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What is a podcast?
A podcast is usually an online episode of a radio programme, but the term has expanded to mean a digital media file distributed over the internet, and can include video as well, more specificaly known as a vodcast.
Podcasts are generally free, although some are now charged for - ie. 'Digital commerce platfrom provider BitPass, Inc., has announced BitPass Unplugged, a new service that gives bloggers and others the ability for to charge for podcasts.'
What is the appeal of podcasts?
- they offer a far more non-linear approach of listening to content: consumers can listen when they want, on different channels such as computers and MP3 players, and can pause and skip through bits they don't want to listen to
- they are easy to download, and the majority are free. For example, iTunes offers a huge range, with the option to subscribe to the whole 'series' of podcasts, that automatically download to your iPod.
- they cover a massive range of subjects, and because of this appeal to more niche audiences. Radio shows don't offer such a wide selection of topics, and the more specialist subjects are often not covered at all, or are only covered rarely.
- there is the opportunity to listen to world radio station podcasts that would be unavailable to audiences otherwise.
What are podcasts key audiences?
- as with the majority of new technologies, the teenage audience has embraced podcasts. The compatability with iPods/MP3 players, the ease of downloading through iTunes and the fact that the majority are free are all factors that interest this audience. However, as few podcasts contain music, due to copyrighting, there is a limit to how appealing they are to teenagers.
- another key audience is those with an interest in a niche genre or subject. Because there is generally little information available on these, podcasts are a cost effective way of getting information easily and quickly to the general public.
- a third audience is businesspeople, because podcasts can provide useful news updates and business information, and can be listened to on-the-go, which is appealing for those lacking time.
One specific example - 'Jimmy Carr Live'
This podcast shows comedian Jimmy Carr doing stand-up. The description below sums up the series:
This podcast would apeal to quite a specific audience; either Jimmy Carr fans ot stand-up comedy fans. As this is quite a niche genre, and can only be found rarely on either television or radio, this podcast has quite a strong audience.
Fans of this kind of comedy are also likely to be young, and therefore quite big technology users - meaning they are likely to own an MP3 player/iPod and a computer, and therefore have all the necessary tools to enjoy this podcast as well.
The Trickshot Films Website is the homepage for an independent film company, that attempt to spearhead innovative independent low budget film-making in the UK. The website acts as a marketing tool for the companies movies, while also providing help to would-be filmmakers.
Features
- Information about all the Trickshot productions: This is one of the main purposes of the website from an indusstry point of view, it allows prospective customers to quickly and easily find out about the company, meaning they are more likely to support them and buy the merchandise.
- Blogs, news, press releases, 'coming up,' and images: These all aim to generate publicity for the company, and ultimately earn more revenue, while from an audience point of view, these offer an extra, behind the scenes look at the filmmaking process, while filmmakers can learn from.
- Option to become an incidental friend if you donate £10.00 or more, where you receive “a guaranteed end credit in the movie, an invitatation to the Premiere screening, a free item of Incidental movie merchandise and a special discount on the Incidental DVD!”: This is a key example of seomthing that offers rewards to both the industry and the audience, and allows a much closer and more personal link to contributors. It gives ordinary people the opportunity to become involved with the filmmkaing process and receive recognition for this.
- Option to buy Trickshot DVD’s online: Another key feature from the industry point of view. As the company is independent, it is unlikely that it has many channels of distribution for its merchandise, and so the website would probably be the primary channel.
- Link to the film companies ebay site, offering film merchandise for auction: Again, will earn higher revenue for the company, and allows the film fanatic an opportunity to own a piece of film history.
- Downloads (trailers, video diaries, podcasts, wallpaper, sounds): More publicity for the company, while allowing the consumer to feel like they have special behind-the-scenes knowledge. It also offers them a reward for visiting the website by giving them things they can use elsewhere, such as wallpapers.
- 'Contact us': An opportunity to interact with the company, allowing customers to ask questions.
The Lord of the Rings DVD
Includes:
Disc one:
- The full length, uncut version of the film.
- New technologies=Widescreen capability, Dolby Digital Surround Sound, Stereo Surround Sound, English Subtitles.
These features are all designed to enhance the viewing experience for the consumer, and create a more cinematic and 3d experience, allowing home entertainment to go beyond, and offer more.
Disc Two:
- In-depth programmes, including The Quest Fulfilled: A Directors Vision, A Filmmakers journey: Making the Return of the Ring and National Geographic Special – The Lord of the Rings, The Return of the King.
These features offer something extra to the reader, further justifying their purchase of the DVD. They also offer a more personal, direct and backstage link with the film, encouraging loyalty for any sequels or films by the same director that may be released subsequently. By providing the consumer with extra knowledge, they are putting them in a position of power, and allowing them to feel almost as if they know ‘secrets’ about the film.
- Featurettes, described as ‘created for lordoftherings.net, take a closer look at the people and places of middle earth. Includes: Aragorn’s Destiny, Minas Tirith: Capital of Gondor, The Battle of Pelennor Fields, Samwise the Brave, Eowyn: White Lady of Rohan, Digital Horse Doubles.
In a similar way to the in-depth programmes discussed above, these featurettes offer the reader more classified information, allowing them to feel more involved in the behind-the-scenes aspects of the film. As these featurettes are also tied in with the Lord of the Rings website, it also encourages consumers to look at this, and so is a good form of advertising.
- Original Theatrical Trailers and TV Spots, The Lord of the Rings Trilogy Supertrailer and A Special Look at Electronic Arts’ The Lord of the Rings series of video games.
These are yet more examples of extra features available to consumers, while the item about the Lord of The Rings videogame is another good example of tying in different aspects of the merchandise in order for the companies involved to make higher revenue.
Key Theory
- DVD’s are a prime example of non-linear methods of media consumption. Particularly with this example, there are two discs, each with different features on that you can jump straight to. There are animated menus to make this process easy and non-confusing, and to allow the user to see quickly what is on offer and then choose which area of the DVD they would most like to watch. This means consumers can watch the content in whatever order they want, challenging the more linear nature of both the cinema and of video cassettes.
iPod
The iPod is a key example of converged and portable technology, as it covers many different areas of entertainment, such as music playback, gaming and picture viewing. It could be argued that the iPod is a replacement for many different products, and by offering so much capability in such a small package, it is unsurprising that the iPod has won so many fans.
Key Features
- Small, lightweight and portable: provides entertainment on the go
- Main capability=music playback. Replacement for CD and minidisk players. Features inside music playback include the ability to make playlists, which allows a more personalised and customisable music experience, supported synchronisation with iTunes, which automatically updates files, making the process easy for even the most technology-illiterate demographics. There are also options for customising the sound of songs; such as volume adjustment and equalizer, which increases the quality of listening overall.
- The newer generation of iPods also support video playback, which is a fairly recent feature for portable entertainment. Therefore it isn’t really replacing anything in this sphere except maybe portable DVD players, but as they are new themselves, the video playback aspect should be counted as an innovative feature designed to add another dimension to portable entertainment.
- All iPods after the iPod photo support photo viewing, again with the easy option to synchronise all the photos on a home computer. This is also quite a revolutionary feature, as it used to be almost impossible to be able to carry your entire digital photo library around with you.
- Another key aspect of the entertainment experience is gaming. Although not really a substitute for dedicated portable gaming consoles such as PSPs, the iPod does provide basic games that provide satisfactory entertainment for most consumers.
- Although little known about, the iPod does have the function to display text files on-screen, although they cannot be edited. The iPod can be used for a different form of entertainment, reading. Consumers could, for example, read online novels on their iPod, or business reports etc.
- Although this cannot be counted officially, many iPod users are adapting the product for other functions. For example, one consumer turned their iPod into a TV remote, while another added the capability to store their email address book. Because the technology of the iPod is edit-able, tech-minded consumers can take the iPods features one step further.
Success
Since October 2004, the iPod has dominated digital music player sales in the United States, with over 90% of the market for hard drive-based players and over 70% of the market for all types of players. During the year from January 2004 to January 2005, the high rate of sales caused its U.S. market share to increase from 31% to 65% and in July 2005, this market share was measured at 74%.
According to Apple's quarterly financial results (from 2002 Q1 to 2007 Q1), total iPod sales reached 88,701,000 units as of January 2007. Apple's fiscal year ends in September. In January 2007, Apple reported record annual earnings of US$7.1 billion, of which 48% was made from iPod sales. Apple and several industry analysts suggest that iPod users are likely to purchase other Apple products such as Mac computers.
What are the iPods key audiences?
- As with many new technologies, the target consumer for the iPod is the teenage audience. They responded enormously to the ease of music-playback that the iPod offered; its features are accessible to anyone. The marketing also contributed, with the iPod becoming the ‘must-have product’ for young people, reaching iconic status.
- A secondary audience of businesspeople is also present. Again, the stylish design, ease of use and portability of the iPod means it is appealing to businesspeople, who are more rushed for time, and don’t want to spend ages figuring out how a product works.
Blogging
What is a blog?
A blog is a user-generated website where entries are made in journal style and displayed in a reverse chronological order.
Blogs often provide commentary or news on a particular subject, such as food, politics, or local news; some function as more personal online diaries. A typical blog combines text, images, and links to other blogs, web pages, and other media related to its topic. The ability for readers to leave comments in an interactive format is an important part of most early blogs.
It could be said that blogs are replacing a number of things, but the most notable is diaries. It is more common for people, especially children and young people, to have an online diary than it is a written diary now.
Different types of blog:
- Vlog (video log)
-Linklog (one including links)
- Sketchblog (a portfolio of sketches)
- Photo blog (a blog comprising of photos)
- Tumblelog (shorter posts and mixed media types)
- Phlog (a blog hosted on the Gopher protocol)
- Moblog (a blog created by a mobile phone or PDA)
- Splog (a blog created solely for spamming)
- Corporate blogs (the blog of a business or corporation)
Technologies involved
- The main technology involved in blogging is, of course, the internet.
- Users can upload:
1. Pictures
2. Music
3. Videos
4. Games
5. Graphics
6. From mobile platforms such as PDA’s
Key theory involved
- The main concept involved with blogging is interactivity: consumers are becoming producers, they are taking an active part in creating media.
- Blogging is also a good example of personalization; adapting the technology available to suit the individual consumer. The tools available to customize blogs ensure that each consumers blog is individual and unique to them.
Who are the key producers of blogs?
- The main demographic that has taken up blogging is teenagers and young people. Raised as a computer literate generation, many young people find blogs an effective way of expressing their views, and an outlet that they could not find elsewhere.
- However, the older generation of those up to the age of 30 has also embraced blogging, albeit not to the same extent.
- Blogging can also be an effective tool for businesses to use. Blogs, either used internally to enhance the communication and culture in a corporation or externally for marketing, branding or PR purposes are called corporate blogs.
Why is it popular with producers of blogs?
- Simply, it allows users a portal to express their opinions or log their actions.
- It allows them to feel as though they are producing the media, they are participating actively, and can become like online journalists, who report/comment on news, politics, entertainment etc.
- It allows freedom of expression, there is no copyrighting, as there is on websites, or moderation as there is on forums.
- They can customize their blog – the blog has become almost a form of art, which users adapt to convey their personality, interests or views.
- It is a free, quick and easy way of publishing views
- It is a lot more interactive than similar means of expressing views, such as a diary. Users can make contact through comments, and give feedback to each other. The creation of online communities is possible and even probable when, for example, a group of friends all have blogs on one site.
- It gives consumers the opportunity to discuss more niche subjects and still find people who share their interest. For example, blogs in minority languages such as Gaelic are becoming increasingly popular, as they allow ease of communication between people who may live thousands of miles apart.
Why is it popular with consumers of blogs?
- It allows them to read the opinions of others, either people that they know personally or people that they don’t, often on subjects that it is hard to find information about in the mainstream media.
- It can allow them almost instant information about news events or television programmes. Since 2002, blogs have gained increasing notice and coverage for their role in breaking, shaping, and spinning news stories. The Iraq war saw bloggers taking measured and passionate points of view that go beyond the traditional left-right divide of the political spectrum.
- They can feel part of an online community, commenting on other users blogs and expressing their opinions as well.
- Many readers of blog users prefer the informal, casual and opinionated views presented by regular people rather than newsreaders, journalists etc.
The New Woman Website
Homepage
- The main feature of the homepage is three celebrity news headlines with pictures. These serve to draw in the audience, and get them interested, encouraging them to click the links to see the full story, and giving them a reason to stay on the website. If you scroll down, there is a list of the 10 most recent things added to the website, including new stories, competitions and fashion. There is a link to the archive as well. This immediately displays all the latest, making it easy for consumers to find and navigate to what they want quickly.
- To the right side of the page there is an advert for a beauty product, as this has a clear link with the magazine, and means the likely audience for the website are also the target audience for the product. Below the advert is a link to a showbiz pics gallery, again encouraging readers to click the links and interact with the website. There is also the opportunity to fill in a survey and win a goodie bag, which again encourages interaction, and shows that the magazine/website rewards loyal consumers. Below that is a question, with 3 possible answers that consumers can vote on. This is a third feature that encourages interactivity, and allows consumers to see if others have a similar mindset to themselves. From an institutions point of view, it acts almost as research, as the magazine can see which answer was most popular, and possibly use the results in future.
- There is a ‘What’s in New Woman now,’ box towards the bottom of the page, which gives readers a sneak peek, encouraging to buy the actual magazine for the full story. There is also the opportunity to ‘subscribe to New Woman now,’ with a special offer of 6 issues for the price of 5 if you buy online, and a free moisturizer worth £28. This makes consumers feel as though they are getting a special, exclusive offer, and earns more revenue for the company.
- At the bottom of the homepage is a competition where you can win a holiday to Jamaica. This again shows that the magazine rewards their consumers, and encourages active participation. Finally, there is a link to the horoscopes section of the website, which is a feature also found in the magazine.
- Overall the homepage aims to give an overview both of the website as a whole and also of the magazines content. It provides quick and easy navigation and encourages audience interactivity, as the target audience for the magazine is not the most computer-literate demographic, and so prefers ease of use to flashy graphics etc.
Celebrity
As a main focus of the magazine itself, the celebrity section of the website is comprehensive. All the stories are easily accessed, and are presented in reverse chronological order, with a stamp saying ‘latest in’ on the newest stories. This makes consumers feel as though they are getting the most up-to-date and exclusive information, which allows them to feel valued, and encourages brand loyalty. The section is broken into 3 sub-sections; Gossip, Galleries and Style on Trial, again allowing easy navigation instantly.
Style Stalker
The other key focus of the magazine, this section is also broad. There is the latest style news and tips, and the stories can be filtered according to whether they fall into the category of beauty, hair, fashion or celebrities. Consumers can post their own bulletins about style as well, which allows them to feel involved and active, rather than passive, consumers. From an industry point of view, consumers have to register before they can post bulletins, which adds them to the mailing list, meaning the company can send targeted emails. There is also a feature called ‘airbrush me,’ which has two options. Consumers can download the software for a free trial, or they can send their picture to the website and get a ‘celebrity makeover.’ Offering the software on the website will earn revenue for New Woman, while the consumer will again feel as though they are getting exclusive content.
Rate My Style
This is one of the most interactive sections of the website, with consumers rating the fashion taste of other consumers. This gets people involved on both sides, and allows them to showcase their style or voice their opinion.
Men and Sex
This section shows how broad the focus of the magazine is; it covers all areas, from entertainment to fashion to dating etc. The layout of this section is similar to the previous section, it seems they are all arranged similarly, which could be seen as boring, but also allows ease of use for the target market.
Entertainment
This section offers recommendations about where to eat out, what to do at work, what CD’s to buy etc. It makes consumers feel more involved, and also contains games and quizzes which encourage interactivity and also provide research about the target market.
Community
The community section consists of different forums to cover the different areas that the magazine covers. There is ‘Book Club,’ ‘Love Life,’ ‘Fashion and Shopping,’ ‘General Banter,’ ‘Health, Diet and Beauty,’ and ‘New Woman Magazine.’ This allows users to chat about shared interests and feel like part of an online community, while once again encouraging active participation.
Summary
The website seems to focus on interactivity and covering a wide range of subject matter and themes. It consistently provides ease of use which allows the consumers to find what they are looking for quickly and easily, a design suited to the target audience of women aged between 20 and 35. The design, while minimalist, also imitates the style of the magazine.
One Blog
http://catharticbehavior.blogspot.com/
This blog, which belongs to a woman who lives in San Francisco, acts as an online dairy, where she recounts daily events that occur, and uploads her pictures and favourite website links.
Features
Introduction and Profile
At the top of her webpage is a quick introduction of her reason for creating a blog:
“blogs seem to be the latest craze these days...it's taken me some months to become literate in blogging and have seen the positive effects with my friends. so, alas, it's time to join the bandwagon, and fill people in on my life by a different avenue of sorts”
The profile provides some simple information about the writer of the blog, such as her name and her location. It provides a quick introduction to her, which allows users who have never read her blog to understand more about her and her reason for creating a blog.
Top 10 goals
An unusual feature to see on a blog, at the side of her page is a list of her top 10 goals. This again provides new readers with a better understanding of her lifestyle and aims. They are shown below:
My pictures and Favourite .com’s
There is a link to her photo album, which is public and can be viewed by anyone. Friends can view and comment her photos, which allows her to feel connected to people which she may not be able to see that often. There is also a list of her favourite webpages, allowing her to market them and encourage others to visit, and allowing those who like her blog to look at some of the other websites she likes, as there is a good chance they will like them as well.
Friends Blogs
She has a list of links to her friends’ blogs. This suggests she is part of a fairly small online community, who use blogger to communicate with each other and discuss their daily lives online.
Her posts
Her posts generally just recount the days events, but some can be used to send a message or just let off steam. For example:
“labels really can either help or hurt people. and the labels people use to try to help sometimes just hurt them from getting any help. frustration. that's what i'm feeling right now. i'm at work, haven't had a break, and am waiting to hear back from hospitals about this kid i've been working with.sure, he doesn't have the best history of behavior, but right now, he's being so much more patient than i am. hospitalize me soon. ha i'm just venting. i feel bad...he needs to go somewhere, but since he used to do this and that, his chances for help now are slim. what to do?the purpose of my blog. watch the labels you give people.”
Her blog is a good example of:
- Personalisation – she has adapted the traditional layout to make her page a lot more unique to her, and to give consumers an instant insight into her personality
- Convergence – her blog contains photos, videos, links etc.
- Interactivity – both in terms of her being a media producer and taking an active role, and also in terms of others being able to comment on her posts and give their own feedback
For more on why people write and read blogs, read my blog about blogging!
