Transcript: PodVentureZone: Vic Podcaster, Part 2

This transcript is from a PodTech.net podcast at:
http://www.podtech.net/home/technology/1701/podventurezone-vic-podcaster-part-2

Guest: Vic Podcaster - Silicon Valley Podcast Network
Host: John Ince - PodTech

John Ince - PodTech
Welcome to PodVentureZone, this is John Ince your host. We now resume part two of the PodVentureZone interview with the Vic Podcaster, Founder and CEO of the Silicon Valley Podcast Network and organizer of PodCamp West. So you think podcasting has social underpinnings and societal benefits?

Vic Podcaster - Silicon Valley Podcast Network
That's right, I think the podcasting will be the next big wave in the social networking -- social media is based, this form of expression podcasting is grossly underutilized this point of time and if you can take the pain out of the equation of getting the podcast, distributing it and marketing it and just been the whole podcasting 'A' to 'Z'. We'll bring lot more content creators and a lot more business integration. Audio and video on the professional side is a $98 billion market, $70 billon per annum is spent on advertising in radio; $28 billion is spent every year advertising in audio.

These are numbers from 2005 (Inaudible) research. If we can create good quality content we'll get more ear balls, more eardrums and in the coming years, the market will shift I sincerely believe and Clear channel DO, multi billion dollar DO, $1.8 billion YouTube is a great testament that if you are able to tap into the power of social media that the people move in that direction. So, I believe this mark in new course of time there would be lot more eye balls and eardrums that which is into this marketplace of Podcasting and the monetization opportunities

John Ince - PodTech
What are the technological challenges that we face in enabling the convenient download of Podcasts to cell phones?

Vic Podcaster - Silicon Valley Podcast Network
A good question. So, right now if you look at the Podcast, people think of the podcast as something which could be -- so let me back off a little bit -- but the first time you talk to somebody, who is layman, "Hey I'm doing a Podcast can you listen to my Podcast," the first things he says, "I don't have an iPod or I have a iPod how to do it?" And my first question is, I tell him like, "Look you don't need an iPod to listen to a Podcast." So, we in the Podcasters sphere think that people know what podcast, podcasting is all about, what RSS feeds are, what's difference between RSS 1.1 or RSS 2.0 or Atom feed, people out down the street don't want to know, they don't care and if you've to go and educate the whole world about, I think it's not going to happen, but what we can do instead, we can make it simple for them so that they can listen to it on their normal phone, on their cell phone, on their TiVo, on their computers, on their IPTV of the future and at Silicon Valley Podcasting Network, we're focusing all of our energy so that we can deliver the Podcast and the video Podcast regardless of the format, where you are, who you are, and how you want to listen to it?

Whether you know about RSS or not, we'd deliver the content that unable the distributors and listeners or viewers to enjoy that content. Now, you've a washing machine at home you don't know how much amperes it uses and if you know I will give a 100 bucks right now and if what is RPM of that motor inside? Similar all it does is that its washes cloths, so it is machine out there which washes clothes for you, you put clothes in, press the button it washes cloths for you. The Podcasting and video Podcasting should be as simple as that, you put the content in there, put in the network, push the button and the people who want to get that content they should get it. So, right now the whole podcasting, video podcasting industry is at a stage where the person has to know what kind of motor to use, what kind of belt to put him before he can put it altogether. So I think there're lot of smart people who're looking at these problems and solving it and we'll have a lot of innovation in coming years.

John Ince - PodTech
Are you essentially talking about a creating a template for podcasting

Vic Podcaster - Silicon Valley Podcast Network
It's lot more than that, it's making the whole podcasting easy when I say making the whole podcasting easy, it's only about the content creation, it starts with content creation I am sure most of the people have figured out and people use different means. Once you have the content created, how you're going to distribute it? How you're going to reach your listeners? How many forms and formats? So are you on a cell phone, watching a video blog or what phone you've got or are you are watching it on your TiVo at home? Are you watching on your computer? Do you want to watch SD, you want to watch it on a High-Def.

So, I don't believe in the YouTube quality, YouTube quality is good enough for that kind of content which is funny, if you are looking for some serious content you want to view it -- you don't want to view it in a quarter inch screen size, you want to have enjoy the whole experience and with the bandwidth becoming so cheap and processors being so powerful and so much bandwidth being available and 01-60% of America being networked right now with the broadband access, I think the time is right to distribute the content to as many screens or as many speakers or ear phones in different formats as possible, but the person who's Podcasting should not have to worry about it, it should just happen for him.

John Ince - PodTech
Do you have any thoughts about what forms of content might be most attractive with the potential advertisers?

Vic Podcaster - Silicon Valley Podcast Network
I think advertisers are right now -- Google is a great testimonial that advertisers if you give them the right platform, the right model they will come, if you give them the measurement and the matrix and if you can give them the value for money, I sincerely believe that down the road in next one to two years you will see a lot of CPC models, like of PaperClick models where advertisers would know who the person listening is, he click through and they getting some business they generating at least some business out of that particular ad. So think -- well I'm on show, I'm calling a new term I call it, 'Narrowcastings'. So, I think the new formats which will happen is narrowcastings advertising, where you can target your ad to certain niche of people.

So, for example, I want my ad to be inserted in the show in California between nine to five in this particular Podcast, so that these kinds of technology will be available in next six or 12 months and some of the people are already doing the betas. So, I think advertisers will have a lot more revenues, where they can target their audience and the people who're listening to those ads they'll be relevant. So, right now I think, there's lot of money and $98 billion are spent every year and its the whole idea is hit and trial, but I think with podcasting, as a new media we can focus that ad revenue spend lot better. I think inn the Podcasting market it's not going to be CPM, it's going be some new models (Inaudible) something like a paper view or PaperClick kind of models.

John Ince - PodTech
Where would the click take place?

Vic Podcaster - Silicon Valley Podcast Network
So, for example if you're listening to, good question -- for example if you're listening to a podcast on the cell phone, so when the podcast begins, so let's say, "Hey this Podcast is sponsored by Silicon Valley Podcasting Network," if you want to go anytime to Silicon Valley Podcasting Network press five during the Podcast and Podcast start on your cell phone or your normal phone, anytime in that conversion you -- because you know these are sponsors of the Podcast, you want to press five just because you're interested to visit that company, or to (Inaudible) of the Podcast, there's message saying, "Hey if you want to get 10% discount from so and so from ShutterFly press two on the phone now. And you press that number there and since that number, that click is trickable.

So, when I say, 'Click,' it's not a click in a computer, there're more people in the world, who've phones than the computers. I'm taking about ordinary phones, maybe the mobile phones not Trios. So, those kinds of technologies and those kind of -- I can't tell you in detail, what all we're working on at point of time, but those kinds of conveniences will allow new business models and new revenues streams and new messaging models to emerge within enable new kind of commerce and better measurements than what you have or the success you have today with the normal advertising channels, SLAN (ph) Google, Google is the only one which stands out today.

John Ince - PodTech
Sounds very interesting Vic and it sounds to me as you've had made major commitment to this by changing your name and with that thank you.

Vic Podcaster - Silicon Valley Podcast Network
Thank very much, thanks John.