How to make a Zune podcast subscription link

We have a "no media player left behind" policy here at Nineball... whether the buzz is real, manufactured, genuine, or some combination of all three, the Zune is getting some attention and it does support podcasting. If you're a podcaster and want to make it easier for Zune owners to subscribe to your podcast, here is how to make a one-click subscribe link.

Ingredients

• Your RSS feed
• The title of your show

Prep

zune://subscribe/?The title of your show=Your RSS feed

Insert ingredients... serve and enjoy.

That's it. Here are a few examples so you can see it:

For everyone's favorite yoga and lifestyle show, Hip Tranquil Chick:

zune://subscribe/?Hip Tranquil Chick=http://libsyn.com/hiptranquilchick/rss




For my side project, the Nonprofit Law Podcast:

zune://subscribe/?Nonprofit Law Podcast=http://feeds.feedburner.com/nplawcast



Pretty easy stuff. Notice you can put spaces in there... works just fine. Note that the "zune://" piece will tell the clicking PC to fire up Zune software... if your computer doesn't have it, it will stare at you blankly and go, "huh?". Just so you know...

Some people like to use "chiclets" in a sidebar... there's a nice one over at podcast.com. Looks like this:

There you have it... now you can welcome Zune owners to podcasting with an easy-to-use one-click subscribe option!

E-book reader

Amazon is pushing a new device called the Kindle... what sets it apart from other readers is the fact that a computer is unnecessary. You can buy books over the air using the Sprint wireless network. Books download in about a minute, and the cost of the wireless access is (pardon the pun) folded into the price of the book.

No computer... wireless access... seems pretty cool if you can get into reading e-books. Looks like the interface is legible and works well. Still, the $399 price point is pretty steep, and of course the e-books aren't free either. However, I've always sort of liked the idea of converting the concept of the iPod's "music library in your pocket" to books. Maybe not as a replacement, but this could be something that shows up under the tree... in 2008 when the prices go down.

Nineball Media... become a fan

Check out Nineball Media on Facebook... become a fan... pass it on!

Samson C01U review

I'm a big fan of the simplicity and sound quality of the Samson C01U... I recommend it as a good starter mic for beginners that want a very nice, warm sound on a budget. The Apple Blog agrees... check out this review.

Friday tip: NYU students easily bought

Memo to candidates in need of a few thousand extra votes... buy the iPod Touch in bulk and distribute at NYU. An NYU journalism class polled 3000 NYU students and discovered our long-fought for principles of democracy cashes out at about $299. So... candidates, what do you think? Suuuure it would be totally illegal, and suuuuure it might not actually be true for every NYU student, but it's got to be better than schlepping to another meet and greet or debate. Kick back and keep one of those iPods for yourself!

Challenging sound environments

I'm monitoring a client recording session this afternoon in a very challenging sound environment... A lunch banquet keynote. Rather than struggle with the sound isolation, I've decided to embrace it... It might be an interesting "sound seeing" experience for listeners to hear the klinking cutlery with a full bodied sounding speaker rather than a tinny muffled sound. We shall see what emerges in post-production!

Has anyone else recorded these types of events? Directional mice seem to be a good answer, but I'm interested in hearing other experiences too.

Wrapping up Blog World

Day two was significantly quieter... I suspect Vegas claimed a few victims overnight! Going to one more session on social networking proved to be one too many as the info wasn't as helpful as yesterday's sessions. I just finished a session on mic technique by the rep from Shure - the crowd was pretty sparse, which was a shame because he put together a nice (if a bit techie) piece. Shure mics are outstanding for the more advanced podcasters out there (their price points tend to be higher than I'd recommend for newbies).

I got to meet Rob Walch at the Wizzard Media booth, and we had a nice chat about all things podcasting and - of course - the iPhone. Rob's an important voice in podcasting (Podcast 411 is a place I tell all people to check out). I also got a chance to see Justine from iJustine wandering about. She was the one with the massive iPhone bill video that got a kajillion views this summer on YouTube.

All in all, a great show. I think I'm going to skip out on the Mark Cuban keynote... if he was going to talk about whether he was going to buy a hockey team, I'd probably go, but for now... I'm ready to grab some coffee and wait up for my red eye back to DC. I've got a lot of work to do based on some of the great info and networking here!

The view from the floor

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Leo glows at keynote

Or, my phone has no flash...

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Blog World: Leo Laporte keynote

This is what Leo twittered before he came on stage for the keynote this morning. I have to say, he was not terribly informative, and it might have to do with that lack of prep. I suppose I appreciate the honesty! I like what he's done in the world of tech... his radio show and podcast help a lot of people out, and there's no question Leo has advanced podcasting in ways few have. But this keynote was nowhere near as informative as yesterday's sessions. Oh well, can't win them all.

One interesting piece from the keynote... podcasting is leveling off in some ways, but it's opening up some other avenues through featuring content in webpages and newsletters. I think that's right on... if you rely on iTunes as your only outlet for your content, then you're seriously missing an opportunity. Think bigger and get that content out there in as many ways as you can.

Two more sessions and maybe a keynote with Mark Cuban to go...

Blog World Day 2

I'm off to hear Leo Laporte at the morning keynote (easst coast jet lag allows me to rise at an earlier hour than normal. Did you know the sun is up at 6:30? Who knew?). Looking forward to some good information at the sessions as well. I had a lot to digest last night... I suspect I'll be spending a fair amount of time putting together some new suggestions for clients in the podcasting and social media spheres after this show. You might even see some new additions to Nineball Media's offerings...

At Blog World

One semi-conscious early AM flight and I have arrived in Vegas for Blog World... I'm sure there will be plenty to blog about. First up is a session on video techniques. More later, including some assuredly poor quality pictures...

UPDATE...

Ok, so this pic's not so bad... but the guy ahead of me was caught in an awkward looking position. Video session was very good.... up next is a session on ways to monetize your podcast. One panel member suggested forming a podcast consulting company. Hmmmm... not a bad idea. Not bad at all...

UPDATE again...

I just sat in on another great marketing session full of amazing tips on leveraging new media for a variety of revenue generating ideas. So far I've been quite impressed with the quality of the presentations. Now I'm off to either (a) enjoy Vegas, or (b) implement some of these ideas for some of my clients. My workoholic ways and commitment to clients seems to be leaning (b). Celine Dione... Penn & Teller... Carrot Top... Danny Gans... the shows must go on without me!

AOL shrinking at a rapid pace

Once mighty AOL has lost 1/3 of its paying clientèle... in a year. Ouch. In some ways I'm not surprised... how many people do you know who still use AOL? When it first came out, AOL dominated the online access market with its ubiquitous free floppy disks and later CDs coming at you from every angle.

But then, people grew seemingly more interested in the broader array of content offered through the Internet, and AOL seemed like a sad middleman for the last 7 years or so. It will be interesting to see if its advertising model works...

Montreal in November

Greetings from Montreal. Memo to those traveling to this beautiful city on business or pleasure... it's friggin cold. Much colder than Portland or DC. I suspect Vegas next week will be warmer for us at Nineball Media.

Back to Montreal... it's very wired. Lots of wifi access points, and perhaps more than one would expect. Coming from DC which feels less wired than it should be, it's a nice change.

Lots of new news on Leopard (Mac OS 10.5), but I promised a little less Apple on the blog, so I'll let you Mac types find the info from the other usual suspects out there. Have a great weekend!