tech.gadgets.video.geekculture.gaming.kittens.
The Digg (podcast) effect
So as many of you know, Digg released a new podcasting section into the world this week. In beta, and only available to Digg members, the podcasting area gives people the chance to digg their favorite shows (you can digg the show itself, as well as individual episodes) and make comments. This is a great way to discover new podcasts, and it also makes a lot of sense considering the Digg community is so tech-oriented.
However, there’s an issue. A lot of shows out there are lucky enough to be sponsored, and so they have a way to cover their expenses (or even make a living off the show). But as far as I’m aware, there are still many podcasts that make some of their money with ads on their site. If a listener can find, stream, and comment on the show without ever leaving the Digg page, then those listeners are never going to click on any advertising or links from the podcast’s homepage. Thus, the podcaster can’t support his craft.
So, Digg’s podcasting aggregation: good for the big guy, bad for the little guy? I’m not sure. What do you think?
No related posts.
-
Never thought of it that way. But I think that what Digg’s doing with the podcast section is just another way to find podcasts. I’m sure most people are like me in that if they find a podcast, like the latest episode, they’ll subscribe to it. However, I’m not sure about visiting the website. You may have a point on that.
-
#4 written by barduck 5 years ago
I can see your point but I don’t go to digg for the “digg content”, I go there (well, not much but since good podcasts are hard to find…) to find content I would like to read or, in case of posdcasts, subscribe to.
And isn’t this similar to the effect of just subscribing to the podcast’s feed? Because once I find a podcast I like, most of my interaction with it is getting it via my RSS reader. Only if I really want to comment on something or to read the show’s notes, I’d go to the podcast’s website and this won’t change now with digg.
On a semi related note – maybe this is because digg’s podcasts section is very new and less known podcasts haven’t surfaced yet but I was unable to find anything really exciting there that I was not previously aware of from other podcast listing sites.
Or maybe this is just because there are really only like those 20 good podcasts out there and all the rest are just stuff done by couple of dudes in their parents’ basement getting drunk on Saturday night and blabbing some “news” they just read on digg or watched on youtube into a poor quality mic accompanied by background noises of cell phone rings and mom calling them to dinner?
-
#5 written by Mike 5 years ago
Anything that increases the number of people listening to your podcast can’t be a bad thing. If people are already listening to it, they’ll keep getting it from the website or itunes. Digg will just introduce more people to it, and a number of them will probably go to the website. I think small time podcastings going to die though anyway, big companies are moving in on the net, and the novelty factor is no longer there.
-
Veronica, as regards the community aspects of the show, well, most of podcasters invite their listeners to send comments/audioclips/feedback to specific forums/email addresses. That’s what you do with Buzz Out Loud. If I wanted to interact with you, Tom or Molly and other BOL listeners it would be natural to me to leave a message on the Cnet forums or to send you an email… Digg will just give more popularity to unknown podcast and this is just good in my opinion
-
I think that it’s not a whole lot different from using RSS feeds for blogs that depend on advertising. (Though admittedly I see a lot more advertising now in the feeds, which helps with that.)
It all depends on community features. Say you have a podcast… the “VCast” for instance (darn, already trademarked). Someone hears about it and subscribes directly to the feed without visiting your site. You mention the site in your podcast. They visit it just to see it. Once they see your site is interactive and actively being participated in, that gives them a reason to stay. Without those features (commenting, or even preferably a forum), why would someone go anyway? (Besides reading your great posts, of course!) They would just subscribe to the feed and be done with it.
So, I think ultimately it won’t matter, as long as podcasters keep community features on their site and give us a reason to come to the site all the time.
-
I think the key is to include content in the podcast that drives users back to the web site. I think a lot of listeners love to get involved with forums, and enjoy any downloadables, etc… so it shouldn’t be that hard.
Given that, the additional exposure can only be a good thing.
The biggest danger would be if the caster couldn’t cover the initial hit in bandwidth charges.
Dunno really…
-db
-
It’s an interesting question. I think the increase in traffic outweighs the potential loss of ad revenue caused by people not visiting the actual site.
I don’t know that Digg’s decision will make too big of a negative impact. Consider the fact that probably most of Digg’s user-base is pretty tech savvy. Before Digg created their podcast section, these people, if they found a podcast they liked, would have most likely subscribed to it via RSS and paid very few visits to the actual site anyway.
It is a valid concern. Bloggers face(d) the same issue with RSS readers, but it was quickly mitigated by including ads in the feed itself. So the challenge for podcasters is thus:
1) Instead of just having a website where the podcast is hosted, have a site that compliments it and adds value to listeners. Show notes, forums, a blog, etc. This way, users will want to visit the site (and spend time there) instead of simply using it as a way to find the rss feed for the audio.
2) Incorporate ads into the podcast itself. This is trickier for podcasters than it is for bloggers as, obviously, bloggers have tools like Google Adsense which is automated and open to everyone.
-
It appears that you can now e-mail Digg and have them not link directly to your podcast so users have to go to your site:
http://blog.digg.com/?p=59 -
-
I agree that the digg podcasting section will be a viable place for users to discover new shows – rather than solely from iTunes, which is still the dominant directory, although it is nearly impossible to search. Also, the social features of digg will make it easy to find podcasts that like-minded folks enjoy. All in all, thumbs up.
Now everyone go and digg my podcast! (twentyhood)
-
I can’t see it affecting the little guys too much. Although people might use Digg to hear/comment on the podcast the first and possibly second time they listen to it, after that most people will simply go direct to the pocast’s site. It’s much easier to comment directly on the site than Digg, I would have thought.
-
- Comment Feed for this Post
I remember people were saying the same thing when iTunes with podcasting support was introduced and it seems everyone has worked through that problem. Plus, I have a feeling that iTunes downloads (and podcasts downloaded within iTunes) surpasses the number of registered digg users by a huge mass.
Any basic feed aggregator does the same thing. Isn’t that what RSS is for?