I’m three weeks into a new 30 day challenge: no iPhone. When I got a Nexus One in December, I spent a few weeks carrying both phones around in the pockets of my jeans. It took a little while to adapt to Android, but I’m very happy with my Nexus One and I don’t plan to go back to the iPhone. Both the iPhone and Android are great operating systems, but it’s important to me that I can write or run the applications I choose on my phone.
The best way I can describe the transition is to read this article by Jason Kincaid and this article by Danny Sullivan. Danny contends that the iPhone is better, mentioning that after “literally an hour or less of playing with my wife’s iPhone” he was an iPhone convert.
I think both Danny and Jason are right in some ways. Like Danny, it only took me a couple hours of playing with my wife’s iPhone before I knew that I had to have one. In a post that I wrote in 2007 but never published, I said “I think the iPhone is going to be a monster hit.” And it was. But here’s the thing: I was comparing the iPhone to my previous phone, which was an LG enV. That was like comparing a Ferrari to a old station wagon.
If you’re coming from a feature phone (or almost any type of phone other than an iPhone 3GS), you’ll probably love Android right away. But if you’re already an iPhone power user? Well, you’ve learned how things work on an iPhone. Maybe you have your music in iTunes, and you’ve already built up a list of favorite apps. That makes switching to a different make of phone much harder. Jason Kincaid describes it well: “Imagine if you took a longtime Windows user and sat them in front of a Mac for a couple days.” Things seem weird and different in arbitrary ways, like the power button is on the other side of the phone. But those things fade away after a few days of using Android, and you’re left with a powerful platform that feels like it’s under your control.
Do I still miss a few things on the iPhone? Absolutely. For example, the iPhone makes it easy to take a snapshot of the screen — just press the power and home button at the same time. The iPhone fits 20 apps on the home screen instead of 16 on the Nexus One. I use a password for my phone, and the iPhone has a setting that says “If you’ve used the phone in the last N hours, don’t lock the phone,” while the Nexus One needs me to unlock it each time I wake it up. I prefer the default ringtones on the iPhone. I preferred the iPhone’s finance app for the news sources it showed.
But the Nexus One outshines the iPhone in other ways. Voice recognition built into every text box. Google Voice. And judging from the jitter in Google Sky Map vs. the iPhone Yelp Monacle, I think the sensors in the Nexus One are a little more robust. Once you use the high-resolution screen on the Nexus One, it’s hard to go back to the iPhone (and the screen on the Droid is very nice too). And I love kicking off a podcast in Listen and then multitasking in a web browser.
The iPhone is praised (rightly so) for its fit-and-finish. But glitches happen on the iPhone too. I went back to check on something a few weeks ago and the iPhone browser kept dying and kicking me back out to the home screen. Overall, I would still rate the iPhone higher on fit and finish, and the iPhone is simpler for a non-tech-savvy person to understand. But polish and simplicity aren’t the most important things to me as a phone user. I want maximum functionality, and the velocity of Android in that area has been staggering. Going from the G1 to the Nexus One in about a year is amazing. I can’t wait to see what new things show up in Android.
Ultimately though, what matters the most to me is control. I have a simple rule of thumb, which is that I don’t put data somewhere that I can’t get it back. That’s the reason that I didn’t buy songs in iTunes, purchase ebooks for the Amazon Kindle, or really log into Facebook at all. It’s also the reason that I recently switched my computer from Microsoft Windows to Ubuntu Linux. With Android, I feel like I have more control. It’s pretty easy to write your own programs for free. My contacts and calendar and email are sync’ed with Google, which lets me easily export that data. I can put widgets or folders or whatever I want on my phone’s home screen. And yes, I could install an app to wobble pictures if I wanted to. Why? Because phones are increasingly mini-computers with a phone attached, and I should be allowed to run the programs I want on my own computer.
I could ramble on about the iPhone compared the Nexus One (both really are great phones in different ways), but I’ll wrap up this post. But my 30 days with no iPhone is going so well that last week I started a new 30 day challenge. My new 30 day challenge is reducing my sugar consumption. I won’t be able to get to 0% sugar (even A1 steak sauce has sugar as an ingredient?!?), but I’m trying to stop eating sugar, candy, Splenda, and anything with sugar as a primary ingredient, even (sob) yogurt. You have to understand, I love yogurt. Wish me luck: only 27 more days to go. Sigh.
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Leaving the iPhone
Know Your Competition
Are there a large number of other people Podcasting about the same subject matter as you? You should be aware of your competition’s websites and their Podcasting topics. Try to offer something different. Offer your customers something that is relevant, interesting and unique or that puts a unique spin on a familiar topic. Use Podcasting directories to find out who your competitors are.
Who Are Your Listeners?
Research your target audience. Podcasting is still a niche market, but is growing rapidly with the popularity of portable media devices such as the iPod. The average subscribers to Podcasts are educated, employed, well traveled, and looking for interesting content. The average Podcast subscriber is around the age of thirty. However the market is expanding exponentially to the less than 18 and over 50 demographic as potable media becomes more affordable to the masses.
Search Engine Optimization (SEO)
SEO is a key marketing technique for the Web. It is the process of writing or editing the content to include key words people might use when searching for a product, service, idea, or entertainment. How do you optimize your Podcast? Write transcripts. Before sitting down and writing your Podcast script use a service like KeyWord Tracker, which helps you improve your ranking in search results. Once you have a list of the top keyword searches for your topic write them into your script and publish it as a transcript along with your Podcast. Including a transcript of your Podcast will attract more visitors to your site then a Podcast alone with a brief header.
Content Creation
There are two reasons people listen to Podcasts, to learn or to be entertained. Podcasting is not the time to use your best sales pitch. Over selling your topic to people in your Podcast is a sure-fire way to send their business elsewhere. People are looking for fun, entertaining, and informative information – for free. If people are visiting your website to listen to your Podcasts you have already accomplished one step in the selling process, building relationships with the public. Once they have listened to your Podcasts they will likely go to your website to check out your products or services because they feel connected to a familiar voice that represents your company persona.
egularly Scheduled Episodes
Your listeners will expect a regular schedule for when they can ‘tune-in’ to your Podcasts. Depending on your business and how much content you can create you may want to Podcast anywhere from daily to once per week. Make sure you can deliver when you say you can. You might have other responsibilities in your organization so keep a realistic time line. When you hire a voice over actor for your Podcast you will ensure regular episodes are done on-time, on budget, and with no interruption in your personal or work schedule.
Spread the Word
Once you have your Podcast recorded and uploaded to your website it’s time to get the word out. If you already have a customer base registered to your website consider emailing them about your websites new feature. There are numerous directories to submit your Podcasts to. Try www.podcast411.com for a list of directories. You may also want to use social networking sites such as Facebook, Digg, and Stumble Upon to promote your Podcast and grow your listener base. You can also write and distribute articles and press releases about your Podcast to help you spread the word.
RSS Feeds
Make sure you include an RSS Feed and an ‘Email to a Friend’ option for your Podcasts. The RSS Feed allows you to syndicate your Podcasts making it easy for your audience to listen with automatic delivery to their portable media devices or personal computers. Adding the ‘Email to a Friend’ option allows your current audience to spread the word to others who they feel might be interested in your topic, ultimately growing your listener base.
Stephanie Ciccarelli is the Vice President of Marketing and co-founder of Voices.com, the voice over marketplace. A vocal major and graduate from the Don Wright Faculty of Music at the University of Western Ontario, Stephanie is able to translate years of classical music training, theory and performance into practical applications within the voice over industry. Specializing in public relation and copy writing, her presence and persona embody the Voices.com brand through partner sites like PodcastingVoiceTalent.com.
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7 Tips How To Make Your Podcasts Shine
Excerpted from:
7 Tips How To Make Your Podcasts Shine