Category: Podcasting

Three Strikes, and Starbucks’ Podcast is Out

Starbucks

Podonomics has a review of the news that Starbucks is discontinuing its podcast after only three episodes.

Among the problems cited: Boring topics delivered without energy, obvious reading from a script, distracting music and a infomercial flavor.

After outlining some specific suggestions for how the podcast could have been successful, the author concludes:

Overall, Starbucks’ focus was wrong. They failed because they focused on the coffee bean. They would’ve succeeded had they focused on their best asset – their customers and the stories they would happily tell about their experience with coffee.

Good principles to keep in mind for anyone considering a podcast. It can and should be much longer than what fits in commercial radio, but it’s got to have some life. It doesn’t need to reach even a 1 share, but it needs to have something about it that would be engaging for someone.

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ALI Conference: Wrap-Up

Key learnings mentioned by people who attended:

Podcasting needs to be episodic.

Blogging isn’t just corporate messaging. It needs to have a human perspective.

Time commitment for blogging can be significant, but it depends. Blogs are a new tool for CEOs that can be better in some respects than other tools…so it may mean less time spent in other areas.

Moderation for a blog will make it easier to get these launched. It will keep out the spammers, and also give some comfort to those who are resistant.

Wikis for policy development, an internal LinkedIn and Whirlpool’s interview format for podcasts were interesting to Lara from Charles Schwab.

Jen mentioned Twiki as a good resource for Wiki implementation.

Blogging as a damage control tool was a revelation for one participant, because of the openness and transparency.

If you are considering getting into the blogosphere, start by reading blogs, subscribing to feeds, commenting on other blogs and then start your own.

My Lunch Meeting Yesterday

To show just how simple and easy it is to post to a blog, I’m doing this one in the middle of my presentation at the ALI Conference in San Francisco.

I had planned to connect with Tom Grams of TVGrams Digital Media when I came to San Francisco. Tom has an extensive background in cable TV, including launch of the Discovery Channel and several others. He’s a pro who understands the cable industry and has connections, so he is consulting with various organizations on how they can best use video.

Now he’s working primarily on non-linear video channels. A linear channel is one like ESPN or The Weather Channel that feeds a continuous stream of content. Sirius and XM satellite radio are other examples of linear models of content delivery, in the audio realm.

Here’s an example of including an image from the web.

ESPN

The problem with linear channels is the demand for content is insatiable. When a channel is 24/7, the amount of content needed is immense.

The other reality is that to have a channel like that on a cable system or even on a satellite radio or TV system, you need to have a minimum critical mass of viewers or listeners in order to be economically viable. A few hundred or a few thousand viewers can’t pay for the “shelf space.”

With non-linear delivery methods, such as podcasts, vlogs, blogs, broadband video channels or cable VOD (video on demand), a smaller niche audience is OK. And instead of dumbing down the content to reach a mass audience, it’s actually better to be more technical, because the people seeking out this content have an interest.

Now in a gratuitous use of video for no particular purpose (except to show how easy it is), I will incorporate a video segment from our lunch that I uploaded to YouTube earlier in this presentation.

[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t7ngwjpF4Jw]

Blogging Myself

During the pre-conference seminars and the first day of this conference, I have been blogging the presentations other people have been making for three reasons: as my personal note-taking device, to give my Mayo Clinic colleagues a reference resource on these topics, and to make the information available to my fellow conference attendees and any others who might find it valuable.

So now, given the fact that I’m doing the presentation, it’s kind of difficult to blog it contemporaneously. That’s why I did it in advance. Here’s my prediction of what I will be discussing. And if I’m wrong, this should be a good resource anyway. That would be the best of both worlds, because it would mean what we discussed was more valuable than what I had planned.

I define new media broadly, as anything that doesn’t require an FCC license or buying ink by the barrel.

As Shel Holtz says, new media do not replace old media. They are supplementary and complementary. And given the relative audience sizes, traditional media are still more important than new media, and should be the primary focus. Rocketboom, for instance, has a worldwide audience about the same size as what WCCO TV has in the Minneapolis-St.Paul DMA alone. But if we can pursue new media in a way that opens opportunities for mainstream media, that’s the smartest way to go.

New media (audio and video files on the web) have led to significant traditional media stories, such as this one:

[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xaaAYVUWP0I]

Just as important is being smart about production, to get as many media applications out of a single video shoot as possible.

I talked with Shel just now about how to get “Add to Del.icio.us” and “Digg This!” added to my posts, and he suggested that FeedFlare, which is available through feedburner.com (also free).

Even though they are not technically blogging or podcasting, innovative use of the web relating to a big story can help facilitate major news coverage while minimizing the burden on the people involved in the story. Here’s one example of a web update site used in this way, and here’s another.

Here’s the big wrap-up:

Everyone who is here today has already invested significant time (2+ days) and money (travel, lodging, conference fees) to learn about new media. It would be a shame

  • Get a FREE RSS reader and subscribe to some feeds (like this one)
    Get iTunes (FREE) and subscribe to some podcasts, including For Immediate Release
    Start a FREE personal blog and experiment with links, comments and trackbacks
    Open a FREE YouTube account and upload a video
    Try Flickr or another FREE photo service
    Get Audacity to record audio FREE
    Incorporate these assets into your blog so you better understand the possibilities for your business

    • Thursdays with Morri…

    …and Corinne, and Norma, and Caitlin, and Tom, and Jen (help me out with the rest of the names, dudes.) Some of you have handwriting on the sign-up sheet that indicates you may have a future in medicine.

    Morri is Morri Chowaiki from San Diego, and he is working on an interesting vitamin site. He mentioned that he’s been on the web ever since Al Gore invented the internet. He has some other interesting projects in the works, and I’ve got another suggestion for him: the Chowaiki Wiki.

    Our Dine-Around session at A. SaBella’s was a good time for all, I think. We discussed our airline horror stories, children and the expectation thereof, and when ingestion of contaminated seafood makes it wise to seek immediate medical attention.

    Thanks to all of you for your company and conversation. And thanks to Melissa and Amy for making the reservation and offering the opportunity.