Will The Web 2.0 Bubble Help Podcasters?
August 17th, 2007
When you look at the steady stream of companies that are hyped at sites like TechCrunch - companies like Cluztr, Validas, Wablet and Weebly - it doesn’t seem like a stretch to think that there’s something to the idea that there’s a “Web 2.0″ bubble, an unwarranted rush of interest and investment in new Internet companies.
Jason Calacanis, who made his name with the with the blog network Weblogs, Inc., thinks that there is a bubble, and suggests that we may be seeing the first signs of this bubble popping:
Is it a bubble or not discussions have been going on for two years now. There is no question we are experiencing some bubble-like activity these days, so the only questions is will we see bubble-bursting like activity?
Calacanis goes on to suggest that it will be “a bloody 4th quarter for Web 2.0 companies”:
Will we see thousands of layoffs? Nope. But we will see a lot of folks tighten their belts and move from dream and build mode to control costs and make a profit mode. That’s not a bad thing, but it will certainly change the climate.
Belt-tightening among struggling big media companies and new media startups could create opportunity for indie podcasters. Advertisers are rapidly moving their ad dollars from traditional media to Internet-based media, and podcasters are uniquely positioned to capitalize on this trend.
The best podcasters know how to make great media on a tiny budget, something that big media companies are struggling with. As media companies pull back the reigns, indie podcasters, used to working with low budgets, are well-positioned to compete for the rapidly growing pot of Internet advertising revenue.
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August 20th, 2007 at 3:18 pm
Hey, let’s go small. Here’s how I’m doing it: I have pitched a small business the concept of doing a weekly podcast that revolves around their business: teaching a foreign language. This seems to be the perfect medium in which to give listeners a taste of the language, do it in a personal and conversational way, offer them additional useful information about living in this foreign culture and, simultaneously, helping the client distinguish itself from its competitors and build a community of students and potential students.
While I’m not exactly sure what my client paid the local English language newspaper for a print ad, I’ve heard it’s exorbitant. And I think producing a real, interactive “show” for the school is much more effective in the long run than some static ad on a web page - the challenge remains in getting the program out to listeners. But I can give my client a unique product at a price to suit their small business.