Corporate Blogging, Video and Podcasting

http://stonyfield.typepad.com/bovine/2009/06/this-video-is-part-ii-of---like-little-kids-the-cows-at-howmars-farm-like-to-play-in-the-dirt-especially-after-a-winter-

of.html

http://www.blogger.com/home

What does Stonyfield get from putting up this video?

Give loyal customers an “insider’s view” of operations

Bonus: Customers learn about Stonyfield committment to organic and supporting family farms

What is a blog?

• Noun:An on-line web-based log

• Web + log = blog

• Verb: The act of writing in an on-line web log is called blogging

Adding something to a blog is called a “Post” or an “Entry”

Usually, entries to a blog appear chronologically, the most recent at the

top, all previous ones below it.

A blog is a website

No longer held hostage by

web design and code geeks

• A newspaper or magazine publisher

• An editorial columnist

• A television or radio station

Halvorson New Media, LLC halvorsonnewmedia.com

With a blog, you become …

You own the medial

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Your Company

Here

Your Company

Here

You might not know it’s a blog

Categories—Your “Departments”

Types & Purposes of Corporate Blogs

• InsidePortugalTravel.com—easily updated/constantly changing

• The Tip Sheet—easily updated; constantly changing; additional online visibility of our clients

• New Hampshire Small Business Development Center- “Coffee Break Chat”—Small staff—needed more up-to-date resources

• Carlisle Wide Plank Floors “Surface”-insider’s view; search engine visibility

Get news out UNFILTERED by mainstream media + constant updating

Not one but EIGHT blogs!

11/12/200918

Blog the good news that isn’t quite “news”

5/27/200921

Blog as inexpensive, easily updated website

11/12/200919

Blogging is story-telling

Using internal experts to collect customer reactions to products

Report on and show constantly changing conditions

“Thought leadership”—show what they know about ever-changing market

Where to start? • Investigate blog publishing tools

• Some popular platforms: • Blogger.com -- free• Word Press -- leading in the market; free or

low-cost• Typepad -- (low-cost; my favorite)• Many others• Ask your web team-- maybe

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And now, a demonstration

Blogs--Cool tools• Monitor comments ahead of time, if desired• Subscriptions via email• Subscriptions via RSS • Metrics• Audio: record by phone• Posts via texting or email• Videos• Slide shows• Polls

Things to think about before deciding to blog• Staff time—who will do this?

• Level of formality in both content and process

• How will you measure success?

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•  Mayo Clinic has a YouTube Channel (so does the Pope and most major corporations these days)

Why use video?

“The world has voted and they like watching online video”—Mayo Clinic guy

Video—“The TV Room”-- as one Category of this site

Create a “Brand Channel”—fairly elaborate site at YouTube, or just create an account and load it with

videos

YouTube videos get 1 million views—a day

Every SF video in one place; can see history of

•views

•comments

•ratings

Great uses for video

• Demonstrate how to’s

• Insider’s view• Interview experts• Capture an event• Have fun—

customer contests or……………..

What is a Podcast?

• An audio or video file released via the Internet

• Generally part of a series• Listened to or viewed by computer, MP3

player, iPod, etc.• Think of it as your own radio or TV show

About 20% of online users listen to podcasts

Why podcast?

• iPods or other MP3 players are ubiquitous

• Podcasts can be played whenever the listener wants.

• Spanish lessons; I.T. Guy Alfio learns this way

PODCASTSCan be categorized on iTunes

Can be longer on iTunes, shorter on your site

On iTunes, you are getting to people who are “thirsty for information”—searching for your topic

3 steps to a Podcast

1. Content

2. Recording

3. Distribution

Content

As simple or as complex as you like:

– One person essay

– Interview format

– Full production

Recording• Hardware

– Computer or MP3 recorder

• Software – Audacity or other

• Microphone– The better the mic, the better your sound

• A quiet space– Not too large, and not too empty

And now, another demonstration

Distribution

• Upload to your web site or blog

• Choose a host for your podcast. Why?– Audio/video files can be huge, taking up your

storage space.– Easier access to iTunes– If your podcast gets really popular…

…the traffic could crash your web site.

Hosting considerations

• Storage spaceHow big a “parking space” do you need?

(e.g. a 15M file daily x 30 days = 450 M, about .5G)

• BandwidthHow many visitors will you have?

(e.g. .5G per subscriber x 10 subscribers = 5G)

Popular hosts

• Libsyn.com – Liberated Syndication

• Hipcast.com – formerly Audioblog

• Ourmedia.org – free, with limitations

• Odeo.com – free, with commercials

• …and a lot of others.

Discuss!