Category: blogs

Feedburner ain’t infallible

I just spent the morning cursing Feedburner.

While working on a client’s premium podcast, the service that has always been a really nice way of creating a welcome interface for users (play now buttons, choice of subscribe options, etc.) totally rebuffed any attempt to make episode #1 be recognized in an mp3 enclosure. That’s fancy talk for “it didn’t work, and iTunes wouldn’t see a podcast.” I still can’t figure out if it was a Blogger problem or not, but it was officially not working… despite all the elements being there.

So, it was back to the olden days of podcasting… yep all the way back to 2004. I had to code my own source RSS feed and plug that into Feedburner. Lo and behold it worked. I wonder what people who weren’t mucking with hand rolled RSS feeds do when presented with this issue? I suspect they throw their hands in the air and give up… that’s a shame, and it shows how we have a ways to go in the industry to truly make it simple when a Blogger-Feedburner handshake won’t work on the first, second or even third try…

BTW, if you’re in the same boat I was this morning, check out the podcast feed generator. It’ll get your feed parsed out for episode one. Beyond that you have to write your own code in addition to what it spits out. Still, a handy resource in a pinch.

Blogging’s good for business

At least that’s what the NY Times says.

To its true believers at small businesses, it is a low-cost, high-return tool that can handle marketing and public relations, raise the company profile and build the brand.

It’s sort of surprising to me that few small businesses have taken this rather simple route to boost their overall exposure. Still, knowing how demanding all of the other aspects of running a business can be, maybe it’s not so surprising!

Have a great weekend!

Wrapping up Blog World

Day two was significantly quieter… I suspect Vegas claimed a few victims overnight! Going to one more session on social networking proved to be one too many as the info wasn’t as helpful as yesterday’s sessions. I just finished a session on mic technique by the rep from Shure – the crowd was pretty sparse, which was a shame because he put together a nice (if a bit techie) piece. Shure mics are outstanding for the more advanced podcasters out there (their price points tend to be higher than I’d recommend for newbies).

I got to meet Rob Walch at the Wizzard Media booth, and we had a nice chat about all things podcasting and – of course – the iPhone. Rob’s an important voice in podcasting (Podcast 411 is a place I tell all people to check out). I also got a chance to see Justine from iJustine wandering about. She was the one with the massive iPhone bill video that got a kajillion views this summer on YouTube.

All in all, a great show. I think I’m going to skip out on the Mark Cuban keynote… if he was going to talk about whether he was going to buy a hockey team, I’d probably go, but for now… I’m ready to grab some coffee and wait up for my red eye back to DC. I’ve got a lot of work to do based on some of the great info and networking here!

Blog World: Leo Laporte keynote


This is what Leo twittered before he came on stage for the keynote this morning. I have to say, he was not terribly informative, and it might have to do with that lack of prep. I suppose I appreciate the honesty! I like what he’s done in the world of tech… his radio show and podcast help a lot of people out, and there’s no question Leo has advanced podcasting in ways few have. But this keynote was nowhere near as informative as yesterday’s sessions. Oh well, can’t win them all.

One interesting piece from the keynote… podcasting is leveling off in some ways, but it’s opening up some other avenues through featuring content in webpages and newsletters. I think that’s right on… if you rely on iTunes as your only outlet for your content, then you’re seriously missing an opportunity. Think bigger and get that content out there in as many ways as you can.

Two more sessions and maybe a keynote with Mark Cuban to go…

Blog World Day 2

I’m off to hear Leo Laporte at the morning keynote (easst coast jet lag allows me to rise at an earlier hour than normal. Did you know the sun is up at 6:30? Who knew?). Looking forward to some good information at the sessions as well. I had a lot to digest last night… I suspect I’ll be spending a fair amount of time putting together some new suggestions for clients in the podcasting and social media spheres after this show. You might even see some new additions to Nineball Media’s offerings…

At Blog World

One semi-conscious early AM flight and I have arrived in Vegas for Blog World… I’m sure there will be plenty to blog about. First up is a session on video techniques. More later, including some assuredly poor quality pictures…

UPDATE…

Ok, so this pic’s not so bad… but the guy ahead of me was caught in an awkward looking position. Video session was very good…. up next is a session on ways to monetize your podcast. One panel member suggested forming a podcast consulting company. Hmmmm… not a bad idea. Not bad at all…

UPDATE again…

I just sat in on another great marketing session full of amazing tips on leveraging new media for a variety of revenue generating ideas. So far I’ve been quite impressed with the quality of the presentations. Now I’m off to either (a) enjoy Vegas, or (b) implement some of these ideas for some of my clients. My workoholic ways and commitment to clients seems to be leaning (b). Celine Dione… Penn & Teller… Carrot Top… Danny Gans… the shows must go on without me!

Portland a blog mecca

Oregon Public Radio reports that Portlanders love blogs, second only to Austin, TX. Here at Nineball Media’s west coast office (based in… Portland), we’re committed to making Portland eke out the last percentage point or two to topple the mighty Austinites (Austiners?). Read more blogs in PDX!

Hat tip to Mike for pointing this out… hat tip to my under-caffeinated brain for ironically posting a story about Oregon blog readership for the Nineball Oregon office… on a blog. Hat tip to the man or woman who came up with the concept of hat tipping.

I love the Internets

So, I’ve been suffering all day doing audio editing with an Apple Mighty Mouse that suddenly decided not to scroll down. Frustration mounted until, in a pique of anger, I googled “mighty mouse wont scroll” (I couldn’t be bothered to use actual punctuation). The result? This blog post… which solved everything… all I had to do was press real hard. Who knew!?

It’s times like this that I love the Internets.

Fake Steve Jobs outed

If you read this blog, I hope you’ve also been reading Fake Steve Jobs. He’s been very funny and has a spot on take on what we all think (or wish) el Jobso has going on in his head. For the last year or so, his true identity has been a secret… until the intrepid New York Times figured out the ruse. Fake Steve Jobs has been outed.

We’ll see how this impacts FSJ’s rants… now that we know he’s Daniel Lyons, an editor at Forbes.com, will that put a damper on the content?

Blog World Expo

Register Now at Blog WorldThe Blog World Expo in Vegas this fall bills itself as “The first and only tradeshow, conference, and media event dedicated to promoting the dynamic industry of blogging and new media.” Something tells me there are some other heirs to that title, but no matter. Looks like this one has a lineup of big hitter companies sponsoring it, and frankly… Ontario, CA…. Vegas…. Ontario, CA… Vegas. Hmmm.

I’m tentatively hitting the New Media Expo in Ontario this September, but if the buzz on this show builds up, I might just be heading to Vegas too.