Here's a tip

Here's a tip: if you are running a web portal, and hope to get users to come over and join, make sure that your "sign up" button's link works...

Technorati tags: yahoo

Yes mom, these are my *good* friends

You'll notice that the widget at the top of the blog is displaying items that my friends have sent to me through Podcast Ready. Friends in the system can send each other individual epsisodes of any podcast to each others' MP3 devices (or flash players as seen above). Visitors to the site can then leave audio or video comments about those episodes. The widget can also be used to promote your own podcast, or your Podcast Ready playlist.

So why is there nothing in my player? Is it broken? No. I just don't have any friends... :(

Technorati tags: podcastready

You da Man!

Just when you thought that major media was becoming irrelevant, one source steps forward and confirms it.

Technorati tags: time magazine

The truth about Pod

I've noticed in the last couple of days some folks talking about Apple and the whole "podcast" controversy. Certainly not nearly as much as before Podcast411 chimed in with their accurate, but incomplete analysis and Adam's podcast on the topic proving he was totally unware of the facts of the situation.

Up until recently, I've been more or less quiet on the subject.. or at least, not nearly as vocal as I wanted to be. Something came across my desk this morning that I warned of months ago, and I think its time the podcast community really took a hard look at where Apple is going with this.

First to clarify, with respects to Podcast Ready and myPodder, Apple is claiming a common law right to the word "pod" and is trying to force Podcast Ready to stop using the word "pod" as it pertains to the downloading of digital media and to portable devices.

Nobody I've met seriously beleives that Apple can own the word "podcast" but if they are able to control the use of the word "pod" then they do in effect own "podcast." Now, forget about Podcast Ready for a moment. Consider if you are a podcaster with hopes of building a brand. As others have learned, you can forget about that.

And what about those working in areas other than devices and content? If you have been around the podcast community for a while, then you may still remember a few software companies that were forced to change their name because of the word "pod" (offers to simply drop the "i" were rejected by Apple).

Garageband has been touted by Apple as the solution for creating podcasts. And now it seems they are starting to push .MAC for hosting... devices, content creation, and delivery... the whole eco-system. It's a great model if you can get it Apple. The question is, does the community that created podcasting care?

Technorati tags: podcast, podcastready, apple, pod

In Memoriam: James Kim, 1971-2006

CNet has a nice tribute to James Kim who died while trying to secure help for his family after a car accident.

Apple and the word "Podcast"

A posting appeared the other day in Digg titled "Apple Does Not Licence the Term “Podcast”" in which the author claims that by receiving his $1 back from Apple, that proves that Apple has no interest in controlling the word "podcast". In his own words:

Podcasters relax, I now have it in writing from Apple that they do not licence the term "podcast". While I realize that this has been said before and that this is somewhat old news, I am not aware of it being put in writing by Apple before. It has also been signed in ink by human hand. No rubber stamps here! It is official.

This is true... sort of. Take it from someone who's company is in constant communication with Apple since receiving "the letter". Apple does have a problem with the use of the word "pod", and that's what it boils down to.

Generically, as a descriptive term, they don't. And the fact is, they can't - not as a descriptive generic term. But if you are a company who is trying to protect a brand or service that has the word "pod" in it, then they do object citing a common law right to all things pod.

So fun-loving hobbist podcasters: no need to worry. Just don't try to turn it into a business or protect anything that you create, and you'll be just fine.

Its about the "pod"...

Technorati tags: apple, pod, podcast, podcastready