MWGblog

Jason Van Orden is taking a crack at the podcasting bugaboo: Metrics. 3 parts so far, (1,2 and 3.)

While at PodCamp West I was asked by JD Lasica to do an interview for New Media Musings. A good deal of Grape Radio stuff and some general state of podcasting discussion. It was a fun interview. If you are curious, you can find it here.

I am overwhelmed with the number of invitations to great events I have received for my San Francisco trip. Thank you! I have set up all kinds of great meetings. If you have something of interest you want to discuss, please feel free to contact me. Whether it is in relation to GigaVox or podcasting in general, I am happy to oblige. Michael AT mwgblog DOT com

I am also pleased to have been asked to participate on the Veteran Podcaster’s panel which takes place Saturday at 2:00PM. I am looking forward to PodCamp West. I hope to see you there.

I have some GigaVox meetings up in the Bay Area on Friday and made the decision to stay over for PodCamp West on Saturday. I’ll end up staying both Friday and Saturday in the city. I expect there will be plenty to do on Saturday night. Anyone know of anything interesting going on in SF on Friday night? Michael AT mwgblog DOT com

I found a great site today via the L.A. Times: Wolfgang’s Vault. It is a site that has been charged with distributing Bill Graham’s extensive archive of rock memorabilia. If you are a rock aficionado (or grew up in the Bay Area) the name will ring a bell - he is the greatest rock promoter of all time. In addition to the amazing posters and miscellaneous memorabilia; they have made available, via streaming, all of his concert recordings. I’ve spent the day listening to live performances, by The Who, Led Zeppelin, Pink Floyd, Jefferson Airplane/Starship, Elvis Costello, Fleetwood Mac and David Bowie - you name it, they have it. They even have the 1983-84 David Bowie tour that we ended football practice early on a Saturday for so everyone could go. The collection is incredible. Right now I am listening to David Bowie, Nassau Coliseum, Uniondale, NY March 23, 1976. Worth checking out. Did I mention it is all free?

Here is a picture right after Grape Radio was awarded the 2006 Podcast of The Year award at the Podcast and Portable Media Expo. From the left is Brian Clark, Jay Selman, Eric Anderson and myself. Brian, Jay, Eric and all the other contributers really deserve the credit. I got the idea off the ground and co-founded the company, but these are the guys who make it happen every day. I am constantly impressed by their vision, enthusiasm and “chutzpah!” Congratulations to my friends, the Grape Radio team.

I am often asked to recount the story behind the original 50th Anniversary Disneyland Podcast. Those who have heard the story know it sounds like a game of telephone. “A guy (Mike Spataro) called a guy ( Greg Cangialosi) who called a guy (K. Todd Storch) who called a guy (Me).” Here is an interview that my friend Greg Cangialosi (guy #2) conducted with Mike Spataro (guy #1) for his new podcast, ROI Radio. For the record, Mike is the unsung hero of the Disneyland Podcast, he brought the opportunity to us.

BTW, Greg did a great presentation at our most recent Podcast Academy. His presentation, which he mentions in the interview, will be available for free on the Podcast Academy channel in the near future. [Link]

If you are a Disney fan, here are the photos from the May kick off event and the July 50th Anniversary.

Ford has put together an amazing series of video podcasts called BOLD MOVES. The title does not do the series justice. This is bold. Real people, talking about real things. How many Fortune 500 companies are willing to include employees talking about loosing their jobs, poor stock performance or whether or not the company will still be around in 10-20 years? That is the beauty of these, they ring true. We all know Ford is struggling, so they address it head on rather than gloss over it with some glib marketing message. Of course they also have episodes about new cars, innovation, performance etc. This is a fantastic effort. After watching these, I want to buy a Ford.

Here are a few: Plant Closing, a Real Employee and the Shelby GT500.

Bravo Ford!

In our quest at GigaVox Media to serve the needs of podcasters/videocasters (and those who want to get involved), we have put together an online survey to help us determine what is most important to you. Your answers will significantly impact our future direction and focus. Please take the time to complete the survey. While you’re at it, please tell a friend. Those of you who have seen our demos have an idea of what we are up to - additional input and feedback helps to insure we focus on what is most important. Thanks! [Survey]