Todd Cochrane refuted my post on what media makers should do next by calling it short-sighted. The problem is, Todd missed my point, and then has his energized community explaining just how wrong I am.
My main points (to save you the reading):
- Be a production company not a show. Meaning, build your stuff so it can be segmented, sold, or otherwise.
- Watch the big guys. See where the money is spent.
- Improve your quality. Crap won’t cut it any more.
- Learn how to work with advertisers. If you’re looking to make media, you need to know how to place ads. (or have a business models).
- Become a businessperson, or hire one. If you’re just creative, you need a business head. Either you or someone else.
- The Future of Internet Video —
Here’s where Todd digs in. I said that blogging is still nascent, but big media is nosing in all over the place. If you want to make money blogging, you’ve gotta be top shelf. I said that audio is pretty much owned by the pros these days. If you’re an indie producer, I’m recommending you go to video. *(Remember this later because this is where Todd was upset). I said that videobloggers have to go from making video to telling quality video film stories.
*Todd responds:
My first reaction is who is he kidding and here is why I say that. Today I am able to consume media if I want every waking hour I have. I can consume media while driving to work, in the shower, while at the gym and anyplace else I am capable of listening to Audio you cannot say the same for Video.
At best I have time for 1–2 very short video clips a day, maybe on a coffee break of at lunch. If my employer caught me watching videos during work hours I would be penalized severely. Some would be fired. In todays work environment Audio is generally acceptable to have playing.
Also Video is very hard to do well. Anyone can do Audio and only a small portion of people can do Video. The same is said that Anyone can consume Audio anyplace anytime where video largely cannot.
Huh?
He’s absolutely right. Consuming audio is easy. Producing audio is easier than producing GOOD video (we can fight over this, other people). But that wasn’t my point. And okay, YOU can’t watch video in a day, but that isn’t related to my comment about the marketplace overall.
So, I commented back. But it never got posted. It could’ve gone to spam. Happens on my blog plenty, and if someone doesn’t tell me they tried, I don’t do a great job of actively checking the spam filters. I browse, but whatever. 38,154 spam comments a day doesn’t make me excited to go fishing.
So, I commented again. In case my comment gets lost again, here’s what I wrote on Todd’s blog:
I made one comment already, but it was never approved or posted (lost in spam?).
Todd made a great post up here, but it doesn’t match what I wrote in MY post.
My post was saying that if someone were intending to make money off their media, then I wouldn’t recommend an independent producer start off an audio podcast.
My post: http://grasshopperfactory.com/cbc/media-makers-next-steps/
I’m not downing audio podcasts. I’m subscribed to 67 at present. I listen to them all the time on the way back and forth to work, while I’m outdoors, and when I’m at an airport (which seems too frequent).
I’m saying that media makers looking to make a dime off their podcast have to consider the marketplace as a whole right now.
@Kevin Crossman – I produce several audio and video products, but am not maintaining a regular podcast at present. Instead, I’ve chosen to support the ecosystem at large by starting and supporting the PodCamp events (podcamp.org).
I hope this one gets through.
So, yeah.
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