OnlineMediaTips.com

1) Sound is hard. Everything else involved in a video podcast is relatively easy.

2) Good lights and lighting are more important than good cameras.

3) When you produce a video podcast, you will generally need to be a better storyteller since your audience will be less willing to watch a long show.

4) Bring lots of backups for your backups to any production.

5) Remember that some people will be watching your video podcast on a video iPod. Small screens require large subjects - i.e., fill the frame and remember that small details may get lost in the shot for people watching on a small screen.

6) A good story is more important than good gear.

Popularity: 36% [?]

They’re not the same thing.

If you’re looking for a way to set your online media property apart from the pack, you need to understand the difference between structure and formula.

According to Wikipedia.com, structure is how a story, narrative or anecdotes are made. In other words, knowing how things work.

According to Dictionary.com, a formula is any fixed or conventional method for doing something.

In my opinion, the best online podcasts and vlogs are created by people who use structure to shape their shows. The worst online media properties are created like traditional TV and movies, using formulas.

Structure gives a talented person a guideline (not a rule) that he or she can follow in order to attract an audience. Structure allows things to flow organically. Structure motivates a talented person to strive for new levels of success.

Formulas restrict creative talent. Imagine forcing a virtuoso guitar player to play the same lead in every song just because it worked? Formulas don’t allow for change. Formulas are attractive to untalented people because in the short term, they’ll produce some sort of satisfactory result, but it won’t be a long-lasting one. As the audience for that show grows, the mediocre talent will be stuck back in the formula, and won’t be able to grow with the audience.

Know the difference.

Popularity: 32% [?]

Great News! Michael and Doug are holding another one of their popular Podcast Academy seminars. This is the sixth Podcast Academy and the previous seminars have all been well-regarded. As they did last year, the Gigavox folks are holding Podcast Academy on September 27, 2007, in conjunction with the Podcast & New Media Expo in Ontario, CA.

Highly recommended.

Popularity: 15% [?]

It’s an oldy but still a goody. Just over a year ago, I was honored to work with lynda.com to create Podcasting with GarageBand 3. It’s a CD-ROM-based training series that shows you how to step-by-step, create a podcast using nothing more than GarageBand 3.

Since Apple has not yet updated GarageBand to version 4.0, this title’s information is still fresh and valuable. You can view or buy Podcasting With GarageBand 3 at lynda.com or if you prefer, you can buy it at Amazon. It’s less than $50 and will save you enough time to be worth the investment.

By the way, I show you tricks in this series that you won’t learn from any trip to the Genius Bar at an Apple store or by reading any GarageBand book. This series of training videos is designed specifically to address GarageBand 3.0’s podcasting capabilities. I hope you like it.

Popularity: 19% [?]

Podcasting is also popular among 35-54 year olds and high-income segments of the population.

It’s no secret that podcast listeners are primarily male. comScore’s recent study (based on analysis of the iTunes podcasting audience) revealed that males represented a significantly larger share (63 percent) of the audience than did females (37 percent). 18-24 year olds represented a substantial share of the audience (29 percent) and were more than twice as likely as the average Internet user to download podcasts. People between the ages of 35-54 represented about half of the podcasting audience and were also more likely than average to download podcasts.

“The comScore study reveals significant advertising opportunities among several consumer segments,” said Nick Tabbal, comScore senior vice president of media and entertainment solutions. “While the conventional wisdom says that only young, tech-savvy consumers are downloading and listening to podcasts, there is also a sizable market among 35-54 year olds, indicating that the audience is broader than previously thought.”

Added Mr. Tabbal: “Since many of the top podcasts are in the educational and business genres, it’s not surprising that podcasts today appeal to the more educated and higher-income consumer segments. Because these core audiences represent highly desirable consumer segments, it’s probably just a matter of time before significant advertising dollars begin to flow toward this medium.”

Popularity: 18% [?]