Aztec Media

Scott Nesbitt at Geeks.com recently posted two good 'getting started' with podcasting articles:

• Tech Tip #108: Recording A Podcast With Audacity
• Tech Tip#107: Getting Started With Podcasting

Online user-generated video provider GoFish Technologies has announced a new consolidated business operating naming strategy, finalized leadership appointments, a stock-for-stock merger, and $12 million in private placement stock and warrants financing.

GoFish reports having hundreds of millions of videos watched over the last two years, and is also producing and distributing their own original series called "America's Dream Date" (which after watching for a few minutes you might want to hurl like I did).

There is definitely some value in these online video sites ... or Google would not have purchased YouTube.  But at some point, there can only be so many because frankly if the Internet has shown us anything is that we have a low attention span, and attention (ie. via ad revenue) is all that matters for those trying to make revenue.

JotSpot has announced that they have been acquired by Google.  JotSpot is a popular for fee scalable Wiki service provider who will be moving into a traditional Google free but ad supported business model after this purchase.

You can expect this Google's purchase will mean increased integration of 'wiki like' collaboration services across their current product line which will make for a compelling solutions for distributed groups working online together.

I have been a long time user of TypePad.com for posting my blogs and creating my podcast websites.  This site is a TypePad.com site.

They have a new free (ad supported) blog publishing tool and site called Vox.com that just launched officially (even though it has been in beta for a while).

I am not sure I'm ready to make a dedicated move to Vox.com, but from what I've seen ... by playing around at sholden.vox.com ... it is a very good tool for someone who just wants to get started blogging without having to know a lot of the technical details.

I also think the privacy features are well thought out and attractive to those who want to family/personal/friends blog but don't want to be completely open to the whole Internet.

BoingBoing is reporting that Audioblogger will cease operations on 11/1/06.  Other services that do something similar include: ODEO, Gabcast, Hipcast, and Gcast.

Here is a short update on Saturday (9/30) events from my perspective.  Friday was such a busy day, I must admit I took it a lot slower:

• Keynote: Andrew Baron (and Joanne Conlan) from Rocketboom: Interesting stats.  We agree on where ads should be played - at the end, not in the beginning or the middle.
• Explored the Expo Booths which were excellent
• Chuck Tomasi did an excellent presentation on getting your listeners involved in your podcast
• FIT Halloween Script Workshop (held a secret location)
• Orange County Podcast Booth
• BBQ Party @ the Pool 2006 (thanks again to Dave Slusher)
• Blubrry Party

During a session at eTech 2006, the interesting site Ning! jumped on to the radar screen as a very interesting way to build your own DIY customized application sites that might need a database structure to hold the specific data you cared about.  Like What's Cuter? or Restaurant Reviews.

These 'applications' are clonable.  So, you can sign up and borrow the 'Restaurant Reviews' template so to speak and make a new site called "San Diego Restaurant Reviews' and have all the features that is currenting available now in your site with absolutely no additional work.  Pretty nice.

So ... the folks at Ning! have recently announced three new social websites you can come and borrow for your own: Ning Video, Ning Photos, and Ning Group. Definitely something worth checking out!   

I think the Group template would be something every podcaster not currently reaching out to their listeners in an interactive way should consider.

Currently Techmeme has created a three sponsor model for their very popular technology blog if you access via a web browser (RSS feeds to follow?!?).

Boing Boing has added a new cost effective option to advertise on their very popular site using a "classified/text link ad". 

These start at $350 for a whole week and is currently limited to no more than seven ads displayed in the ad space area on the first page.

Doc Searls has an interesting summary of two mainstream media articles: one is on how bloggers are making record money from advertising, and the other is on how subscription services like the NY Times is making money.

The differences both financial and technical between open (blogs) and closed (NYT news) is interesting to consider.  The model that one chooses is probably based more on their own sense of comfort than anything else.