Well friends, it’s the time of the month around here when we work on the news section. I’m doing what I always do: reading lots and lots of blogs, talking to people I know who keep their fingers on the pulse of the new media world, and fielding inquiries from PR folks with new (and not so new) things to promote.

It’s fun. I like that a part of my job is opening an RSS reader several times a day, and another part is jumping on skype or the phone to ask people questions about what they do. But I also know that I don’t hear or read everything that’s going on out there. On one or two occasions, I’ve found out about juicy stories just as we’ve closed the news section. I hate when that happens.

In the interest of making our news section better, I’m looking for a little help; a few eyes and ears in the blogging and podcasting world who are willing to drop me a line when they hear or read something that Blogger & Podcaster readers need to know. Don’t worry: you don’t need to buy a fedora or start drinking Scotch in the daytime to be a good news gatherer. (At least I hope not.)

I’m looking for news about trends, cool technology, new media events, and stories about what interesting people are doing to build their blogs or podcasts. I’m not so much interested in “hey, I just started my first blog or podcast” but rather “hey, there’s something going on with music podcasts, or political blogs.” Or maybe there’s a blogging conference in Maui. Hey, can I go to that one?

If you have news for us, send it to feedback at bloggerandpodcaster dot com. No guarantees your tip will make the magazine, but we will take a look at what you send and get in touch if it’s something cool.

Thanks to everyone who’s said such nice things about the magazine. I hope you’re enjoying reading the JUne issue as much as we did making it.

Here’s a peek at the subject of my July 2007 Editor’s Note….

Beginning Friday, June 1, Shelly Brisbin takes over as editor-in-chief. Shelly’s well known in the podcast world as producer of Shelly’s Podcast and Hollywood on the Radio, and she’s been a guiding force here at Blogger & Podcaster since joining our staff in January. This Texan has a good grasp of new media, at least enough to ask tough questions of our developers as we continue to expand offerings and tweak we’ve already brought online.

Joining her will be Elisa Welch, a San Francisco-based editor and musician who worked with Shelly at a previous technology publication. We’re hoping, among many other things, that Elisa will help keep this blog’s content fresh and updated often.

Why the change in the magazine’s leadership? For that, you’ll have to wait for the July issue to arrive.

–Anne

My RSS reader needs a rest! So much news has been flooding in from so many places.

We’ve got a little bit of everything: big media companies acquiring podcasts, well-known personalities joining forces with networks, new positioning in the aggregation of technology news and another rumor about Google buying someone.

I’m not going to attempt to weave all of these business events into a trend story, or even reach for a tortured metaphor. It’s just interesting that so much has happened all at once, particularly in the podcasting corner of the world, where it’s been awhile since anything truly meaty has crossed our radar. As a writer, it’s always better for me if things are happening than when they’re not. You too, I’m guessing. Let’s run down the news, shall we?

• CBS Interactive has purchased Wallstrip. We mention Wallstrip in a story that will appear in the next issue of Blogger & Podcaster. If you don’t know it, Wallstrip is a Web site, video podcast and blog with a really big following in the Wall Street world. Both parties have denied the rumored $5 million pricetag. It’s been suggested that CBS scooped it up in order to have access to the talents tf Lindsay Campbell, the show’s popular host. It’s a tantalizing story for podcasters who see their path to success iluminated by personality. That’s not to diminish the content of Wallstrip, but just as Amanda Congdon’s talents as a performer brought her to the attention of ABC last year, Campbell has skipped the cattle call phase and jumped into a prominant, lucrative gig. Wallstrip will remain its own brand, according to CBS.
• In a part of the world I know somewhat better than either finance or TV, the tech journalism sector, John C. Dvorak, the industry’s number one curmudgeon, has inked a deal with PodShow to form a tech “channel” for the podcast network. Dvorak currently has his own podcast, Cranky Geeks. Most tech people who have ben around more than a few years know Dvorak as a prolific “old media” columnist with strong opinions and a desire to stir things up for the sake of doing it. Dvorak is an interesting choice to head up a tech podcssting initiative. He certainly knows a lot of people, and has super-high name ID. But his brand is his opinion, not news, analysis or even new media. Should be interesting to see who he taps to join him.
• Technorati’s making news again, too. We cover the new “authority” blog rankings in the upcoming Blogger & Podcaster. But this morning dawned with a bigger change; a major update to the site, and a refocus away from blog-centrism and toward direct competition with Google search. Here’s Technorati chief David Sifry’s explanation.
• And finally, because one mention of Google isn’t enough, comes the rumor (reprinted everywhere, so it’s gotta happen, right?) that the search beheameth might be planning to buy FeedBurner, the Chicago startup podcasters and bloggers have been relying on for nifty RSS management tools for the past two years. UPDATE: TechChrunch is calling this one “confirmed”, at a price of $100 million. Some have written about how exciting this is for the people who have built, and continuously improve FeedBurner’s tools. The FeedBurner guys have been visible in the RSS community and enjoy excellent personal reputations. They have been innovative and accessible, even to indie podcasters who don’t pay much attention to financial intrigue. The dominant keyword among writers covering the potential story has been “congrats!” Personally, I would like to see more attention paid to how such a combination would affect FeedBurner customers. Combining FeedBurner’s great RSS stats with Google Analytics would be cool, and I’m sure there are many other tools Google could bring to the table. But when big company scoops up little company, change is sure, and FeedBurner users should watch carefully, and not necessarily count on the acquisition-minded tech business press to have their point of view at heart when reporting this story. I’m a FeedBurner customer. I just want my feed to work, and my stats to be accurate and I want that to remain true if and when Google opens its wallet. Oh, and I’d also like to keep seeing the FeedBurner guys at Portable Media Expo, answering questions and taking feature requests.

-shelly

I spent last Saturday in San Antonio, attending the latest installment of the podcamp unconference series. I arrived with a stack of Blogger & Podcasters for the crowd, and left with an empty bag and many kind words from the folks who had a chance to check out the magazine.

Podcamp, for the uninitiated, is modeled after the communally-organized barcamp metaphor. ‘camps feature presentations by anyone who signs up to speak, not a select few chosen by event organizers. Participants are free to listen, contribute to the conversation or to get up and walk away, perhaps starting their own discussion. Advocates of the unconfoerence way of doing things prize the dynamism of the format: everyone has a chance to speak if they want to, and no one need sit still for a presentation that isn’t interesting. And an unconference is a great way to exchange knowledge and make connections with other excited practitioners or hobbyists.

There’s a lot going on in Texas, though the state’s communities of podcasters have not had the high profile of groups in other parts of the country. The greatest surprise for me was that the 50+ folks who filled the beautiful Sunset Station on Saturday included many experienced, highly-motivated podcasters who are and have been thinking about “the next level”. The curious came too, but this was a gathering whose critical mass centered around people who have been using podcasting to enhance their businesses, or who offer podcasting ervices. There was a lot of talk about how to market podcasts and podcasters, and we heard a few product pitches toward the end of the day.

The podcamp format feeds podcasters’ seemingly natural desire for community, but I also think regional events, whether they follow an unconference format or not, are a great opportunity for people who might never trek across country for Podcast and New Media Expo. Locals can meet one another, learn, and form new alliance.

Podcasting is growing up and taking root in all sorts of unexpected places. And its community spirit is still strong.

Finally, thanks to everyone who offered great suggestions about what they want to see in future issues of Blogger & Podcaster. Your ideas are terrific.

-shelly

Our Shelly Brisbin is scheduled to appear live on The David Lawrence Show on XM Radio tonight at 9 on the West Coast and midnight on the East. She’ll be talking with the popular talk show host about the magazine in what should be a lively conversation.

If you can’t listen as the show airs (maybe you need to sleep; maybe you need a Grey’s Anatomy or CSI fix), the show’s three-hour programs are turned into archived podcasts.

–Anne

Congratulations to Hethir Rodgriguez and Tom Kim winners of our launch issue contest sponsored by Sonic Distribution. Hethir is the winner of Electronics Class A Cardioid Condensor Microphone ($399 value), the first truly professional USB microphone. Tom is the winner of an sE Electronics Reflexion Filter ($399 value) that eliminates reflections to deliver a tighter, punchier sound to your recordings. Congratulations Hethir & Tom, enjoy your new gear!

- Larry

Today’s the last day to submit entries to NPR’s Public Radio Talent Quest, a competition that seeks “the next public radio star”. Based on votes from Talent Quest site visitors, and a team of judges, the field of contestants will be narrowed to semi-final and final rounds, culminating in the crowning of winners later this year. Hmm. Does that remind you of a certain Fox TV show? NPR is not immune from the lure of copycat promotional efforts, apparently.

I guess I shouldn’t have been surprised to find that a lot of my fellow podcasters had already submitted entries, and that many had made the very smart decision to enlist their audiences to vote for them. Some have created edited snippets (contest entries can’t exceed two minutes) from their shows, while others have written and produced original entries.

I would really like to see podcasters move forward in this competition. Podcasters have already demonstrated a high level of commitment to producing audio on a regular basis. Many have earned loyal listeners, and have become accomplished producers and performers. and they’ve bootstrapped themselves into this position through their own creativity and craft. The same can’t necessarily be said for people who chose careers in radio, and who have never had the chance to build their own program and audience completely from scratch. Nor could it be said for folks who nurse dreams of stardom, but feel no particular pull toward self-expression or communicating with an audience

The contrarian part of me is a little disdainful of a contest in which the ultimate prize is not a larger platform for a show that you create and control, but a job as host of a program produced under the auspices of a large network: a network with sponsors and contributors to answer to. I guess I have to wonder whether the price of becoming a star in public radio includes conforming to a large organization’s notion of what it wants, rather than plowing through with a vision of your own.

But my contrarian will probably keep quiet if one or more of podcasting’s own makes the Talent Quest grade. If public radio really wants to open its ranks to amateurs with big dreams, let’s hope those amateurs make the essential creativity and DIY spirit felt in the halls of NPR. Good luck, podcasters.

-shelly

Congrats to Evan Williams for selling Odeo for a reported $1,000,000 and welcome to the industry in a big way SonicMountain. Launched in November 2006 this little known group is obviously filled with folks with big plans as you can see from the news on their website. I’m sure they’ll pay attention to the things not to do as refreshingly detailed by Evan and reported on GigaOM.

- Larry

We should have seen this coming. We eagerly scanned the spreadsheet of results from the past month’s site mini-poll on favorite blogs and podcasts. There were plenty of entries, every one of ‘em with exactly one vote.

Can’t blame anyone for wanting to do a little self-promotion (and don’t forget, we do have a free online B&P Guide for just that purpose). But results like these are invalid since there are no clear winners.

So, we’re starting over and this time making each month topic-specific. And we’re working behind the scenes to offer more feedback on results. For May, it’s all about the music. If you happen to have a blog or podcast devoted to all things music, by all means vote for yourself. But if you don’t, then carefully consider whose site or show you really enjoy and fill in the URL field on the homepage mini-poll. The music category will be up for a few weeks, with the top vote-getters appearing in the July issue.

–Anne

I was going over my handwritten notes from a recent book festival panel and came across this phrase: “kleptocracy of the Internet.”

The speaker was referring to the tendency for online content providers, such as bloggers, to steal content from elsewhere without any economic motive. I believe this was a Keen observation.