DISQUS

Hi Michael,

Glad you've found one of my favorite books. I was hooked on this one when Matt gave it to us years back, and I still reflect on it fondly.

Thanks for helping spread the word of Podiobooks.com!

Ah, Oklahoma. A nice place to be FROM, if you know what I mean.

But you're just not headed for Tucumcari, you'll be headed out for TUCUMCARI TONIGHT! It'll make sense once you hit the Texas panhandle.

Nicole: Maybe you should try again now that books have moved off "tape". :) Chris is listening to some downloadable audiobooks, many of which are a far cry from the dry, boring reads of old. Still may not be your thing, but you may find some to your liking.

Greg's approach to story telling is... interesting. But interesting in a good way, as I'm enjoying the heck out of Crusade!

Evo Terra
Podiobooks.com

Chris is too modest. According to my memory and the lore I'm putting forth every time the media talks to me, he cranked out a working prototype of Podiobooks.com over the weekend. Sure, it tooks us MONTHS to implement, but the base code? There's a reason he's called the Code Shaman.

It's been a treat, pleasure and joy working with you, Chris. May it never end.

Well hells bells... I guess I shouldn't have been allowed to write Podcasting For Dummies then.

And what about Violet Blue? Soccergirl? It's not like we're trying to hide what you'll find on our passports, it's just that we've become associated with a different name? I fail to see the harm...

E.

I took a similar approach months back on my blog, http://funanymore.com . My actions were predicated on an assumption: the more "stuff" I put on a single page, the more things vying for attention. And I wanted the attention to be focused on what I had written.

So to that end, I went with several "sub pages" of content, going on the assumption that if anyone was interested in more information, they'd take the time to find that information. I didn't have to shove all of it in the sidebar. In fact, I've spent way too much time scrolling through blog rolls and contact lists, and previous posts, and most recent comments, and most recent visitors, and a list of all the blogs that link here, and a list of all the social media site, and a list of all ... you see where this is going.

So I stopped the insanity. I make sure that I used some sense and sensibility when I grouped things together, and hopefully made it easy for people who *want* more information to get more information.

At least... I hope I did that.

Mike,

I'm confused. There are lots of pronouns in your post, and all the interweaving has me confused. Can you clarify? The way I read it, the issue is more about the association with other videos and ads rather than getting links right. But I'm not sure...

E.

Well said. There are lots of ways to get my attention throughout the day, and email likely isn't one of them. I'm still a firm believer in the GTD theory of keeping a clean inbox, but that doesn't mean I check it constantly throughout the day.

Well... I mean to say that I shouldn't check it throughout the day, and I try not to. While I'm not as vicious as The 4-Hour Work Week folks, I am trying to make email checking a twice-daily activity. That's really hard to do for work email, as the rest of my folks have been trained that email is the best way to communicate... everything. And we're heavy Skype users!

Yes, changing times. The best part? New communication methods (like uStream and Eyejot) will cause us to constantly restructure what it means to and how we will communicate. 100 years ago, there were three sorts of communication: mail (slow), telegraph (still slow) and in-person (strife with challenges). What a change today.

I've been having an ongoing conversation with a friend for years regarding the issue of privacy. We've manage to convince one another that the world would be a much better place i *no one* had any. No, not very practical. But highly entertaining to speculate on.

I think there are two kinds of folks living in the world you describe -- those of us who know it's all available, and those that don't. I'm in the first batch and fully understand the risks -- and rewards -- of living out loud. But so many others don't, and get really scared when they find out how much they have shared.

But I think those folks are seeing their numbers dwindle. And maybe they are just "transitionary". What happens when the next generation really understands it? How will they live their lives with fewer secrets? Can't wait to find out!

E.

It's because I have so much love and respect for you that I can make this request: Would you please stick a lightbulb in your mouth and take a picture. That would be awesome!

All kidding aside (though the picture would be awesome), go for it. In the last 10 years I've been through some pretty extreme hairstyle changes myself. WFT? Do it while you can, right?

I get asked these same questions on a fairly regular basis. Like you, my friends look at me a little strange when I start preaching the SM Gospel. And while I agree with many of the points you raise and those raised by others you cited, there is one thing to keep in mind:

Regardless of how hard you try and control a conversation -- you can't. People can and will talk about the things they want to talk about where they want to talk about them. It may be on Facebook. It may be on Jaiku. It may be in dozens of niche social media applications yet to be discovered -- and a few thousand yet to be created.

You *can't* control them. But you can try to keep informed about them and then try and add your own commentary where you feel it appropriate.

To me, the reason some online videos grab us is no different than why some more traditional video experience (movies & TV) compel us to watch and tell our friends. Online video is inherently more "sharable" than traditional, so it takes much less effort to tell all of your friends.

The second part of the questions asks how content providers can create videos that we, the viewers, want to share. That's a tall order, as everyone's triggers are tripped by different things. Some of the most "viral" of videos I'm not a fan of, and I'm guilty of sharing things with others that cause them to look at me like the RCA dog. In my mind, it remains a uniquely personal experience that is sometimes resonant to the proclivities of many others. I'll staunchly stand by my position that content creators should strive to create the very best content that they like as their primary goal. It's difficult to judge what everyone wants, but you should have a pretty good handle on what you want.

Well said, Chris. Having never been involved in prior movements from the beginning, I can only speculate that this is in fact the natural order of things. After all, the only constant in this world is change.

E.

Jeremy,

Thanks for doing all of this. I have some comments on your brain dump and have posted them on my blog to help spread the word.

E.

No, it won't be a podcast directory. Jason like to screw with folks, so this is likely a diversion. Or something someone else is working on that has been attributed to him. I'll go on record saying we don't need another directory (not as they are right now) but that I'm certain more will come.

My bet on Calacanis is that he's working on something to do with search that probably extends beyond the browser.

E.

While 40 - 50 subscriptions seems laughably small to me, a back log of 400 episodes is nothing to sneeze at. I'd be pulling my hair out and can have no more than 50 episodes on my iPod before I start to get a little wiggy.

But thanks for this, and the many, mentions of Podiobooks.com.