Podcaster… meet new listener
Published by on May 3rd, 2006 9 Comments »
It’s official, Linked Media Ltd. was formed today.
The full details are to follow once we have everything more coherently and explicitly expressed, but basically the company was born out of my initial discussions with mobile telcos and mobile content suppliers about distributing podcasts to mobile phone users.
I have teamed up with Adrian Pegg to create a company which will focus on nurturing new opportunities for podcasters to reach new audiences in new ways – that means looking for and opening new routes rather than just jumping on the same bandwagon everyone else is… we are genuinely trying to push new ideas and frontiers. Initially this means exploring the potential of mobile phones, but not simply a matter of dumping a podcast to a phone, there are already a bunch of companies around who can handle the logistics of that. We are looking at the bigger picture: discovering new opportunities for podcasters even well before they are technically feasible, and preparing the way for what might be around the corner.
If this all seems a little vague, then it is, intentionally, as we have a lot of detail still to work out about our proposition to both podcasters and content consumers (each is different of course) and we understandably want to be sure the message is right. Look out for more official word in the next handful of days and appearance of more info at www.linkedmedia.co.uk.
Post Script:
In a pre-emptive anti tongue-wagging effort, let’s get the suppositions out of the way…
1. No, it is not just like Podshow
2. No, it’s not another podcast ‘network’
3. No, it’s not about some simple tech solution to getting podcasts on mobiles.
6. Yes it is to be a commercial company
9 Responses to “Podcaster… meet new listener”
Is that really a problem of open source specifically? Isn’t it more the question of whether it’s appropriate to use something pre-built (open source or proprietary) or whether you’d be better off creating your own?
Poorly managed proprietary applications can indeed fall into the same issues, but at least there is some commercial motivation to keep things running on track (mostly). I’m increasingly finding client perceptions of open source are based on the perceived higher cost of bespoke solutions. There is often a fixation with the ‘free’ open source solution despite it usually requiring significant work to hack it to their specific requirements – unless it is particularly niche such as Wordpress for Blogs.
In the end it’s all down to the right solution for the right job – sometimes, as in the intranet application I am completing, Drupal is most certainly the right open source solution. The problem comes when trying to demonstrate to a client that your bespoke solution is the most appropriate over OS, it’s the perception of value they have a problem with and immediately assume your intent to move them away from an OS solution is based on you wanting higher returns.
These days I am starting to quote based on providing the solution to their requirement, as opposed to a more traditional multiple option ‘this will be this much, that will be that much’ approach. When clients refocus on the value they get for the price rather than a supermarket pick-and-mix mentality, it actually simplifies the whole sales process and frees the developer from being forced down a route based on the client’s misconceptions.
Struth Neil, I’m pinching myself.
As crap technically as I am, I actually understood what you meant!
For a rank amateur like me, open source stuff is great – but I can fast see limitations in stuff. Audacity is perhaps the best example I can think of – a great idea, good application, but ever so limited in many ways.
Right off to do some work now.
Paul
Love the logo! You are so very good at branding…
Good luck to you and Adrian on your new venture!
Great to see this getting off the ground. Good luck with it guys.
Linked Media Ltd is launched…
…
Sounds very interesting! Please keep me updated.
And what could possibly be the mysteriosly missing pre-emptive PS points 4 and 5, I wonder?
“No, it won’t create an increased incidence of people walking out into traffic as they attend to audio distractions”?
“Yes, it will encourage face-to-face conversations between people breathing the same air”?
Seriously, though, even though I’m someone who rarely notices when I leave the Treo at home because it’s just not that important in these days of microscopic laptops and tremendous penalties for mobilephone use while driving, I wish you all the luck in the world. Can’t wait to see more!
Damn you editor types spotting my pseudo-linear utilisation of standard numeric sequence.
The question is… what number comes next?
12 or 1100. It’s editorial, my dear Dixon.
Sorry, Neil, for the adjacent post. It’s the day after publication of Podcast User Magazine (Issue 4!), and I’m a bit euphoric.
Apologise not. And it’s about bloody time that publication turned up!
Though do tell Paul to resize his huge cover images on the blog, they are a couple of hundred kb a piece!