Happy Birthday iPod

FYI... Six years ago today, Apple introduced the iPod.  With over 100 million devices sold to date, it is one of the most successful products ever created. 

- Kevin

Interview with a Podcaster: J.C. Bouvier of IFAW

We continue our new series of short interviews with J.C. Bouvier of the International Fund For Animal Welfare (a client of IDI). J.C. is responsible for all of IFAW's Web 2.0 projects. We decided to ask him some questions about podcasting. Enjoy.

How did you first get involved with podcasting?

J.C. Bouvier: Well, I've always liked the idea of being a DJ, in fact I had a college radio show...so you could say that was my first step into the realm...

The term 'podcasting' is a sort of misnomer... really what people are doing is creating content  that oh, by the way, can be played on an iPod... the trick is in the ability to 'cast' (upload), search (metadata) and subscribe (RSS) to that content using simple web browsers or iTunes... Truth be told, it was serendipity that the term and that the technology came to be...rather than as a marketing/productization effort from Apple...that said... Apple took the very smart move of embracing the podcasting community early on and now if you search iTunes... there are thousands of podcasts on all sorts of topics... but I digress, to the question... before there were iPods...back in 1999, I was using an editing tool called Media 100 and encoding to MP3 using Media Cleaner Pro.  I would help bands get their audio up on sites like MP3.com and I did an interview with Noam Chomsky for the Center for Media Alternatives in Quebec that I encoded for the web in 2000.  My first official podcast was actually for a former employer/client and discussed new innovations in their product line with key members of their product team.

Which podcasts are your favorites?

J.C.: Right now I'm subscribed to about 30 podcasts... and the ones I like best are video podcasts... Pete Tong's Fast Trax, Gary Vaynerchuck's Wine TV Library, and Beautiful Places in HD.  I'm also a presidential politics junkie... so I subscribe to NBC's Meet the Press, which they provide a video version of at no charge...and the McLaughlin Group...which is slow to get posted... but still worth watching... I'm also a big fan of Digg Nation...which really is inspirational for me as a podcaster... because the show is just two geeks drinking beer on a couch talking geek...that's one of the things I like best about podcasting...it really can be very low fidelity and still entertain, inform and engage...

What’s the biggest podcasting mistake people make?

J.C.: Straying from the topic... running too long... and poor audio would be the things that stand out in my mind.

What differentiates a great podcast from a mediocre one?

J.C.: Genuine personality, point of view... confidence... you want people who know what they want to say...and aren't afraid to say it... and for me, sharing insight and new information... e.g. Pete Tong's podcast runs about 7 minutes... and in that time he tells me what the hottest club tracks are... whose playing the best gigs in London/EU and gives an interview with an established artists... the Diggnation guys can run a little long... but their sense of humor is similar to mine... and they aren't afraid to say whatever is on their minds... which is refreshing...and valuable... to me anyway.

What tools do you use to produce your podcasts?

Depending on the environment and the style of podcast I have a wide range of tools... my physical kit currently contains:

• Sony HVR-A1U HDV HD video camera
• 1 M-Audio Microtrak 24/96 audio recorder
• 1 Fuji S5200 Digital still camera with AVI video recording
• 1 Mac Book Pro 2.16 Ghz with 2MB RAM & 160GB HD
• 1 G-RAID Mini 200GB External FireWire 800 HD
• Various microphones (stealth, handheld, camera shotgun)

On the Macbook, to edit podcasts I either use:

• Avid Media Composer Software
• Apple Garageband
• Sorensen Squeeze 4.3
• QuickTime Pro
• Handbrake 1.9
• Adobe Web Collection CS

For very easy stuff,...I also use Evoca.com (thanks IDI!) to virtually record to MP3 using only a conference line.  Then I simply download the file, edit and encode for final version and upload to Typepad, where Feedburner takes over...

What’s the next big thing in the podcasting industry?

J.C.: Hum... tough one... well HD is coming... people are podcasting HD media... which is amazing to me...it's only a matter of time before Apple starts selling HD video on demand... I think someone is going to figure out a way to insert advertising based on metadata into podcasts... think adwords for audio... it's been a tough nut to crack... but it will happen... and the evolution of codecs... as processors grow in power and algorithms are refined... smaller file sizes at higher quality will make streaming HD over wifi or cell signals a reality... so that's all very exciting stuff...I'm looking forward to seeing people build their own content empires.... and old media continue to shake in its boots... particularly as modern copyright dies and things like Creative Commons precedent is established... artists controlling their own media and distribution... very cool.

Listen to some of J.C. recent podcasts on the Animal Rescue Blog.

- Kevin

Cool Tool: iWriter

This new software product from Talking Panda turns an iPod into a study tool. It allows you to mix text and audio files into learning programs (e.g. spelling quizzes, reading lists) and includes eight project templates to help get you started.

The tool can also build Web sites for students without iPods.

Read more Talking Panda's blog.

- Kevin

DIY: Radio

While Pew Internet reports that only 13% of internet users "have a good idea" about what podcasting is, New York Times columnist David Pogue recently released a video where he explores the variety of podcasts available to users and even lip-syncs to a couple.  Podcasting not only allows you to produce your own content, but you can also reach out to an audience that is increasingly "on-the-go."  Two months ago the mayor of St.Louis started podcasting.  Thankfully, he is not podcasting his stump speech, but instead he records conversations that he has with locals.  A very interesting way to reach out to the city and show them exactly what he is doing for the city. 

Also, don't get rid of your TIVO yet, but some networks are starting to syndicate their content in the form of podcasts.  For example, on MSNBC some of the programs are podcasted in their entirety.