Comments on: Buckcasting

By: Mashable* » SONR is a Terrible, Terrible Idea That Simply Won’t Work

Mashable* » SONR is a Terrible, Terrible Idea That Simply Won’t Work — Wed, 15 Feb 2006 03:17:06 +0000

[...] Well, the second I heard the words “podcast tracking”, I was interested. Those who have been following this blog for a while (yep, all three of you!) will know that podcast tracking is a thorny problem, largely because the MP3 format isn’t suited to tracking. Services like Fruitcast and Podtrac can track downloads, but nothing more. Only Audible has a tracking service that actually delivers accurate statistics, but it gets around the issue by using a format that isn’t MP3. In fact, back in November 2005 Dave Winer, Mitch Ratcliffe, Greg Yardley, Jeff Jarvis, Om Malik, Doc Searls and a whole load of other smart folks had a fascinating debate on podcast metrics and Audible’s efforts in this space. It’s a well-understood topic, and one that has been discussed at length. So here’s my beef: SONR will be virtually useless when it comes to the podcast tracking issue. [...]

By: Vidlogs

Vidlogs — Fri, 02 Dec 2005 21:58:51 +0000

[...] Audible announced a new podcast service last week, and Audible consultant Mitch Ratcliffe argues that podcast fees of 3 cents per download are actually affordable when the web hosting and bandwidth costs are included. Many prominent bloggers disagree, and the metrics Radcliffe uses to represent the hosting industry in the pricing comparison - $9.95 for 4 gigabytes of downloads - have already been superseded by cheaper plans with beefier specs. [...]

By: looj

looj — Thu, 17 Nov 2005 04:09:59 +0000

just a little bit of hyperbole i’m sure, but the crossfire interview garnered approximately 867,000 viewers at the original airing. Pales in comparision to downloads obviously (i saw it that way). doing a little research for a paper i’m writing. just fact checking your ass

By: Greg Yardley’s Internet Blog » Poor, but not impossible?

Greg Yardley’s Internet Blog » Poor, but not impossible? — Tue, 15 Nov 2005 14:05:53 +0000

[...] Adding URLs to an audio file has been something I’ve been thinking about for ages now - while Jeff Jarvis and Mike Arrington’s comments jogged my memory a bit, I remember chatting with Evan Eckard about this in early spring. Given infinite time and an infinite supply of people who can code… [...]

By: Weblog

Weblog — Mon, 14 Nov 2005 18:21:30 +0000

[...] Audible’s recent announcement of its “Wordcast” service has sparked a lot of comments from bloggers, not all of them kind. To get caught up on the conversation, read a couple of threads at my old boss/friend Mitch Ratcliffe’s blog. Measuring Podcasts: The Right First Step recaps a lot of the important early reaction and his follow-up post More On The Future Of Podcasting does a good job of following up on the flurry of posts back and forth over the weekend. Jeff Jarvis has also been posting on it, and this thread is a good place to start. I’m just in the process of really examining “Wordcast,” so I’ll reserve a specific judgement for awhile, but I will make a couple of observations. Dave Winer is a bright guy, and he is often right. But when he’s wrong, he can be stubbornly, stupidly wrong, and my limited experience attempting to have a conversation with him about podcasting was one of my most frustrating experiences of 2005. He does have a good point or two in his back-and-forth with Mitch, but his dismissive tone makes it tough to follow. In this case, I’ll make the same arguement I made to him during the Nashville blooger fest earlier in the year. I don’t need your permission to make money on podcasts if I choose, and if I do decide to do it, I’m not less moral or more guilty of whoring myself than someone who elects to do it for free. I have a wife, and a kid, and I happen to think that just maybe, someone might be willing to listen to an ad in exchange for also listening to me. Get over it. More… Posted by: Rick Ellis on Nov 14, 05 | 12:59 pm | Profile [0] comments (0 views) | [0] Trackbacks [0] Pingbacks [...]

By: Steven Frein

Steven Frein — Mon, 14 Nov 2005 09:36:53 +0000

I think Audible is brave to get into this scheme, but I know that eventualy a way to monitor and monitize podcasting will need to be invented. Media is not free. Any transaction must have an exchange. As a podcaster I choose to provie my content for free, but the web 2.0 folks need to figure out a way to provide content and measure it and monitize it.

Everytime you buy something from a store you are being tracked. Every manufacture knows how much of his product is being bought. Why can’t media be tracked? I know it’s an argument of method over viablility, but there must be an answer to the problem.

At least Audible is leading the way, even if it is on the wrong path.

By: CrunchNotes » Audible’s Clusterfuck

CrunchNotes » Audible’s Clusterfuck — Mon, 14 Nov 2005 07:11:01 +0000

[...] The most interesting angle on all of this? The call for a new, open audio standard that pings the publisher when a listener opens the file. [...]

By: Greg Yardley’s Internet Blog » MP3 poor format for podcast monetization

Mon, 14 Nov 2005 04:15:03 +0000

[...] I was thinking about the Mitch Ratcliffe pile-on while doing laundry and still don’t quite get it. To recap: Mitch is a consultant for Audible, a downloadable audiobook company that’s been around since 1997 or so and does about $60M in revenue each year - no small change. Audible recently announced its Ratcliffe-designed Wordcast service - a monetization for podcasting suite which allows podcasters to (all optionally, I gather) dynamically insert ads, accurately measure listeners, and charge subscription fees, alongside the usual hosting service. The catch (and the controversy) - the podcasts for download are in Audible’s AA format instead of the MP3 format, and podcasters have the ability to protect them with digital-rights management. Over the weekend, Dave Winer, Doc Searles, Om Malik, and Jeff Jarvis have all been very critical of Audible and of Mitch for defending it. [...]

By: Andy Freeman

Andy Freeman — Mon, 14 Nov 2005 01:09:42 +0000

> Letâ€™s say that MP3s could ping their creators when they are played â€” at the creatorâ€™s option, with full transparency for the listeners.

What’s in it for me, the listener? What if I don’t want you to be pinged? (My car radio doesn’t ping anyone, my cd/dvd players doesn’t ping anyone, my books don’t ping anyone.)

Note that I’m probably listening on a device that has no way to ping anyone.

By: Mashable* » Blog Archive » Does Podcasting Need Better Measurement? - Internet Entrepreneur Pete Cashmore on Web 2.0 and the Future of the Internet

Mon, 14 Nov 2005 00:55:51 +0000

[...] Update 2: Other posts from The RSS Blog, Paid Content and Buzzmachine [...]

By: Noel Guinane

Noel Guinane — Sun, 13 Nov 2005 20:28:16 +0000

This is a ruse. Dave knocks Audible to offset the heat heâ€™s taking for allowing himself to be used by Microsoft to publicize what they want the rest of us to believe. Disclosure overdue methinks.

By: Om Malik — » Audible’s unPodcast effort?

Om Malik — » Audible’s unPodcast effort? — Sun, 13 Nov 2005 08:48:17 +0000

[...] Dave is not the one to mince words. Jeff Jarvis says, “I do agree with him and Doc that the virtue of the MP3 as the vehicle of choice for podcasts — like RSS — is that they are open and cannot be controlled….That’s my problem with the Audible system. It’s both closed and expensive.” [...]

By: Marshall Kirkpatrick

Marshall Kirkpatrick — Sun, 13 Nov 2005 02:04:40 +0000

Have you looked at Fruitcast? It’s like Adsense for podcasts, if you will.