Discovery Channel? Sridhar Ranganathan @ PodWorks.in Chennai, June 2007

The Story, So Far 1995 http://www.yahoo.com/dir/what_is_internet.htm http:// www.yahoo.com /internet Go to yahoo.com and click on ‘Internet’ Save http:// www.yahoo.com /internet as ‘Favourite’ on IE http://www.yahoo.com/internet : Delicious it! Google ‘yahoo internet’  Get RSS feed for ‘yahoo internet’ articles on your feed reader Listen to and watch Podcasts from MediaRSS feeds for ‘yahoo internet’ 2007

1995

http://www.yahoo.com/dir/what_is_internet.htm

http:// www.yahoo.com /internet

Go to yahoo.com and click on ‘Internet’

Save http:// www.yahoo.com /internet as ‘Favourite’ on IE

http://www.yahoo.com/internet : Delicious it!

Google ‘yahoo internet’ 

Get RSS feed for ‘yahoo internet’ articles on your feed reader

Listen to and watch Podcasts from MediaRSS feeds for ‘yahoo internet’

The Times We Live In Birth of Social Media Web2.0 for everyone Blogging for the commoner Podcasting for the evolved Online presence as an alter-ego! ( Secondlife.com ) Search Engines as the main ‘Discovery Channels’

Birth of Social Media

Web2.0 for everyone

Blogging for the commoner

Podcasting for the evolved

Online presence as an alter-ego! ( Secondlife.com )

Search Engines as the main ‘Discovery Channels’

Blogs, Podcasts and You! Part 1 Self-expression More of a personal diary/chronology of life Any style of writing or speaking Expression Conversation Communication Online discussions via personal blogs, group blogs, podcast shows Q&A, responses, points of view, digital arguments! Participants usually know about each other People posting about topics of interest Topics can be as varied as Companies, Products, Markets, subjects of study et al Meant to convey information to their audience

Self-expression

More of a personal diary/chronology of life

Any style of writing or speaking

Online discussions via personal blogs, group blogs, podcast shows

Q&A, responses, points of view, digital arguments!

Participants usually know about each other

People posting about topics of interest

Topics can be as varied as Companies, Products, Markets, subjects of study et al

Meant to convey information to their audience

Blogs, Podcasts and You! Part 2 Text, Photos Audio, Video Expression Conversation Communication Comments Permalinks Trackbacks Delicious Bookmarks Diggs , Farks , Spurls , Spheres , what have you… RSS Feeds

Text, Photos

Audio, Video

Comments

Permalinks

Trackbacks

Delicious Bookmarks

Diggs , Farks , Spurls , Spheres , what have you…

RSS Feeds

6 Steps For Online Success Depends on what you think is success  - Users, Money, Recognition, All of the above Anyway, decide to blog or podcast ( easy ) Setup a blog or podcast ( can be learnt ) Start posting blogs or podcasts ( easier than Step 2 ) Get your site discovered by users ( how? ) Keep them engaged ( you can control this )

Depends on what you think is success  - Users, Money, Recognition, All of the above

Anyway, decide to blog or podcast ( easy )

Setup a blog or podcast ( can be learnt )

Start posting blogs or podcasts ( easier than Step 2 )

Get your site discovered by users ( how? )

Keep them engaged ( you can control this )

The Discovery Begins Promote your site by Word of mouth – free of cost, very expensive Email Groups – cheap, takes time Listing in Blog/Podcast Directories – long ‘Q’ Commenting on blogs related to your site and linking back to your site – takes time Blogrolls – takes time, linked to reputation Tagging, Bookmarking, Digging et al – marginally useful Getting it discovered by Search Engines !

Promote your site by

Word of mouth – free of cost, very expensive

Email Groups – cheap, takes time

Listing in Blog/Podcast Directories – long ‘Q’

Commenting on blogs related to your site and linking back to your site – takes time

Blogrolls – takes time, linked to reputation

Tagging, Bookmarking, Digging et al – marginally useful

Getting it discovered by Search Engines !

Search Engine Primer Search Engines respect good content Over time, they discover & dislike bad content Popular topics have high competition (MBA seats, anyone?) Your content needs to be better E.g. Blogs about web2.0 technologies (read AJAX) The Long Tail is active in the Search world Some keywords & result numbers from Yahoo! Search Blog – 2.2B Results Podcast – 183M Results AJAX - 64M Results Web2.0 -> 33M Results Bhangra – 1.9M Results Fibonacci series - 489K Results Tandoori Cuisine - 430K Results Ambidexterity – 80K Results More connected and accessible your site, more are your chances of being accessed, crawled, searched and discovered Search Engines like consistency

Search Engines respect good content

Over time, they discover & dislike bad content

Popular topics have high competition (MBA seats, anyone?)

Your content needs to be better

E.g. Blogs about web2.0 technologies (read AJAX)

The Long Tail is active in the Search world

Some keywords & result numbers from Yahoo! Search

Blog – 2.2B Results

Podcast – 183M Results

AJAX - 64M Results

Web2.0 -> 33M Results

Bhangra – 1.9M Results

Fibonacci series - 489K Results

Tandoori Cuisine - 430K Results

Ambidexterity – 80K Results

More connected and accessible your site, more are your chances of being accessed, crawled, searched and discovered

Search Engines like consistency

So, What Can You Do? Part 1 Choice : Pick topics that interest you, discover your passion Creativity : Post/Podcast frequently, consistently on those topics Slow and steady, stays in the race Provide a perspective to topics Continuity : Keep your posts/podcasts interesting and engaging

Choice : Pick topics that interest you, discover your passion

Creativity : Post/Podcast frequently, consistently on those topics

Slow and steady, stays in the race

Provide a perspective to topics

Continuity : Keep your posts/podcasts interesting and engaging

So, What Can You Do? Part 2 Optimize : Title of the Blog Post/Podcast “ Social Development & Enterprises” vs “ Trying to get Enterprises involved in Social Development” Bring out the Summary in beginning Does it ring a bell with essay writing in School? Provide references, acknowledgements, credits wherever relevant Add Tags, Keywords to help the search engine crawler understand the content well

Optimize :

Title of the Blog Post/Podcast

“ Social Development & Enterprises” vs

“ Trying to get Enterprises involved in Social Development”

Bring out the Summary in beginning

Does it ring a bell with essay writing in School?

Provide references, acknowledgements, credits wherever relevant

Add Tags, Keywords to help the search engine crawler understand the content well

So, What Can You Do? Part 3 Make it Accessible : Publish the RSS Feed for your blog Publish Media RSS * Feed for your Podcast Submit your podcast to Podcast Directories Podcastalley.com , Podcast.net , Yahoo! Podcasts , Odeo , iTunes Claim your blog on Technorati * Media RSS: A RSS 2.0 Wrapper for media files created by Yahoo! and the RSS Community

Make it Accessible :

Publish the RSS Feed for your blog

Publish Media RSS * Feed for your Podcast

Submit your podcast to Podcast Directories

Podcastalley.com , Podcast.net , Yahoo! Podcasts , Odeo , iTunes

Claim your blog on Technorati

So, What Can You Do? Part 4 Socialize : Link your Blogroll to related blogs, podcasts Reciprocate blogroll inclusions While commenting on blogs, add ‘Trackbacks’ to related posts on your blog Regularly read blogs or listen to podcasts of people on your blogroll Follow up with comments where/if you feel so Track: Use tracking tools on your site to track its usage, traffic Hittail , SiteMeter , Google Analytics et al

Socialize :

Link your Blogroll to related blogs, podcasts

Reciprocate blogroll inclusions

While commenting on blogs, add ‘Trackbacks’ to related posts on your blog

Regularly read blogs or listen to podcasts of people on your blogroll

Follow up with comments where/if you feel so

Track: Use tracking tools on your site to track its usage, traffic

Hittail , SiteMeter , Google Analytics et al

And Then… Monitor where your site stands on these search engines for: Blogs: Google Blogsearch Sphere Podcasts: Yahoo! Audio Search , Yahoo! Video Search Podzinger Blinkx

Monitor where your site stands on these search engines for:

Blogs:

Google Blogsearch

Sphere

Podcasts:

Yahoo! Audio Search , Yahoo! Video Search

Podzinger

Blinkx

Thank You! Reach out to me at Email: [email_address] Blog: http://sridharnathan.com/blog Mobile: [Meet me after this talk and I’ll give it to you  ]

Reach out to me at

Email: [email_address]

Blog: http://sridharnathan.com/blog

Mobile: [Meet me after this talk and I’ll give it to you  ]