This is pure genius.

Thanks man, I thought it would have got more traction - but what do I know?
Paul

I think there are two things going against it, first there’s nothing to dispute about a slam dunk, second, for a lot of readers you might be telling them the emperor has no clothes…

You’re right on. People confuse the medium with the message (content) all the time. Content drives audiences, not formats. The Beatles maintain popularity despite all of the changes in music formats over the years. Larry King has been popular in print, on the radio, and now on TV. People enjoy baseball whether it was listening to games recreated from ticker tape, on the radio, on TV, or now on the Internet.

John’s right. How can you make meaningful comments about something that is complete, other than to say ‘Good job’? I’ll try, though.

New media and social media, in all their iterations, are nothing more than platforms. They are tools for communication, tactical mechanisms just like print advertisements and direct mailings. Tactics can be interesting, but have no intrinsic value. They have to be used properly.

Sure, there is money in videos. There’s money in podcasting. There’s money in a lot of things, and there will continue to be as long as they are useful.

Video never quite killed the radio star, did it?

I was hoping for either a “man, Paul, you’re wrong and here’s why” kinda conversation - or a “Paul, you’re right, how do we continue this meme” kinda thing.

I think, as a greater part, we’re doing more damage than good with this obsession with video as “better” than audio versus “different” than audio.

Paul

I would argue that the same can be said for traditional advertising. There is a tendency to bash print ads, and other ‘old’ methods, these days. Too often I find myself having to explain that advertising is not dead, it’s got friends to play with now. Old media and new and social - it can all work together. I should all work together.

It’s hard to argue with that, except that I will anyhow.

Audio is a great format, and I love This American Life in audio. I’ve never even seen the video. I probably never will. I love listening to Garrison Keillor from time to time, but haven’t ever watched his show. He makes great radio (in doses). I love Marketing Over Coffee, but even though Chris and John are handsome enough dudes, I don’t really need to see them saying what they’re talking about.

And yet, I still think the money overall is in video. Not because MTV lost track of their empire, but because we’re a consumer economy, and we’re expanding out into new communications tools, if nothing more than a means to fuel spending. Don’t believe me? The hottest selling segment of digital cameras right now? Picture frames. Digital picture frames. Why? Because we out-purchased the marketplace on high end point and clicks.

So, my answer isn’t from the heart and soul of good content, but from what consumers are doing with their dollars. They’re buying gear that makes video, and they’re using video as part of their communications methods. They are consuming more and more video content (over 10 million YouTube videos in Dec 07 alone, and just YouTube alone), and that number is still bouncing up.

Is audio better? For lots of things. So’s text. And yet…

: )

The general public is spending a ton of cash on equipment to produce and consume their own video content - yes, Chris, you are totally right. However, that, in no way, means that the “future” of Podcasting is video in any way, shape, or form.

Heck, it’s almost as if video has become the “amateur” channel while the serious stuff is the Fresh Aire and Marketing Over Coffee stuff delivered audio only.

Is it curious at all that the number 1 video podcast at iTunes is the best of YouTube? The most recent 2 are “Dog and Ball Machine” and “Impressive 10 Year Old Guitar Player.”

And, by the way, MTV never lost track of their empire - there just isn’t the money in music videos that there is elsewhere. They were never about the music.

The point here is simple - everyone screamed that video what the future of music - it wasn’t.

Now those same people are screaming the video is the future of Podcasting - I’m just wondering if we’ll learn anything this round.

Paul