The Software Process and Measurement Cast:

A Retrospective Part 1

Podcasting To A Niche Market

In order to succeed, your desire for

success should be greater than your

fear of failure - Bill Cosby ‹#›

This Presenation

• Building a podcast targeted to a technical

audience presents challenges both in

terms of content and actually identifying an

audience. In the past three’ish years as

the editor of the Software Process and

Measurement Cast (SPaMCAST) I have

experienced most and surmounted them.

I will share how I have grown the cast over

the past three'ish years.

Your Agreement With The Audience

Promptness

Empathy

Competence

Reliability

ProblemSolving

Credibility

What Is SPaMCAST

• The Software Process and Measurement Cast provides a forum to explore the varied world of software process improvement and measurement. The SPaMCast covers topics that deal the challenges how work is done in information technology organizations as they grow and evolve.

• The show combines commentaries, interviews and your feedback to serve up ideas, options, opinions, advice and even occasionally facts. In a nutshell, the cast provides advice for and from practitioners, methodologists, pundits and consultants!

Show Format And Packaging

• Four Segments focused on the interview

• Introduction

• Essay

• Interview

• News and Extro

• Edit Why does this format work?

• Provides variety in voice

• Provides variety in ideas

• Reflected creditability

SPaMCAST History

• The first episode of the Software Process and Measurement

Cast was uploaded into the “podoshere” on January 17, 2007

• Listenership has grown from a few dozen download a month

to thousands over the two years.

The Studio

Alesis 8

Mixer

Netbook

MXL 990 and

BoomSennheiser

(headphone and

boom mic)

Audacity

Skype

Pamela

IBM Laptop

Target Audience(s)

Process Improvement Personnel (P)

Business Analysts (S)

Change Agents (P)

Methodologists (P)

Project Managers and

PMO Personnel (S)

Measurement Analysts (P)

Highly

Specialized

Highly

International

Target audience that

listens to podcasts

Content Covers Strategy and Execution

Directors, Midlevel Executives

Midlevel Managers

Practitioners

Strategy

Execution

Why Niche Markets Tend To Be Different

• Hard to identify

• Highly specialized

• Tend to be dispersed

• Highly international

• Busy therefore the content must be highly

targeted

• Interaction tends to be hit or miss

• May or may not naturally the IPod age group

Awareness Attention Action

Building An Audience

• Knowing something is only the beginning of an

equation that culminates in action.

• Awareness helps provides a spotlight of

attention that filters unwanted information.

• If you are not able or interested in taking action,

you really do not want to know.

Soooo How Have I Found My Audience?

• Interviewing people that are willing to

promote themselves

• Some cross promotions with other

podcasts

• Mailing lists from speaking engagements

• Quite promotion at industry conferences

• Social Media: Twitter, LinkedIn, Facebook

But I do not think is enough and I am still looking!

Suggestions From Audience For Building

Audience and More?

• Publish a newsletter

• Use Dragon Naturally

Speaking to create

text to embed in XML

for SEO

• Render audio to

YouTube with or

without animated GIF

• Join a network

• Link to libraries

• Mention on blogs

other than own

• Add additional

content

• Read Larry King’s Art

of the Interview

(resource for

interviews

How To Get The Right Interviewees

• Need to be able to ask . . .

• Credibility

• Who are you and why are you asking?

• Referrals

• Ask you interviewees who they think would

be a good interview, ask them to introduce

you.

• Professionalism

• Tell what you can do for them!

Interviewees

• Tim Lister, co-author of Adrenaline Junkies and Template Zombies

• Suzanne Robertson author of multiple books on requirements

• David Anderson the author of Agile Management for Software Engineering

• Kent Beck, pioneer in Agile Methods

• Scott Ambler, though leader in Test Driven Development

• Ivar Jacobson, developer of Use Cases

• Capers Jones, prolific author and measurement pundit

• Nicholas Carr, author of the Big Switch

• Grady Booch, discussing Life, the Universe and Development

• And many, many more

Critical Success Factors in Interviewing

• Learn how to interview

• Do your research!

• Shut-up and Listen

Examples of great interviewers

and storytellers:

• Terri Gross – Fresh Air

• Larry King

• Ira Glass – This American Life

Promptness

Empathy

Competence

Reliability

ProblemSolving

Credibility

Podcast and Personal Branding

• Personnel branding increases reach and online

visibility which enhances day job if coordinated!

Podcast:

Regular Communication

Day Job:

“The Real World”

Interaction

Blog:

Knowledge Transfer

Factoids and Successes

• Goal is to provide information not for interviewee to sell his or her wares except

• The podcast is independent of my day job (except through karma)

• Factor in approximately $750k of business in last two years

• Snagged book deal (Out on July 20, 2010)

• Used as course material in at least one Scotland University

Expansion Plans: SPaMCAST

• Evolutionary Plans

• Teach people listening options

• Focus on SEO to drive traffic

(blog and show notes)

• Revolutionary Plans

• Added programming:

• Metrics Minute Podcast (expand audience)

• MIS / IT Academic program outreach

End Notes (So Far)

• Creating good, targeted content builds an

audience!

• Who you interview reflects on your

credibility

• Selling and interviewing skills are critical

Contact Data

Questions . . . .

Tom Cagley

spamcastinfo@gmail.com

(440) 933-8768 – Office

(440) 668-5717 – Cell

www.spamcast.net - Podcast

“Call me, beep me if ya wanna reach me

When ya wanna page me it's okay

I just can't wait until I hear my cell phone ring

Doesn't matter if it's day or night

Everything's gonna be alright

Whenever you need me baby

Call me, beep me if ya wanna reach me”

- Kim Possible Theme Song