From Michael at Blog Talk Radio:

“Just thought you and all your readers would be interested in a new live medium called BlogTalkRadio.

While radio has been preoccupied with satellite radio, which requires expensive equipment, pod casting, which is not live, and Internet radio, which requires downloading, services such as BlogTalkRadio pose almost no barrier to participation. Literally, anyone with something to say now has a platform, including the 50 million bloggers, who can speak live to engage their niche communities. Social radio is inherently viral, social and participatory. It may be radio for the MySpace generation.

Go to www.blogtalkradio.com and check it out. It is actually really cool.”

Technorati Tags: blogging, internetradio, podcast, podcasting, radio

PodZinger announced the launch of its advertising platform for podcasters. Using content classification technology and algorithms for analyzing consumer intent and aggregate consumer usage, PodZinger solves the problem of connecting consumers with relevant advertising in online audio and video content. The new service goes far beyond traditional text and click-through advertising services that advertisers are dependant on today, providing enhanced online experiences for content creators, advertisers and consumers.

PodZinger enables content creators to monetize their content, implement highly-targeted advertising programs and generate revenue by delivering the best and most relevant online audio and video content.

“As a podcast and radio host and producer, I believe PodZinger will be a tremendous service to my listeners, enabling them to browse archived shows to find specific information of interest,” said Leo Laporte, host and producer of TWiT.tv, among other shows. “With PodZinger’s new advertising platform I will be able to deliver effective, targeted advertising that is relevant to my content. This is a powerful tool and I expect PodZinger’s new platform to generate a robust, incremental revenue stream for my business.”
With PodZinger, advertisers are able for the first time to mine multimedia search data and leverage usage and topic filters to arrive at a better understanding of how consumers are interacting with content. Based on this insight, advertisers can identify the most valuable audio and video programming and deliver the most relevant and effective messages, targeted specifically to the content viewed and its context.

In addition, PodZinger makes it possible for content creators to monetize their assets by opting-in for free to the
PodZinger revenue sharing program via a simple user interface. Using speech recognition technology and natural language processing, PodZinger searches words within both audio and video, not just the metadata, to classify content based on topic and usage.

Since its launch one year ago, millions of consumers have used PodZinger to search for, discover, play and download content that is relevant to them. PodZinger users have shown that they love the unprecedented “jump to” playback experience offered by PodZinger, and they’ve voted for their favorite method of viewing video content with their “clicks,” playing audio and video directly from the PodZinger site nearly 10 times more often than they download content. This
creates a unique opportunity for advertisers and podcasters or any content creator to deliver brand messages in connection with the content. PodZinger’s data analysis algorithms and content classification technology make it very effective, identifying the content that is most valuable in each topic area based on frequency and duration of plays.

“Advertisers should not wander in to the world of online audio and video with blind hope of finding their target audience,” said Alex Laats, CEO of PodZinger. “With PodZinger, advertisers can craft their campaigns based on real information about consumer intent and usage, aggregated over a broad base of consumers. We are excited to bring this capability to market and share it with our content partners and network of affiliates.”

Technorati Tags: podzinger, ad networks, podvertising, podcasting, podcasts, podcast marketing, advertising, twit, leo laporte, twit.tv

Akamai Technologies today announced that Kiptronic, an ad marketplace for the podcasting industry, will leverage the Akamai global EdgePlatform to accelerate its customers’ distribution of audio and video podcasts over the Internet. Kiptronic’s patent-pending multimedia ad insertion technology allows audio and video podcast publishers to select targeted advertisements and sponsorships to run with their podcasts, while providing sponsors and advertisers with a turnkey marketplace to reach targeted, niche audiences through podcasts.

I first heard about Kiptronic when they partnered with Libsyn, where I host the Blog Universe Podcast. They have integrated ad placement from within the Libsyn hosting panel and make ad insertion very easy.

“When monetization efficiencies like Kiptronic’s are combined with robust delivery and upload services from Akamai, the advancement of podcasting into a business-caliber communications service is assured,” said Dana Gardner, principal analyst of Interarbor Solutions and producer of BriefingsDirect podcasts. “Entrepreneurs and enterprises alike should view podcasting as a simple and efficient way to gather and distribute tacit knowledge, one which can also provide a platform for highly targeted advertising. I expect podcasting — and the services that support it — to grow at three times the annual pace of Internet advertising in general through 2008.”

“As podcasting migrates from hobby to new business model, podcasts will become an efficient and cost effective way to monetize existing content and communicate broadly to key audiences. When advertisers are involved, a reliable podcast download is even more critical,” said Brad Rinklin, vice president of marketing at Akamai. “That’s what Akamai ensures. By integrating Kiptronic’s services with Akamai’s global platform, sponsors, podcasters and podcatchers receive the key benefits of a reliable and scalable distribution network.”

Kiptronic has built a marketplace consisting of over 150 advertisers and nearly 600 podcasts representing 17 million monthly downloads. In particular, larger media companies and online publishers who deliver their content on the Akamai platform will benefit from a podcasting advertising solution built on the Akamai network and optimized to integrate with their delivery solutions.

“Content producers demand a network that delivers their programming with the speed and reliability end users require to maintain their interest,” said Jonathan Cobb, founder and chief
executive of Kiptronic. “By leveraging Akamai’s established global network, Kiptronic has solved one of the most significant problems facing multimedia publishers - integrating new technologies with existing investments.”

Technorati Tags: podcasting, kiptronic, akamai, advertising, monetization, libsyn

Top search providers, ranked by total searches. Searches represent the total number of queries conducted at the provider.

Table 1: Top 10 Search Providers for August 2006,
Ranked by Searches (U.S.)

Provider - Searches (000) - YOY Growth - Share of Searches
————————————————————————-
1. Google Search 3,003,205 30% 50.2%
————————————————————————-
2. Yahoo! Search 1,434,169 23% 24.0%
————————————————————————-
3. MSN/Windows Live Search 595,584 3% 10.0%
————————————————————————-
4. AOL Search 328,559 -18.2% 5.5%
————————————————————————-
5. Ask.com Search 136,919 30% 2.3%
————————————————————————-
6. My Way Search 135,706 42% 2.3%
————————————————————————-
7. iWon Search 30,827 -15% 0.5%
————————————————————————-
8. EarthLink Search 24,324 -20% 0.4%
————————————————————————-
9. Dogpile.com Search 23,033 -18% 0.4%
————————————————————————-
10. SBC Yellow Pages Search 22,929 36% 0.4%
————————————————————————-

Technorati Tags: nielsen, netratings, search, searchengine, yahoo, google, msn, aol, ask, marketing

I’ve recently opened a dialog with some of the top blog directories and have had a good response from their maintainers. A common thread which we’ve all dealt with is the evergrowing problem with splogs and faded sites.

On some days, 80% of the sites which are being submitted are not typical splogs but more sites which serve no purpose other than advertising a product or Adsense fodder. Im not adverse to people wanting to make money but do you really think that someone looking for advice really needs to see the same car repair article which has been posted on 200-300 article database sites and re-posted hundreds/thousdands of times on other sites?

Some of the directories have come up with some guidelines to help prevent these types of submissions. And with the new update of our software we were able to increase the quality of our average referral. As I get more info, I’ll post it to the site so that you get an idea as to what the other owners are looking for, but Im pretty sure that if you’re site has been around for a while (six months plus), has good original content and an active author, you’re probably going to get added.

Technorati Tags: blog marketing, directory, directories, blog directories, linking, splogs, adsense

21 Tactics To Increase Blog Traffic - SEOmoz Blog

The good stuff just keeps coming at you and here is another great post on generating more traffic for your blog/podcast/videoblog. And I may even put some of these tips into use!

The turning off comments to prevent your site from looking dead is a new one. Actually this may have affected this blog as well so off with the comments.

Technorati Tags: blogging, promotion, blog marketing, traffic, lists, links, seomoz, tagging, linking, guestblogging

Create Better Buying Experience with Podcasting - from Podcasting Scout

“I bet you have heard the story of businesses wasting five to six figures just to have their “corporate website” ready. The biggest mistake is nothing will come just because they build. If only part of the investment was allocated for driving traffic”

[tags]podcasting, podcast marketing, sales[tags]

Duct Tape Marketing has posted a list of podcast tool resources found from Tony Valle’s Podcast.

Some More Podcast Tools

Technorati Tags: podcasting, podcast tools, podcast marketing

MXL Microphones announced the introduction of the MXL USB.006 computer microphone for instant professional CD quality recording on a P.C. or Mac. The new mic plugs directly into any USB port on any
portable or desktop computer and is ready to record a big rich studio sound not possible with electret or dynamic mics.

The new MXL USB series features a Large 24 K Gold Diaphragm Pressure Gradient capsule and low noise electronics that gives users the same high quality sound of large studio mics that require mixers
with 48 volt phantom power and other recording equipment to record and playback the recordings.

In addition to getting high quality sound in the home studio it’s also a very exciting tool for multimedia, news and broadcast applications using portable computers for remote recording of concerts, lectures, or even documenting outdoor sounds in full fidelity for film and TV backgrounds.

The analog section of the MXL USB mics features a low noise front end, a 20 Hz-20 kHz frequency response, a large gold diaphragm, pressure gradient condenser capsule, and a 3-position, switchable attenuation pad to control the gain, making it easy to configure the microphone to virtually any sound source. The digital section features a 16-bit Delta Sigma A/D converter with a sampling rate of 44.1 kHz and 48 kHz. Protecting the instruments capsule is a heavy-duty wire mesh grill with an integrated pop filter. A red LED behind the
protective grill informs the user that the microphone is active and correctly oriented toward the user.

The MXL USB Series Condenser Microphone will carry retail MSRP of $169.95 and will be shipping in Sept. ‘06.

Also, a new software called MUR (MXL USB Recorder) will be free for downloading on the MXL web site. The software is designed to simulate a DAT or the classic professional 2-Trk professional analog recorder.
The new software provides instant 2-Trk or stereo CD quality recording on a PC. The software instantly recognizes the USB mic without any set-up. Just push record and then playback.

Technorati Tags: podcasting, podcaster, videoblogger, videoblogging, vlogging, mic, podcast tools, mics, marshall, usb mics

Google and eBay today announced a multi-year agreement to benefit both companies’ collective communities of users, merchants, and advertisers around the globe. The agreement consists of two primary components involving text-based advertising and “click-to-call” advertising functionality.

Specifically, Google will become the exclusive text-based advertising provider for eBay outside the United States. In addition, eBay and Google plan to integrate and launch “click-to-call” advertising functionality that leverage both Skype and Google Talk globally in each company’s respective shopping and search platforms.
The companies said the financial terms for certain components of the deal involve revenue sharing, but did not disclose specific details.

“We’re pleased to expand our long-standing relationship with Google to explore new market opportunities, like click-to-call advertising, that benefit both our communities of users,” said Meg Whitman, President and CEO, eBay Inc. “People continue to evolve how they shop, communicate and advertise online. By combining the power of eBay in ecommerce and Skype in communications with Google’s leadership in search and advertising, we can increase the usefulness of the Internet for shoppers, merchants and advertisers around the world.”

“This agreement underscores how much we value eBay as a partner,” said Eric Schmidt, CEO of Google. “Our technologies will allow us to connect users to relevant advertising across eBay’s international properties. By working together to promote click-to-call functionality through Google Talk and Skype, we are offering advertisers another innovative way to connect with customers.”

The companies plan to begin testing the text-based advertising and click-to-call initiatives in early 2007 that will be evaluated over a period of several months. The specific components and timing of implementation will depend upon initial test results, and will vary by market, largely driven by local dynamics and joint capabilities.

Technorati Tags: google, ebay, textads, clicktocall, click-to-call, online advertising, auctions, skype