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Archives for August 2007

Podcasting With WordPress

8/26/2007 By Ravi Jayagopal Leave a Comment

The whole idea of podcasting is not to be just able to publish your audio files online, but to make your audio posts “subscribable” – i.e., your listeners should be able to set up their podcasting software (like iTunes) to subscribe to your feed, in which case the software (in this example, iTunes) will automatically download your newest posts to their hard disk, as soon (or soon after) you make your posts live.

Which means, when they next sync up their mp3 player (say, iPod), your newest audio posts will automatically be synced from your subscriber’s hard disk to their iPod.

That’s the real “subscription” model of podcasting.

So how to make your WordPress feed refer to your podcast? Simple:

  1. Create your audio file (mp3, mp4, etc)
  2. Upload it to your server (into a folder in your main directory, say “podcasts”)
  3. Your post can have your usual text content, but make sure your post has a link to the actual audio file. Note: It has to be the full path.

    Wrong: <a href="yourfile.mp3">My podcast</a>
    Right: <a href="http://Example.com/podcasts/aug2007-vol1.mp3">My podcast

  4. WordPress automatically links your feed to your audio file, such that if someone were to view your blog posts in a feed reader, and clicked on the link for your audio post, then they won’t be led to your blog, but the audio file will start playing instead.
  5. Once your listeners “subscribe” to your feed, their podcasting software automatically downloads new files (posts with your audio file in it) to their hard disk automatically.

WordPress is not perfect – not just yet. But there really isn’t any software out there that can do all it does: well written, open-source, extensible, has lots of plugins, and has a great community around it – like WordPress.

So, just make peace with the “comparison war” (which is better: WordPress, Drupal, Joomla, etc), simply download WordPress (or sign up for a free blog online), and get going with your content.

Content is what makes money – not your blog software.

Filed Under: Blog, How-To, iPod, PHP Scripts, Podcast, Tools, WordPress

Google Finally Starts Video Advertising on YouTube

8/23/2007 By Ravi Jayagopal Leave a Comment

We all knew this day would come, but I had been more curious about the type of video ads that would show up: would they be pre-roll (first show the ads, then the actual video)? Would they be post-roll (after the video) or some kind of pop-up (probably not, knowing their Adsense policy about pop-ups)?

Well, it appears that Google is going with overlay ads on YouTube. I am yet to see an ad on YouTube, but I will update this post when I find one.

Filed Under: Adsense, Advertising, Google, Industry News, Ravi's Rants, Video, YouTube

Something Strange, In The Neighborhood. Who You Gonna Call? Bond, Bourne or Bauer?

8/16/2007 By Ravi Jayagopal 1 Comment

James Bond Jason Bourne Jack Bauer

 

Think it’s a coincidence that these three super crime-fighting-machines share the same initials? I think not.

Bourne was bourne as America’s answer to the ultimate killing machine and British super spy who is the only one (other than God) who can save the Queen: James Bond.

Last night, I watched “The Bourne Ultimatum”. Last week, I got through Season 3 of “24” (I know! I’m trying to catch up).

Bourne and Bauer are the “Bond”s of the new millenium, with Bauer doing the honors for the small screen.

  • Bond is super-slick. Bourne is your boy-next-door.
  • Bond is stylish – he drives the hottest cars, wears Prada suits. Bourne dresses like a bum.
  • Bond has impeccable hair. Bourne sports a close-shaven, military cut.
  • Bond drinks “shaken” martinis. Bourne probably drinks cheap, adulterated liquor (especially when in Russia and India).
  • Bond gets the ultimate gadgets made for him. Bourne simply borrows a few from his enemies (after he’s knocked them out cold).
  • Bond doesn’t blink before killing. Bourne is torn apart when he has to kill someone.
  • Bond’s women are plastic bimbos that add nothing to the plot. Bourne and Bauer’s women (except for Kim Bauer, of course) are intelligent, have character, and are a lot more than sex-toys for their men.
  • Bond insults women with his use-and-throw attitude towards them; Bourne and Bauer love and respect their women, and mourn for them.
  • Bond has no identifiable weakness, but Bourne has his girlfriend, and Bauer his family – and drug addiction problem.
  • Bond has a smirk on his face at the end of the day; Bourne has nightmares about the people he killed, and Bauer weeps like a baby (end of season 3) for deliberately killing a fellow-agent.

Bourne and Bauer: These two are every man’s (and woman’s) ultimate heroes. They look ordinary, dress ordinary, their emotions are pretty ordinary (in a good way): they weep, they flinch, they feel guilt, they hesitate, they love and they mourn – just like you and me.

What separates them from the cold, merciless, super-cool bond who will blow up a hangar killing 200 men and bed a super sexy foreign-language-speaking babe – all in a day’s work – is that these guys feel real. Yes, they have extraordinary kick-ass talents, but the way they go about their life, is identifiable by the average person in the 21st century, where Bond comes across as fake (gasp!)

There are a few take-aways from the skyrocketing success of Bourne and Bauer, and the declining fortunes of Bond (until the entry of Craig – but that is another post altogether).

  • Yes, you certainly can take a competitor’s product (Bond), localize it (Americanize it), add better features, benefits, or simply make it a better product (Jason Bourne), repackage it, resell it, and be insanely successful. Yes, you can copy your competitors, and still beat them at it.
  • Your audience has to be able to identify with your brand. Bond’s brand is tired, old and spent. You just stop wishing he were so darn perfect! Bourne and Bauer have created their own brands – they are quite imperfect, very real, merciful, emotional, humble, vulnerable, think-before-you-shoot and one-woman types.
  • Predictability is not always a good thing. That’s why Daniel Craig’s newest Bond is trying to re-invent Bond – when asked by the bartender how he wants his drink, says ““Do I look like I care?”.
  • Reality is a lot more powerful than fiction. The ratings-success of Saturday Night Live, Survivor, and even terrible shows like Big Brother is in-your-face proof. Even fictional characters – like Spiderman and Superman – have to be and feel like they are real.
  • Credibility comes from being believable. Make your site copy believable, make your “benefits” believable, make your “U.S.P” believable, and when your customers call you, don’t greet them like a pre-recorded voice recording (think: shrill “Corporate accounts payable, Nina speaking. Just a moment” voice of annoying secretary from “Office Space”).

Be true to yourself. Be real. With your your friends, your family, your children, your colleagues, and with yourself.

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Filed Under: Branding, Marketing, Philosophy, Ravi's Rants

Hair-raising Video Of A Fight For Survival

8/12/2007 By Ravi Jayagopal Leave a Comment

Watch this hair-raising video that shows a herd of buffaloes trying to fight a pride of lions, trying to snatch a baby calf away from the jaws of 5 lions and 2 crocodiles!

Will the baby calf survive? Make sure you have nerves of steel before you watch it.

I hope this fight inspires you to fight valiantly – against all odds – against whatever adversity you may be facing in your life right now.

Ravi Jayagopal
Author, “No Business Like E-Business”

No Business Like E-Business

Filed Under: Inspirational, Philosophy, Ravi's Rants, Video, YouTube

You, Me and Mona Lisa

8/7/2007 By Ravi Jayagopal Leave a Comment

  • Creating an e-business…
  • Learning a new skill…
  • Being the best at what you do…
  • Building something worth building…
  • Creating something worth creating…
  • Saying something worth saying…
  • Doing something worth doing…

All of these take plenty of time – and effort.

It is very easy to just look at the end-result of other people’s successes, ogle at their fortunes, and forget (or conveniently ignore) the painstaking path they had to take in order to get there.

Life is very much like the video you are about to see.

It takes inspiration, vision, persistence, creativity, and most importantly, quite a bit of perspiration too…

Now go create your Purple Cow, Raving Fans, Fanatical Support, Positively Outrageous Service, Mona Lisa – or whatever else you want to call it.

Doesn’t matter what the name is. The idea is to do something remarkable.

Ravi Jayagopal
Author, “No Business Like E-Business“

Filed Under: How-To, Inspirational, Marketing, Philosophy, Ravi's Rants, Video, YouTube

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About Ravi Jayagopal

Ravi Jayagopal

Ravi Jayagopal is a full-time entrepreneur living in sunny San Diego, CA . He is the Co-Founder & Co-Developer of DigitalAccessPass.com (DAP), the premier Membership Plugin & Content Delivery Platform for WordPress. Check out his Podcast about Membership Sites & Online Courses, at SubscribeMe.fm. Ravi is also the creator of CoolCastPlayer.com, a pretty and powerful podcast player plugin for WordPress. And creator of S3MediaVault.com, S3 Video Player for Amazon S3. Ravi first started selling online in 1997. Check out his book "Subscribe Me: Making, Marketing & Monetizing Online Digital Content with Membership Sites, Online Courses and Subscriptions"


Ravi is also the host of the "Subscribe Me" podcast at SubscribeMe.fm

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