Podcamp NYC – From Cubscast to Rocketboom

Very interesting mix of people today at Podcamp NYC. Lots of small companies specializing in niche services for podcasters. A good number of teachers. A lot of small and mid-range podcasters of both video and audio. A number of established business execs looking for new ways to reach existing audience members and generate new interest for their brands. Lots of talk of monetization, only a few really making money. An us-versus-them notion of new and old media. And everyone is using Twitter.

Key takeaways -

• It doesn’t cost much to make a podcast, but it takes time and persistence to build and maintain an audience.
• Interaction is key. The more interaction there is the stronger the product you create. Andrew Figgins of the Chicago Sports Network produces a Cubs fan podcast three times a week and offers a call-in line and message board for fans.
• Once you get an audience remember what it’s worth.
  • To paraphrase Joanne Colan from Rocketboom: “There is a threat that larger media companies could view us (Joanne, Andrew Baron who founded Rocketboom and Kenyatta Cheese co-produce the daily videoblog) as cheap labor, [Big media companies] spend all this money on things to keep their people happy, and the three of us are producing a newscast every day without any of that. They could think that they could just hire us and get the same thing as they get from others for less. You have to remember what your value is.”

• Quality is still important. The higher the production value the more compelling the content– within reason.
  • The folks from Digital Cafe Tour have put together a very impressive track record of promoting new bands through high-quality music videos syndicated on Brightcove.
  • These guys do 6-camera shoots and 24 channel audio mixes. Not exactly the stuff of amateurs. But it sounds great, and the message is clear – If you produce good content and there is a market for it you can syndicate it profitably online.
• Where we’re going – Constant communication and cell phones as publishing platforms for media anywhere — Twitter was mentioned in every panel I attended. Nuts.
  • Convergence — Fiber to the home will make it possible for video published online to be viewed at broadcast quality over broadband.
  • International communication
    • Web-based translation systems – user based and AI translation systems will make UGC consumable worldwide. Michael Smolens’ company dotsub has a wiki-based browser toolkit that lets users translate content for subtitles.
    • Sensorship – Smolens told a story about a Rocketboom segment embedded in a Chinese blog which was viewable in the US but was blocked by Sensors in China.

This was what I got out of just the 3 morning panels I went to. I encourage you to check out their site and attend an upcoming podcamp if you can. It’s free. Though you might want to sign up for Twitter first.