It sparked me to share one of my latest strategy ideas which I’ve decided to share with you here.

My Latest New Media Strategy Idea

I’ve been contemplating recording my podcast live at a consistent time every week. I would use Ustream to broadcast live. The audio recording for the podcast would be done on my computer (not via Ustream) to get the best quality. Ustream is just a tool for live interaction and broadcasting.

There are several benefits that come from doing this.

1. Consistency

It would force me to be more consistent with my solo show which has been a constant struggle for me. Internet Business Mastery is has been consistent because there are two of us recording so we schedule times in advance.

2. Live Energy

I love doing the live thing. I’m a performer at heart. I love to speak live. I like the energy that it gives me and my content.

3. Interaction

This would provide an additional layer of interaction. Even if only a small group of people “attend” live, the entire show will have a more interactive feel to it for all the listeners. People will feel more like they are participating in something.

4. Easy Video Content

This would produce a video recording that could be posted on Ustream and, more importantly, on all the other video sharing services. The key to establishing a preeminent position with your brand is to repurpose your content and syndicate across multiple channels with multiple formats (iTunes, YouTube, Twitter, etc.) using the most time- and cost-effective means. This would be a very efficient way to do that.

5. Viral Conversation

Ustream’s Twitter integration not only makes the interaction live but also potentially more viral.

What if You Have an Audio Show?

Now, you might be thinking, “But Jason your show is audio and Ustream is video. How will that work?”

There are a few possible answers. I could…

1. Broadcast my talking head via webcam. The audience would be listening in and watching me as I record.
2. Prepare a short set of slides to show through the video as I record then offer those up as a download.
3. Broadcast my screen showing the mindmap outline that I prepare for recording each show.
4. Broadcast a static logo during the broadcast.

I’m not sure which is the right answer. You’ll have to consider your audience, content and time. The last option is the easiest, but the least interesting. It would be a good idea to poll your audience and ask them which they prefer after considering which you are willing to do.

Is it Right for You?

Using Ustream in this way is by no means something that everyone has to do. It’s just an option to consider. Will it provide ROI for you?

For me it would be worth the additional time and commitment if it forces me to record more often (accountability), boosted the energy of my content (more compelling) and made my show more interactive (building greater trust and influence).

I guess by writing this I’m committing to at least trying this strategy. I’ll let you know how it goes.

What do you think?

What are your thoughts or questions about this strategy? Do you have additional suggestions? Let me know in the comments below.

Render Your Videos at a Resolution of
at least 640×480 (or 640×360)

If your resolution isn’t high enough, there’s a good chance your videos won’t get watched on Apple TV. Even iPods and iPhones support higher resolutions now. If you have been encoding at 320×240, consider increasing to 640×480 or 640×360 depending on your aspect ratio. One of the easiest ways to do this is using QuickTime Pro (only $29) which has a Movie to iPod preset.

This will increase the file size. If you’re worried about the files being to big leading to large bandwidth bills and longer download times, try reducing the bit rate and frame rate. You may be able to greatly reduce the file size while not sacrificing too much quality.

You can also use higher resolutions for Apple TV, but it’s a good idea to check the specifications on this page (which is always an excellent reference for publishers) to use what bit rates are allowed.

Let me know in the comments if you have any other questions about publishing for the Apple TV.

Recently Apple sent out a memo outlining best practices for video podcasters who want to be ready for AppleTV viewing. Here’s what you need to know:

• Previously a resolution of 320×240 was adequate. That’s what the iPod plays.
• To look best on an AppleTV you now need to encode in 640×480 (or 640×360 depending on your aspect ratio).
• QuickTime 7.1′s “Export to iPod” function now ensures that a video file is encoded at a width of 640.
• If your source files are 16:9, stick with that aspect ratio. Don’t letterbox it yourself or you will end up with a black square all the way around your video.

For more information, refer to the iTunes technical spec.

My iMac IS my AppleTV, so I’ve not invested in one yet. Has anyone watched a video podcast on AppleTV yet? How does it look?

Podcasting Metrics

Marketing Your Podcast

Promoting Your Business with Podcasting

Finding Your Voice – Choosing Your Topic (and Interacting with Your Audience)

Encoding Tools and Techniques for Video Podcasting

Building Buzz and Traffic for Your Podcast Through Social Media

In my last post, I talked about the importance of carefully choosing which format was best for your podcast–audio or video–rather than submitting to any hype or false assumptions. Now I’d like to take a look at the advantages and disadvantages of each format.

Advantages of Audio

1. Audio is a background media. Video is a foreground media.

I borrowed that statement from a comment made by Karin Høgh on my last post. In other words, it’s much easier for people to consume audio on the go or during “down time”. You can listen to a podcast while mowing the lawn. You can’t watch a video podcast while mowing.

2. Audio generally takes less production time

This is not a hard fast rule, but in general an audio podcast will take less time to produce than a video podcast. A half-hour show could be done in a few hours while a five-minute video clip could take all day.

3. Audio requires less bandwidth

Audio produces smaller files than video. Smaller files don’t require as much data transfer to send from your web site to your audience. Bandwidth is one of the primary costs of podcasting.

4. Audio podcasts can contain more info

Typically, podcasts consumers are willing to consume much longer audio content at a time. A listener might consume a half-hour podcast at once, whereas they usually would only sit through video clips that are less than five minutes. This allows you to convey more information at one time.

5. Audio formats and compression are easier to understand and use

If you have ever used Quicktime to export a video, you’ve probably noticed that it can be hard to choose just the right video compression settings and codec. Audio compression is usually much easier.

The MP3 audio format is universal. You can depend on the vast majority of your audience being able to consume it. Choosing a video format is trickier. You may find you need to support multiple formats such as MP4 and WMV in order for most people to be able to consume your media.

Advantages of Video

1. The visual aspect allows for a more powerful message

Having audio *and* visual elements at your disposal you can convey a more powerful message. The impression is stronger and can last longer. This is very useful when it comes to branding.

2. Some advertisers prefer video

This is related to the last point. You might find it easier to attract advertisers when you offer the opportunity for visual advertising.

3. Video can be viral

Most the examples of viral multimedia content that you hear about are video clips (e.g. OK Go, Coke and Mentos, etc.) There’s something about sharing short video clips that’s very appealing to people. You just don’t see that happening with audio.

Other Considerations and Points

• Do you really need a “talking head” to convey your message? You don’t have to watch many video podcasts to realize we have too many pointless “talking heads”.

• Is there a compelling reason to have the visuals? Rocketboom just wouldn’t be the same without the visual aspect (and I’m not talking about Joanne ;) ).

• If you’re podcasting tutorials, visuals could be very useful for clearly teaching concepts. Screencasting (recording your actions on a computer) is a great example of this.

• Who says you can’t use both audio and video. There’s no rule against that.

Both video and audio have their place. When choosing a format, don’t submit to hype. Think through your goals, define your target audience and decide what is best for you and them.

What did I miss? Please share your thoughts or feel free to disagree in the comments.

There’s no doubt that web video has rapidly gained popularity over the past year, especially with the advent of the iPod with video and the hype behind You Tube. The consumption of online and portable video will only continue to grow. But will video replace audio?

The answer is NO. Audio and video both have their advantages and disadvantages. I advise against adopting video just because it seems “in vogue.”

A report from Nielsen Media Research at the end of 2006 showed that only 2.2% of files played by Video iPod users on either iTunes or the device itself were videos. When measured by time spent consuming content, video still only made up 11% of the content consumed by Video iPod users. I’d venture to say these numbers are lower than Apple or video content producers expected.

Again, I’m not trying to advocate one format over another. It’s just important to be aware of the realities of audio and video consumption. It’s also important to consider the right criteria when choosing which format to use.

In my next post, I’ll take a look at the advantages and disadvantages of each format and present some important things to consider when choosing which to use yourself.