Episode 16
23/08/2007 | Filed under Podcast
On this show: The panel discusses podcasting and its benefits.
The power of podcasting
As somebody who podcasts a lot I am always getting asked my opinion on the subject. What are the benefits of podcasting? How do you make sure the show is entertaining? What technical setup do you use? It is a subject that generates a lot of interest, partly because it lays outside of what we have to deal with normally as web designers. In this week’s show, myself, Gary Marshall and Dan Oliver take a look at the subject and help to shed some light on the key issues. Topics include:- A definition of podcasting
- Why podcast? What benefits does it provide to individuals or organisations?
- The advantages and disadvantages of podcasting vs. blogging
- Deciding on a format for your show
- Who should consider podcasting?
- What types of people listen to podcasts?
- Technical considerations when podcasting
- What makes a good podcast?
- How to be entertaining and engaging?
- How podcasting is affecting mainstream media.
News
Creating a brand identity
I want to start by pointing you at a great case study I found on the Digital Web Magazine. It is a case study by Ryan Nichols on the work he did for the “Future of” conferences organized by Carson Systems. He and his team developed the brand identity for the conferences and then applied that brand across a number of media include the website.
The case study on Digital Web takes you step by step through this process looking at how the logo was developed, the work done on colour and how the site was born.
I love case studies like these because it gives you a real insight into other peoples working practices. This one was particularly interesting for me because I don’t do much branding work. It was a real education and an excellent read.
While I am on the subject of the “future” conferences a quick mention of the upcoming Future of Web Apps conference coming up on the 3rd October in London. It has a great line up of speakers and although it isn’t cheap at £245, it is definitely worth considering if only to hear Kevin Rose. Talking of Kevin, he and Alex will also be recording a live Diggnation episode while at the conference. Unlike the conference itself, access to the show is free.
Coverflow style web gallery
From a case study on Digital Web to a tutorial of Web Designers Wall. This week I came across a stunning tutorial on how to create a coverflow web gallery.
In case you don’t know what I mean by coverflow I should explain that it is the effect you get on iTunes or the iPhone that lets you flip through album art.
This tutorial allows you to create almost the same effect on a web page, which would be ideal for image galleries or portfolio sites. The tutorial takes you through the entire process from Photoshop to Flash and is remarkably straightforward to follow.
The overall effect is great. Although, I have to say it is not quite as intuitive as the real thing mainly because it doesn’t support keyboard control. However that said it is definitely worth checking out if you want to create some wow factor on your site.
It really is a great way of showing off your designs.
Don’t design on spec
Talking of design, Jeffrey Zeldman is the latest to join the campaign against speculative design. By speculative design I am referring to those invitations to tender where the client asks for design work before they make the final selection.
Jeffrey joins sites like NO SPEC! in condemning the practice. He suggests three reasons it should be avoided. Firstly, it is unpaid work and as a result can become extremely expensive to the agency or designer involved. Secondly, he suggests that you simply do not have enough information at the tender stage to create an effective design. Finally, he argues that it often leads to legal disputes that are costly for all parties concerned.
It is easy to forget that in a former life Zeldman worked in the advertising industry and so has experience in the damage caused by speculative work. Its good to see him wading into the discussion. In fact it is good to see Zeldman blogging more again generally. He seems to have found a new lease and the stuff he is posting is really good. If you aren’t already subscribed to his RSS feed then I would do so.
Commentary on comments
Speaking of prolific bloggers I notice that Jeremy Keith is on his high horse again ;) This time his target is commenting. I have seen Jeremy write on this before and we have spoken about it a couple of times.
Jeremy is critical of commenting on blogs and according to a recent post he prefers a blog to blog method of responding. He believes that commenting is generally very negative and counter productive pointing to sites like digg as an example of his.
You certainly cannot argue that the level of comments on digg are extremely poor but personally I disagree with Jeremy’s position. I have never had anything but positive constructive comments on my blog and believe that is the case with the vast majority of other blogs I frequent. Sure, there are always the occasional exception but nowhere near the level Jeremy seems to be indicating.
I believe that the comments often reflect the blog on which they are posted. Aggressive adversarial blogs will generate similar comments. This is certainly true of digg where the style of commenting is very much reflective of the anarchistic tone of the site established by Kevin Rose through Diggnation.
I am not suggesting commenting is right in all circumstances. However I don’t believe that blog to blog commenting is the answer either. Inline comments allow a reader to quickly and easily see what is being said about a post without having to jump between multiple sites. Blog to blog dialogues do not allow that same ease of access.
