Strive Notes

Social media enthusiasts on the Isle of Man were treated to a double-whammy yesterday with the monthly event ThirdThursday and later in the day, the British Computer Society (BSC) hosted a podcasting event presented by Derek Richardson.

Following last month’s Super ThirdThursday, a few new faces joined the monthly lunch at the Paparazzi. About 15 people from a range of backgrounds such as blogging, podcasting, marketing, radio, twitters etc all turned up to discuss all things social media.

Conversations ranged from celebrity twitters (I might have been responsible for that), blog platforms, SEO to twitter applications such as Tweetdeck and Blu. There was also some fascination among the group when one of our newbies revealed his new blackberry with HD screen!

The social media fun continued into the evening. Derek Richardson, a ThirdThursday regular and podcasting whiz kid who also has 20 years experience in radio production, delivered an engaging presentation at the BCS IOM podcasting discussion. About 30 people from real estate agents, to charities, life assurance companies, bloggers and a few who were just looking to learn more about personal podcasting, came along to The Claremont Hotel for the presentation.

The talk covered topics such as the benefits of podcasting, how to get your podcasts noticed, legal considerations such as copyright, hosting sites, the origins of podcasts and a very impressive demonstration.

From the beginning of the presentation throughout, Derek was keen to stress the most beneficial aspect of podcasting. They are downloadable which allows the listener to take it away and listen ‘at their own convenience’. The ease of consumption is what makes podcasts popular. Listeners can download a programme, put it on their iPod and listen to it while walking to work, during a lunch break, working out or whenever they want. Because of the variety of podcasts available, much like blogs or websites, quality is of the utmost importance. A good quality microphone is essential for a polished finish and it doesn’t have to cost the earth. Mac computers have an inbuilt microphone that produces quality sounds.

Owen Cutajar, events organiser and webmaster of BCS IOM, and I were both sufficiently embarrassed when Derek put us on the spot during his demonstration. This proved to be the most popular part of the presentation. After a short interview with us unsuspecting members of the audience, Derek whipped up a short podcast, demonstrating his editing skills to an impressed and enthralled audience. To my horror, he then uploaded it on the internet for the world to witness the common way I say ‘River Wear’. You can listen to the demonstration here.

Podcasts are an under-utilised form of promotion both for individuals and organisations. According to Derek’s presentation, latest research in the USA shows one in four people have downloaded a podcast and they are also popular here in the UK. Radio1 DJ Chris Moyles produces a podcast that has well in excess of 1m downloads every week. This is a platform that can clearly have a great reach and when used correctly can provide added value to customers/clients of a variety of organisations. It can also be a fun way to spend a Sunday afternoon.

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• Come learn all about Podcasting (u-g-h.com)
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Filed under: public relations