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July 08, 2005
The value of podcasting
John Walkenbach says on his blog "I don't understand podcasts."
He raises a theoretical point: Are podcasts valuable? Referring specifically to our most recent podcast about marketing to women, John says:
Assume for a minute that I actually have an interest in marketing to women. I go to the site, and there's nothing to read. I have to download a 10 Mb MP3 file and devote 23 minutes to listening to it. Had it been a written article, I could have determined if it was worth reading in about five seconds. Then I could have read it all in about five minutes or less.
True. But what podcasts lack in rapid comprehension they make up for in portability, emotional context and overall tone.
A number of commenters to John's post argue that not everyone is like him; people who are unable to read, have reading disabilities or enjoy the multi-tasking ability podcasts provide -- like driving and listening -- outweigh podcasting's limitations, even for delivering information vs. entertainment.
The capabilities of podcasting are just beginning to be imagined. In the next year or so, we'll probably see creative entrepreneurs and smart technologists make it easy for podcasters to create hyperlinks to pre-defined cues in audio files, deliver on-the-fly closed captioning, automatic index creation, or full-text transcripts.
Those innovations will probably change the world of audio books, too. It's always fun to hear from a reader who prefers audio books to
written ones; they say audio books can open just as many doors of
insight and learning as written books do. It's the new-and-improved convergence.
Podcasting is very quickly flattening the broadcasting industry, and technology is sure to rush in and marry the needs of people like John, who want quick comprehension, to those of us who believe that podcasting trumps ASCII text in delivering short bursts of emotional impact and context.
What do you think -- what's the value of an information-driven podcast?
UPDATE: Mark Cuban writes: "Creating your own podcast and trying to make a business out of it is a mistake." Cuban has some experience in online audio content, having co-founded online streaming company Broadcast.com (later bought and shut down by Yahoo).
As in anything new, those who create strong word of mouth and convert it into evangelism typically have better outcomes than those who do not.
Other blogs that reference The value of podcasting:
» The Value of Podcasting from BlogSpy.NET
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» Podcasting: use it or lose it? from life (over IP)
Ben McConnell (Church of the Customer) discusses recent comments from Mark Cuban and John Walkenbach about the usability and usefulness of podcasts. Walkenbach: Assume for a minute that I actually have an interest in marketing to women. I go... [Read More]
» Podcasting in business? from Marketing Roadmaps
One of the things I try to do on this blog is put things in a practical context for marketers who are trying to figure how (or whether) to integrate new technologies like RSS, blogs and podcasting into their marketing [Read More]
» Is Podcasting any use? from Aqute Market Research
I can understand that when something exciting comes along, you're likely to throw caution to the wind. By now everyone in the technology industry knows the whole spiel about not touting the technology for its own sakes, yet it still [Read More]
Although I did not download your podcast, I do think this is a very valuable medium. I think there are more people tuned in, and will be tuned in, with this technology that we are really aware of. We are only seeing the beginning. Even Rush Limbaugh is podcasting! That says a lot about the possibilites. I even hope to podcast for my interest someday.
You made a good point in talking about "different strokes for different folks." Just as half the population likes calling a telephone number to order something from QVC, the other half is just introverted enough to prefer ordering anonymously online. The key is filling the needs of those who are motivated to either read OR listen... and look for opportunities to fill in the gaps. What a great new world for entrepreneurs.
I can't find the exact reference, but there has been research that shows that people are 3 times more likely to remember something they heard versus something they read (I think I summarized that right.) So, for comapnies, a podcast might make sense for a high stakes message (in conjunction with written materials) that you want to be sure your audience retains.
I love the podcast format, but have a few issues:
1) There's not a lot of really valuable content. I've found you guys, Johnnie Moore, Brian Carroll's B2B Lead Generation, and Vasey on Marketing (which is OK, but not stellar).
2) There's not an easy way to validate podcasts. I pretty much have to listen in order to figure out if it's any good. You guys aren't even listed under marketing in iTunes' podcast directory.
3) No indexing of audio files. If I hit the fast-forward button on my iPod to scan forward, sometimes it inadvertantly skips to the next podcast. Then I have to start all over.
That being said, I love being able to listen to podcasts while doing some of my more brainless tasks at work, while in the car, while mowing the lawn, while waiting at the doctor's office/mechanic/etc.
We have no idea why we're not listed in the podcast marketing directory at iTunes.
While iTunes reports our podcast already exists in its database, we're unsure of how to get it listed properly. Suggestions?
I'll be spending 12 hours in my car in a few weeks. I'm planning on having my iPod loaded up with lots of podcasts of interesting things, because it's not likely that I'll find much of interest on the radio.
Then there are those people who spend 1-2 hours in each direction commuting along I-95, the Beltway, etc, who have time that needs to be filled with something interesting.
Yeah, but why can't podcast sites have 200 word summaries of what we'll hear if we opt to listen to them?
Ben
I think i-tunes is taking a feed from podcastalley or podder.org? There are additional tags in the MP3 file for genre etc which I think you need to amend? I'm still experimenting with ours...
On the value of information-driven podcasting - I've just taken a section out of our ilovepdg show four about our concept "4G website strategy" to create a stand alone piece of "podlearning" which is a phrase I'm using now...
This will be available to support manifestos/white papers/case studies etc... it's all good!
Shel -- Excellent point about brief summaries. We finally got smart and added one to our most recent podcast post.
David -- I wish iTunes provided more online help about exactly how to get one's podcast listed in a specific directory. For now, it's a mystery.
There can be some helpful-to-customer uses for podcasts when paired with other media. Imagine having a podcast talking you through some step-by-step instructions, say, linux commands, while you have your hands and eyeballs free to execute the commands and see their results. Whether podcasts are useful in and of themselves aside, I'll let others say.
Podcasting also offers something that the written word tends to lack: entertainment. While serious "learning" is great, sometimes I just want to kick back and be entertained by a business podcast. After all, good marketing is storytelling, and spoken word stories have a much richer history than the (relatively) young written word.
Um, Yahoo! did not shut down broadcast.com... rather they shut down the enterprise solutions webcasting side of the business. Much like the original audionet/broadcast, Yahoo! still streams music, movies, sports, etc.
Yahoo may have assimilated some of broadcast.com's streaming services into the mothership but as an entity, broadcast.com is gone. Perhaps it's microfiber-hair-splitting, but I'd say that's shut down. :)
I've been listening to the "value of podcasting" debate from both sides with amusement. The con-camp's primary argument seems to be "This isn't like anything we've used before!" (in tones of dismissal), while the pro-camp's primary argument seems to be... well, "This isn't like anything we've used before!" (in tones of delight)
Personally, I wouldn't dream of predicting a future for podcasting. I can say that I personally spend many hours in my car, walking to trains, and waiting in airports, so I always have my favorite, content-rich podcasts (yours included) and audiobooks loaded on my iPod.
Thanks for bringing up the issue in your forum with such an intelligent and well-informed reader/listenership!
Diary of a Shameless Self-Promoter podcast: http://heidimiller.libsyn.com
Yup, it seems like a classic case of early adopters who jump head-first into new waters to understand the experience vs. the analyticals who need evidentiary proof that the water is not poisonous, too hot or too cold before wading in.
Given that the number of new podcasts is rising exponentially, it looks like there's quite a few early adopters.
I cannot drive and read at the same time. At least not safely. The value of podcasting in this context simply cannot be argued. It is its own thing.
podcasting is not new, someone just put a new moniker on 90's technology. All podcasting is is the abliity for talentless radio personality wannabe's to have their own medium. Anyone remember HAM radio? CB's? Podcasting is the just the internet version of those. Unless someone figures out how to make A LOT of money with podcasting, the craze will eventually die.
Hey David (Coe), didn't mean to leave out the "I Love PDG" podcast. You guys have a nice blend of information and entertainment in a refreshingly informal format. I wish more people took themselves as lightly as you guys do.
Gotta disagree with Rob MacKay (although the comparison of podcasting to cb radios was pretty funny). Podcasts will be around regardless of whether or not anyone makes a lot of money with 'em. As my dear, sweet, saintly old grandmother, Fanny McKay used to say, (apologies to Andy Warhol): "In the future, everyone will be famous to fifteen people."
Gotta disagree with Rob MacKay (although the comparison of podcasting to cb radios was pretty funny). Podcasts will be around regardless of whether or not anyone makes a lot of money with 'em. As my dear, sweet, saintly old grandmother, Fanny McKay used to say, (apologies to Andy Warhol): "In the future, everyone will be famous to fifteen people."
I agree that Podcasting will be around for a long time, as it has offered a creative outlet for people to begin to express themselves and follow the "let off steam" outlet as well as allow for advice to be shared amongst not only aquaintances but to a potentially larger audience. Podcasting has interested me so much that I am actually writing my dissertation on it. If you would be interested in participating in filling out my online survey I would greatly appreciate the feedback. I plan on publishing the final version during the summer so that everyone can benefit and learn more about this amazing new technological development. Both listeners and podcasters alike can fill it out.The URL to the survey is......
www.podcastproject.net
