Trafcom News

Now I really DO think that Chris Brogan is six people

Chris Brogan’s blog is always fresh and insightful. He generates at least 10 ideas each day before most of us finish our coffee. Now Chris  is suggesting blog topics for his fellow bloggers, some of whom (like me) are guilty of saying, “I don’t know what to blog about today.” In my case, it’s usually “I don’t have TIME to blog today,” but I digress.

Here’s a sampling of just a few of his 100 topics. Go to Chris’s blog for the whole list. Then start writing.

1 How I Use Facebook
2 Ways I Embrace My Audience
4 A Community I Love
5 Technology That Empowers Me
7 How Best to Comment on a Corporate Blog
8 Ways to Save a Bad Time at a Conference
9 How I Find Blogging Ideas
10 Somebody Has to Say It
11 My Children Will Do it Differently
12 How Schools Could Use Social Media
13 The Best Parts of Marketing
14 Presentation Skills for a New Conversation
15 How I Find Time to Make Media
16 Empower Your Best Customers
17 After the Event- Carrying the Conversation Forward
18 Just Jump Into Podcasting- Here’s How
22 If I Were an Advertiser Today
23 My Mother is On Facebook
24 Does a Big Brand Need You
25 Books I Want to Write
28 A Hard Look at My Media Habits
36 How I Use My Website
39 How I Process Blogs and What I Do With All That Info
40 Ten Guilty Pleasures
42 If I Worked for a Venture Capital Firm
48 Branding Strategies I Use

What’s a podcast and why should you care?

We’re all back in full work mode now that September is here. And some people are checking “learn about podcasting” on their to-do lists. About a dozen communicators have already signed up for my next free Webinar, Podcasting 101 for Communicators and Marketers, scheduled for 2 p.m. Eastern on September 25. Would you like to join them?

Here’s what one participant said after the August session:

Thanks for a great webinar!  You do a great job of sharing important information while still keeping everyone involved.  I'll be sure to recommend the webinar to anyone I know who's curious about how podcasting can help their business. --John Watkis

In this 45-minute session, we cover what podcasting is all about; how to find podcasts relevant to your interests; how organizations are using audio for internal and external communications; and how to sell the idea to management.

I do keep the number of attendees small so that people can ask questions. So if you’re interested, sign up soon! To attend, all you need is a phone and an Internet connection. To register, send an email to trafcom@gmail.com. Did I mention that it’s free?

Shel’s campaign to stop blocking

Those of us who know Shel Holtz and are familiar with his passion for employee communications aren’t surprised that he has launched a Web site to educate people around the subject of blocking employee access to the Internet.

In Shel’s words: “Companies everywhere are blocking employee access to the Net, fueled by questionable research and irresponsible pronouncements of self-serving individuals and organizations. This site is designed to serve as a hub information resource for those who believe the benefits of providing access far outweigh the risks.”

I love the idea of the wiki where people can share their stories.

Please visit and lend your support!

Field recording tools for podcasters

A few people have asked me about my new Samsung Zoom H4 portable digital recorder, so I’m sharing my thoughts on the blog for the benefit of anyone looking to record podcast material outside the studio.

Let me back up a bit. Almost two years ago, I bought an Edirol R-1, which I love and continue to use frequently. So, I haven’t “switched” to the Zoom. Because of the amount of recording I’m doing, I decided that I needed a second machine. (Losing one’s main hard drive surely brings home the concepts of backup and redundancy. My friend Sallie Goetsch of the Podcast Asylum and the Backup Blog would be proud of me.)

The Edirol R-1, which has been eclipsed by a newer model, the R-9, with which I’m not very familiar, is a solid machine that allows you to record in WAV or MP3 format (I choose WAV, since it’s uncompressed; however, you need a hefty sized card to store your data). It easily hooks up to your computer with a USB cable so that you can transfer files and then edit them. Its built-in stereo microphone is good; you can also hook up a mic to it (I have an Audio Technica). The screen is easy to read, the buttons and dials are sturdy and it’s just an all-around wonderful recorder.

So far the Zoom H4, which also records in WAV and MP3, has worked well, but I wonder if I will be relying on it two years from now. How shall I put this? For almost $400 Canadian, you expect something that doesn’t look like it popped out of a Cracker Jack box. It’s flimsy. The body of the machine is plastic and the little menu button on the front is so rickety that I’m afraid to touch it. The screen is tiny (don’t forget your reading glasses!) and the operation of the machine is a lot less intuitive than the R-1. It does have an XLR jack, which the Edirol R-1 lacks, so that’s one point in its favour. The built-in stereo mic is actually very good, but I’ve chosen to add an Electrovoice mic. Besides, the Zoom looks like a taser.  It’s not something I’d like to stick it in someone’s face.

So, overall, I’m happy with both machines and I’ll continue to tote them around with me.

If you’d like to share your experience with either of these recorders, please comment here!

Two years of podcasting!

I have been so busy these last few weeks that I almost missed my own anniversary of sorts. You see, yesterday, September 12, marked the beginning of my third year of producing the Trafcom News Podcast. Although I’d dabbled in audio before then and had worked in voiceover, it was in 2005 that I got serious about it, thanks to prodding from my partner, Dave Williams. He repeatedly told me that podcasting was something I’d enjoy and perhaps succeed at (OK, he didn’t use the word perhaps; that my editorial license).

So what’s the verdict after two years? I’m having more fun in my work than I ever thought possible producing my own podcast and shows for clients, I’ve met scores of fascinating, generous people in the podcasting world, and my business has expanded in ways I never thought possible (PodcastYourConference.com is just one example).

Along the way, I’ve learned A LOT. And I’m not just talking about the technical stuff, although that’s been a truly educational (and sometimes hair-raising) ride. One thing I hadn’t anticipated: how developing your skills as a podcaster can help to hone your communications abilities in general.

Two years ago, if I’d been aware of the depth of my podcasting ignorance, I probably never would have begun. Sometimes naiveté is a blessing. But now there are so many more resources out there for nascent podcasters.  So here’s my unsolicited advice for newbies: Do your research, talk to other podcasters, read Shel Holtz and Neville Hobson’s book, How to do Everything with Podcasting, listen to good podcasts, and then just do it. (The last episode of the Trafcom News Podcast has more tips.)

So, a big thank you to Dave, to my fellow podcasters, my podcasting clients and to those who listen to my show.

Counting Aussie podcast listeners

Here’s a story from Australian IT about the growing number of Aussies listening to radio shows as podcasts. Now, the radio stations want to include MP3 downloads and streaming audio in the statistics they generate to set rates for advertising.

"Austereo, which operates FM stations in the mainland state capitals as well as in Newcastle and Canberra, estimates radio listening is about 20 per cent higher that now recorded - and the survey figures would show that if people were asked to include new technologies when filling out their Nielsen Media Research radio diaries.

Research conducted by Austereo in May and June showed people were listening to radio on the internet for two hours and 42 minutes a week; on mobiles for one hour and 41 minutes; and via podcasts for 54 minutes. That's on top of the 20 hours and 46 minutes spent listening to traditional radio."

I wonder if radio stations elsewhere in the world are wrapping podcasts up in their stats?

How do you learn about podcasting?

It's back-to-school season again! And speaking of education, how do you go about learning about podcasting and then learning TO podcast? In my latest Trafcom News Podcast, clocking in at just 12 minutes, I share a few suggestions. You’ll find the audio and shownotes on the Trafcom News Podcast page. While you’re there, why not subscribe so that you don’t miss an episode?