One of the problems with watching video podcasts as an alternative to conventional television is that you have typically and deliberately watch one video at a time. On longer videos it’s not as much of a problem, but with short videos that last 5 minutes or less you have to keep manually restarting the next video after the previous one has finished.

I now have three Mac Minis – one is an old somewhat underpowered Power PC Mac Mini that I’m using as a video podcast aggregator. I have that machine’s iTunes database located on a much larger shared drive that’s available to every machine on my home network. I’m subscribed to a variety of tech podcasts, most of them in the highest resolution file sizes available.

I have two other Mac Minis that are of the latest design. I have an “Eye TV” USB HD tuner connected to one that’s connected to a substantial external antenna. Depending on atmospheric conditions I can receive up to 18 channels counting the various digital sub channels. This enables the Mac Mini to function as a DVR.

The second Intel Mac Mini is in another room and the Eye TV software also loaded on it is able to work from the other Mac Mini’s shared recordings.

Today I discovered by accident when playing around with iTunes on one of the Intel Mac Minis that the shared videos show up in the shared playlists from other iTunes databases. So, in other words, I can pick a shared iTunes list from the Power PC Mac Mini’s shared iTunes and a list of video files shows up. Since the videos are in the list just like audio would be, I am able to start a video file playing and when one file ends it will immediately start playing the next video file on the list. This is particularly useful because I can start videos playing as I do other things and it will continue to play just as if it’s a TV station. This is quite a handy capability to have. The lack of an ability to set up continuous video playback has long been one of the Apple TV’s biggest shortcomings.

Periodically I go to the Power PC Mac Mini and delete the video files that have been played, since iTunes keeps a play count, so I always have fresh material to watch.

Audio only tonight folks voice will not support a live show, plus the bandwidth sucks. Lot’s happening obviously getting healthy is a priority and I’m a lot better. Still planning on doing a listener meetup on Wednesday.

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Listener Links
24hr Podcast Schedule.
Australia Medics get iPad.
Kids and iPhone Game Expenses.

Show Notes:
YouTube Trends
More Cuts at Yahoo!
Disconnect.
Disclose Tweets!
Gawker completely Hacked!
Voyager 1 Near Edge of Solar Systems.
Accesibility in Windows Mobile.
The Future of Web Video.
Healthcare in Turmoil.
Digital Downloads is not Savior for Music Industry.
NASA Rover Build On-Line.
Solar Explosions blowing Scientist away.
Rocking the Sun.
Look Up.
Internet equals TV Usage.
Boxee Updated.
Sony SD Cards.
Roku Updated.
Track those Packages.
Learn English.
Try Miro.
Geek Wrapping Paper.
Dual Screen Laptop or Tablet?
BitTorrent Throttling in Canada.
Hypocrite.
Windows 8 Slate.
Need A Lamp?
Do we need the AP?
The Current State of Podcasting.

On October 9th 2010 the Geek News Central Podcast will be 6 years old. By the time that show airs, I will have produced 617 episodes of the show. I did some math tonight and was quite shocked on how many downloads we have had of the show! Geek News Central is well into the 8 digit territory.

I’ll be honest I was pretty shocked when I did the math. I have a pretty good handle on the numbers day to day,  because I have been tracking the show stats with a variety of tools since about July of 2005 but honestly the total download number sat me back  in my chair.

The first 9 months of tracking my show downloads are a little fuzzy, thus I had to do some fuzzy math to come up with the first 9 months download totals. At that time it was a challenge in just finding the bandwidth to deliver the show, let alone worry about counting the downloads. In the very very early days I was burning through 250 to 300 Gigabytes of traffic each show, and at the time the most affordable shared hosting account you could get only had 500gb of monthly traffic. In the early days going from 400 to 25,000 subscribers happened pretty quickly it has only been upwards from there.

If I include the 5 years of  CES, and Special Events the number nearly triples. So we are going to have a little fun for the 6 year anniversary show. I will announce a new contest on the show tomorrow, tune in to find out how you can get a chance at a very cool prizes.

Here is the weird part I have not decided if I am going to announce the actual number because it brings out the dogs.

When I shared the total with a podcasting buddy tonight he was not surprised, but I had to do the math twice.  Building this shows audience has not come easy,  in the early days I had several subscriber setbacks, the week I announced my Podcasting book in May of 2005 my audience dropped in half overnight, when I took my first advertiser in June of 2005 the audience dropped again. The hate mail I got over the book deal and taking a sponsor was simply unbelievable. In the early days, I was accused of selling out. Most of the naysayers are gone, a few are still being naysayers but most have podfaded. With the show at 75 minutes it is definitively the upper limit for a one man show.

If I can say one thing, consistency has been the key in growing the audience. At this point doing the show is still of the highest priority to me, a lot of people get their twice weekly time shifted fix of tech news. I continue to experiment with the show in tiny increments, and while the Audio portion of the audience is my bread and butter and is what keeps the lights on and my family fed. The video subscriber numbers though are literally exploding. This is raising it’s own concerns as downloaded Video delivered as a podcast is very expensive to deliver. It cost about .07 cents per viewer to deliver the video portion of the show, and I understand now why some of the big boys have to have bandwidth sponsors for their shows.

“The Morning Tech Show” that I launched three weeks ago seems to be gaining speed, and is on target to meet my internal viewer goals. The goal remains to launch 5 more shows here at Geek News Central before the end of the year. I am still in solicitation mode at this point. There has to be some website changes as well to add more shows, so that has to be done yet, if you want to be tech star send me an email and an idea for a show your willing to commit to for 2 years.

If it has been a while since you tuned in, subscribe and pull down a couple of episodes to see where the show is going or watch me on your Roku or Boxee. Looking at my show Stats, this month so far GNC has reached listeners in 177 out of 194 countries with the bottom 3 only getting 1 download each. Not sure what to compare that to but I think it’s cool that I have a global audience.

We will have some fun on the anniversary show and give away some prizes.  I want to thank all of the Ohana that have helped get us to this point in the shows development. Someday with a lot of work maybe we can say billions and billions served but that’s only a dream at this point.

Todd…

I look forward to writing this post each year, but I  have to admit some of the data results cannot be expressed properly on this blog. On one hand I want to applaud podcast host that get it, but for a great many others I wish I could simply scream and shake them by the shoulders and say wake the hell up.

The results make it apparent that the reason many of your shows are not growing, is because a percentage of have set yourselves up for failure. Many have failed to do the basics on their websites to make it easy for listeners to consume the content.

We examined Podcasters sites that received more than 10 nominations during the 2009 Podcast Awards Nomination Period. A total of 2381 sites were reviewed.

NOTE: The below information has nothing to do with how the podcast awards voting slate is derived. This is a seperate effort I undertake each year to get a sampling of what is happening in the podcasting space and on podcasters sites.

If you quote these numbers in your own blog post please provide a link back to the source data as I have went to considerable expense to provide these numbers free to the podcasting community. My personal company Podcast Connect paid for this.

Base Review consisted of 2381 Sites:

21% Had Invalid Podcast RSS Feeds.
59% Had Feeds with Errors but where Valid.
51% Had an RSS Icon on their default landing page that was a Blog Feed only.
21% Had an RSS Icon on their default landing page that was Podcast Ready.
23% Had a Podcast RSS Feeds Buried on a SubPage in their Website
44% Of Sites had a Podcast RSS feed we could subscribe to!
81% Had a Visible iTunes Subscription Icon on their default landing Page.
93% Had a Visible iTunes Subscription Icon someplace in their website.
6% Had a Visible Zune Marketplace Icon on their websites. (See Note Below)
43% Had a Visible e-mail contact address on their website.
14% Had a Newsletter sign-up page.
11% Had a call in number for listeners to comment on their shows.
88% of the sites had good unique website branding.
59% Had less than one paragraph of show notes for their past 5 podcast.
51% Had a physical download Link on their websites.
71% Were Creating Audio Only.
9% Were Creating Video Only.
20% Were Creating Audio and Video.
23% Number of Podcasters Blogging as well as Podcast content.
19% Where creating Audio, Video & Blog Posts
66% Of total Nominations were Shows creating Audio, Video and Blog Posts
3% of Sites where mobile phone ready (iPhone, Android, Palm Pre)
37% Did not have their show listed on Blubrry.com
51% Did not have their show listed on PodcastAlley.com
14% Did not have their show listed on Podcast.com
41% Had a Twitter Link on their website
53% Had a Facebook Link on their website

While I think the data points paint an obvious picture let me lay out a few of the obvious points.

Source RawVoice: Do podcasters realize the Zune has been responsible for 17% overall increase in unique podcast listeners over the past two years? I question why podcasters would ignore a huge segment of potential listeners by not carrying a Zune subscribe icon on their website.

There are 100′s of devices that cannot sync to iTunes, and by not having a Podcast RSS feed visible on the main page of their websites, that they are simply not reaching those listeners. This includes the millions of people who have smart phones.

Why do we continue to see such jacked up RSS feeds?

Five years into podcasting and podcasters still do not understand that RSS is the lifeblood of their podcasts. It blows me away that it is impossible to find Podcast RSS feeds on popular podcasters sites. I find it striking that I can find links to people’s Facebook pages, but have a hard time finding a link to subscribe to their shows.

Smartly some podcasters are learning that they cannot rely on Audio or Video alone that they have to a variety of media. Audio, Video, Blogging

Show Notes: Some Podcasters are finally waking up and finding out that Google can be their friend and that by writing comprehensive show notes results in more traffic to their websites.

I will let you do your own interpretation of Part 1 of my report, but I am convinced the success of my personal show is largely to do with content creators not doing the basics to be found, seen, heard and subscribed to.

Part 2 will be a comprehensive look at how podcast networks are playing a key role for podcasters.

I do want to extend a big thank you to the team in the Philippines that did this work.

Todd…

Twitter is great to network, but sometimes it annoys me. There are times that people don’t get that they have 140 characters to Say something or loose out.

The biggest problem is this #FollowFriday. I will see a post like:

@joeschmoeb #Followfriday @name1 @name2 @name3 @name4

My question is: WHY? Who is this “Name 1″? Will I know this person will not Cyberstalk me?

Let’s get some etiquette here, people. Give me a reason to follow and I’ll start listening to you. For example, Paul RJ Muller, aka @Caffination, wrote this tweet:

caffination #followfriday #podcast Because you have to listen @norbtek, @nlma, @cc_chapman, @podcaststeve, @geekazine, @about12minutes

This is telling me these are the podcasts to listen to. Now I do have to admit, my podcast is in the list and I thank Paul for posting. Nonetheless, I know WHY I should be following these people.

I like Meat with my Potatoes. I like bread with butter. Therefore, I like #Followfriday with a reason. You have 140 characters to explain yourself. Make every character worth it.

That is all.

If newspapers are going to beat the odds and continue to exist they must keep evolving. Some have learned their lesson as evidenced by even small town papers having decent websites. They cannot stand still though as the internet is not static. If they try to keep their online edition of the paper the same for years they will keep losing their backsides. They need to keep up with the online space by melding into it. The success of prominent bloggers is partially due to old media, without which bloggers don’t have much to talk about. That will change as well because old media & new media will take parts of each other’s qualities in order to profit. Some online sites have their own insiders to get news tips so they don’t need to read mainstream newspapers or watch the talking heads on TV to get their information.

Podcasts, blogs, & online video are essential to newspapers surviving. If smaller papers don’t have the people or ability to do video or podcasts they better hire the people who can provide help. If not they are still just something to read. If you haven’t noticed there are a ton of people who simply hate reading, which is terrible, but nonetheless, a fact. Many folks would rather just watch a video or listen to a podcast with the same info as what they would have to read. Our small town paper is moving in the right direction but still has no video or podcasts. They have added rss feeds & the ability to comment on some articles which should have been done a long time ago. All they needed to do was hire the right person to point them in the right direction. But when you get set in your ways it is hard to turn around the ship. Another local news website is using more media formats and even had video available from the local presidential rallies in town. I don’t think they even have a print edition as they tend to have a relationship with the local radio station and may even be owned by the same company. It will be interesting to see which one flourishes especially with the slowdown in the economy.

Some of you love Dave, some of you hate Dave but I will tell you one thing he at least does not sugar coat stuff. I like that in a person, because when people always sugar coat a discussion and play politically correct or suck up to someone just because they think that is the only way to get their attention. Say what you want to say but you always know exactly what his position is. [Scripting News]

First of the month so as always we ask you a single time each month to vote for the Geek News Central over at Podcast Alley Click to Vote Here!

Are you coming to the Podcast Academy? The agenda is set and looks to be very informative. If you have some video skills I need someone to do a little project I will make you famous. geeknews@gmail.com Podcaster News set to Launch Nov 11th

Sponsor: Save Money with all our GoDaddy Codes see our Promo Code Page

Listener Links:
DRM Crippled CD
PQDVD Video Ripper
Firefox Popups
SpywareInfo.org

Show Comments:

Plug Madness
Google and OpenOffice.org
Apple 1 Million Videos
GPS
Smash an iPod?
Rip your DVD for your iPod Video!
Mac Update
OPML Validator
Dell Earnings Lower
Bandwidth Mergers
TiVo to iPod Video!
The Internet and Future of TV
Sony is EVIL!
SBC, Google must Pay a Toll!
NBC Nightly News to be Published Online!
SpySweeper!
Telecommuters Double Taxed!
BBC Annotable Audio Project!
Robin Good Hot Picks!

You’ve got to check out GoToMeeting. Why? Because you can hold meetings right over the Net — from anywhere. Plus, you can hold all the meetings you want for one flat rate. Try it free for 30 days. No, you don’t need a credit card to get started. Just visit gotomeeting.com/techroundtable. That’s gotomeeting.com/techroundtable to get your free trial now.

Little ranting and raving tonight. Stats we have stats what kind of podcaster thinks their is a big mystery with their show stats. You tune into this show and get the whole story, no secrets here we tell you the whole truth and nothing but the truth. Yes I have some comments tonight and I am going to dispel some comments I have been hearing on other shows!

Sponsor: Save Money with all our GoDaddy Codes see our Promo Code Page

Viewer Links:
Firefox Popups got your Down?
Spyware Resource Article
Sweden and Hong Kong P2P Convictions
-HomeNetworkHelp Spyware Video Tutorials!
www.peacefulturtles.com
www.auroraphotos.com

Show Links:
Mars up close and Personal Saturday!
DNS Security Concerns
Gates BBS Interview
Television and iPod Video Analysis!
Upgrade that 5G to 6G!
Typepad Issues
Nasa World Wind!
RFID a threat to Privacy or not?
Yahoo Save to my Web!
John Batelle
Print Photos from Flickr!
Doc Searls Yahoo Blog Post Ads!
Mask?
Anti-Spyware Recommendations
TV Networks Change is good!
The Geek!
Link Love Christina and her Video Podcast!
Forbes is Clueless!
ROKR was Motorola Dumb or What!
RSS Top 55 Robin Good!
GPS Escapades

You’ve got to check out GoToMeeting. Why? Because you can hold meetings right over the Net — from anywhere. Plus, you can hold all the meetings you want for one flat rate. Try it free for 30 days. No, you don’t need a credit card to get started. Just visit gotomeeting.com/techroundtable. That’s gotomeeting.com/techroundtable to get your free trial now.

The Podcaster News Network Pre-Launch Sneak Peak starts on November 7th those that have asked for a pre-launch look will be getting invitations to the event shortly! [PCN]

Well this is as close as we get to our one year anniversary, some reflections and my concerns on were podcasting is headed and some long tail issues surrounding bandwidth and being able to afford the continued growth rate of shows. Talk about some of the plans for Podcast Expo and the Podcast Awards. I have a great lineup of stimulating content for you to sink your teeth into.

Sponsor: Save Money with all our GoDaddy Codes see our Promo Code Page

Listener Provided Links
www.fluctu8.com
Pez MP3 Player
List of Web based Applications!
www.adgenta.com
LaunchBar for Mac
JobRoots
FreeMarker
PongPong

Show Links
State of Blogsphere
Laser Printer Finger Print!
Virtual WiFi
Inform! Firefox Support Sucks
Weblogs.com Ping Rollover!
Beyond MonoCulture
Norway Microsoft Train Wreck!
Weblogs Inc Google Adsense review!
Google Updates Privacy Policy!
TV Paradigm Shift!
Podcast why Weblogs Inc sold to AOL!
Media Advertising on Blogs!
TechDirt InfoAdvisor
Spyware what you need to know!
Windows Media Player 11 Screenshot!
Podcast Academy Schedule!
China Homes
Chris Pirillo top 10 Blogspot Suggestions
Robin Good New Media Picks!

You’ve got to check out GoToMeeting. Why? Because you can hold meetings right over the Net — from anywhere. Plus, you can hold all the meetings you want for one flat rate. Try it free for 30 days. No, you don’t need a credit card to get started. Just visit gotomeeting.com/techroundtable. That’s gotomeeting.com/techroundtable to get your free trial now.

With any luck the Space shuttle will be kick the tires an light the fires and be headed back to the International Space Station. Enjoy the show and send those promos to geeknewspromo@gmail.com. No decision on the introduction selection we will be experimenting with them over the next few shows as voting is neck and neck

Save Money with all our GoDaddy Codes see our Promo Code Page

[Please visit TechPodcasts.com]

Google Logo Maker
Newsweek
Come on down house prices!
MAC 21%?
Mac Issues!
Konfabulator
Virtual Earth
Free Books
Yahoo Widget
Space Shuttle like an old Truck
Shuttle to Launch
Piracy Check for Windows Mandatory
Is your Registry Sick?
Nasty Keyboard!
RSS Usage
BBS TiVo Records Everything!
Spammer Murdered
Is your printer spying on you?
Inside Adwords
Linksys Travel Router
You simply can’t steal WiFi!
Mars cold for 4 billion years!
PodcastAwards.com
OPML Editor