The Silver Bot

I may seem a little bit slow but not all of us make it onto the ‘boat of innovation’ as fast as others. When I think about it, I have been missing the boat most of my life, but there’s a new phenomenon that’s come to town and I don’t think I’m the last to hear about it. Podcasts, what are they? Well today I finally got my act together and brought my head out of the pit of ignorance where it had been dwelling in relative bliss. I have now experienced podcasts and I think I have an idea as to why and how this new form of Internet communication can bring a whole new level of intimacy to our human community.

Podcasts are like blogs in the sense that they give any individual or group a means to express their ideas to the wider society. The difference is that you can now listen to the actual person’s voice as well as to whatever information they have recorded for their visitors, like music or samples from other media sources. The force that grabs me is the power of connection one feels when you realize that you are hearing an individual person’s thoughts. Some podcasts seem to be stream-of-consciousness dialogue, so you really feel like you are getting to know the essence of a so-called ’stranger’ that you may never actually meet in the flesh. Other podcasts are set up so you can read the blog on the computer screen while at the same time getting to hear the voice of the author, which adds a whole new dimension to expressing oneself.

I typed ‘podcasts’ into www.google.com and found this site, which has a list of many podcasts deemed to be the ‘freshest in the known Universe’: http://audio.weblogs.com/. I listened to a few on the list, including one called http://podchef.libsyn.com/. This is an average guy who happens to be a chef. He usually talks about all things gastronomical, but also shares his views on life in general. As I sat listening to this guy chatting away I couldn’t help picturing him in his house, where he says he lives on an island on the coast of the USA. I had to wonder, what makes someone sit down at his or her computer at home and attempt to talk to the world? Does he know someone will be listening or is he just taking a chance that someone will? If there is someone hearing his thoughts, why does he want us to hear what he’s saying anyway?

I think the answers lie deep within our bloodlines, within our tribal instincts, which so much of the time lie dormant in the wine cellars of our minds. In our present planetary society of approximately 6 billion human souls, one can often feel that they are alone, that no one else knows they even exist. We get to hear the perspectives of the major billion-dollar media corporations about what life is supposed to mean to us, about what is ‘important’ to us. Many of us are feeling left out of the circle. We feel empty and strange because others don’t mention the things that are relevant to us. This can often lead us to thinking that we are insignificant, disconnected, and that we don’t ‘fit in’.

We have now reached a new era in our species’ history. People are figuratively screaming out into the dark emptiness, pleading to be heard by someone that will understand them, and connect with them in a social relationship. A great society will be the one where individuals (people who have decided to interpret life for themselves through their own experience) reach out and realize the power of the people around them. Like a giant tribe, or a hive, we will learn to appreciate the skills, attributes, and voices of the whole team. This may result in all of us working together for the collective good of all, where we all feel that we are an imperative, important part of the group.

I checked out a few other podcasts that were interesting in their own right like http://www.twistedlittlegnome.com/ Here two brothers that live on opposite sides of their country have conversations about ‘geeky’ ideas on-line. It’s pretty cool, two people talking to each other, while we can listen and comment on their perspectives. http://dreammaker.libsyn.com/ is a very simple podcast that shows how you can use this medium to play music, showing others what you’ve made, or letting them know what you like to listen to. http://wichitarutherford.libsyn.com/ is a good example of how to incorporate photos or pictures to enhance the listening experience. http://oldtymeradioman.libsyn.com/ is a podcast dedicated to listening to old-style radio shows of the past. It’s ironic that the construct of these old shows is being relived in this futuristic context, as many people are incorporating music and sound effects within their dialogue. It exemplifies the cyclic course that much of humanity’s creativity travels over time.

Like blogs and now vlogs (video blogs), podcasts are a sign that individual people need to connect with others in the community and are starting to speak out to the world. Listen to the voices of your fellow human beings and you might just come to realize that there are others like yourself, and that the way you see life in the Universe is a valid one. One day soon you too may decide to share your mind with the rest of us. You never know whom you may meet through the process. You also could find out more about yourself, when you hear your own voice speak its mind out loud.

This article has an accompanying image that can be viewed at http://m6.net/articles/images/padcastfinalv2.jpg

Jesse S. Somer
http://www.m6.net
Jesse S. Somer is imagining the voices of all his brothers and sisters of the Earth. It sure would be cool to know what you are all thinking about.

Fitnesscasting is the commercial application of podcasting for the personal fitness industry. Fitnesscasting is the distribution and publishing of audio and video feeds, that offer personal health and fitness training and information delivered over the Internet, for on demand listening.

This is a new step in the evolution of on-demand health and fitness information delivery, making it accessible, informative, useful and appealing. This mix presents the health and fitness industry with a very unique opportunity to reach its audience through this new medium. Those individuals, who are already seeking health and fitness information actively, will use RSS subscription technology built into each podcast feed, to receive information immediately as it is updated by each organization. With one click of a button, a user can subscribe to a feed that may be interesting, and any related information that is ever updated to that feed will be automatically processed to their personal aggregator. An aggregator is able to subscribe to a feed, check for new content at user-determined intervals, and retrieve the content.

To take this process one step further, podcasting publishes each feed with the capability to be transferred to any portable audio or video device. So with the growth of the ipod and all the other portable media devices, you have the ability to grab fitnesscasts and place them on your portable player for listening or viewing. Most users attach their portable players to their computers daily or weekly, and once the player is attached they automatically receive the new Fitnesscast updates.

The flexibility of this medium is what will drive the growth of Fitnesscasting tremendously over the next few years. There are numerous formats that can be used in developing a fitnesscast. Audio and video workouts give the power to the listener or viewer to receive on-demand health and fitness training. In addition, podcasts are being placed on portable video devices to offer exclusive training workouts for those clients who may travel a lot, or want to workout in the comfort of their home or on their own schedule.

The best thing about fitnesscasting is that the opportunities are endless. Here are some examples of how podcasting will benefit the fitness industry. Most Americans have heard of 6 minute abs or the home jazzercise videos, in fact, these have sold extremely well in our society. With as busy as people are in today’s society, some individuals do not have the opportunity to make it to a gym as much as they would like. However, these same individuals are not looking to give up their workout routine, they just need it custom fitted to their likings. With fitnesscasting, you have the ability to utilize this medium on-demand at the convenience. In addition, with audio and video ipods you can take these fitnesscasts with you when traveling.

Another example of its use could be in large scale gyms. All gyms have trainers who help their patrons’ workout and develop their bodies, yet, sometimes there are either not enough trainers or time schedules do not match up. With fitnesscasting, you have an audio or video of a trainer giving you instruction, at the touch of your fingers and on your time schedule.

The options are wide open for the development of fitness programs that are cutting edge, and highly opportunistic in terms of converting listeners and users into consumers and revenues.

The popularity of portable on demand information will grow even greater as wireless internet services continue to flourish across the country. These portable devices will no longer have to be connected to the internet; they will receive information wirelessly as it is updated. In addition, as cell phones and portable devices continue to merge together, the market grows larger.

For organizations that have members worldwide, the distribution of company information is very important, and once again this offers each institution a method of on-demand delivery which is convenient to all.

There are numerous uses for Fitnesscasting, and over the next few years it will explode in popularity. It is beneficial to organizations as well as the consumer, and it will be seen as a great tool in any health and fitness organizations’ operations.

Ryan Hoback Chairman, and co-founder of What I Want Podcasting. A business podcasting firm specializing in developing the commercial application of podcasting, by integrating corporate branding and using nanocasting models.

He can be reached at 305-670-0998, or Rhoback@MotivatedEntrepreneur.com, Rhoback@WhatIWantPodcasting.com

Ryan Hoback is Founder of the Motivated Entrepreneur, a Business Incubation & Consulting firm, specializing in helping entrepreneurs achieve success starting and growing their business.