• Get Jeff’s Posts

    Subscribe to Truth...Justice...All That Stuff... by Email

  • Reach Jeff by Phone

    Got a question? Call Jeff. 774-BROWN-11 (774-276-9611)

  • Jeff’s Tweets

  • Jeff’s Blog Archives

  • Featured in Alltop

  • Jeff’s Comments

  • Disclaimer

    The opinions expressed on this weblog are my own and do not necessarily reflect those of my employer.

  • Copyright

    Creative Commons License
    If you reprint a post on this site or repost it on your own blog or website, you must include the following attribution: © 2011, Jeffery D. Brown. Used by Permission. Originally posted at thejeffbrown.me.

The Noticer Project: 5 People That Have Impacted You Most

Posted on April 26, 2009 by Jeff

_140_245_book50coverIf  you’re anything like me, you pretty much suck at noticing your surroundings.  Any time my wife makes a change to something within our home (a new wall hanging, rearranged furniture, a different brand of toothpaste even), it usually requires her pointing it out to me.  Let’s just say I’ve missed my share of “Your new do looks great, honey!” opportunities.

This curse especially makes itself known when I’m trying to locate a specific item around the house – by the way, why does it seem we husbands have a disproportionate amount of trouble with this?  I could be looking for cream or sugar for my coffee.  Maybe it’s a certain pair of socks.  Maybe it’s the milk (probably in the refrigerator).  Whatever it is I’m trying to find, more often than not, it’s right in front of me.  My brain, for some reason, just doesn’t see it.

I have to admit that, as I’ve grown older, I can sometimes allow this blinders-on mentality to creep into my relationships.  If I’m not making a concerted effort to pay attention, needs I should be meeting, or at least helping to meet, can go completely ignored.  And that’s certainly not a habit I want to see get a strong-hold in my life.

I couldn’t help but laugh just a little then, albeit nervously, when I realized the subject matter of the new book The Noticer: Sometimes, all a person needs is a little perspective; a book I’ve agreed to review in time for it’s release on Tuesday.

I’m especially intrigued though by a campaign the publishers are referring to as The Noticer Project. The site describes the project, in conjunction with the book, as “a worldwide movement to ‘notice’ the 5 most influential people in your life.” The description goes on to say, “Noticing those five people is meant to encourage us to step outside our busy schedules and avoid waiting until a wedding, graduation or even a funeral to take notice of the special, influential people in our lives.” How wonderful is that?

I’ll post my review of The Noticer: Sometimes, all a person needs is a little perspective tomorrow.  In the meantime, you can enjoy this special video.  It includes several in-character excerpts from the book itself.

Filed under: Books, Publishing, Reviews | Tagged: , , | Leave a comment »

Geek Breakfast!

Posted on April 22, 2009 by Jeff

In March 2009, I attended my first Podcamp Nashville.  While there I got to meet, or hear speak, a couple of people I’d been following (and admiring) on Twitter for a little while.

istock_000000204365xsmall

One of those folks was Dave Delaney (@davedelaney on Twitter).  Soon after, I discovered Dave had organized what he referred to as a Geek Breakfast group on Facebook.  He describes the group as, “A casual monthly meet-up over coffee and breakfast to discuss new media, podcasting, blogging, programming, open source, social networks and more.”  I quickly joined.  Later, I discovered a group had also been created for Hendersonville (a community north of Nashville) by Bill Seaver (@billseaver on Twitter).

I soon realized though that, while joining these Facebook groups would no doubt bring into my life many new and exciting friendships, the proximately of my home and work to both of these areas would make it difficult to make one of the monthly gatherings any time soon.

I proceded to check the Geek Breakfast headquarters and saw that, while there was a Murfreesboro group in addition to Nashville and Hendersonville, there wasn’t a south of Nashville, Franklin/Spring Hill group of any kind.  If you know the Franklin and Spring Hill, Tennessee areas at all, you know that over the last 10 years Spring Hill and the Franklin area of Cool Springs have grown significantly.

It just didn’t seem right for there not to be a Franklin – Spring Hill Geek Breakfast Group.  So, I did what anyone else would’ve done in my situation.  I formed my own.  Honestly, I did it without giving much thought to preparation and planning, the investment of time, recruiting people, any of that.  I just did it.

So, now, here I sit eagerly anticipating the development of this new group.  As soon as I can secure a location and date, I’ll pass the info along both on Facebook and here on my blog under the Geek Breakfast tab.

I hope if you live or work near this sprawling area of middle Tennessee you’ll consider joining us.  And, if you have any suggestions on how to make it better, don’t hesitate to let me know.

Thanks!

Filed under: Blogging, Geek Breakfast, Podcasting, Social Media, Web 2.0 | Tagged: , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment »

Invoicing Doesn’t Have to be a Pain

Posted on April 19, 2009 by Jeff

If you’re like most people these days and you work for someone else, chances are you’ve at least considered doing a little moonlighting or venturing out on your own altogether, especially in this uncertain economy.

life before week-end. business scream

None of us knows if or when it might be our turn to get the axe, so it never hurts to have another iron or two in the fire.  Only recently have I even given any thought to what I would do in that situation.  “What’s my Plan B,” in other words.

For me, I’ve had a few close colleagues recently recommend I branch out by consulting other small businesses in social media, particularly in the area of brand monitoring.  While I’ve not officially attempted that yet, I have seen requests increase recently in an area closer to my current profession: voice overs.

This was not something I planned or marketed in any way (when it rains it pours I guess).  It’s picked up enough, though, that it was time to find a better way to keep track of it all.  I was especially interested in an easy way to invoice and track payments from clients.  Ultimately, I wanted to find a program I could use in the cloud.  The ability to track payments, invoices and clients all online would be the perfect solution.  If I could send invoices easily by e-mail, then all the better.

I began my research on Twitter, asking those that follow me – about 700 at the time – what they might recommend.  I ended up with three different suggestions in all.  The one that intrigued me the most though was FreshBooks.

I’ve been using it for just about three months now, and I’ve found it to be the perfect solution for my situation.  If you’re just starting out as a freelancer or small business owner, or your business operates on just a handful of clients, then you may be able to use the free version.  Once you reach 4 clients or more, you’ll have to pay a monthly fee.

I think the subscription-based pricing structure is very reasonable.  If you manage anywhere between 4 and 25 clients, the cost to you is only $14 per month.  26 to 100 clients is just $27 per month.  Prices go up from there, but I think it’s a pretty good deal.  Having said that, I haven’t compared FreshBooks’ pricing with that of other, similar services.  I do like their 30-day money back guarantee, and the fact they’re no contracts.  You use it on a month-to-month basis and, if at any time you decide to stop using it, no problem.

The FreshBooks software even allows you to track by time.  Personally, that’s not something I use, at least not yet.  I especially like the professional look and the credibility I feel it adds to my over-all presentation.  According to the FreshBooks website, it’s simply an online invoice and time tracking service that saves you time (I can attest to that).

With FreshBooks, you can:

  • Create, send and manage invoices
  • Track time (for you and your staff)
  • Send invoices by e-mail or US post
  • Accept payment with PayPal, Authorize.Net and more
  • Automatically send invoices and late payment notices
  • Create reports and import/export your data

I’ve been really happy with it.  One of the aspects I liked most about the software was the ability to open an account and create and send my first invoice in the span of about 15 minutes.  Not bad.  Though I’m only using the free version now, I’m confident that once I add more clients, I’ll stick with FreshBooks and move up to the next tier.

What about you?  What invoice software do you use?  Have you used FreshBooks?  If so, do you like it?  If not, what are your gripes?

Note: Thanks to Christopher (@side3media on Twitter) for referring me to FreshBooks.  I owe you one.  Also, the FreshBooks links I’ve provided in this post are referrel links unique to me.  If you prefer to by-pass this, simply go to freshbooks.com.

Filed under: Business, Web 2.0 | Tagged: , , , , , , | 8 Comments »

The Future’s So Bright (At Least It Can Be)

Posted on April 7, 2009 by Jeff

I was replying this morning to a comment from Robbie Newton on my last blog post.  Robbie is a former WAY-FM board member and someone whose opinion I respect a great deal.  As I wrote my reply, I realized this was one of those moments where the conversation warranted a blog post of its own.

istock_000001671341xsmall

Basically, the conversation revolves around the question, “Where is radio going?”  There are a lot of opinions as to what that might look like.  Some believe radio will suffer the same fate as many newspapers recently, while others feel (myself included) that the level of radio’s suffering will be directly connected to its level of willingness to adapt to the changes in listener habits and preferences.

My conversation with Robbie thus far, beginning with his initial response to my post 10 Years Ago Today: My WAY-FM Journey:

I find this post very interesting.  As a former member of the board of directors, I observed the ministry up close and personal for over 15 years.  I agree that Matt and Bob are two very fine Christian men.  I see the current turmoil in the industry as ultimately being a good thing because those with the best ideas and courage to take risks will emerge as industry leaders while the rest will fall by the wayside.  I think many inside the industry are realizing that radio was never really about radio in the first place.  It was (and still is) about the listener and communicating with them.  I sense that you might be a little uneasy with those at the corporate level and what decisions they will make about the future direction of the ministry (to feel this way would be understandable).  You mention that you are willing to do everything in your power to ensure the survival of your slice of the pie.  What if ensuring your survival called for the sacrifice of other pieces of the WAY-FM pie, would that be okay?  How does one decide which slice to cut if there’s not enough money to go around?

You are very wise. :-)

First, I agree that it’s not about radio, but about the listener.  Too many in the industry at large fail to realize that.  I think it was a very forward-thinking move years ago when the word “radio” was removed from our mission statement.  To me, it was a realization by the executive team that, while radio is the medium we use today to reach youth and young adults, it may not be the primary vehicle used tomorrow.  I, personally, am striving to be a forward-thinker within the company so that we as a company – not just WAY-FM Nashville – don’t “fall by the wayside.”

As to your question, I hadn’t considered that scenario specifically.  All I can do as operations director is try to ensure the station I work for is making an impact in the local community.  Hopefully, listenership increases as a result of that along with listener donations.  And, I hope to be able to do that for as long as they will let me, meaning, I don’t take anything for granted.

How does one decide which slice to cut?  Hopefully it doesn’t come to that, but if it does and it were me doing the deciding, it would be difficult to cut long-established stations if for no other reason than the obligations established within their community of listeners over a long period of time.  Other stations though are practically brand new and still trying to find an audience.

Getting back to the reference to a ‘slice of pie’, perhaps it’s time to go back into the ministry kitchen and start cooking all over again.  Who would be the chefs? I suggest that they should be current senior management, station managers, other key stakeholders (such as thought leaders in the Christian recording industry), current listeners, post-listeners, and most importantly, pre-listeners.  Their assignment would be to bake a brand new pie.  The available ingredients would include the current assets of the ministry (staff, facilities, technologies, etc.), and a God-breathed understanding of the current culture in which you have been called to reach.  So my question to you is quite simple…what do you think the new pie would look like, especially your slice?

The “ingredients” are limited only by our imagination.  As someone within the company who has immersed himself in all things social media the past 18 months, there are several things I see happening in order for WAY-FM, and radio in general, to remain relevant.

  • Downloadable Audio – Podcasts basically.  Not revelatory, but something that’s not happening now no doubt due to limited resources.  I, for one, don’t want to wait for someone else within the company to make it happen.  Rather, I want to take the bull by the horns and set an example for others to follow.  This would include “Mornings with Brant,” “Total Axxess,” the “Top 20 Meltdown,” etc.  I’d like to see each station given the opportunity to monetize it independent of one another.  Give us the ability to further localize the content.
  • Downloadable Video – In essence, video podcasts.  However, I want to take this beyond shooting artist visits and behind the scenes goings-on during certain shows.  Right now the video that is being shot (during certain shows and at local events) is being pushed out primarily through YouTube.  To my knowledge, no one within the company is providing video content in subscribe-able form (apart from what YouTube offers which leaves a lot to be desired).  I see this including deliberate, produced video “shows” that serve as an extension of what we’re doing on the air and in the community.  They may or may not be hosted by on-air talent.  We have a plethora of people on the local level who bring to the table talents we’ve yet to tap into.
  • Live Streaming Video – No matter who we have on the air in any given year, there’s always a certain level of resistance to this.  I believe the future of radio includes nearly 24/7 video streaming (Ustream and/or Stickam among others make this possible).  You could even toy with making this kind of content available on a premium member-type basis.  Again, give the local station the opportunity to monetize it.  But with a paid subscription model, you could award a percentage to the station from which the subscriber originates with the rest going to corporate.  This could be invested back into the product.
  • Twitter – Again, not revelatory, but with just a few exceptions, I’m not sure we’re tapping into this as deeply as we should.  I wonder too if anyone within the company realizes that Twitter gives us the ability to text our listeners directly for FREE.  Sure, there are limitations with Twitter as a texting model that become a non-issue with most third party texting services.  But in light of budget cuts and the current economic climate free is a pretty good alternative.
  • Live Chat – Sounds so 90’s doesn’t it?  Bare with me.

I see the FM radio experience being taken to a new level (a la Leo Laporte) with radio, streaming video, live chat and/or Twitter all happening simultaneously, with phones, of course, still an important part of the equation.  We’ve got to allow listeners the opportunity to interact with us in any way they choose.  Gone are the take-it-or-leave-it days.  Give them a multitude of ways to engage our content both live as-it-happens, as well as on a plane 30,000 feet in the air, during a cross country road trip, or anywhere else they might not otherwise be able to experience our content now.

Questions:

  1. How do you prefer to interact with radio?  Phone?  Text?  Twitter?  Not at all/Passive listener?
  2. Does the idea of live, streaming video as it relates to radio intrigue you at all?
  3. Do you like the idea of being able to take your favorite radio show with you wherever you go to listen to whenever you want?  Minus the music?
  4. Would you welcome the opportunity to interact with other like-minded listeners live and in real time while listening to your favorite show?

Feel free to answer any or all of the above questions in the comments.  You too Robby!

Filed under: The Future of Radio, WAY-FM | Tagged: , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 9 Comments »

10 Years Ago Today: My WAY-FM Journey

Posted on March 31, 2009 by Jeff

It was on this date in 1999 when a new season began in my life.  I hadn’t even recognized it as such just yet (that would come just over a year later), but I was about to begin a journey that would lead me away from the Nashville music industry – my reason for coming to Nashville three years earlier (to the day) – and back to my first love.  Radio.

radio-mic3

The WAY-FM Media Group (and I say this in all sincerity) is by far the best company I’ve ever worked for.  Before coming to WAY-FM, the longest I’d spent without interruption at any one company was about two years.  I’ve now done that five times over with my current employer.  No small feat to say the least.

I’m the first to acknowledge how truly blessed and extremely thankful I am for being given the opportunity all those years ago by Matt Austin and Bob Augsburg, WAY-FM’s General Manager and President/Founder respectively.  The staff over the years has gone through a multitude of changes, but one thing has remained constant: I’ve truly enjoyed every single individual I’ve had the chance to work with.

Names like Doug Griffin, Karla Lawson, Ace McKay, Kortland Fuqua, Andy Thompson and Jim Turvaville (aka “Turbo”) immediately come to mind when I think of those early days.  Later, it would be programming pros like Doug Hannah and Dave Senes that would cross my path; two men from whom I’ve learned a great deal.

As much as anyone, it was sometimes the “non” WAY-FM staff – consultants and talent coaches – I often learned the most from.  I will always be indebted to guys like John Frost and Tommy Kramer.  Not to mention the more recent and awesomely talented air staff I’ve had the opportunity to work with.  The names are many and include stars like Marcia Ware, Jayar Reed, Jeff Connell, Donna Cruz, Wally and Brant Hansen among others.

I dreamed of this job as a kid.  I often think back to that Christmas I got that first tape recorder.  I’d listen back to myself saying or doing whatever for hours.  Then there was the record player/AM-FM radio/8-track stereo combo I cut my DJ teeth on.   When I remember those days, it’s difficult for me to believe I’ve been doing this for nearly 22 years.

As I look to the future, I can’t help but wonder how much longer I’ll be allowed to do it.  I wonder that, in fact, for all of us in this “business” of radio.  I believe if we, as an industry, listen and put into practice the ideas and methods of thought leaders like Mark Ramsey, Seth Godin, Chris Brogan, Michael Hyatt, Fred Jacobs and Jerry Del Colliano, we may surprise a lot of people and actually survive this uncertain future we face.

Make no mistake.  It is a future that will include, if radio is to truly remain relevant, time shift-able any-time content (making our terrestrial signals irrelevant if not unnecessary), constant video content creation and distribution, and a complete and total willingness to embrace all things social media, not as a promotional platform, but as a community one (hat tip to Mark Ramsey).

What will that look like for companies like WAY-FM?  Will it be driven at the corporate level or will individual stations have the opportunity to build their own communities?  When the terrestrial signals are rendered irrelevant, will corporate view individual stations as no longer necessary, or choose to keep them alive, honoring the company’s original mission to impact the local community?

All I know is, with the slice of the WAY-FM pie in which I’ve been entrusted, I plan to do everything in my power to ensure our survival, not for our sake, but for the sake of the community we strive to impact.  I hope I can continue to be blessed with that chance for many more years to come.

Photo credit, FrogMiller

Filed under: The Future of Radio, WAY-FM | Tagged: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 5 Comments »

Help Me Help You

Posted on March 18, 2009 by Jeff

I’m wondering if you can help me with a decision I’ve been struggling with for several months now.  I should start off by saying if you’re not a Twitter user, you’ll probably be indifferent to my dilemma.

daily-traffic2

Late last year, 88.7 WAY-FM in Nashville, the station for which I serve as operations director, began utilizing Twitter as an additional way to deliver traffic and weather information to listeners (@wayfm_nashville).  Through Twitter’s ability to deliver tweets via SMS, listeners can receive this information right on their cell phones.

While I’ve not yet collected measurable feedback from listeners on the usefulness of this feature (though I did ask for feedback on Twitter while writing this post), a number of people within broadcasting and other closely-related industries have called it “brilliant” and “really well done.”  Maybe they say that because we seem to be ahead of most other stations in this regard.  Though sometimes I wonder if stations that aren’t utilizing Twitter just feel it’s a passing fad.  Will they be proven right?  Too early to tell.

At any rate, my struggle lies in effectively connecting with listeners via @wayfm_nashville who aren’t interested for whatever reason in receiving traffic and weather this way, if at all.  I’m worried that some who follow us will be put off by these 3 to 5 tweets sent every weekday morning.

My first thought is to separate traffic and weather tweets from normal, every day WAY-FM tweets with the creation of a new, traffic and weather-only Twitter username.  This would free up the other username for general information, conversation and contesting.

With this in mind, I grabbed @WAYtoWorkUpdate, which is how we refer to the updates on the air during the morning show.  Next would come the somewhat difficult task of communicating the change on the air, not to mention the added burden of keeping up with an additional username (not only for us, but potentially for those following us).

So, where to go from here?  I would love to get your thoughts and opinions on this in the comments.  Thank you in advance for your time.  By the way, if you’re not in the Nashville market, you can sample WAY-FM online at wayfm.com.  I’d be curious to get your general thoughts on the station as well.

Photo credit, Lee Nachtigal

Filed under: Social Media, The Future of Radio, Twitter, WAY-FM | Tagged: , , | 13 Comments »

Podcamp Nashville 2009: A First-timer’s Review

Posted on March 7, 2009 by Jeff

Today, I attended Podcamp Nashville being held at the Owen School of Business on the campus of Vanderbilt University.  Dave Delaney (@davedelaney and @griffintech on Twitter) and the Podcamp organizers were responsible for putting it all together.

mitch-canter-podcamp-nashville-2009

After seeing a few of my tweets from Podcamp Nashville earlier today, several of my followers on Twitter asked “what is Podcamp exactly.”  The name can certainly be misleading, after all it’s about a lot more than podcasting.  As the site explains, “If you’re interested in blogging, social media, social networking, podcasting, video on the net, if you’re a podsafe musician (or want to be), or just someone curious about new media, then please join us.”

By the way, the first Podcamp was held September 8 –  10 2006 in Boston, and Podcamps are now being held all over the world.  Who knew?

Thanks Mitch!

I have to mention that had it not been for the tweets I received from Mitch Canter (@studionashvegas and @wordpulse on Twitter) earlier this week, I would’ve missed it altogether.

podcamp-tweets

Mitch was one of the presenters this afternoon.  His was titled Podcasting & WordPress.  Mitch knows WordPress as well as anyone.  If you’re looking for great tips and insights into WordPress (particularly WordPress.org), check out Mitch’s Wordpulse blog and podcast.  You can even stream the podcast right on the site.

I really enjoyed Mitch’s presentation.  I’m much less intimidated now about the idea of switching my blog over to the the more robust WordPress.org platform.

Podcamp Nashville 2009: A First-timer’s Review

By far the most beneficial part of the day for me was the networking opportunities I enjoyed.  I met at least three people for the first time that I’d previously known only through Twitter.  There was Mitch (@studionashvegas), his wife Holly (@nashvogue) and Nicholas Young (@nicholaswyoung).

This was the first time I’d ever experienced this Twitter phenomenon.  Kinda cool actually.  Sort of like when I had a profile up at “Love @ AOL” back in the day and went on my first blind date.

School is Back in Session

After the 10am welcome, the first sessions began at 10:30 with three going on simultaneously in half-hour increments until 4pm.  For my taste, the sessions were too short and too many.  In the future, I’d love to see the Podcamp Crew concentrate on fewer sessions, giving presenters more time to really dig into their topics.

Additionally, prior to arriving, I struggled with choosing which sessions to attend.  Often times I had to choose between two equally intriguing-sounding sessions scheduled at the same time.

On top of the three sessions every 30 minutes, there was space given to a fourth for anyone who wanted to sign up to lead one (unconventional to say the least, but I tried to keep an open mind).  I didn’t actually attend any of these “add-on” sessions and never checked the sign-up board for what was being offered so I can’t speak to the quality of those sessions.

Sessions: The Good

I arrived about mid-way through (around noon) and Jared Degnan’s Business Podcasting & Blogging session gave me a good first impression.  One of the best take-aways for me was the suggestion to read Personality Not Included. I’d not heard of this book before today.  Jared could not have endorsed it more convincingly.  I’m looking forward to picking up a copy soon.

I also got a lot out of Dave Delaney’s A Slice of Cake: The Secret to Loyalty, and Why I Love Guinness – An Intro to Social Media.  Dave is an energetic and engaging speaker.

I easily learned the most form Mitch Canter.  His presentation on using WordPress and uploading Podcasts was very practical and helpful.  He easily offered the most take-aways I think.  He also seemed to be well-received by the crowd.  I definitely think they’ll ask him back.

Sessions: The Bad

Podcamp Nashville was free, so I can’t really complain here.  But I was a little disappointed that Bob Marchman’s Font Licensing: A Debriefing was canceled at the last minute.  I’m sure there was good reason.  I just hope Bob is okay.  I was hoping to learn more on this topic in light of a new business venture my wife is working on.

Sessions: The Ugly

Two sessions actually left me with negative impressions.  I have to confess though that in both cases, I gave up on them about 10 minutes in.  Therefore, it’s entirely possible things improved after I left.

The first was titled @#%& it, We’ll Do It Live – LiveCasting.  Three presenters, one microphone.  Late start (not their fault) followed by a lethargic, un-engaging opening.  I left to catch Dave.

Second came Greg Crites’ Joomla – The CMS for the Rest of Us.  10 minutes in Greg hadn’t shown up.  The bright side I guess is I left to discover more of Dave.

Final Verdict

All in all, I’d give my first Podcamp a solid “B.”  For the most part, it was well-organized and the majority of the speakers were engaging and well-prepared.  Many even made themselves available for informal question and answer sessions after their presentations.  All were accessible and more than willing to help in any way.

If you’re interested at all in podcasting, blogging, social media, social networking, video on the net or just curious about new media, make plans now to attend Podcamp Nashville 2010.

Filed under: Blogging, Podcasting, Social Media, Twitter, Web 2.0 | Tagged: , , , , , , , , , , , | 11 Comments »

Final Edition: One Newspaper’s Video Swan Song

Posted on February 28, 2009 by Jeff

With a hat tip to ReadWriteWeb and Marshall Kirkpatrick, I thought I’d pass along this poignant video of the end of an era.

A nearly 150-year-old Denver newspaper printed its final edition yesterday.  I wonder how many more times we’ll see this happen over the next few months.

I also can’t help but wonder if this is what the radio industry has to look forward to, or, if we’ll figure out how to remain relevant in a digital/internet/on-demand world before it’s too late.

Vodpod videos no longer available.

Filed under: Publishing, The Future of Radio | Tagged: , | 5 Comments »

The Importance of Consumable Content

Posted on February 23, 2009 by Jeff

I read with great interest a recent post from one of my favorite social media bloggers, Chris Brogan, on USA Today, CNN Headline News and the world of bite-sized media.

fireshot-capture-26-usatoday-and-microblogging-offline-i-chrisbrogan_com-www_chrisbrogan_com_usatoday-and-microblogging-offline

His observations of the two media giants won’t be revelatory to most media veterans, but they do serve as timely reminders.  Are you offering your content (your station’s, your blog’s, your label’s, your company’s) in bite-sized, consumable portions?  Or do you view doing so as bastardizing your business model?

The music industry, of course, has had no choice but to revisit the bite-sized model with the advent of the iPod.  No longer are long-form album projects the default purchase for a wider and wider swath of consumers.

For radio this means, among other things, taking advantage of more and more ways to distribute your content (be that podcasts, behind the scenes video from the studio or backstage at concerts, or wherever).   Furthermore, every break has to, from beginning to end, stand on its own.  If I’m new in town and just hearing your show for the first time, will I “get it” from the moment you open the mic, or feel like I’ve joined a conversation already in progress wondering what I missed?  If not, go back to the drawing board.  Study broadcast industry veterans like Tommy Kramer and John Frost for more.

For the publishing industry, the scenario is similar.  You must take advantage of newer and bolder ways to distribute content, as opposed to shunning those opportunities (including the Amazon Kindle and the iPhone).  One of my favorites to follow in the publishing industry is Michael Hyatt.  For more on his thoughts on where the publishing industry is going, check here.

As Chris Brogan puts it, “we’re trending more towards the short info.”  I’ll put it this way:

If you’re not ready or willing to adjust the way you distribute your content or product in order to meet the needs and desires of those consuming it, you will not last.

Filed under: Music Industry, Publishing, The Future of Radio | Tagged: , , , , , , , , , , , , | 4 Comments »

Automated DMs: Useful or Worthless?

Posted on February 19, 2009 by Jeff

Recently, I was challenged by a new Twitter follower (@normalrockstar) regarding my practice of sending an auto-reply direct message (DM) to new followers.

istock_000006617978xsmall

He’d read my post on Twitter navigation and questioned my sincerity.  His DM read in part:

Why is the guy who blogged about “interacting with followers” sending automatic replies?

I responded by saying I felt it “insures that I connect with you promptly upon your decision to follow me, something I think most people appreciate.”  The response came back,

My problem with it is it’s not REALLY connecting.  It’s your automated reply.  It’s like a band having an intern answer e-mail.

I couldn’t get past the truth in those words, interns notwithstanding.  But I’d gotten the idea in the first place from seeing it put into practice by @johnhaydon, someone I respected and admired.  He, unlike most, actually offered value in his DMs by suggesting others to follow.  No self-promotions or links.  I did the same.

But later that same day, I ran across another Twitter conversation where someone was arguing convincingly against the practice of auto-DMs.  Not long after that, I saw a tweet from @kriscolvin that included a link to this (you’ll want to check out this link if you want to put an end to receiving most auto-DMs).

I then started re-reading through many of the auto-DM’s I was receiving from recent new followers.  Admittedly, most were pure self-promotion or empty thank-yous.  I couldn’t help but wonder, “Is it possible, no matter how well-intentioned, for an automated DM to ring anything other than hollow.”

After all, the care I took in trying to create a value-filled auto-DM hadn’t resonated with at least one person.  How many others felt the same way and just hadn’t bothered to tell me?  Side note: one of the things I’ve learned over my career regarding criticism is that, often times, those dispensing it are the ones that actually give a hoot.

What does it all mean?  Well, for me at least, it means no more automated DMs.  Period.  From now on, when you receive a DM from me, it will have been written especially for you.  No exceptions.

And you can thank @normalrockstar.

Filed under: Twitter | Tagged: , , , , | 5 Comments »

« Previous Page — Next Page »