Tony Valle tunes in to give you all a quick update on some recent goings on at Promethius, including a new email newsletter launch, a second branded podcast for Tony and a few more surprises. 

We’ll see you next week with a behind the scenes look at the forthcoming Promethius staff blogs. Thanks for listening!

But you can get a bunch of great ideas on creating buzz, otherwise known as "buzz marketing," by listening to this podcast.  Hope you enjoy!

Tony Valle

Vice President

Promethius Consulting, LLC

www.greatbigpodcast.com

Promethius Consulting, LLC produces high-end corporate podcasts upon request. 

Make sure to check out Lorraine’s various online resources:

roundpeg IndyBiz Rainmakers NoWIB lorraineball.com Squidoo Lense

In past shows, we have discussed wikis, blogging and podcasting. This time we tackle the buzz-laden topic of “WEB 2.0.” It seems that just about everyone has at least heard the term, but it’s difficult to find anyone who can really tell you conclusively what WEB 2.0 really is. We hope to shed some light with today’s discussion.

We pull a letter from the mailbag to fram the issue:
I keep hearing the term “Web 2.0” thrown around, but I can’t seem to figure out what it is. Is it a language? Is it a piece of software? If it’s so popular, why can’t anyone explain exactly what it is?

Alan had a little too much fun calling local businesses in town to see if he could get any answers about WEB 2.0. We play some of the phone calls throughout this segment. Does this mean Promethius endorses “prank” calling? Look out Jerky Boys!

First of all, WEB 2.0 is partly a marketing buzzword, just like “.NET” or “Ajax.”

But main elements surrounding the term involve “open data,” (see flickr), and  “participation,” (see digg). 

Other concepts mentioned: WEB 1.0, Collective Intelligence, e-Commerce rating systems

Sites Mentioned: flickr, digg, wikipedia, youtube, netvibes, yousendit, del.icio.us, newsvine

Applications Mentioned: Basecamp, Pretty CMS 2.0

We demonstrate that timeshifting also benefits the podcast creator. Alan and I recorded our audio for segment one separately from one another, at a time and place of our own choosing. The pieces were then edited together to make the episode you hear today, called “Very Good Things.”

I start out by revealing my very favorite marketing blog of all time - Duct Tape Marketing by John Jantsch. He never seems at a loss for new ideas and insights. His blog is like a marketer’s toy store just brimming with wonders from all ends of cyberspace.

John’s new book is due out later this year. I can’t wait!!

Other great posts from the Duct Tape Marketing Blog:

• What does your email address say about your business?
• How to beat the Wal-Marts.
• Sending and receiving very large files.

Alan shared his love for his Lomo LCA camera. They really do take amazing photos. Check out the Lomographic Society website.

Tony also shared a cool little site he found: expresspdf.com. You can submit any Word, Excel or web file to the site, and it emails you a perfect pdf copy within seconds. Kind of nice if you’re working on a computer that’s not your own.

Finally we wrap up our discussion in the studio “live” on tape to discuss our timeshifting experiment. If you are considering implementing a podcast for your organization, you can generate a whole lot of good content by sharing the burden among several staff members. If you set them up to record when and where it is most convenient for them, staff will happily participate.

Alan and Tony wax poetic on all things podcasting. Tony’s excited about flying to Cancun on his honeymoon the next day!

To kick things off, Alan defines podcasting: “It's like radio for the internet… but more than that” … “It’s about syndication… subscribing to a podcast through iTunes or other news readers.”

clipped from wikipedia.com
Podcasting is the method of distributing multimedia files, such as audio programs or music videos, over the Internet using either the RSS or Atom syndication formats, for playback on mobile devices and personal computers. The term podcast, like ‘radio’, can mean both the content and the method of delivery. The host or author of a podcast is often called a podcaster. Though podcasters’ web sites may also offer direct download or streaming of their files; a podcast however is distinguished by its ability to be downloaded automatically using software capable of reading RSS or Atom feeds.

Usually a podcast features one type of ’show’, with new episodes released either sporadically or at planned intervals such as daily or weekly. In addition, there are podcast networks that feature multiple shows on the same feed.

The guys agree that one of the strengths of podcasting is the portability. A listener decides when they want to listen, where they want to listen and on what device they use. This is the core principle of “Web 2.0″. Tony mentions the term Timeshifting. {again with the Wikipedia…}

clipped from wikipedia.com
Time shifting is the recording of television shows to some storage medium to be viewed at a time more convenient to the consumer.

The guys talk about shows they subscribe to: TWiT.TV, Cranky Geeks, KCRW’s Morning Becomes Eclectic and Duct Tape Marketing, to name a few.

Tony makes the great point that podcasts in his playlist are all considered continuing education. You can find just about anything to broaden your horizons.

NOTE: Search on Yahoo’s Podcast site for what interests you, and you will find someone talking about it: podcasts.yahoo.com

Alan shares his podcast history: The Mobile Podcast A-Go-Go, where he talked about web design from the seat of his car. CreativeXpert, an interview show that Alan hosts to talk with other designers. The Bionic Genius Roundtable, an entertainment/comedy show where three self-proclaimed genii talk about what they’re having for lunch and interview fringe stars.

The guys then discussed how when home recording technology for musicians became more affordable, this is the same technology that podcasters and businesses have adopted. Tony suggests that posting a podcast {or even a blog} is like fishing… the reach is far & wide.

Towards the end of the show, the discussion turns to non-conventional uses of podcasting, including recording a show on the commute, director’s commentary for a TV show, exercise, live broadcasting and even in-house audio training for new employees.

Join us next time on The Promethean for our discussion of Web 2.0 technologies!

We cover several areas of interest especially to small business owners, but they certainly apply to business professionals of all types. I started out by asking a broad question that seems to be on the mind of many of my professional peers these days:

“Why is business so challenging these days? It seems that every time I get together with fellow business owners, we talk about how long it’s been since we’ve seen our families. Yet we don’t seem to be getting the return on our time.”

As Jim often does, he had a perfectly sensible response to this common situation. He’s the kind of guy that just seems to be able to break things down into simple, understandable concepts.

We also talked about the effects of inexperience when it comes to networking and pricing. For Jim and I both, our businesses are complex and highly consultative. An “uneducated” customer might want to get to the bottom line right away. “How much would it cost for Promethius to produce a podcast for my business?”

Such questions can’t be answered without knowing much more about the client's unique situation. What are you trying to achieve with your podcast? Who is your audience? What business are you in? An inexperienced consultant might be inclined to give some sort of answer to the pricing question right away, even though he can’t possibly set reasonable expectations without having more information.

A common issue facing many small business owners was reflected in another one of my questions for Jim.

“How can I get my staff to think like I do when I’m not around?”

As a business grows, the ownership has to rely more and more on staff to be the face of the company. This can be frightening for leaders, but it must be done if you intend to grow.

News:

Nielsen Media Research Company is reporting that video-sharing website youtube.com is the fastest growing website on the internet. Web traffic to the site grew 75% just in the week ending July 16, from 7.3 million to 12.8 million unique visitors. Youtube.com traffic has grown nearly 300% since January. The website still operates without a set advertising model, but plans are reportedly in the works to offer several sponsorship packages.

Two speakers at a Hacker conference in New York City claim to have successfully copied or “cloned” an implanted RFID or “radio frequency ID” chip. The controversial chips, manufactured by the VeriChip Corp, have been marketed as counterfeit proof, and are generally considered to be a future favorite of the retail and banking industries. VeriChip has not yet responded to these claims.

BusinessWeek is reporting that Clearwire Corp. has announced major plans to create a nationwide wireless broadband network within the next three years. The company has amassed enough licensed radio spectrum to create a nationwide, wireless broadband network based on an emerging technology called mobile WiMAX — a powerful cousin of the familiar WiFi technology. Clearwire received major backing on July 5, when Intel Corp. and Motorola invested nearly $900 million into the company. The two hardware manufactures plan to sell products that integrate with the new WiMax platform.

Scammers have begun using the telephone to steal data for use in identity theft and credit card fraud, and VoIP is making it easier for them to cover their tracks.
Websense Security Labs, San Diego, in June reported a scam that targeted customers of Santa Barbara Bank & Trust with an e-mail alerting them to a supposed problem with their account. Instead of directing them to click on a link, the e-mail listed a phone number for customers to call to verify their identity. When the victim called the number, a fake automated voice response system set up by the scammers asked them to enter their 16-digit account number using the phone keypad.

Voice phishing—or “vishing”—is dangerous because although most Internet users won’t click on a URL in an e-mail, they’re quite accustomed to entering their credit card or account number through a phone keypad. It’s best these days to talk to a live person any time there is a supposed account issue generated by your banking institution.

To protect yourself, read more here.

The IT community expressed concern last week over the FBI’s desire that Congress mandate that all future routing equipment must be manufactured to include back doors for law enforcement. Similar mandates have already been passed into law for telephone switching equipment, which require no warrant to activate, and hence can be secretly enabled at will.  It is widely believed among the IT community that adding these so-called “back doors” to the routing infrastructure would significantly diminish the security of most computer networks.

A Paralyzed man using a new brain sensor has been able to move a computer cursor, open e-mail and control a robotic device simply by thinking about doing it. The Brain Gate sensor, which involves implanting electrodes directly into the brain, was developed by Cyberkinetics Neurotechnology Systems Inc of Massachusetts. Three more spinal chord injury patients are scheduled to test the device over the next several months.

Google released its latest version of Google Spreadsheet on Thursday. Several new features have been added, such as the right-click initiated cell commands cut, copy and paste, and the ability to add cell borders. General load times are reported to be much improved as well.

July Promethean Review: Content Management Systems (CMS)
It used to be that content management systems were clunky and frustrating for the average webmaster. These days with the great gains in online programming platforms, especially Microsoft .NET, content management systems are much more desirable.

Promethius has spent the last two years building our own content management system from scratch. The resulting application, which we call “Pretty CMS,” is built on the .NET platform and gives us all the flexibility we need to meet the various needs of our customers. In fact, we find that every single CMS installation we do requires some sort of customization to accommodate a special feature or business rule that the client may have.

Because we built the system entirely in-house, it’s much easier for us to provide special customizations for our clients. We never have to worry about getting a hold of any source code. We wrote it all!

July Promethean Review: How to Protect Your Domain
Believe it or not, your domain name could easily be taken right from under your nose - even if it’s not set to expire for the next several years. We know, because this happened to a client of ours. Make sure to listen to the podcast or read the July issue of The Promethean to find out how you can guard against domain theft.

July Promethean Review - Fun Websites to Check Out
internetfrog - find out the true speeds you are getting from your internet connection.
future me - send a message to your “future self.”
blue ball machine - just plain crazy
lifehacker - tips and tricks for just about everything

Andrea Johnson stopped by to give us some insight into what the Running Company does to maintain such incredible customer loyalty. They leave no stone unturned in their quest to make sure that every last one of their customers have happy feet for a lifetime.

One difference new customers notice right away is the special process for finding just the right shoe to fit their needs. Each Running Company location uses video gate analysis, which involves making an in-store video of the customer running on a treadmill. The video is played back in slow motion to reveal the customer’s own bio-mechanics, which then dictates proper shoe choices.

Now that’s customer service!

To understand the true power of wikis, we talk about perhaps the most famous wiki-generated site of all time – wikipedia. We also give it a test by looking up the history of ice cream.

What is a wiki?

about the ebay wiki

Shelley Hendricks with Arni’s Restaurants visits to tell us all about the
2006 Arni’s Charity Classic
Thursday, September 28th, 2006
The Brickyard Crossing at the IMS
call: 317/875-7034
email: shendricks@meetyouatarnis.com

click here to register online!

Shelley helped Promethius put together our first golf outing as a promotional tool.  It worked out great!  Golf outings can be great promotional tools for your small business. 

If you want to follow along with the sites Tony is referencing, they are as follows:

• Think Progress
• MedicalInsuranceNow (main site)
• MedicalInsuranceNow Blog

Now get blogging yourself!!!

Net Neutrality - The internet freedom that paid lobbyists and the Senate are trying to take from us!!
If you’ve never made a call to your Senator before, this is your day. If you’ve never emailed him or her, the time is now. Muster the energy and do it.

The future of the incredible small business tool we know as the Internet is at stake. Put simply, the carriers wish to pick and choose the winners and losers among content providers: they, not you, will decide the next Google. They, not you, will decide which telephony service, which file-sharing software, which instant-messenger you will use.

I can find no simpler way to put it: the carriers seek to turn the Internet into cable television. In doing so, they put America’s technological leadership position at risk, they endanger the immense and fragile Internet ecosphere, and — by extension — they threaten the Internet itself.

• Plug in a zip code to see your neighbors’ campaign contributions
• This map plots all murders in New York City for a two-year period
• This is a Google Map mashup for world cup soccer

A new kind of malware circulating on the Internet freezes a computer and then asks for a ransom paid through the Western Union Holdings money transfer service.

Recently there have been many blog entries centered around the success of “Ugly Design” on the web.

New Orleans uses Podcasting as a way to revitalize the economy and put real faces and voices to the rebuilding effort.

Senator John Edwards meets with bloggers to test the waters.

Podcast circulation is growing 20% per month