Trafcom News

Ack. Why does my audio sound so BAD?

Because I've been a denizen of the podcasting world for a while, people often ask me for audio tips. And the most common question I hear is: "Why does my audio sound so bad?"

In my latest Trafcom News Podcast (which is just 18 minutes long), you'll get the answer.

Please go to the Trafcom News Podcast page to get the shownotes and the MP3 file. Please let me know what you think!

Toronto events full of social media goodness

April is shaping up to be a great month if you’re interested in learning more about social media and you’re in the Toronto area.  On the first of the month, the IABC’s group for independent communicators, AIP, is sponsoring presentations by Joan Vinall-Cox and Lynda Morris on “how to make money in social media.” I don’t know Lynda, but Joan is a friend of mine who brings an interesting perspective to technology and social media, which I’m sure will be of value to those eager to delve a little deeper into the world of blogs, podcasts, Twitter and so on. You can find out more and register at the Toronto IABC site.

On April 16, the Halton Peel Communications Association presents the one and only Dave Fleet, blogger extraordinaire and PR pro, who will discuss how to put the power of social media to work in your business. Dave’s talk will cover the  latest social media trends, tools and strategies, as well as real-world examples of social media successes and failures. For more info and to register, visit the HPCA site. See you there!

Photo: Flickr, palestrina55

Advice for a reluctant blogger

The other day I was talking to a friend of a friend, a man who is renowned in his field. He has a Ph.D., he writes, he speaks, he teaches, he coaches. What he needs right now are more clients and students.

He has a Web site, but not a blog, so I strongly encouraged him to start blogging to increase his profile and his findability (is that word?) on search engines. His answer: “I don’t have time to devote to a blog, and I wouldn’t know what to write.” You know what I told him, right? That he has plenty to say, and that the value of a blog is compelling enough for him to damn well find the time to do it. (OK, I wasn’t that forceful, but I wish I had been.)
 
Off the top of my head, I suggested that he:

• Start by outlining the top themes that he wants to convey to prospective students. He can then dip into the vast storehouse of stuff he has written over the years and repurpose much of his content as blog posts, being sure to write in a conversational (not scholarly) tone.
• Break the job into chunks by writing series of posts on related topics.
• Think about the tags he wants to use for his posts, to make his blog super Google-friendly.

Coincidentally, yesterday I came across this amazingly rich blog post on “how to write great blog content” by Problogger Darren Rowse. There’s some powerful advice here for would-be bloggers and those who are already drinking the blogging Kool-Aid. What other tips would YOU offer?

Talking about podcasting to PWAC

Tonight I had fun speaking about podcasting to a group of about 60 writers in downtown Toronto – the Professional Writers Association of Canada, to be exact. I promised them I’d put a few notes on my blog, so if you’re a PWAC member, or a freelance writer/communications consultant, please read on.

First, I want to acknowledge the talented people who shared the speakers’ rostrum with me: Jennifer Gruden from More magazine, David Topping from Torontoist.com, and Paul Lima, writer and trainer extraordinaire. And kudos to Steven Biggs for moderating the lively Q&A session after the presentations.

My main points were that podcasting can be a surprisingly effective way for writers to provide additional services to clients, or to promote their own work. I cited the example of Terry Fallis, who podcasted chapters of his delightful satirical novel, The Best Laid Plans, which he had originally self-published. The most enticing part of the story: Terry was picked up by a mainstream publisher and won the Leacock Medal for Canadian humour writing. (Terry, if you’re reading this, be aware that there were people in the room besides me who knew your story!)

My second example was Mignon Fogarty, a.k.a. Grammar Girl, who has successfully taken a relatively mundane topic – grammar – and packaged it into a sparkling podcast (which has sponsors, by the way). This original project has led to further success as an author, guest on Oprah, and owner of a mini-conglomerate of podcasting.

And of course I talked about my own foray into conference podcasting, which draws on skills that most journalists possess – the ability to interview people and thread a story together. Finally, I touched on the concept of a podcast as part of your personal brand, much like a blog, but with audio.  I also gave a very very quick overview of how to create a podcast, including a recommendation to try out Audacity, which is free audio-editing software for the Mac or PC. For more "how-to" information, listen to the Trafcom News Podcast from September 2007, the "Back to School" edition.

If you’re a newcomer to this blog, please subscribe so you can follow future posts about podcasting and communications. Thanks for stopping by!

Testing AudioBoo

Testing 1-2-3. AudioBoo could prove to be a very interesting iPhone app, enabling a very simple form of podcasting. More to come in a future post.

Coping with the ephemeral nature of Twitter

Two years ago, I scoffed at Twitter. A few months later I experimented with it, and now I consider it an essential communications channel. Like many bloggers, however, I’ve noticed two things: a sharp drop in my own posting frequency, and a huge backlog of unread posts in my feed reader.

I tend to read blog posts when people link to them on Twitter. Recently, two of my friends wrote about related issues that have been on my mind: the time zone problem and the evanescent nature of Twitter.

In a recent post, Joe Thornley said:

“In effect, my world through the lens of Twitter has shrunk to encompass only those people who are online at the same time as me. So, I’ve lost sight of those people whose workdays and online times don’t overlap with mine. They are invisible to me and I too am invisible to them.”

I know what he means; I often miss tweets from friends in Europe and Australia, unless I’m suffering from insomnia, in which case I often lull myself back to sleep via Twitterific on the iPhone. Here are a few solutions:

1. Subscribe to the RSS feeds of Twitter people whose posts you don’t want to miss. (See image.)
2. Visit the Twitter home page of your favourite Twitterati to catch up on their posts.
3. Create a column in Tweetdeck for Twitter friends in distant parts of the world, so they’re grouped in one place.

 
None of these solutions puts you in the same time zone, but you won’t feel as though you’re missing important content.

As for the evanescent nature of Twitter, Mitch Joel wrote recently:

“Twitter has become the place to tell people when you like something. It's quick, fast and painless. And, that's the problem. Is it really a compliment when someone tweets about you, or is it the ultimate insult?”

His post made me think about the nature of blogging vs. Twitter. If I want a message to have some staying power, I should make the effort to blog about it. Sure, I can tweet it, but in a few minutes that tweet will be gone from most followers’ screens (if they saw it at all), whereas the blog post will live as long as I do. In most cases, I will post a tweet that links back to the blog post, thereby reaching a broader audience.

For me, Twitter is an essential channel, but I always have to keep in mind that in the larger scheme of things, the stuff I post on Twitter is here and gone in short order, and may not be seen at all by those in other time zones. What do you think?

Five tips for podcasting success

We may measure the success of our podcasts in different ways - audience numbers, influence, even sales - but certain tactics will help to ensure a healthy show: picking a niche, getting the right gear, being consistent, preparing, and having fun. In this 17-minute podcast, with a little help from some of my friends at Podcamp Toronto, I discuss these five tips.

You can read the shownotes, grab the MP3 file, or listen with the Flash player on the right side of the page of the Trafcom News Podcast blog. Here’s the link.

Enjoy!

Solve, don’t sell

One of the things I’m enjoying most about podcasting my client’s conference in Vegas is the people I’m meeting. You see, this is an internally focused event for sales people and resellers (which is why I can’t share any of the audio content we’re creating – sorry). In conversations with these top performers, I’m hearing a recurring theme: Don’t try to sell your product or service; instead, work hard to solve your customers’ problems.

In an address to 3,000 people this morning, the CEO of my client’s organization cited one example after another of success stories that happened only because someone looked at the long-term relationship with the client (not just this quarter’s sales figures), listened carefully,  and then  asked, “How can we help solve this customer’s business problems?”

Especially in this economy, clients and prospects want to know: “Do you understand us? Are you listening? Can you help?” And if you’re positioned to be that person who listens and understands, you’re golden.

Photo: Indoor waterfall at the Palazzo Hotel.