On our next episode, December 28th, 2009, we will go over what it takes to simulcast using the Talkshoe System and another system, say live video streaming. Most people will attempt this and they usually fail, because they don’t know what it takes to makes this happen. Simulcasting both audio and video at the same time, can take a toll on your bandwidth and your hardware, not to mention the added setup time and stress it can have on the host!

Most podcasters that want to simulcast are looking to build a larger audience. In order to do this, you will need to know what hardware, software and time limitations you will need to succeed.

We will go over simulcasting Talkshoe, your live audio podcast with another service, such as uStream.tv and broadcast live video at the same time! After this episode is concluded, you will have all the details necessary in order to make an informed decision as to whether or not you can accomplish this!

Join us Monday Night at 7:00pm EST at http://www.talkshoe.com/tc/875 to get all of the details from the people that are actually doing it!

Popularity: 2% [?]

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Earlier this week, I announced, by way of a blog post, of changes coming to the format of the show. Tonight, I will be implementing these changes. Even though they aren’t real big changes, they are changes none the less.

First off, for those of you that catch my videocasts each week, I am now streaming live (and recorded) on Mogulus instead of uStream.tv. I have revamped my live page at http://www.newmediapro.tv to reflect these changes to the video streaming.

Now, most of the show will remain as it was, such as the segment hosts will still come in an deliver their segments each week. The main change to the format is in the Main Topic area. I will choose a topic for the episode to discuss, however, the floor will remain open for anyone, and I stress anyone, that wants to come on and discuss other things, like how to use Talkshoe for example. This will allow the new hosts to Talkshoe to come in and to learn, like a hands on approach (thanks to the video) how to do the things they are wanting to learn how to do.

Anyway, the topic for tonight is What is REALLY important to your podcast. Now, since I am a Support Rep for Talkshoe, I see some really strange requests sometimes that are bugging people about the service or their shows, and so I have come up with a list of things that a podcaster should be looking at and not sweating the small stuff.

You can add to this list if you like, as there may be things that you feel is important to your podcast and I may have overlooked. This is NOT an all inclusive list!

Important things to a podcaster:
1. Make sure your equipment is working BEFORE you go live!
This is probably the most important item in the whole list. Now I know, better than anyone, that technical difficulties can happen after you press the Record button. However, it is extremely important that you mak sure your mic is working with your VOIP program (Shoephone, Gizmo, Skype, etc.) and that you know how to use the aformentioned VOIP program to log into Talkshoe to do your show. If you are using a landline or cell phone, again make sure your batteries are charged (like for a cordless phone or cell phone) and that you know the shortcut keys to use in case you need them. Remember, *2*1 to start and stop the recording, *8 to Raise Your Hand (For listeners) and *6 to mute and unmute.

2. Before you start the recording, and if you have someone else in the chat room with you, make sure your audio is functioning properly.
There is nothing worse than to go into your show and then find out that your mic was muted or turned off and that no one can hear you. If you are in doubt, then take an extra minute to double check BEFORE you start your show!

3. Decide how to handle hecklers during your show, BEFORE you begin!
Make sure you know how to mute the chat room users and how to mute the live phone in listeners. When you get that ever present podcrasher, and you will (we all do) be ready to mute them both in the chat and on the phone. To do this, as a host, simply click on the computer icon next to their name to mute/unmute their chatroom and click on the phone icon next to their name to mute/unmute their live conversations. And if you get someone that is being persistant in wanting to be unmuted, think twice unless you know the person and know that they aren’t wanting to disrupt your show.

4. If you are inviting someone in for an interview, make sure they know how to log into Talkshoe on the phone (at the very least) and that they have an account. This way your invited person isn’t coming in as a guest and you are trying to second guess yourself as to who or where they are.

5. After your show is finished, don’t rush right out and “hope” that the recording is there. It most likely won’t be. You may have to wait for up to 30 minutes or more before your recorded show will appear. Also, the recording will not appear until AFTER you have terminated the show and exited your chat room.

6. Going along with number 5, don’t look for the stats to be immediately updated. They most likely won’t be. The stats are usually updated daily and they aren’t updated on the fly. If you want to check your stats, that’s ok, but don’t make this a priority and then generate a support ticket when they aren’t there 10 seconds after your show if finished!! Wait until the next day and check them, if 24 hours have passed and they still haven’t updated, then go to GetSatisfaction and let Talkshoe know. There may be an issue with the Stats Server that needs to be looked at.

7. When scheduling your future shows, take a few minutes to learn how to use this interface. It’s not too complicated and once you learn it, you can schedule a show within a few minutes and send out your invites and be done. Again, don’t just jump out and generate a ticket because you don’t want to take a few minutes to learn how to do it right!

8. Speaking of scheduled shows, once you schedule a future show, make sure you actually show up to do the show! When listeners see you are live and they go into the chatroom and no one is there, especially the host, then they will tend to quickly migrate to another show and not want to come back. Now, I understand that sometimes life can get in the way, so take a second to go out and reschedule the show to another day or time and in this way, you will be able to retain more listeners when you can’t make it.

9. Take some time to update your profiles.
When you are hosting a show, make sure your show profile is updated with a proper name and description. This will help new listeners decide whether or not they want to come in and check you out. If your profile is incomplete or blank, they will most likely keep moving along and won’t stop in. Your personal profile is especially important to make sure you have it updated. There is nothing more frustrating to a host to click on a listeners name to find nothing, just a blank profile. Also, include your proper age. If you are a teenager or pre-teen trying to act like an adult, believe me, adults can tell the difference. The more honest you are in your profile, the more respect you will earn from your fellow hosts and listeners.

10. If you don’t know how to do something, just ask someone!
Whether you are just starting out or have been doing this for a while, you may see something new or hear of something new that you would like to incorporate into your podcast. If you can’t figure it out, don’t get upset just because someone else if making it work, ask someone. Usually the host that is using the new technology will be more than happy to explain what they are doing and how they are doing it. If all else fails, come onto a show like Podcaster Training or submit a support ticket to Talkshoe and ask how to do this. You might be surprised of the amount of information you will get back in return!

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Popularity: 8% [?]

Podcast: Play in new window | Download

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Here’s the scenario:
You have a blog, a podcast and a live video stream, all produced by you and you have three separate audiences, one audience for each medium. You want to get your blog readers to come to your podcast, you also want your podcast listeners to come to your live video stream, and likewise, you want your listeners and live viewers to come to your blog.

How would you make this happen?

Why am I asking this, you might inquire? I have been asked to do a series on Podcaster Training pertaining to just that scenario I outlined above. With more and more people getting into New Media in different ways, getting traffic to your blog, podcast and live video stream is getting more difficult as these are all perceived as being separate, but equal functions. However, the New Media Producer doesn’t see it that way and they want to combine their audiences and get them involved into the various aspects of what they are producing.

I have began to write this series and then I got to thinking that I could use some different input as most of the listeners of my show have proven to be a great source for ideas like this. Also proving that “two heads are better than one” thus making for a more informed decision.

I would like everyone that wants to give their input, to do so in the comments section here. I will then take these comments and add them to the training. And don’t worry, there will be credit given to the people that contribute to this! Also, for contributing, I will give you a special gift, but I’m not going to say what just yet until I start seeing the results! Just another incentive, I guess, to give me your thoughts!

I would like to start this series within the next few weeks, but won’t start until I have all the input I need from everyone. Please take a minute to give me your thoughts! Thanks in advance!

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Popularity: 5% [?]

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It’s a new year again and there is a lot in store for The NMP Network for the coming year. Already, we have began the new year by updating the theme on our site to a newer version. From the outside, it still looks the same, but under the hood, there are quite a few new changes, all for the better!

Identity Theft Radio will begin again. After being in hiatus for several months now, The NMP network will begin producing new shows, videos and screencasts for Identity Theft Radio. The new shows will be a weekly feature and will go for about 10 minutes. The idea here is to simulcast the shows on video and then send the videos to YouTube for distribution. Also, a lot of what we will be talking about can be dealt with within the 10 minute limit. This will also insure that the audio podcasts will be short enough for people to download and enjoy without having to listen to 45 minutes to an hour of content dealing with more than one subject.

Identity Theft Radio will begin their new shows starting Saturday January 3rd, 2009 at 9:00pm EST.

Speaking of updated sites, NewMediaPro.tv has had a complete makeover recently! We have decided to stay with uStream.tv as our video streaming service for now as they seem to be the most stable out of all of the services currently available. I will be adding a section for the Segment Hosts soon so that they can be streaming on their own channels and still be viewed at NewMediaPro.tv.

Video will play a bigger part on the Podcaster Training Show this new year. However, with a twist! I will not be simulcasting the video and audio, instead, after the audio show is produced, I will take the recording and then re-broadcast it to video, via a live stream, and will show a slideshow, instead of a live camera shot during the broadcast. I’ve been checking out how the radio stations are doing it, and this is the accepted method for an audio style broadcast to video.

The biggest change for the new year so far has been the changing of how I am advertising on my sites. I did not sign up for the BluBrry campaign for GoToMyPC again as I have ran that campaign for more than a year now and they were dropping the payout to the lowest that I have ever seen it. Instead, I am focusing on products that I currently own and so far, I have seen a better return on those ads than I ever did from any affiliate advertising I have ran. If you want to know more about offering your own products on your sites or podcasts, contact me and I will get you the details!

I have been going through some of my domains and have began weeding out some of the unused or little used ones. Also, I have added a couple of new ones that will become active sometime this month, so I’ll keep you posted on that progress as it happens.

With that, I wish everyone a Happy New Year and I am looking forward to a great year this year and hope you are too!

Popularity: 5% [?]

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With a new year just around the corner, I felt it was time to do some updating to my Live Page at http://www.newmediapro.tv and bring it up to date.

Since I am using uStream for most of my live video streaming, I have chosen to make that the only video feed that shows up now. Also, I have removed a lot of the clutter, such as banner ads and the like to make for a cleaner looking page.

Checking the stats for this domain, I am getting quite a few hits here and so I want to make it a more pleasant experience for those visitors to this site.

I have also added the Talkshoe audio badge to this page for those who want to listen in on the audio only portion of the shows.

Popularity: 4% [?]

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2008 is coming to an end. As we prepare to begin another new year, I thought I’d take a few minutes and look back at this past year and what has went on at The NMP Network during 2008.

The year started as most do, we had a mild winter in Indiana and thanks to that, I was able to be around the studio more during this winter than I am most of the time.

Just two months prior, in November 2007, we changed the format and name of our Friday Night Show from So You Want To Host Your Own Talkcast to Podcaster Training from Two Beams. The format changed from a Co-Hosted Show to a Segmented Show, offering more than just straight out training from the hosts. In February 2008, Tommy Vallier, my Co-Host from the beginning, left the show to pursue other interests. I looked around for another Co-Host, however, decided on adding Segment Hosts instead.

I brought on Jeff Chandler from the WordPress Weekly show to do a segment on WordPress each week and then Josh Budde followed along a short time later with his segment outlining changes at Talkshoe and his podcasts.

Patti Serrano and myself had been hosting a show called Business 101 on Monday Nights and when Patti needed to free up her Monday Nights for other business, we moved Business 101 to Friday Nights as a Segment on the Podcaster Training show and renamed it The Business of Podcasting.

In March 2008, I shortened the name from Podcaster Training from Two Beams to simply Podcaster Training. I also ceased using the domain http://www.twobeams.com for the show and dedicated http://www.podcastertraining.com as the shows new web site. I restructured the blog at http://www.nmpnetwork.com as the new portal for all the shows I currently produce as well as past shows that are no longer in production. The shorter name became the brand for yet another format change to the show.

I was approached by Jeff Chandler one evening about becoming a Co-Host on the show. We discussed it and he had several great ideas, most of which are still implemented today. Jeff co-hosted the show for about two months at which time he re-started WordPress Weekly again and took it out of hiatus. Because his new show was at the same time on Friday Nights as Podcaster Training, he decided to leave his co-hosting position and send in a pre-recorded segment each week. I was happy to see him restart WordPress Weekly and have supported him in his transition. He continues to send in his segments every week and they are a welcome part of the show!

In August 2008, I decided to leave Talkshoe and go to a straight video format. Talkshoe was having some severe technical issues with their audio, or at least on my shows, at the time. Something in the VOIP setup on their end was making for some terrible feedback and echoing for the listeners, making my shows unbearable to listen to. I left, reluctantly, and began a journey to different video streaming services only to be met with different type of issues, mainly the services being too unstable for an hour long show like mine.

Near the end of September 2008, I returned to Talkshoe, after confirming that the audio issues I was experiencing when I left, had been addressed. It appeared they had been addressed, so I came back and started back on an audio only platform with Talkshoe again. Even though there are still some little issues here and there, they haven’t been severe enough to prevent my shows from being produced and listened to.

Since my return to Talkshoe in September, my number of listeners have been growing. Thanks to this growth is in part of bringing on another Segment Host, Michelle Trent, who joined us in November 2008 and does a segment on Social Media News and Twitter. Michelle has several follow her to the show each week and we are happy that she was able to join us with her segment.

Well, that pretty much brings us up to date. The NMP Network added a few new sites over 2008 including a new Membership Site for PLR and MRR products using the http://www.twobeams.com domain. We also revamped the http://www.podcastertraining.com site to add more training for site visitors. Lastly, for those who want the more personal approach to training, http://www.learntopodcast.com was added to give just that!

That wraps up 2008: A Year In Review. We are looking forward to a great 2009 and hope you are too! Happy New Year Everyone from The NMP Network!

Popularity: 6% [?]

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First, let me start by saying that I hope that everyone had a Merry Christmas yesterday! I had a chance to spend some time with most all of my grandkids and had a blast watching them open their gifts. I especially had fun watching my wife learn how to use the new digital camera I got her. I don’t want to say she is technically challenged…I’ll just leave it at that!

And with that said, over the past few weeks, we have been cruising through the Phases of Podcasting. We’ve learned about the history, the basics, going live, prepping for the show, the after show, and getting sponsors and monetizing your podcasts. Tonight, we dive into the final phase of this series of training, Phase 6: Going To The Next Level. Many of you are already asking yourselves, so what is the next level anyway? The next level for many podcasters is video.

There are a number of formats for video in today’s New Media World, including live streaming, video sharing and screencasting, just to name a few. Going video for some, means live streaming. Taking your podcast, possibly one that you are already producing live audio for, and adding a new dimension to it…live video. Now, I have been producing a live video stream for Podcaster Training for almost a year now. I have missed a week here or there, mainly due to technical glitches on the live streaming service, however, for the most part, I’ve been there.

Before we go any further, let’s look at live streaming services. There are a few live streaming services available, such as uStream, Stickam and Justin.TV, again, just to name a few. Tonight, we will look at uStream.TV and go over some of the basics for producing a live streaming video.

Obviously, before you can produce a video, a very important piece of equipment you need is a camera. A webcam, digital video camera or sometimes even a digital camera can be used for this purpose. Some home video cameras have the capability to be hooked up to your PC nowadays and they can be used for this purpose as well. If you already have a camera, check it’s capabilities first to insure that it can be used.

Now, once the camera is in place, you can visit http://www.ustream.tv and signup for a free account. Once you have logged into your account, you will want to setup your profile and show page and this will prepare you for going live soon. I won’t take the time tonight to go through these steps with you. They are fairly self explanatory and if you have questions, just let me know.

Once your show page is setup, you can go live at any time by clicking on the Broadcast Now button, found at the top of the page. This will open a second window, commonly called a Broadcast Window, and the first prompt you should get is to allow or deny access to your camera and sound source. Oh, you will want a microphone hooked up to your PC at this point or else no audio will be heard by your viewers. Click allow and you will be presented with a preview image showing you what your camera is seeing. No preview image? You may need to select your camera from the drop down options for your video. Same goes for sound, if you have multiple sources to choose from.

Next, you have two buttons on the right hand side of the Broadcast Window, Broadcast and Record. Click Broadcast to begin sending your images to uStream for others to see and when you are ready, click Record to save your live video. Once completed, you can click on Stop Record and you will be prompted to save your movie file.

Ok, that’s all there is to live streaming. Let’s move on to video sharing. The most popular video sharing site right now is YouTube. Most everyone has heard of YouTube, but many will not have an idea of how to post a video. This will be an entire different lesson altogether as it requires some specific software and a little know how to insure your video is posted properly.

The last type of video for tonight is called Screencasting. This is a method used for creating tutorials and making them into a video for others to learn by. Again, this will be an entire lesson on it’s own. TechSmith makes a piece of software called Camtasia which allows you to record your screen movements, add transitions, credits, etc. and then create your screencast into the most widely used format technology called Flash. uStream, Stickam, YouTube and most video sharing and streaming sites will use this technology as Flash is a smaller, more compact way of streaming video across the Internet.

I know I’ve skimmed over a lot of this training, however, with video streaming, a lot is just either by doing or by having someone step you through it. Unfortunately, we don’t have that kind of time on this show, unless I devote an entire lesson on just that. Not saying that can’t happen!

Now, when you plan to stream live video, you want to make sure that your viewers will be able to find you easily. Let’s go back to uStream for a minute. With uStream, like most services, gives you an embed code that allows you to show your live video on your web site or blog, while you are streaming live! There is even an embed code for the chatroom and you can setup a separate page for your live streaming. For example, I have setup a separate domain name, newmediapro.tv, along with a separate site so that I can include my advertising, chatroom, and embed codes for Twitter, Stickam and uStream, all on one page. This way, no matter which service I’m on, I can direct viewers to the one site. Makes life easier for everyone that way.

Alternately, for your blog, you could setup a page marked LIVE and put your embed codes there. Same result and you have a way that your viewers can easily view and read your blog too!

I went the extra mile for the .TV domain name. They are a little salty for some, at $19.99 a year, but I felt it was worth it for the branding. Keep in mind that if you are on Blogger or WordPress.com, you may not be able to embed the video and chatroom codes. Since I run the self hosted WordPress, I can do this with my blog. So this is where I’m coming from, in case you’re wondering why I might be telling you to try something that you may not be able to do.

The same applies for video sharing sites like YouTube. You can upload a video or screencast and then get the embed code and show it on your blog or web site. This way, when you’ve got a tutorial video or screencast that you want everyone to see, it’s easy to show it off quickly!

Ok, one last item to cover on this topic tonight. If you want to add a little flare to your live presentation, there are some software packages available for PC users called SuperWebCam and ManyCam, that will allow you to put graphics on the screen, scroll messages, show your desktop and more. Mac users have some options as well, such as CamTwist, that does the same as the PC software packages.

Adding flare to your video will help you to present a more professional production. Even if you have a live video show about nothing in particular, this flare will help you to liven up your videos and maybe attract some more viewers.

This concludes our series of The Phases of Podcasting. Next week, we will be talking about adding audio to your web site or blog. There is one exciting note here. Thanks to a suggestion by Jeff Chandler, our resident WordPress Segment Host, I will be putting together a series about combining the three main mediums, Blogging, Podcasting and Video. Bridging the gap to bring your listeners to your blog, your readers to your podcasts and live videos and vice versa. It should be a really great series to produce. I’ll tell you more as the time draws near. I can tell you this much, it won’t be until next year now!!

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Popularity: 7% [?]

Podcast: Play in new window | Download

[ad#disaster]
Several months ago, I started simulcasting my Friday Night Shows on video services, such as uStream and Stickam. Over time, there have been a number of issues with these services and recently, I started simulcasting again after being off video for a time. What I have found, at least for my purposes, is that none of these video streaming services can handle 1 to 2 hour long sessions, reasonably.

Last week, I recorded my show using Stickam. The recording went well, or at least, seemed to, and it even let me save my recording. All was good until I went to look at the saved recording and oops! it was gone! Not even an archived copy, nothing, as though I had not even attempted a recording at all! At least with uStream, I had something I could look at, however, it was usually in segments and not a complete show.

Anyway, I have decided to drop the video all together for now and concentrate on the audio podcasting for the show. Making the audio better, more music beds, etc. and not worry about doing video, with the exception of the occasional YouTube video or screencast.

I will talk more about this on my next episode of Podcaster Training so that I can better explain exactly what is going on here, so that I don’t discourage someone from doing video. That is not my goal here. My goal here is to keep you informed as to what is happening on my show and I will continue to keep up with the video streaming services and when they are more up to par with what I am doing, then try it again!

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Popularity: 12% [?]

Image by motionblur via Flickr

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Ok, you got a webcam for your PC and now are looking for a way to utilize it. You have a podcast and like to watch YouTube videos and you see Chris Pirillo and Leo LaPorte use their cameras to lifecast and do their shows and you start thinking that this would be a neat thing to do too!

But wait! How do you go about doing this video thing anyway? Well, before you jump in with both feet, prepare to sink before you swim! Producing a video show is a lot harder than it looks, believe me, I know!

Tonight, we will discuss how to get started producing videos for your podcast. Don’t mistake this as going straight video, because, you aren’t ready for that, just yet! Like with anything new, you must learn to crawl, then learn to walk, before you can learn to run with it.

Let’s look at crawling:
Start by making sure your webcam or digital recorder or whatever type of camera you are using, is properly hooked up to your PC. Next, go to SuperWebCam or ManyCam and pickup a copy of this free software for adding effects to your camera streaming. There is a commercial version of this type of software called VidBlaster that you may want to look at later, once you are up and running.

Now, install and setup the software you chose to download. Go to the Source area of the software and see if your camera is detected. If it is working properly, you should see images streaming from your camera (most likely you, if it is pointing to you, of course). This will help you to determine if your camera is setup and operational. Once this step is completed, you are ready to move on to the next step.

Ok, the next step is to actually produce a video. I’m not gonna cover how to produce a YouTube video in this lesson, however, I will go over how to “go live” to produce a live, interactive podcast with your camera.

In order to “go live”, you will need to go to a live, video streaming service, like uStream, Justin.tv or Stickam, just to name a few, and setup a free account. Once you have your account, you are ready to “go live”!

Now, in order to do this video thing right, take some extra time and get your clothes, hair, face, etc. in order, because unlike traditional podcasting, people will actually see what you look like and like always, appearances count!

Depending on the streaming service you chose, you will have a broadcast or go live button that will open up a broadcast window in your browser. This window will allow you to record, broadcast and even set your audio and video quality settings. You will have an option to choose your camera and audio source, such as a microphone, and then, you are ready to broadcast your show to the World!

I said earlier that producing a video stream is harder than it looks. Here’s why. Think about your podcast or live show you are currently producing. You can usually take a few minutes before the show starts to prep, get your notes together and then call in and go for it. With video, you must give yourself enough time to make sure your equipment is functional, that your streaming service is working, your PC has been rebooted before you do this so that you have enough CPU resources, and then you have your show notes ready and your audio is working and THEN you are ready to start your show. Video, as anyone that does this, takes longer to prep for than an audio show does. This is just the nature of the beast.

So, there you have it, in a nutshell. Going video by itself is easy enough to do, however, if you want to do audio and video podcasts at the same time, make sure you have enough CPU resources (a fast enough and powerful enough PC) and enough bandwidth to handle both. Otherwise, you may find your video stalling, freezing or simply not working at all and your audio may suffer too with breaking up or dropping out. Doing both isn’t for the faint of heart. You have to really be prepared to do this and make sure your equipment is up to the task too. If you have an older, slower PC with little RAM memory, then you most likely won’t be able to make video function with the audio podcasts at the same time, but maybe by itself without the extra overhead of the audio podcasting.

Popularity: 10% [?]

Podcast: Play in new window | Download

[ad#gotomypc]
No, there is not a typo in the title, I meant to say A to V, not A to Z, because in this post I will be talking about taking your podcast from it’s humble beginnings to the next level, video! Now, before you go running off saying that this is too difficult or I simply wouldn’t understand, let me tell you, been there, done that!

Without getting into too much boring details, let’s start with getting started with podcasting, in it’s original format, pre-recorded.

In the beginning days of podcasting, you would take a recorder (you remember those don’t you?) and record your podcasts and then send them to your PC through your sound card input and save them on your hard drive, then take your saved recording (all your editing was done on the fly on the recorder) and then upload your recording to a podcast host somewhere, and from there, it would propagate across the few directories that were around in those days and people would listen to it, if they had an interest. Lots of work to do this, so podcasts, were infrequent and not real popular.

Then came some new technology in software for PC’s, that would allow you to record your podcast, direct to your computer using a microphone attached to your sound card input and would allow for basic editing right on the computer and would save the recording in a proper format for uploading to your podcast host. Because of this break-through, podcasting became a little more viable for people as they could afford to do this easier now. Some had to purchase microphones, while others already had the right stuff and could go for it now!

Along comes the iPod generation and MP3 Players, RSS, and you get the idea. With the availability of RSS feeds and so many portable players being sold and more and more each day, podcasting became a medium for many small businesses up to large corporations, to use to get market their wares. But what about the everyday Joe, where do they fit in this new equation? Well, some podcast hosts setup “free” accounts for hosting that was advertising based, allowing the normal person to post podcasts about whatever niche they wanted and granted them a small, but usable storage account for these podcasts. There was a learning curve with this, and many caught on, but just as many found it too difficult to do, so they just dropped off the scene as quickly as they had came in.

In 2005, a new company came on the scene offering EVERYONE the chance to do Live, Interactive Podcasting. This company, Talkshoe, gave even the little guy a way to sign up, for free, free hosting, free storage, and a way to talk about ANYTHING they wanted, for as long as they wanted (with 3 to 5 hours) and even record it, on the fly, using a simple phone interface! The phone interface meant that there was no equipment to buy, no microphones, no hookups to the PC, etc. just place a phone call and login. You could instantly be “on the air” and start you road counting down to your 15 minutes of fame. All of this for free!

A lot of people, from novice to experienced podcasters, jumped on this site and started broadcasting. Some lasted only a few shows (some less than that) because they didn’t have the passion they thought they had or simply suffered from burnout, early on. The ones that hung in there (and many still are) began building audiences of loyal listeners and started building their own communities in this social media network. Some that dropped out of podcasting, became loyal listeners of other shows and some even found their passion again and went back for another try to only succeed this time!

Like with any technology, there is always growth. In this next “growth spurt”, along comes live, video streaming. Now, in order to do this, you MUST have a web cam or other type of camera that can act as a webcam. You also need a microphone and a “reason” to plaster your face (literally) in front of potentially thousands or viewers. When you visit any of the video streaming sites, such as uStream.tv or Stickam, you will find a variety of celebrity streams, but you will also find the “run of the mill” streams that aren’t really filling a niche as much as they are just taking up some air time. These type of streams don’t do much for me, however, they seem to have lots of viewers, so there must be something that I am missing (or not).

After you have been podcasting for a while, whether old style by pre-recorded and posting or via live, interactive podcasting, there comes a time that you feel you could expand your horizons and take your podcast to “the next level”…live video.

In order to do this, you really need to stop and check your PC (or Mac) to insure that you have enough RAM memory and CPU to handle to extra workload. Also, you must have a decent broadband upload stream (500k and up) to insure that you don’t tank everything when trying to do this.

If you don’t have enough bandwidth, stop right there, and don’t pursue it any further until you get more bandwidth. Ask anyone that has done live video about this and they will tell you that this is very important. Take into account that your live audio will also take bandwidth, add on top of that the bandwidth requirements for video and if you have enough, go for it, otherwise you should really wait to go to the next level for now.

Now, if you already have a live podcast with loyal listeners, don’t just jump ship and go straight video (because of the bandwidth) and abandon your live audio podcasts. Remember, doing this, you will be starting over and you may not be mentally prepared for the shock that comes with not having anyone watching or listening to you, like you originally had! Here, I’m talking from experience. Having done this, I found that the live video streaming services aren’t always up to par with a live show that has a serious minded niche. Especially if that show goes more than 10 or 15 minutes. If this is you, don’t try this. Believe me, you will be disappointed, I know I was.

Well, that’s the gist of what I had to say. I am preparing a webinar on this subject and would like your feedback. Is this something that you would pay to learn the ropes from someone who has been there and you can learn from their mistakes? Or is this a subject that really doesn’t have a value for you, so you wouldn’t pay for it, but would like the information presented free of charge, even though you might not get the full value of it, if it was free? One last question, if you feel this is something you would pay for, say a three hour webinar, what would you pay to learn the ins and outs of going from the basics to more advanced levels of podcasting?

Leave me a comment letting me (and others) know what you think. I really want to know what you thing about this. Thanks in advance!

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