Apply a grain of salt to social media research reports

Social media is the source of more research than any topic I can think of. There’s research undertaken by research companies like Forrester, professional services firms like McKinsey & Company, by large organizations like IBM and by every marketing agency and service provider looking to get a little press. The tactic of sponsorsing research in order to issue a press release and get some ink is nothing new, but with the proliferation of social media-focused companies, the volume of research has exploded.

With the release of these studies, you can find commentary by any number of analysts, consultants, columnists, reporters and bloggers… Read More »

My podcasting travel rig

More than a few people have asked me about the podcasting rig I take with me on the road. The last time I broke the rig out, I decided to snap a quick picture.

This is the same mix-minus setup I use in the office, but with less gear, less expensive gear, and in one case, tougher gear.

It starts with the mixer, an absolute requirement for a mix-minus setup. Instead of the larger and heavier Mackie I use in the office, I carry a Behringer Xenyx 802 (upper left). It’s small, inexpensive (about $70), and features the auxiliary input/output ports required for the mix-minus. Sometimes it feels like the AC adapter for the mixer weighs more… Read More »

Get the FIR widget!

I found a new service called Sprout that allows you to build a widget that plays multimedia, among a lot of other things. It’s remarkably easy to use, as I found out when I managed to get into the beta. It took about 10 minutes to build this widget, which plays the most current episode of FIR. As each episode is posted, I’ll just go into the widget builder and update the media link so it always plays the most recent episode. Just copy the embed code (click “share”) and visitors to your site or blog can listen to FIR directly from your page. Pretty cool, huh?

 

New gadgets: A handheld recorder and a microphone filter

I’ve been coveting the Marantz PMD-620 digital recorder ever since I saw an early model on the trade show floor at Podcast Expo. I have the M-Audio Microtrack 24/96, but I’ve been having some issues with it that led me to explore alternatives. I’m already a loyal user of the PMD-660, about the size of a thick paperback book. The PMD-620 packs most of the 660’s functionality into a package about the size of a deck of cards.

It arrived the other day and I’ve been playing with it. While the real test will come with a real recording session, so far I’m thrilled with this device. The recorder comes with stereo condenser microphones built… Read More »

Utterzly cool

So how did I miss Utterz? Jeez, you spend a few weeks on the road and you’re out of the loop!

I first saw the site referenced this morning in a post by Robert Scoble, which directed me over to Jeremiah Owyan’s blog, where he had posted his first Utterz. It looked simple enough, so I did one of my own. You’ll be able to hear any I do in the future in the widget over in the right-hand column of the page, although if they’re interesting enough, I’ll also post them as blog items, like this one.

Utterz lets you post any audio, test, photo or video via your cell phone or email (or direct upload, for that matter). You can put what you’ve… Read More »

Audio podcasting: Commenting on the comments

Warning: Long post follows!

I arrived at a client meeting early and had time to kill, so I popped my wireless broadband card into my laptop and hammered out a post on podcating I’d been mulling over for some time. I figured I’d get a few comments—three, maybe four. But more than 30? Funny, isn’t it, how the posts you think will spark an outpouring of comments get a few and those you think will inspire only a few produce a torrent.

There were too many to address in the comment thread, so I figured—as long as I have 4-1/2 hours to kill on a flight home from Chicago—that I’d tackle them here.

To start, I have to express my awe and… Read More »

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