Podcasting is developing, expanding and changing a lot lately - and this is sure to get a small boost for individualized podcast thanks to the placement of support deep into the new iLife upgrades from Apple. At the same time, there are increasing efforts to provide for monetization of podcasts that become popular - some way to prop up the bandwidth costs they've increasingly entailed.

Recently I've noticed that the Podshow network seems to have signed up Earthlink as a major advertiser, with their advertisements getting early-show placement in several productions on their network (I only listen to two of these presently, so I have only a small sample). It's been jarring to me to have these placed in the Gillmor Gang podcast. I think it's a poor match.

The Gillmor Gang is a 'thought leader' roundtable, where pundits and actors in the industry discuss technical movements of interest to corporate geeks and CxO types. It's a great show, one I regularly enjoy. But Earthlink seems ill placed here - I don't think of them as providers of corporate IT services, and their advertisement used, extolling their anti-virus protection and helpful support staff, does nothing to bring them into that fold.

It may be that Earthlink is looking for hip cachet by associating themselves with a new buzzwordthy trend. It may also be that podshow's sales staff mismarketed the placement. And of course, it may be that there's a bandwidth for placement tradeout between the companies. But it's always jarring despite Steve's introductions (and thanks to the scrollwheel, easily skipped).

What will be interesting to follow in this is how the various monetary support schemes take hold and morph. What will work, the now ubiquitous 'quasi-ads' from the Daily Source Codes (urp), the sponsorship announcements in Coverville, or the slickly produced ad types from Earthlink? Will Audible's podcast format for advertisers take hold?

Personally I'm most supportive of user-sponsorship, as being championed by the Conversations Network (but as a disclaimer, I'm a volunteer editor for them (albeit now slackfull in my commitment of time)).

Technorati Tags: buzzwordthy, conversationsNetwork, gillmorGang, podcasting

Posted by esinclai at January 12, 2006 06:53 AM |