The Future Of ImTheMedia.com

Posted by Paul Colligan on Friday, October 12, 2007

At Podcast Expo 2006, I launched ImTheMedia.com. You can listen to my thoughts behind it in the recording from the event.

The engine I use to manage it is a spam magnet. Our team spends way too much time keeping out the badguys and, well, I don’t know how much benefit it is really bringing.

So, I’m looking at the future of ImTheMedia.com. I was thinking of making it a Social Network for people who are, gosh darn it, the media.

There is good and bad to this.

The whole “of course I’m the media, look me up” concept will still work and it would be a very cool social network of like minded people.

On the other hand it could have the potential to be “just another social network.”

Thoughts? Anyone? Bueller? Media?

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  • scott mcdougall

    Interesting, everyone is looking for what the next thing is going to be. I would like to see something that is less like myspace and more like a combination of twitter, facebook, goodreads, nutsie, without the Intrusive advertising and awkward functionality of Facebook. Last night i was listening to someone elses iTunes jazz library at home, what is the leap, how big is it to say that a site like U-Tube has channels that could be fed like a library media stream playlist to my home?

    I think the future is TAGS, and SQL searches on them, whatever the media may be, and have that cornucopia of media and elements be displayed and presented to me randomly or in a creative algorithmic manner.

    As you recommend to others, just start it, do it, and it evolves.

    Paul small improvements on what is out there is.. a big improvement, you don’t have to re-invent the wheel, just make it better.

  • http://rayedwards.com Ray Edwards

    Whether it is “just another social network” hangs on the culture of the people and personalities that make up the community, IMHO.

    Look at Podshow. Nothing new there, really. But the personality of Adam (and all the bit-players he brought along with him) is what gave that whole thing life (don’t get me started on their business model and how much money they’ve burned through — that’s a different story).

    Build it. Bring in cool people who are interested in playing and making something.

    And, as has already been said, it will evolve and grow.

  • http://www.boogey.com Scott Maentz

    Have you seen Ning.com? Cool and easy to use network platform, but I’ve moved our company network to Facebook , where the people are. My thinking is that people are more likely to use a larger social network that is being used by many others, rather than belong to several different networks.

    I think it will be to our advantage to be a group on Facebook, rather than requiring people to sign up for Ning, or Paul’s network, or whatever. Now if Paul’s network platform becomes as successful as Facebook with a host of cool features, I’ll just have to move again. For now I’m hoping Facebook will evolve and offer some of the cool tools I have with Ning.

    Links:
    http://boogeylights.ning.com
    http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=5274568709&ref=mf

  • http://www.paulcolligan.com Paul Colligan

    Ning would be the engine for what we’re doing Scott ;-)

    Paul

  • http://www.raceremote.com/ Derek Ross

    Yes …. because it would be a Niche Network .. I don’t believe it would ever be “just another” social network.

    One of the best things about the PNME 07 + 06 was that you had so many like minded folks in one area …

    If you could go back in time – to when Radio/Television/ (take your pick) was first evolving ..and hang out with – and discuss with – and compare notes with – the “great minds of that era” – how amazing that would have been – but that is what we have the ability to do ..(and have been doing) at recent events like the one mentioned above ..

    But on a more global scale – an ability to interconnect with others around the world who are “the media” or at least – “the emerging new media” would be a fantastic opportunity and resource …

    …and one that could be of benefit today

    ..and in the future

  • scott mcdougall

    me again, I like forums, i love forums, ReefCentral, ReefMonkey, NPORA, i could go on an on the forums i belong to and the real good friends I’ve developed, long distance. Ning looks cool, Niche forums with photo, and video hosting without having to use external sites for linking media, and here is the biggie IMO, I want my MAC to look and feel like a MAC with the cool gadgets working in conjuntion. I have these built in video cameras and iChat conferencing but they don’t seem to work so well on some social networking sites, dating sites.

    It makes sense to build something for a niche market and make it work very very well. It the very least you have served ONE specialty market.

    - I want my mac to behave like one, integrate the goodies and make it work with the site. iChat iCal etc.
    -Forums for general communication and a DMZ chat room
    -video and photo hosting
    - ( podcast hosting or partners ? )
    -relevant advertisers and retailers yellow pages and forums
    -news tab / political tab / ent tab / marketing news tab etc ( like huffingtonpost.com tabs )
    -twitter feed ?
    -other feeds ?
    -conference calendar ! all the conferences listed and where.. tired of searching everywhere for where is x y z…
    -technology trends
    -links to member podcasts

    just washing dishes and got thinking about some of the comments ….

  • http://www.intralog.nl Maurice Zondag

    Paul,

    I think it would work for sure. I mean, this is the future of social networking. Social Networking 2.0, to stay in 21th century terms.

    Building a community of people with the same state of mind has been going on in the offline world for years! subject targeted websites are around for years, and yet, all the social networks are combining nothing of that. Well, they combine the factor ‘friend’. You have your friends on the network, and that is your communication outlet.

    Am I meeting new people on these networks? Only if I see my ‘friends’ talk to someone I don’t know and find the conversation intresting. That is how I meet new friends. So that said, a SN where everyone has the same interest is the logical sequal of myspace, facebook, twitter, and so on.

    I would subscribe, cause I’d like to meet people like me, and could be my future friends!

  • http://www.paulcolligan.com Paul Colligan

    Well all – we did it – check out http://www.imthemedia.com – and please join up ;-)

    p

  • http://behindtheweddingmic.com David G. Lopez

    Thanks Paul for the information. I really want to see this work. I did show taxi–don’t work!!!! Preeso———- too complicated!!!!!! Make your own feed????? Please show me ANYONE where this working and i am in.