I get the strangest looks when I tell conference organizers that they should give their content away, for free, as podcasts on the Internet. Some of the looks are intrigue, most are horror.

I suppose that each community is different. My experience with conferences that I have organized and those for which I have been contracted to provide audio coverage is that making content available — for free — can create momentum for subsequent events. I have experienced this first hand and believe it to be true because of my philosophy about conferences. Let me explain.

I believe conferences sell three things:

• content
• time
• connections/interaction

Conferences have historically considered content to be their number one (and most valuable) asset and they’ve marketed themselves around the speeches and the innovative material that will be presented. Content is only one third (if that much) of what conferences sell. More significantly, most of the content that is available at any conference is similarly available as research papers, white papers, printed or electronic books, audio books, video programs, classes, etc… Knowing that to be true, why would anyone want to attend a conference, spending lots of money on registration, travel, accommodations and meals? Read on.

Many employers expect their employees to advance their knowledge and skills as part of their job, yet few offer the time and conditions in which to do this effectively. This is an even greater problem for contractors and consultants who must advance their skills to remain valuable to their clients. That means people must set aside time during their evenings and weekends — their “me time” — to self-learn. Life isn’t only about work. People have other responsibilities, such as family, which significantly reduces the available time, setting those people even further behind. Conferences offer dedicated and uninterrupted time to their communities, allowing them the opportunity to absorb and understand the material that is being presented. So, if you can’t read the book, the conference will provide you with a digest of the most significant information and perhaps the foundation to support self-learning. And because conferences are typically away from home and work, you don’t have to worry about your phone ringing, making dinner and mediating your fighting children.

The greatest asset of a conference is the gathering place it offers, a space that facilitates connections and interaction. Communities of interest are able to discuss and debate the presentations. This is an opportunity for speakers, subject matter experts, experienced professionals and newcomers to expand their networks. New conversations, relationships, projects, opportunities and even businesses are conceived and launched because of conferences. Minds, notebooks and address books fill up. And… since many conferences have communities made up of members of varied disciplines, the discussion is the opportunity to make the content that much more valuable.

To recap, I consider content to be the catalyst of a conference, time to be the value-add and the connections/interaction to be the main asset. Once you look at conferences through that lens you realize that giving away the content is your marketing strategy because what you really want is to give people a reason to attend that puts the value in an area they can’t create themselves.

Don’t market your event around your content,
market your event using your content.

Having said all of that, I don’t know that publishing the content verbatim is always the best idea. It’s certainly the easiest which is why many conferences (TED.com, meshconference.com, podcastersacrossborders.com, podcamp.org, etc…) take that approach. There are many ways to share content for free that isn’t just a verbatim recording and I have covered some conferences using those approaches both as a hobbyist and a journalist/audio producer. Those approaches include interviews with the presenters, audience and exhibitors, and journalistic reports of the conference sessions which include excerpts of the sessions. If interest is high, I’d be happy to talk/blog more about these approaches and offer some samples of work I’ve done to illustrate some options.

I believe that any conference would be crazy to NOT give away their content freely on the Internet. There’s a world audience and with it a world of potential conference-goers waiting for a reason to go to “your” event.

I listened to some old podcasts while reorganizing my home office, yesterday. When I say old, I mean episodes that were published so long ago, podcasters were still encouraging their listeners to register monthly votes at Podcast Alley and pin Frappr Maps. Yeah! That long ago. The amazing thing is that those services still exist. I was amazed to discover that my Frappr Map is intact. Wow!

One of the shows I listened to, Zee and Zed, stepped down in its prime with a show that included some interesting commentary about the podcast movement. Ross and Karen’s follow-up podcast, Dry Shave, made a much quieter exit this past summer.

Another show that took a pragmatic view of podcasting is the Ottawa Local Podcast. This evening I noticed that the feed for that show is gone so I called Arthur Masters to find out why he pulled the plug.

Notwithstanding work and life demands that led to the evaporation of his podcast production time, Arthur made some interesting comments about where podcasting is now. I’ll paraphrase. He suggested that podcasting is pervasive now. Back when the veterans got their start, radio was well into a creative and identity void, CBC wasn’t podcasting and the corporate world hadn’t figured this thing out. The podcasters were changing the way media was being used and perceived. Many people who like to be different find themselves being part of the ’same’ now.

To clarify… Arthur never suggested that he’s out because his show is now part of the mainstream. I’m just latching on to some specific comments he made.

During our drive from Boston to Ottawa in October, Bob Goyetche suggested that one reason why people have generally become complacent about podcasts is because there has been very little technological innovation in the space since iTunes v4.9 was launched in June 2005.

To me, podcasting is now in a state of maturity. The production tools have plateaued for the time being allowing, perhaps forcing, producers to focus on developing their content and delivery styles. Likewise, the tools for promotion and community development are fundamentally the same; they just exist in different places and have different names.

Some people have suggested that podcasting is dead. I disagree.

Like a rocket on course to use the gravity of a moon to slingshot it to a distant planet, podcasting is prime for its next explosive development cycle.

This is our opportunity to refine, and perhaps shake up, our shows and figure out what we want next. We can set the course for what the podcast channel will look and feel like.

What do you want?

Photo: jurvetson

About a month ago, Charlie lamented that content licensing is still a bottleneck for Web 2.0 folks (Top Ten Reasons Why Web 2.0 Sucks). One of the reasons that podcasting shot to popularity the way it did is that it is not, nor should it be, mainstream media. Getting caught up in the inability to play today’s top 40 on a podcast suggests otherwise.

The apparent impatience for a licensing solution reinforces our dependency on what some people call “Internet speed”. However, most of the world doesn’t work that way — particularly those parts of the world that have been doing things a certain way for a long time. I don’t think farmers abandoned their horses for expensive tractors when they first rolled off the assembly line; when home computers first became the rage very few homes actually had them; and, it took a long time for the masses to adopt ATMs as a new way of doing business with banks.

The licensing issue will be addressed. The solutions will take time, input and a commitment from stakeholders to work towards a long-term fix that is a win for all involved. Until then, take advantage of the vast pools of quality independent content that can be used without cause for concern about licensing.  If we don’t take care of them, they’ll dry up.

I’m amazed at how often the question “how can I make money from podcasting?” comes up in podcasting circles - even when I introduce podcasting to people for the first time. If it’s not the first thought out of someone’s mouth, it’s one of the first.

Among podcasters, the tendency is to want to make money from hobby podcasts. That’s analogous to monetizing your garden. In fact, recent conferences have had sessions, even entire presentation tracks, dedicated to realizing an income from hobby podcasts.

Here are my consolidated thoughts, and advice, on making money through podcasting.

SPONSORSHIP AND ADVERTISING

Focus on your show. Absolutely noone is going to throw money at a podcast or podcaster that has no proven track record of quality content, context, delivery and production — never mind an audience. If you have any aspirations of scoring advertising or sponsorship money, develop your show and hosting skills, and build a real and engaged community.

Have a value proposition for any potential advertisers. I believe that a business is more likely to throw money at a show that has 200 actively engaged participants as part of a focused community, than 20,000 nameless, faceless downloads that cannot be explained. That is to say, you’re more likely to get a “This garden sponsored by…” sign for a garden that 200 people go out of their way to admire, talk with the creator about and promote to others, than one that 20,000 people absent-mindedly drive past during their rush to work.

Make it easy on yourself; podcast on a niche topic (say, gardening). This makes it easy to understand who your potential sponsors are. If I had to guess, you’re looking at about a year (six months if you’re amazingly good — or lucky) to have something worth selling.

CONSULTANT/PRODUCER

Develop skills that are in demand. Making good money requires a different and more focused approach that many people don’t like hearing about because of the amount of time and energy it requires. Develop sought-after skills then sell your services to consult on, or produce, someone else’s (read: a company’s) podcast.

Select specific skills to develop. Pick three to start and immerse yourself in becoming advanced or expert in those skills. I’m thinking of skills like voice talent/hosting, interviewing, creating a buzz, converting calls to action, building and engaging a community, editing, field recording, and audio clean-up and production to name a few. Read about them, practice them, listen for them, practice them, ask people about them, practice them, attend presentations on them, and practice them. Get to the point that you can do these things — with consistently effective results — with the greatest of ease. Establish a body of work and a reputation and the business will come to you.

Expect this to take a year. If you really work hard at this, you could hone your skills in six months or less. Proving those skills and building a body of work takes time.

FINAL THOUGHT

Even though podcasting is an online phenomenon, social media and business success is based on personalities and strong personal relationships. Be the person people want to work with and recommend — in capabilities and personality.

“This Garden Sponsored by…” photo: Nico.

Authors: Paul Colligan and Alex Mandossian
Published: 2006 Morgan James Publishing
ISBN: 1933596376 Chapters.ca Amazon.com

While some may argue that Podcasting is still too young to merit a “business bible”, the ambitious early adopters have been known to help explain and define the marketplace so the timing of their books will always be in question. Of greater concern is the accuracy of the facts and the nature of the vision.

Paul and Alex definitely have a good view of the Podcast marketplace and they open The Business Podcasting Bible with a solid discussion on what defines Podcasting. From page one they challenge the reader to think holistically about any Podcasting strategy, business or otherwise. In fact, I feel that this book has the strongest philosophical discussion on Podcast production and consumption to date — almost to the point that I questioned if the book’s title was accurate.

The Bible is a great introduction to Podcast-based business and marketing strategies, and definitely inspires exploration and innovation. There is discussion on both direct and indirect models of monetization, and the authors set the stage for further analysis of the use of Podcasts to market organizations and thought leadership. I believe that the “Podosphere” is just too oversaturated to seduce the kinds of sponsorship and advertising dollars that the early adopters had envisioned.

The authors encourage the reader to question the various elements of the decision to Podcast. The most important of these questions is ‘why?’ and ‘when?’, and the book guides you through the thought process.

If I could change one thing about the book it would be to turn the sidepanel discussions (some of which carry on for several pages thus forcing the reader to backtrack) into full-page panels.

Paul and Alex are clearly knowledgeable and excited about the power and flexibility of Podcasting. More importantly, they are very honest about its shortcomings. It is this combination that makes the book a great resource for anyone considering using a Podcast as a business or marketing (business OR personal) tool.

Tod Maffin said that the problem with being a futurist is that people hold you to account when you “get it wrong”. So, I will say that this post is a combination of my (ahem) predictions and hopes for 2007.

In no particular order…

1) Podcast and RSS distribution networks will become more influential

They have separated indie bands from those signed to major labels, and they will start to increase the gap between the basement Podcasters and those who produce “gold” or have connections or money — distribution networks will bridge the gap between the producers and consumers via those who can repackage and mass-circulate content to those with influence and large audiences.

2) Apple’s M4A will become widely available

Whether through affordable licensing options or released to the public domain, Apple will make its proprietary M4A file format widely available. In fact, this will be the first step towards Apple making it possible for any portable player to hook into iTunes thus increasing the profile of its powerful online music store.

3) Tracking tools will be developed

Some genius will develop a tool to track and report on Podcast listen details (time of listen, length of listen, fast-forwards, etc…) from a portable or computer player to the creator. Who will be the first? iTunes? Microsoft? iRiver? PodPress?

4) Google will index audio

Google will launch an extremely accurate speech-to-text translator that will index audio content from RSS feeds, leaving PodScope and Podzinger in its wake.

5) Powerful commenting functions

It will become easier for listeners to participate in the conversation when someone rolls out a feature that makes it possible to cache a text or audio comment that will be sent to the Podcast producer the next time the device is synced with a computer.

6) Taking managing the media to the next level

Political parties and companies will eliminate press releases and refuse interviews, replacing them with internally produced Podcasts (audio and video) as a way to manage their public image and press relations. They will create their own reports and sound-bites and publish them through RSS using an open license for reuse by media organizations.

Here’s to the year that was, and the year that will be!

The Ottawa City Journal published an article written by David May about me in today’s Urban Living section (page 13) — thanks, David! While he did a great job of receiving the flood of information that came at him (watch out when I’m excited about something), some of the information was confused in the final article.

Dave and I corresponded earlier this evening and he is aware of the errors. In the spirit of Web 2.0, I am publishing the corrections here.

• Podcasters Across Borders was the first large-scale Podcast conference in Canada, not the first-ever Podcast conference in North America. I haven’t done any research to determine if PAB was the first Podcast conference in Canada. (Given my recent series of posts on the topic, it’s ironic that I was misunderstood on the matter of ‘firsts’.)

• While I do organize Podcaster meetups in Ottawa, I haven’t done so on a monthly basis. (I know… slacker!)

• Andrea’s comment that there “wasn’t anything that I knew of that was an online community promoting children’s books” was specifically about Podcasting, not about the blogosphere or web in general.

A less-critical correction, and completely forgiveable confusion… the thirty-minute documentary that I produced from nine hours of audio (Making All In A Day) follows the production of a single edition of CBC’s All In A Day (Brent Bambury era). The Podcast of my appearance (and anxiety) as a guest of that same show was the subject of an earlier episode of Electric Sky (Soundseeing tour of my appearance on CBC radio). It was the latter that Tod Maffin promoted on his blog.

I believe that David has a plan to run regular features on Ottawa-area Podcasters. I’ll be sure to blog about it if I hear anything.

I have become the editor of the Podcasting Resources page of Top 10 Sources. It’ll take me a few days to fully build the resource page.

Feel free to notify me of any sites, blogs and Podcasts that you feel serve as great resources for both Podcast creators and Podcast listeners.

People choose the Podcasting delivery channel because it’s convenient. Podcast creators can push content out easily, and listeners can choose the content they wish to receive and listen to it when it’s convenient for them to do so. At its heart, Podcasting is about the subscription mechanism and those who embrace it.

So, why do I, a Podcaster, advocate the use of embedded media players on, and the ability to download Podcasts directly from, Podcast websites?

The vast majority of people understand what audio and video content is. They know how to search for it and how to click play or download in a browswer window. An even greater majority of people don’t know what subscribe means and, by extension, have not yet realized the power that they have to make choices and to not have to chase what they want. By making your content easy to find and easy to consume, you have the opportunity to attract listeners and convert them into subscribers.

If you give your audience the power and permission to choose, they will probably choose you.

I reconnected with a good friend, Stephen Hardiman, today. It’s fun to talk to Stephen because I always get juiced about something new and he has a way of taking my ideas and putting a new spin to them. Today was no exception. He summarized my description of the relationship between Podcast producers and Podcast consumers from my recent posts, Podcasting as a channel for two-way communication and Size matters, using the phrase “asynchronous intimacy”.

What a perfect and concise statement.

To me, the key points of asynchronous intimacy in Podcasting are:

• Podcasting is an asynchronous channel for communication
• Podcasters who extend themselves create an environment that facilitates and encourages two-way communication over the asynchronous channel
• Listeners value the power of permission-based media and the ability to have their voice heard
• A small and engaged community that is committed to its own success is stronger than a community based on numbers alone

Stephen will be my guest on Electric Sky this weekend. I am going to interview him about storytelling as a business tool.