Networking and Authenticity
On 1 November 2008 Kim Hill interviewed Barbara Gibson, Chair of the International Association of Business Communicators, on the topic of Networking and Authenticity. It’s a 22 minute interview; the MP3 file is around 8Mb, so quite small.
Gibson spoke clearly and with enthusiasm about the importance of using ’social media’ — things like blogs and Twitter for connecting authentically with an audience one is trying to reach.
While her domain is business, everything she said also holds true for community organisations.
And for those organisations who represent the views of consumers, of goods or services, this interview is also particularly interesting. Gibson spoke, for example, about how the Internet has changed the way that companies interact with their customers; about how companies are quickly found out if they attempt to communicate in ways that are inauthentic and disingenuous.
It’s well worth a listen, and even those on dial-up can probably manage an 8Mb audio file.
Note: RadioNZ seems to be making their audio files available for longer these days. The sidebar on the Saturday Morning with Kim Hill page now says:
Audio is available for all 2008 programmes.
Download:
- Barbara Gibson: networking and authenticity (Ogg Vorbis)
- Barbara Gibson: networking and authenticity (MP3)
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November 8, 2008 1 Comment
Companies Office, Societies and Trusts website use RSS and podcasts
Did you know the Companies Office have a podcast? I only just found out. They also use RSS feeds, so you can easily keep up to date with what they’re doing, and it looks as though the New Societies and Trusts website live from 7 October will have RSS feeds too:
The Ministry of Economic Development is pleased to announce that a new look website for Incorporated Societies and Trusts will be launched on 7 October this year.
The revamped website will continue to be the place to search for Incorporated Societies and Trusts, upload financial statements and maintain details. There will be no change to the online services available on the website.
The revised site will contain a host of new improvements including:
- improved information
- improved site navigation
- better website searching
- a wider range of customer support services
- helpful links to other sites containing relevant and specialised information.
The website will add value to the New Zealand business community by better serving the voluntary sector and providing clear and up-to-date information to all.
[Via : Simon Young on Twitter.]
October 3, 2008 1 Comment
Take Control of Podcasting
One way to get your message out these days is by providing sound or movie files that people download to their computers. They then listen or watch on their computer, or they transfer the files to a portable music device such as an iPod.
It’s really easy to create these ‘podcasts’ — talk into your computer’s microphone, record what you’re saying, and put the files online. But if the sound quality and production values are bad you may find your podcast doesn’t attract listeners.
Now the fine folks at Take Control eBooks have produced Take Control of Podcasting on the Mac (US$10 ebook in PDF format):
Read this ebook to learn the answers to questions such as:
- What types of microphones are best for podcasting?
- Which software should I use to record and edit my podcast?
- How can I find and use audio plug-ins to improve my podcast’s sound quality?
- What’s the best way to conduct a podcast interview?
- Should I record directly into MP3 format or encode later?
- How do I remove weird pauses or other glitches from my recording?
- How do I smoothly add music to the start and end of my podcast?
- What should I watch out for when choosing an Internet host for my podcast?
- What tools are available for publishing podcasts?
- Where should I promote my podcast to attract the most listeners?
- Can anyone create a podcast and list it in the iTunes Store?
The ebook is particularly aimed at Mac users, but Windows users would learn a great deal from it too. I’ve bought and read many of the Take Control ebooks and recommend them for their excellence and ease of use. Download a sample to see if you like this book, and then spring the US$10 if you think it is for you.
And if you do buy it, or you create podcasts, please add a comment here with your experiences.
To experiment with listening to podcasts open up iTunes on your Mac or Windows computer, go to the iTunes Store and select podcasts. Don’t let the word ‘Store’ put you off: most or all podcasts are free of charge.
There are thousands of podcasts available, from around the world and on every conceivable topic. Just be careful how many you download, especially video podcasts, to make sure you don’t exceed your monthly download allowance (gigabytes) through your ISP.
September 9, 2008 No Comments
Grassroots action - the movie
The US Burning the Future campaign and movie is about the grassroots actions of ordinary people who want their locale, state and country to move away from burning coal and towards clean energy:
In Burning the Future: Coal in America, writer/director David Novack examines the explosive forces that have set in motion a groundswell of conflict between the coal industry and residents of West Virginia. Confronted by an emerging coal-based US energy policy, local activists watch the nation praise coal without regard to the devastation caused by its extraction. Faced with toxic ground water, the obliteration of 1.4 million acres of mountains, and a government that appeases industry, our heroes demonstrate a strength of purpose and character in their improbable fight to arouse the nation’s help in protecting their mountains, saving their families, and preserving their way of life.
They have a blog, a movie available for purchase. And I know about this because I subscribe to the Life on Terra podcasts where there are several trailers for the movie.
The trailer that particularly caught my interest is the 9 minute (74 Mb) TERRA 437: Democracy and Action from Burning the Future: Coal in America, which talks a lot about collective action, social responsibility, civil society, and the power each of us has to create change.
If you have a broadband connection I suggest you download this movie trailer, watch how the group is getting its message across, and consider what lessons there may be for your organisation.
We’d also love for you to leave some comments below: did you watch it? What did you think? How can seeing this movie trailer make a difference to your work?
July 26, 2008 No Comments
All the new domain names
Colin Jackson regularly talks on Radio NZ about Internet or technology. If you’re quick you can download the podcast, but you can always pick up his speaking notes at his blog.
The other day he talked about how domain names are changing, because ICANN, the body that controls them has:
… voted to allow a far, far wider range of names. So, soon, perhaps we’ll be seeing names anz.bank or citycouncil.wellington, or may be just plain google – without the dot com.
[Via it.gen.nz: A visit to icann.]
What this means is that in the future — next month, next year — we may start seeing some very different addresses on the Internet. Intead of typing www.radionz.co.nz into your browser, for example, maybe you’ll only need to type this: radionz.
Colin’s sessions on Nine to Noon are always interesting, and he explains his topics in plain language that regular folks can understand. His segment is around 10 minutes long, so take a short break from work, and spend a few minutes keeping up to date with the world of technology.
July 5, 2008 1 Comment
