In the past I’ve talked about what Hollywood gets right. But there is one big thing that bothers me about Hollywood and the entertainment industry.

Waste.

Not only do large big budget films and TV shows produce physical waste, but they also produce time and talent waste.

Contrast the average movie crew with that of a new media crew and the differences are staggering.

New media producers are simply more efficient and produce less waste.

This site, Joel-Mark-Witt.com, is where I ask questions while standing at the intersection of Twitter, Facebook,  YouTube, social media, podcasting, 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 for free. To join the discussion or to comment in real time follow me on Twitter.

Joel Mark Witt

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This site, Joel-Mark-Witt.com, is where I ask questions while standing at the intersection of social media, podcasting, online video, 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 in real time follow me on Twitter.

Joel Mark Witt

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.

Joel Mark Witt

*Photo By Duchamp

]]> http://joel-mark-witt.com/blog/2009/podcasting-is-not-dead-it-was-abducted/feed/ 0 http://joel-mark-witt.com/blog/2008/podcamp-edu-students-learning-about-online-video/ http://joel-mark-witt.com/blog/2008/podcamp-edu-students-learning-about-online-video/#comments Sun, 16 Nov 2008 05:18:57 +0000 joelmarkwitt http://joel-mark-witt.com/blog/?p=409

I had the chance to talk at American University today about MarylandZoo.TV, Podcasting, and doing video for the web. One of the things we decided to do was break everyone in the room into small groups and have them create a short video for YouTube being as creative as possible.

Not everyone got me their links. Some posted their videos to YouTube as private videos. But here are a couple videos I have links for. {Feel free to email me any more video links as you get them posted to YouTube and I’ll post them here}

By the way – A great big thank you for Vivian Vasquez and Andy Bilodeau for putting on a terrific event today.

Andy Bilodeau and I also created a video for the occasion:

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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 by RSS or eMail. To join the discussion or to comment find me on Twitter.

Joel Mark Witt

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I’ve made a name for myself online using video. I’ll continue to work in video for clients and my own website properties and projects. The sheer power of online video is amazing and will only grow with time. But what’s ironic is my background is actually in radio and audio production. I always dabbled in video as a youngster – but I cut my teeth doing sound, audio, and radio. So here are five reasons I think you should be using audio for your business.

Audio is very personal
When you listen to the radio and someone is speaking, it is as if they are speaking directly to you. Radio is a personal media and so is podcasting online. Your voice and the inflections that you use are powerful. Combine this with the recurring nature of a podcast and your voice will become familiar and friendly to your listeners. You will build a name for yourself and listeners will begin to trust and listen to what you have to say. Rush Limbaugh, Howard Stern, and others have made fortunes from using the personal aspects of audio.

Audio can be consumed away from a computer
Unlike video, where you have to be tethered to a computer or iPod to watch, audio is portable. Audio can also be listened to in the background while working, cleaning, driving, mowing, etc. Audio podcasting is a passive medium that is easily consumed doing other things. And this is powerful because you can enter the subconscious mind of your audience with your message.

Audio can be longer format and still be effective
Online video clips have a lifespan of about 4 minutes. If you go much beyond that you are losing viewers. In my opinion 3 minutes is the sweet spot for online video. It is hard to really dig into a subject and be comprehensive. Contrast that to online audio podcasting and you will see longer programs that can communicate much more information to listeners with much more depth.

Audio is imaginative
To be imaginative in video takes incredible resources. To show someone blowing up a car for example would require a special effects budget in the tens of thousands. With audio all that is needed is the listener’s mind. A well placed sound effect or suggestion can bring to life an imaginary experience in the listeners mind that would be nearly impossible using video.

Audio is cheaper and easier to produce
Borrowing a little from the point above – online audio is way cheaper and easier to produce than video. If you would like to get a testimonial or interview from a client or customer on video you need to have a crew that can travel to their business location to film the segment. With audio, all you need is a phone connection and you can conduct an interview with anyone in the world from the comfort of your office.

So there you have it. My five reasons to use audio for your website and business. To sum up here is what I’ll advise: use online video to attract an audience then use online audio and blogging to build that audience into a raving and loyal fan base. It actually takes a multi-front approach. But we’ll save that for future posts.

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This site, Joel-Mark-Witt.com, is about marketing, technology, blogging, social media, video, podcasting, and how you can use all these tools as a leader to grow your business or professional career, even if you know nothing about computers and the Internet. It has a two part focus. 1) Social Media Leadership. 2) Social Media For Business. If you like what you see please subscribe to it for free by RSS or eMail. To join the discussion or to comment find me on Twitter.

Joel Mark Witt

*photo by bitmapr

“If it’s a good movie, the sound could go off and the audience would still have a perfectly clear idea of what was going on.”

- Alfred Hitchcock | Check out the Alfred Hitchcock Masterpiece Collection

I disagree with Alfred Hitchcock.
I think just the opposite is true. Sound is 95% of any great video or film. Sound is a passive medium. You can be looking at anything while you listen. Sound is the first sense that we use in the womb. We heard our mother’s voice months before we ever saw her.

The playground of sound is the theater of the mind.
Sound is all but everything in a movie, tv show, or internet video. If you have a great HD quality picture and crappy sound – you will perceive the image quality to be low. The reverse is true. If you have a 320×480 compressed video image with world class audio – the perceived quality of the image will be high.

Do YOU agree with my 95% statement or with Alfred? Let me know your thoughts.

Follow me on twitter to discuss. Or you can leave a comment on this post.

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This site, Joel-Mark-Witt.com, is where I ask the questions while standing at the intersection of social media, film, TV, 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.

Joel Mark Witt