Livingston

Jun
19
2008

Engaging Podcast

Anna Farmery is one of Great Britain’s leading podcasters. I joined her for a chat on Now Is Gone in Episode 172 of the Engaging Brand podcast this week. During the show we talked about:

* What are the rules of engagement
* How community has changed
* Are companies entering social media for the right reasons
* Where does social media belong ? Is it a communication tool or a customer service initiative?
* Do you need a PR strategy?
* How important is social media training within business?
* Have we reached a plateau…..is there a trick to differentiating yourself from competitors?
* The 3 aspects of branding

If you are trying to figure out social media for your company or agency, give the podcast a listen. I think you’ll get a lot out of it. And special thanks to Anna for having me on the show!

May
14
2008

Episode 19: Where Do We Go with Blogger Relations

Usually, we don’t post District of Corruption podcast episodes on the Buzz Bin as they tend to be more of a personal podcast for Geoff. However, this episode was unusually relevant for Buzz Bin readers given all of the brouhaha that blew up across the blogosphere.

Technosailor’s Aaron Brazell started us off as Geoff was late (doh!). Then we had a very long civil discussion about the whole blogger relations issue. We called Gina Trapani Rita all show. So sorry, Gina!

Ground covered included:

  • Basic background
  • Some of the causes, including undo pressure
  • Whether or not all bloggers really have the power to blacklist vs. the top tier
  • Press releases - why bother emailing them?
  • Better uses of our time, including social good
  • Flat out building relationships

Presto Vivace’s Alice Marshall joined us for a good part of the conversation and added a lot of great colorful insights.

Download Episode 19 - MP3.

Apr
03
2008

Telecom CEO Blogger Suzanne Bowen on Social Media

miss DIDX CEO and DIDX.net Blogger Suzanne Bowen and I caught up at CTIA Wireless 2008 in Las Vegas this week.  Suzanne also blog at VoIP by Association. We talked about a couple of things in this very quick podjot, including:

 

    • The rise of new media powerhouses Engadget and Gizmodo at CTIA Wireless
    • Blogging and social media in general
    • And the impact new media is making on the telecom industry

    You can download the short podcast here.

    Mar
    18
    2008

    District of Corruption: Lucky Number 11 Was a Gas

    This week’s (District of Corruption download here) was pretty outrageous!  First, Aaron and I banetered about bracketology. Commenters didn’t want to talk about sports.

    Then we had the Rock Star discussion, complements of Rohit. Aaron was offended by me, about not being a rock star, then he told me “F U.” Then Aaron was offended again by not being included by true rock star Chris Brogan’s in his personal rock star list. Later Queen of Spain called Aaron a Diva.

    We talked about Frank not knowing about the Bebo acquisition.  Then Jared Goralnick and Aaron argued on comments and radio about whether it was Mebo or Bebo…  Then Aaron offered his soul patch to cover my bald head.

    As if it wasn’t funny already, we had a crazy evangelical caller from Toronto who got the big ole….

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    Then Queen of Spain took us to task for dissing Second Life in favor of World of Warcraft. Blogher case study referenced.

    For Silly Valley, we briefly talked about Yahoo Buzz! killing Digg. We don’t think so. 

    District of Corruption airs every Tuesday at 4 p.m. on BlogTalkRadio.

    Mar
    10
    2008

    The Little Podcast That Could

    Like radio to TV, the Internet and print, podcasts can be seen as an afterthought compared to its other new media brethren video, social networks and blogging. Yet this narrowcast medium can offer fantastic narrowcasting benefits to the content creator who dedicates himself to the craft of audio.

    Statistics tell a different story than the perceived afterthought. eMarketer expects a significant increase in podcast consumption this year. The current 18.5 million in the U.S. (or six percent of the population) isn’t too shabby. A more than quadruple increase to 65 million in five years will be even more impressive. eMarketer says the audience growth will fuel US spending on podcast-related advertising increases to $435 million in 2012, up from $165 million in 2007.

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    Perhaps even more alluring, podcasts seem to attract audiences from all demographics, says a second eMarketer report. Five demographics have double digit ownership of the total market share, and men and women seem to listen to podcasts equally. The same report  showed an even breakdown in the percentages of US podcast listeners in four income brackets: $25K to $50K; $50K to $75; $75K to $100K; and $100K and above.

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    Radio Support Can Better Podcasting

    Maybe the sex appeal lacks luster because podcasting has been around for so long that it doesn’t  have the sheen other media forms do. Or maybe the media form is just lest engaging and harder to use. As a result, it doesn’t generate the same excitement.

    Blogging and video have both enjoyed the attention and support of their fourth estate counterparts in print (newspapers and magazine) and broadcast/cable. Unlike its brethren, podcasting has not received the same love from radio broadcasters. 

    Yes, radio shows are posted online — usually days afterwards — but not through the same mechanisms that most podcasters use for downloads (for example iTunes). And often radio shows will simply rebroadcast from the web page instead of allowing downloads. 

    There are some exceptions with some products like ESPNRadio shows available for podcast. And eMarketer listed terrestrial radio’s use and promotion of podcasting as a primary growth factor.  To me this is the key.  The Fifth Estate’s growth in many ways was fueled and created by the Fourth Estate.  When terrestrial (and satellite) radio propagates podcasts regularly and openly, I expect to see a tremendous podcasting boon.

    Social media marketers cannot afford to ignore podcasts.  They can garner a tremendous boon for their communities with audio.  Consider that Cisco experiences nine time consumption of its podcasts compared to its traditional web pages.

    Marketing and PR Specific Examples 

    Sometimes examples speak louder than theory. Consider how successful Shel Holtz and Neville Hobson have become in our own space because of their renowned For Immediate Release podcast series. How about C.C. Chapman who has become known through social media circles first for his stellar podcasting skills?

    IMG_1224My fellow panelist today at the HCI Summit (I’m liveblogging this event here) Lisa Orrell has a fantastic podcast that’s listened to in 17 countries by 3,000 people. Lisa, a marketing expert who focuses on Gen. Y and millenials, says the podcast has taken a life of its own (photo features Lisa Orrell, Human Resource Executive Editor and Publisher David Shadovitz and myself)!

    Media Bullseye’s Sarah Wurrey does a weekly round-up of top PR podcasts every week called PR PodJots. This is a great round-up for podcast fans.

    Locally in DC, Technosailor’s Aaron Brazell and I host a weekly live podcast "District of Corruption" via BlogTalk Radio.  This is a Diggnation-esque semi-punk take on the local DC social media community (and larger events, too).  We seem to be developing a loyal local following.  Additionally, some of the Buzz Bin’s most viewed posts have been our podcasts.

    Feb
    07
    2008

    Nettie Hartsock Discusses SXSW, Books, and Over Indulging on Social Media

    nettie-willie Book publicist, blogger and former tech writer Nettie Hartsock and I had a chance to sit down and chat.  Nettie is a veteran e-business journalist and PR Marathoner. Her name can even be Googled with some notable results. Our conversation covered a wide variety of topics , including:

    If you prefer to download, visit media.libsyn.com/media/geoliv/nettiehartsock.wav.

    Jan
    31
    2008

    Maggie Fox’s Take on Social Media Releases and More

    n681510503_7807On Monday, Maggie Fox took some time to talk about social media releases and more.  Our 13+ minute conversation was packed with great insights, and covered the following topics:

    If you prefer to download, visit media.libsyn.com/media/geoliv/MFox.wav.

    Also, don’t miss our companion interview with Shannon Whitley, who has been developing SMRs for two years now!

    Jan
    26
    2008

    K.D. Paine Podcast Part II

    On Thursday, we ran part one of our interview with measurement guru K.D. Paine, author of the new book, Measuring Public Relationships.  In part II we discuss:

    • A tangent between K.D. Paine  and Seth Godin’s Meatball Sundae
    • The power and relevancy of the Cluetrain Manifesto
    • Journalism and blogging tied together
    • K.D.’s favorite blogging moment
    • Her next book, which will focus more on actual tales of relationship building through social media

    If you prefer to download, visit media.libsyn.com/media/geoliv/KDPaineII.wav.

    In addition to the new book, K.D. recently released a paper with Pauline Draper and Angela Jeffrey, titled, Using Public Relations Research to Drive Business Results.  From Kami Huyse’s review:

    It includes six case studies and a measurement matrix that gives suggested measurement tools for specific objectives.  If you are just starting out with public relations measurement, this is a great tool to get your feet wet.

    Jan
    24
    2008

    K.D. Paine Discusses Measurement

    K.D. Paine for this week’s Buzz Bin interview. In addition to a new book, she recently released a paper with Pauline Draper and Angela Jeffrey, titled, Using Public Relations Research to Drive Business Results.  From Kami Huyse’s review:

    It includes six case studies and a measurement matrix that gives suggested measurement tools for specific objectives.  If you are just starting out with public relations measurement, this is a great tool to get your feet wet.

    This is a strong interview from one of the industry’s leading minds.  In the first part of our podcasted interview, K.D. discussed some aspects of her new book, Measuring Public Relationships." Topics included:

    • Relationships versus page views, unique visits, number of visits, etc.
    • Katie’s bold prediction
    • The biggest mistake made by PR Pros

    If you prefer to download, visit media.libsyn.com/media/geoliv/kdpaine.wav. Part II will run this Saturday.

    Jan
    07
    2008

    District of Corruption Radio Begins Tomorrow at 4

    Tomorrow begins the weekly live podcast District of Corruption on BlogTalk Radio.  The show will feature Technosailor’s Aaron Brazell and myself riffing on the week’s social media happenings in the Greater Washington and Baltimore region, and nationally. We will be on Tuesday at 4 p.m.

    The District of Corruption will not be your average BTR show with two social media consultants talking about trends in a benign, “professional’ manner.  Think Diggnation meets the comments section of your favorite social media news site with a lot of local seasoning. It will be raw with lots of mandatory fun!

    Tune in tomorrow for the first show!  Of course, all shows will be housed permanently on BlogTalkRadio’s site.