Podcasting Is Not Dead – It Was Abducted
5 Jan
I’ve actually been working on this post since I spoke at Blogworld 2008. It’s been sitting in my drafts for a while while I noodled around with it.
But this post “Podcasting Isn’t Exactly Dead“ from Chris Brogan prompted me to dust it off – polish it up – and post.
In the beginning there was blogging. Text based posts sometimes accompanied by photos.
Then came audio podcasts.
In 2004-2006 there was a feeding frenzy. It appeared that blogging would be eclipsed by audio.
Then in 2006 YouTube was bought by Google for an obscene amount of money.
Video was on the front lines. People like Jeff Pulver and Chris Brogan were investing time and money into online video. Rocketboom and Wallstrip made big news and it looked like blogging was going to be pushed away even further.
In the midst of all this I can remember saying that blogging would become the stepchild that no one knew what to do with.
Boy was I an idiot.
Video will always be huge online. Audio podcasts will continue to grow. But the folks having the most success in new media are the bloggers.
Blogs are and will continue to be the undercurrent of all online media.
Video is flashy enough to draw a crowd. Audio podcasts can help lend cred and social proof. But blogs will continue to provide the backbone to the others.
Put it this way – audio and video are great tools when used from the platform of blogging.
So I have changed my mind on this one. Partly because I met so many people at Blogworld making over six figures a month from their blogs. Contrast this to the handful of people squeaking by full-time as podcasters.
So my bets are on blogging as the platform. Podcasts and video are the “plugins” that run on that platform.
So what does this mean for your business?
Here’s my advice. Your company needs to start with blogging. If you already have a blog up and running, and have tweaked it with SEO (Search Engine Optimization) then you should consider adding audio and video content where it makes sense. But start with a blog first.
Join the discussion by posting a comment below or follow me on Twitter and let me know your thoughts.
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This site, Joel-Mark-Witt.com, is where I ask the questions while standing at the intersection of social media, marketing, PR, storytelling, life and leadership…. and what the heck this all means for my business and yours. If you like what you see – please subscribe to it for free. To join the discussion or to comment follow me on Twitter.
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