package.

It’s been just over an hour since I sealed the box and I already have the DTs.  Pray for me and I will keep you posted.

Over the last few weeks, Andrea and I have been promoting our hobby Podcast about children’s books we love and why we love them (Just One More Book), to bookstores in the Ottawa area. Some stores seem to understand the potential and willingly display a small number of business cards; most don’t. In fact, my sense is that most are afraid that we want something from them. This got me thinking about the potential for Podcasting in the retail business space.

In our particular case, we’re promoting - for free and with no desire whatsoever for sponsorship and/or advertising - great children’s books to read with your child. Isn’t that why bookstores exist? By sending listeners to our Podcast, stores may end up converting listens into sales.

That’s just one example. How about a store like The Running Room? That store isn’t just about buying a good pair of runners, it’s about building a community of joggers, teaching running skills and organizing running groups. They could produce their own Podcast. Better yet, they could promote an existing Podcast by a passionate jogger whose style and philosophies align with their own.

Don’t stop there. What about hardware stores, car dealerships, music stores and hunting shops? There’s something out there for everyone. You just have to look for the show with the passionate host - the one that gives the best information and ideas, and whose enthusiasm is infectious.

The possibilities for building customer loyalty by sharing quality resources that already exist are limitless and definitely worth exploring. Becoming a champion of your community puts your first in the minds of your target audience and will ensure that they come to you when they are ready to make a purchase. So, what are you waiting for?