BTPodShow gets a facelift
Published by on March 13th, 2008
On its journey to the quietly heralded version 3, BTPodShow.com and PodShow.com last night had a very strategic spruce-up with a new interface.
UPDATE: Adam Curry refers to this as less a facelift than a shot of botox!
This interim change refocused the site around primary promotion of video content, which is - despite the understandable resistance from those involved solely with independent audio - is where both audience growth and advertiser interest are undergoing significant accelleration.
This morning was the first time I had seen the v2.5 interface (I have simply been too wrapped up in other projects), and I like the emphasis on show promotion right there on the front page. Much more is being done to push the content from producers with whom we have a relationship - something that is close to my heart, of course. The initial lineup seems a little weighted to the bigger productions, but that is understandable for day one to offer the strongest lineup.
One of the main challenges the site still faces is media persistence - the ability to keep watching or listening uninterrupted as you explore - and the ability to interact with the rest of the site without losing the connection with that already playing media.
With the very much stronger, and still growing interest from advertisers in associating their brands with video content, I think this new interface is going to open a number of doors for PodShow and associated producers, of course. We are already seeing a marked increase in the number of, and potential from, new advertisers. Most of the new campaigns being offered to producers have unlimited potential for growth and earning, regardless of audience size. Now that is an important point, it is no longer the shows with bigger audiences that are (potentially) able to generate the biggest earnings. Could we have discovered exactly how to tap in to the full potential of aggregating many small-audience productions to distribute brand and product promotion? Not quite yet, but every single day is a learning experience and we are a lot closer to understanding how to help producers make the most out of their shows.
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2 Responses to “BTPodShow gets a facelift”
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March 13th, 2008 at 12:35 pm
I do like the look of the site Neil.
I posted a couple of concerns about what the sites doing, and what we as producers need to get ourselves to the upper echelon of podshow.
The comments Ron Bloom said of yesterdays Geek Brief has, in my opinion, soured things a little. If feels as if video is the be all and end all, when audio producers like myself (user based content), are being either dragged along for the ride or being neglected like a stray dog.
I’m not having a go, far from it, I’ve been happy with podshows progress and in turn my show too, but it would be nice to have some clarification on podshows “manifesto” for the audio producers, as it seems to be video all the way at the moment.
Rowley
http://www.darkcompass.com
March 13th, 2008 at 12:54 pm
At the moment I do not have enough familiarity with the new stuff and ongoing plans for it to cover your comments directly, but I understand where you are coming from. I have a few questions myself that I hope I will be able to discuss once I have the answers.
All in all, think of this as just a step - albeit an important one for the company’s future - on the road to V3. The focus of how PodShow, as a company, uses the site has shifted slightly for the medium term and as we move through the next few months a lot of the pieces will start to fit together.
Video is seen as the way forward to provide a more solid business ongoing because that is where the growth is, but I agree it is critical that audio producers are not left feeling tucked away in a corner. There’s certainly no policy to treat audio as second-class, and we will have to be conscious of the issue and maintain the right balance.
Once I have more understanding myself, I’ll be sure to talk with you.