The ease of social media is becoming more and more apparent.  Technologies that were once considered difficult for everyday people to utilize are becoming easier and easier for the average joe to not only figure out, but to use on a regular basis.  I remember when AOL Instant Messenger was pretty much the only “instant” contact I could have with my friends.  And even that was a hassle because I had to plug our family telephone line into the computer, wait through the process of clicks and beeps while the modem connected to the internet, and then waited while the information loaded at slower-than-molasses speeds.  I remember that my usage was also limited, because I could only use the internet during the evening, and my parents would not allow extended use because it tied up the phone line and prevented them from making and receiving calls.

If I want to get in touch with my friends today, I can still use AOL Instant Messenger – from the ease of my laptop connected through a FIOS connection or from the ease of my cell phone.  I can message them either through a wall post, a direct message, or a chat message through Facebook or MySpace.  I can send a tweet that directly updates through Twitter, my blog and Facebook with the push of a button. 

Barring my relationship with my husband, my experience with multimedia and social media would be nill.  I grew up in an area where cell phone reception is scattered, internet connectivity is generally dial-up, DSL or the slowest cable connection I’ve ever been on, and technology could generally rival that of a decade ago.  Having someone so close that is tapped into the nerve center of emerging technology and media has taken me from behind the curve to slightly ahead of it.   

Having the knowledge and expertise endowed by my husband’s interest in new media, I fully realize how special moments can be shared instantaneously.  Thanks to him, my family was able to utilize the internet to share Christmas Eve in Western New York with my aunt and cousins in California via a live video conference, from the comforts of my grandmother’s living room.  My mother uses the same capabilities to video conference on a regular basis with my aunt.  It gives my grandmother the opportunity to not only hear my aunt’s voice but to also see her, her children and her grandchildren.  So yes, when they say that anyone can use new media…that even includes an 87-year-old grandmother, great grandmother and great-great grandmother.

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As many know, I’ve been doing this Podcasting for quite a long time.  From streaming , self run “radio stations” to over four years on my own Wrestling Mayhem Show, I’ve seen a lot of changes.

But no matter what your goals are, you’re not going to reach them without a few main points.

1. Consistency in release.  Your audience needs to know when to expect you.  My Wednesdays are the day when I expect that there’s a Macbreak Weekly and Between the Ropes in my itunes queue to download.  If something hasn’t posted yet to MacBreak, or Between the Ropes is preempted due to local basketball (because it’s a podcast of their terrestrial radio show in Orlando, FL).  It’s one of the items that will separate being viewed as a pro or an amateur, even if we’re all amateurs…
2. Evaluate your assets. I would love to higher end productions.  In a perfect world, I’d be doing a Podcast showcasing independent wrestling from around the country, or at least the Northeastern region.  But I know that there is no chance of working that into my busy schedule, or affording the travel.  It would be amazing to try my hand at a more serialized, scripted show, akin or The Guild or Something to be Desired, but again, the time consumption doesn’t allow it for me.  When you start into a project, you have to ask yourself if it’s within your abilities.  If not, maybe it shouldn’t be a serialized, constant schedule.  Maybe, especially if your experimenting, you shouldn’t promise a schedule.
3. Time vs Money.  I don’t have a lot of money to sink into my content.  So I tend to invest a lot of time.  I have five computers running in my studio of varying configurations that have all been hand me downs, and more not running at this moment.  A lot of my problems could be solved, and I could concentrate more on sitting down and putting out great content if I had the money to bring in some cool stuff like a tricaster, build a TWIT-inspired Skyposaurus, or just some newer computers I know won’t crash so hard.  But instead, I found myself on this Sunday updating Xubuntu (a nice free alternative vs managing Windows licenses) on a dormant PC I hadn’t been running, testing what I can do with the new Skype Beta for video conferencing, and what to do with my Mac friends who can’t partake during these shows, and evacuating a monitor that started smoking.  Thankfully, I love the adventure.
4. Have some heart. It better be something you love.  I’m up to three weekly shows.  It multiplies the time, keeps me up late some nights, but it’s about three topics I can’t get enough of.  Technology, professional wrestling, and music.  A good place for further reading on this idea, and some really good social media cheerleading, I recommend the audiobook versions of Gary Vaynerchuck’s Crush It.  It’s a great message in “Just do it” and will make you want to make

Justin has some great insight into how to make your production matter. But I hope these items I’ve outlined help you keep the faith to push forward personally.

How to you keep the show on the road?

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It’s official…we have a date!  PodCamp Pittsburgh 5 will be the weekend of September 18th & 19th at the Art Institute of Pittsburgh.  We are planning to open registration for the event beginning August 1st, so mark your calendars accordingly.

Additional information will be posted as it becomes available, including potential speakers and sessions.  Keep checking back for what to expect for this year’s event.

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