Essentially, Negroponte is pursuing these typically disparate sectors to achieve results that (ostensibly) serve the governments involved (who will promise to buy a certain number of $100 laptops before they’ll go into production), the people making the computers (who will make a profit), and philanthropists funding various stages of the program to get it to float.

My first compelling thought

I think this model/paradigm is sheer brilliance. By uniting a great cause (in my opinion) with the goals of the nations involved while satisfying the business realities of getting the computers produced will be an enormously difficult challenge to achieve. But think of how many sectors/people will be compelled to see this initiative come to life. This isn’t about “bleeding heart liberals” foisting their cause in a strictly non-profit arena or big business (potentially) manipulating a positive force for profit.

In one sense, it could be both! But if kids get a computer and they’re helped, does it matter? Do they care? I think the end here would justify the means, especially since the cooperation of all the various elements to make this a success will invariably lead to a wider breadth of understanding of the children who could so greatly benefit from the laptops.

In other words—this model would in essence force the “supply chain” involved to care about the children it was serving as the kids are the customers in this equation. Or at least the end users. If they don’t (or can’t) use the computers, the time/energy/money lost will be massive.

My second compelling thought

I’m working really hard as of late to convince people that there’s ROI/money to be made with podcasting. And in short, there is. Period. I’m making money and so are lots of other people and you can too. Great. But what’s next?

Within a year or two, three for late adopters, podcasting/videocasting/social media will be the norm for the world at large. If you think otherwise, you’re incorrect. Sorry, I’m tired of pulling punches on this subject. If you aren’t offering your content via podcast/video/mobile devices, your competitors will, or are already. And if you don’t get on Second Life and YouTube and explore sites like Digg you’re avoiding the inevitable.

I think these ideas are not new but simply need to be proven to people, which is fine. Some will just accept the light already well down the tunnel, others will need multiple graphs and case studies before they can justify moving forward. And I’m not mocking that, mind you—due diligence is a major component of service your audience/customers as best you can.

So my thought here was that I’d better start figuring out what “the next big thing” is or certain aspects of job longevity will fade fast.

Nope. Originating from the BarCamp movement, PodCamp is an informal, “Unconference” conference where people who are passionate about podcasting/videocasting/social and new media gather to share ideas, network, and eat lots of snacks.

How does it work?

• If you want to go, you register for free and show up.
• If you want to talk, you list your session and get your room location when you show up.
• Show up.

So far this may sound relatively disorganized in nature, but in my experience the opposite is true. I first discovered Podcamp through Chris Brogan, the charismatic (yet poignantly humble) co-organizer of Podcamp Boston that took place September 9th-10th at Bunker Hill Community College. Through my work as the About.com Guide to Podcasting, I continued to read about Podcamp on multiple podcaster/videocaster’s blogs that directed me to a wiki page where I realized I could sign up to speak without having to be asked.

Who’s there?

You see, at Podcamp you’re a “participant” rather than an “attendee.” And this isn’t an issue of semantics—it’s a central philosophy. Rather than receive a packet of materials, find your seat, and zone while a speaker regales you with their powerpoint presentation or witty business quips, (not a bad thing if you’re in the mood, to be fair) at Podcamp sessions are discussions rather than monologues. At Podcamp this feeling was facilitated by the fact that many sessions were held in classrooms where fifty people were standing-room-only to hear new media luminaries like Mitch Joel or C.C. Chapman discuss how to brand yourself as a podcaster or Matthew Snodgrass and David Kawalec from Porter Novelli instruct a rapt audience on “How to make cents out of podcasting.”

Plus the crew from Rocketboom was on hand doing interviews even Jeff Pulver, co-founder of Vonage, showed up to buy drinks for fellow pod-ticipants the night before the VON conference. The next day he came to podcamp and signed up to give a session.

If it seems like I’m name-dropping to build credibility, great. And I’ll continue to do so but not in the way that you think. Also at Podcamp was Whitney S. Hoffman whose LD Podcast features parents of kids with learning disabilities counseling other parents of kids with disabilities. Plus there was Bill Baue, an aggressive hand-raiser and passionate advocate of socially responsible living whose Corporate Watchdog Radio keeps corporate on their toes. And a gaggle (if 350 people constitutes said gaggle) of other podcasters/videocasters, new and social media experts/advocates plus hardware and software gurus that presented a who’s who of leading tech/new media bloggers today.

No food chain to climb

And we were all on the same playing field. Skip the top-down approach; there wasn’t even a top at all. You were a keynote speaker if you had an audience of one. Your session was “worthy” to attend if your title put butts in seats and your message kept people from exercising the “law of two feet” (which states you’re ‘allowed’ to leave if a topic loses your interest).

In other words, Podcamp broke the constraints of business niceties where they didn’t serve the purpose of bringing value to each and every participant in an active and engaging fashion. I was enthralled. And challenged. And at times, intimidated. Although people were utterly kind, polite, and essentially giddy with brainstorm bonhomie, I was still poignantly aware that the combined I.Q. and mindshare swirling about could seriously kick my cerebral cortex.

But I was invited to come. Everyone’s invited to come. And it’s free. The price you pay for admission is simply the willingness to participate.

Meritocracy versus money mentality

Intrigued yet? If not, remember an important fact if you work in the tech or business world in general. The people at Podcamp (both the one in Boston plus the one I’m organizing in New York for the first weekend in April ’07) constitute the nucleus of the thriving web 2.0 world bubbling beneath the surface of modern media. Do you create hardware/software? I guarantee people at Podcamp have tried or are using it and I hope for your sake you’re listening to their feedback. Because the one thing Podcampers won’t brook is BS (business speak; seriously).

“Corporatese” from press releases or hyperbolic glossies mean nothing in a world where transparency denotes truthfulness and value is something you provide before relationships are made. The fire at this Podcamp comes from the passion to create, collaborate, and mobilize around shared passions that can change the world one blog, business, or body at a time.

Put simply, a HUGE point companies are forgetting when it comes to utilizing audio/podcasting technology is that building an audio library of content provides vast new storehouses of intellectual property that can brand your firm as an expert in an industry, build connections with your audience, and make (or save) you money.

Credibility

Podcasting allows you to establish yourself as a thought leader in an industry. And by virtue of interviewing experts for your podcast, (if you’re doing an interview show) listeners will automatically begin to trust your firm since you’re providing them free value-added information, no-strings-attached. It’s the same logic as writing an article for a magazine where you tray and prove you’re really smart without pitching your wares and leave your contact info in a byline. You’re essentially saying, “Of course I’d love your business. But I know I have to earn your trust and I’m willing to provide you with some content rich, pearls of wisdom for free. Hope to hear from you.”

One company that has done Audio Branding extremely well is BMW. On your next lunch break, give yourself a listening treat and check out BMW’s Audiobook presentation of, Master of The Storm. This business thriller is set entirely inside a BMW automobile and as author James Flint states in an interview about the series, “I tried to make the car a miniature theatre for the listener.” The effect works. Within moments of listening to the story you’re virtually enveloped in fine leather seats and a compelling yarn that delivers exactly what you’d imagine a BMW experience should sound like—sophisticated, romantically foreign, and expensive.

Likewise, IBM has created an extremely user-friendly and interactive Podcast in their IBM ShortCuts series that provides weekly tips on making the most out of email, IM, blogs and other online tools. Listeners can contribute their own comments or expertise or put questions to IBM experts. The show lends an approachable and playful voice to Big Blue that demonstrates why IBM stays at the forefront of innovation—they understand that products/services need to communicate to customers on a real level versus relying on business-speak.

Another organization that utilizes the mindset of creating value-added content for listeners is AIM Global, a leading RFID trade association based in Warrendale, PA. Their, Hear and Know weekly podcast features interviews with leading tech leaders on everything RFID. “Podcasting has literally added a new dimension to our communication’s efforts,” says AIM President, Dan Mullen. “Our audience can hear, first hand, the perspective of industry leaders from around the world. In the association world credibility is huge and our executive interview series separates us from other media outlets.”

‘Separates’ is an especially important concept in terms of the value of PodBranding. We all have too much to read. If you’re not producing content for your audience to hear, they’re going to listen to someone else.

-”You have to have an iPod to listen to podcasts, right?”
-”Nobody’s creating any good material in podcasts.”
-”I can’t commit to it because the ROI is too difficult to figure out. You can’t tell who’s downloading for accurate metrics.”

Okay, let’s cut to the chase and get on the same page.

65% of people listen to podcasts on their computers versus an iPod or other MP3 player according to recent research from Knowledge Storm. Podcasts are comprised of MP3 files which can be listened to via computer, MP3 player, or burned to a CD to listen to in your car or CD player.

There is an enormous amount of excellent material produced by NPR, IBM, GE, and myriad other businesses, indies, musicians, and private citizens. The wealth of material is also growing at an enormous rate-pundits suggest that by 2010 there will be anywhere from 20 to 80 million podcasts available online.

In terms of downloading metrics, you have a point–but to a point. Here’s one thing people forget about ratings for TV and radio: they’re based on surveys based on the behavior of the test groups of people being monitored about what they watch/listen to. It’s not like there are microchips embedded in their skulls/digits that record every bit of media they ingest.

For podcasts, metrics are improving to the point where you can tell where someone has downloaded a show, whether they’ve streamed your show (listened to it online versus downloaded), and even some basic demographics. (Age, gender, etc.) But unless you either embed an MP3 file with an encrypted format that allows a user to monitor how much of a podcast you’ve listened to, the only way to tell whether someone has listened to a podcast is to stalk them, plain and simple—which gets expensive.

That said, I’m not here to admonish or instruct you on how to make money on creating a podcast for its own sake. Meaning, I’ll be the first person to tell you you’re not going to make money with a podcast simply by charging people to dowload your show–unless you’re Ricky Gervais, Jon Stewart or perhaps a truly fine Elvis impersonator. There are some well known speakers who do charge a pretty penny for their podcasts (versus giving a live seminar, for instance) but I want to focus here on the corporate marketplace.