ThePodcastSisters

Updating iTunes Manually

Sometimes as a podcaster you find that iTunes does not update the feed. That happened to me today. If that happens to you then you can manually ping iTunes by

1. Get you apple id - easiest way is to search for your podcast in iTunes, then right click on the album art and copy the url.
2. Paste that url into your internet browser

Just a quick Friday tip!

P.S The Podcast Sisters podcast will appear soon, we are just having a slight hosting problem...we have not gone away, we have recorded 3 shows whilst we are trying to sort out the problem!

Anna Is Profiled in Marketing Profs

Just a quick shout out for Anna who was profiled today in the Marketing Profs newsletter. She was interviewed by Nettie Hartsock about how she set up her business with just £1000 through her blog and podcast.

Unfortunately the article is only for premium content subscribers, but I am sure that Anna can get permission to post a few extracts of the article sharing her key learnings in being an entreprenuer here for you to read - or may be even share her story on a forthcoming podcast here at The Podcast Sisters (once we get our podcast feed and hosting back in action!)

What say you Anna?

BBC Blog Network

I am always amazed that the BBC is at the forefront of social media, journalism and media. The BBC has always been a corporation that has been seen as large monolith however they have just launched the BBC Blog Network.

I love this personally as my personal interest in world news, internet and politics are all covered. It will be interesting to see if the blogs start linking out to the blogosphere or if they remain a medium of news delivery...but another example of how businesses are starting to see the value of blogging.

Podcasting Statistics

Over at the superb Podcasting News they report on the Edison Media Research. The latest research shows

• The audience for audio podcasts grew 38% in the last year;
• The audience for video podcasts grew 45% in the last year;
• About 30% of regular Internet users have downloaded a podcast;
• Awareness of podcasting has leveled off at about 37;
• People listen to or watch podcasts primarily on their computers (about 75%).

In 2007 there was a feeling that podcasting was on the wane. I didn't believe that and still don't...why? Well podcasting gives you incredible value - both as a producer and consumer. They are "cheap" to produce, need little expertise and yet from the consumers point of view they are free, niche, specialised, an opt in medium that they can listen to wherever they are...

In the UK I get a sense of a growing awareness both by companies and by consumers. Is it mainstream ...no not yet but as a small business I think that is the real opportunity. Get in to the space whilst the idea is still "relatively new", make your name whilst there are fewer competitors!

After all what could be more intimate than you talking directly into the ears of each of your consumers :)

Podcast Update

Do not fear the podcast is all ready to go, we have had a problem with our hosting this week but Podcast FM are being wonderfully helpful and we should be ready to upload the show tomorrow. So for all of you missing your sisters...don't worry we will be visiting your ear buds tomorrow!

Galba - A True Gentleman, Thank You for a Wonderful Life

People often talk about friends you make on-line are not the same as those you make in the "real" world. Maybe true, yet today I read the news that one of my on-line friends had passed away and it affected me deeply...just showing how real these friendships can be in the "virtual" world. This is how I described it on my blog  just showing that the friends you make on line can be as important as the friends you see each day.....

" I was shocked to see the news that Galba Bright had passed away - one less truly inspirational gentleman in this world, one that I will miss from my virtual life.

As many of you know, it was only a few weeks ago that I spoke to Galba for the podcast - we talked so much that I had to turn it into 2 shows! (Part 1 and Part 2) Galba had this ability to connect with people at the emotional level, he shared openly, he touched your heart with his love of people and of the world. Galba made me smile, made me laugh and I remember coming off the phone feeling privileged to have spoken to him, to have been touched by the Galba magic!

Social media means that Galba  - and his thoughts on emotional intelligence - will remain as part of his wonderful legacy. My thoughts go out to his family....

Galba sleep tight, we will miss you hugely and thank you for leaving such wonderful emotional footprints all over the world"

As many of you know, it was only a few weeks ago that I spoke to Galba for the podcast - we talked so much that I had to turn it into 2 shows! (Part 1 and Part 2) Galba had this ability to connect with people at the emotional level, he shared openly, he touched your heart with his love of people and of the world. Galba made me smile, made me laugh and I remember coming off the phone feeling privileged to have spoken to him, to have been touched by the Galba magic!

Social media means that Galba  - and his thoughts on emotional intelligence - will remain as part of his wonderful legacy. My thoughts go out to his family....

Galba sleep tight, we will miss you hugely and thank you for leaving such wonderful emotional footprints all over the world"

iQ Content Online Marketing Bootcamp: Dublin 22 - 24 April 2008

As I mentioned on The Podcast Sisters show we recorded this evening, if you are in the Dublin area between the 22-24 April 2008, I highly recommend that you check out the details of the forthcoming Online Marketing Bootcamp being hosted by iQ Content. Read on to find out how to avail of a 10% discount on the registration fee.

The online marketing bootcamp includes workshops on the following areas:

• Search engine marketing 202: More advanced techniques for enhancing your website's search engine visibility
• Content strategy: Getting your content mix right to drive traffic, engage customers and increase conversions
• Writing for the web 101: Creating great content – the fundamental techniques
• Writing for the web 202: Beyond the basics – writing to convert and persuade
• Accessibility for web managers: Planning, procuring, delivering and maintaining an accessible website
• Information architecture that works: Essential techniques for structuring and organising your website
• Killer web applications: Designing usable and effective web applications
• Personas – Getting into the head of your customers: Tools and techniques for understanding your customers
• Practical user testing: Planning, conducting and reporting on user tests
• Web analytics 101: Fundamental techniques for measuring the success of your website
• Web analytics 202: More advanced techniques for measuring the effectiveness of your website
• Website healthcheck: How to evaluate the effectiveness of your website and benchmark it against your competitors
• Kick-start your web strategy: Defining and implementing an effective online strategy
• Web governance: Getting your organisation organised – people, teams and processes
• Web project management: How to deliver a successful web project
• Email marketing: Planning, creating and delivering effective email newsletters
• Online advertising: Conceiving, creating, implementing and measuring an effective online advertising campaign
• Search engine marketing 101: Driving more traffic to your website – the fundamental techniques.

You can attend for 1 day, 2 days or 3 days and as I'm speaking at the event, you can use the special code I've been given by the event organisers and can therefore avail of a 10% discount - please note this is not an affiliate link - I asked the organisers if my community of readers could benefit in some way and am delighted that they made this discount available.

All you need to do is put in the code 'speaker' when making your booking.

I'm speaking at the session on the Wednesday afternoon - the iQ FutureNow Seminar where we'll be covering emerging trends and technologies that you need to start thinking about. Do let me know if you plan to be there won't you. I'm trying to clear my calendar as much as I can as  know the content that will be covered at the online marketing bootcamp will be outstanding.

How to Find Friends on Twitter

Twitter has become an important social media tool to me. It is a resource for support and ideas. One of the questions that I get asked is "How do you find people to follow?"
Normally I would say click on your friends profile...see who they are following and start following them. However, there is another tool that you can use called Twubble

What this package does is look at your profile and suggest people to follow, it is a great way to find new friends. It is as easy as a click of one button

Podcasting In Business In Ireland

As I've spoken about on The Podcast Sisters previously, the businesses that have been early adopters of podcasting here in Ireland have primarily been the guys in the area of technology with a few notable exceptions of a few business podcasts.

So it was great to get a call from a journalist recently who was researching for an article about podcasting in business in Ireland.

The article appeared in the Irish Independent today and you can access a copy of the article online here.

Thanks to Niall Byrne the journalist for the article. And watch out on my new Biz Growth Podcast that I have just launched to accompany my main blog as I'm going to post a podcast specifically about business podcasting in Ireland to give you a deeper insight into the information I shared with Niall.

Twitter As A Travel Companion

New York has opened my eyes even more to Twitter, it has been invaluable

• Communicating with people and arranging meetups
• Asking questions about how to get around or where to eat.
• Making new friends
• No need for email
• Insight into people and their lives before I met them

Twitter at the moment has, I believe got about 1m users. However, I still think that this will be an important web package as it is so easy, so portable and intuitive to use. Remember if you want to find out about who is using Twitter in your locality then go to TwitterLocal.

In the meantime, I am meeting up with 3 people today that I would not have been able to, without twitter.