Audio Posts
I am going to do some audio posts on this blog for the next month. If you all like them, I might keep doing them. Let me know what you think.
The reason I am doing them is HP is running a campaign on this blog and others in the Federated Media stable and they want to promote audio blogging. Here's John Battelle's first voice post.
Anyway, here's my first voice post.
Bummer Fred. Hope the DC crud gets a good purging from your system. At least you didn't break your hand like SOME people.
Was kind of hoping you guys were going to test some kind of new audio ad format for HP in your MP3 post. If an HP bumper of some kind is supposed to be there... it didn't play through on my setup (Safari and FireFox, latest revs). BTW, HP's branding is absent in the RSS feed. Betting that was intentional though to draw the clickthrough (or not).
I liked John Battelle's embedded HP vox widget (doesn't show through on his RSS feed as displayed in FireFox or Safari). Nice site-side branding for HP. Still, no branded audio bumper. So, if the audio was picked up or syndicated... it would lose the HP affiliation. Might not be the desired outcome in the end. A round of applause for FM and HP for trying something out.
Posted by: Gerald Buckley | July 26, 2007 at 08:21 AM
Not a fan of audio posts. Simply not time-efficient for the reader to consume. Plus content can't be searched, etc.
Posted by: Ken Berger | July 26, 2007 at 09:28 AM
Check out http://www.veotag.com when you get a chance, Fred. It's a pretty cool way of offering audio! I just got interviewed by Paul Dunay and he uses the technology really cool:
http://buzzmarketingfortech.blogspot.com/2007/07/how-to-build-successful-blog-quickly_24.html
Posted by: Douglas Karr | July 26, 2007 at 09:36 AM
And I hope you feel better! :)
Posted by: Douglas Karr | July 26, 2007 at 09:36 AM
Being sick blows, being sick on an airplane blows more. Enjoy your day surfing and chicken soup eatin'
Posted by: Tony Alva | July 26, 2007 at 09:54 AM
One suggestion for the experiment Fred, would be some sort of time indicator so the listener knows how long the voice blog post is, and can plan accordingly.
Kudos for trying something new.
Posted by: Michael Parekh | July 26, 2007 at 10:05 AM
Feel better, Fred...is there a Greek version of Chicken soup?
Safe travels as well.
Posted by: Michael Parekh | July 26, 2007 at 10:07 AM
As already mentioned unsearchable content is the killer here. The big question I have is:
What problem are you trying to solve by doing voice posts? Is it for the blogger's or the consumer's benefit?
Posted by: Dan | July 26, 2007 at 10:08 AM
I don't like it for blog posts unless you've written it first; writing brings out more of what you intend to express.
feel better.
Posted by: Charlie Crystle | July 26, 2007 at 10:50 AM
I think you're in the w. village, yes? Tea & Sympathy on Greenwich has *THE* best chicken soup in town. have someone grab you some. feel better.
Posted by: rodrigo | July 26, 2007 at 11:02 AM
My prob with audio posts is that I want to consume in about 2 minutes. I don't have a commute, otherwise maybe I'd be all about podcasts and audio blogging. We're techies, we don't have an attention span -- thinking of listening through a 5-15 minute podcast, is like thinking I have to listen to my voicemail and it's going to be a 5-15 minute message from someone. I have a hard time committing myself to it, especially when I have no clue whether it'll be good -- or what points I'll come away from it.
With written posts, you can read all of it, or skim to see if you really need to consume it all [or want to consume anything past the first sentence].
I agree with Parekh, who are you trying to benefit here? The way you wrote your intro to this thing, it sounds like you're just doing it because you're getting ad dollars from HP via FM. [I'm well aware you donate your blog earnings]
I would maybe create a few bullets with any audio post about what you discuss -- "what i did yesterday", "my thoughts on ilike's facebook app", "i'm listening to the new track 'cheap motel room' by Margot & The Nuclear So and So's -- and it makes their new album sound promising", etc.
Posted by: Steve Poland | July 26, 2007 at 11:03 AM
My morning consists of turning on my new favorite album, and reading my blogs. Not a fan of having to pause my music to listen to a blog.
Posted by: Kendal H | July 26, 2007 at 11:29 AM
I hope the Audio Posts don't take the place of the written word. No offense, but I'd rather read you than listen to you - you don't write 'um' or 'uh', but you say them a lot.
I was never a big bokks on tape guy. Blogs on mp3 is even less appealing.
Posted by: jacksonj | July 26, 2007 at 11:30 AM
Those of us who work in open offices can't listen to audio posts. Doesn't matter how much HP (or anyone else) pushes them, that's not a behavior they can change.
Posted by: fiat lux | July 26, 2007 at 11:31 AM
Hope you get well soon, Fred.
Posted by: David G | July 26, 2007 at 11:43 AM
Not really efficient. I can gloss over the contents if they are not interesting. Audio doesnt leave me with that choice.
Posted by: Himanshu Sahani | July 26, 2007 at 12:12 PM
Is the addition of voice to the online world really an advantage? It's possible to speed-read,scan or flick through slides at an accelerated rate but you can't do that with aural editions. My other big problem with podcasts and video is that generally they're too long. To make them effective, you really have to pIan them so you might as well post them as a regular post - no?
Bottom line, from the user/reader/listener's perspective - if you end up with a page of notes, wouldn't it have been better for you and for the distribution of the "voice" if it had appeared in that form in the first place?
P.S. Enjoy Greece - it's incredibly hot there currently.
Posted by: John Dodds | July 26, 2007 at 12:31 PM
I don't mind a mix of both types of posts. Each format has its advantages. But, as I am sure you can understand, I read your blog on my blackberry...
Posted by: mike oliver | July 26, 2007 at 02:17 PM
I can see how audio blogging would be interesting and useful in some cases, such as a poet reading some of his work.
Posted by: Jerry | July 26, 2007 at 03:32 PM
I've sort of skimmed past this blog a few times in the past and only just started getting into it. I just want to say how much I'm enjoying this place now. It's good the way you write in your 'own voice', are unafraid to ruffle a few feathers and at the same time engage so well with your readers.
A breath of fresh air really. Thank you.
Go easy with yourself Fred and get well.
Posted by: Nick Smith | July 26, 2007 at 06:06 PM
Fred,
I look forward to read your blog every day. In fact I wait for the email to come in!
Somehow the audio post didn't have that impact. It just went by without leaving an impression.
Stick to the text one and maybe throw in an audio post once in a while.
Posted by: Prakash | July 27, 2007 at 05:02 AM