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Saturday, September 06, 2008
Podcasting from the heart—with editing
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Two of my good friends— C.C. Chapman and Mitch Joel—have, on their most recent podcasts, extolled the virtues of podcasting without editing. “Live to the hard drive” is the phrase I hear most often in reference to this podcasting style; a lot of shows I listen to are recorded this way, including (of course) C.C.’s ” Managing the Gray” and Mitch’s ” Six Pixels of Separation.” It’s no surprise that Mitch and C.C. were co-presenting a session at Podcamp Montreal (coming up September 20-21) titled, “Podcasting from the Heart: The Value of Recording a Show with No Editing and No Second Takes.”
C.C. refers to it as “passionate podcasting—hit record and go, and when you’re done, you’re done.” Mitch suggests that the processes of producing a more polished show would prevent him from conveying “the spirit in which I want to communicate to you.”
Don’t get me wrong. C.C.’s and Mitch’s shows are among the few that I won’t miss, along with ” Marketing Over Coffee,” another live-to-the-hard-drive show in which the ambience of the location adds a tasty dimension to Christopher S. Penn and John Wall‘s conversations. But I don’t agree that a show that is edited after recording is any less passionate, any less from the heart, than one that isn’t.
The primary reason I do post-production on ” For Immediate Release,” the podcast I’ve been recording with Neville Hobson since early January 2005, is simple: There are two of us separated by a continent and an ocean. We can’t see each other, we’re working from a playlist, and we stumble over each other’s words, we miss cues, we make mistakes. Sure, we could just let it fly, but the mistakes would make the show longer and distract from the content.
Nevertheless, we’re just as passionate about our topics. Our delivery is most definitely from the heart. (In fact, following a recent tirade of mine, listener Sherilynne Starkie left a comment to the show’s blog noting, “Shel’s right worked up about this one, eh?")
Another reason for post-production: I want to make the show as easy on listeners’ ears as possible. As a podcast listener (I currently subscribe to 26 shows), I routinely find myself yanking the buds out of my ears when a new segment is a billion or so decibels louder than the last. I unsubscribe from shows with good content when background noise or some other flaw is so bad that it mitigates the pleasure of listening.
For the record, here’s how FIR is recorded and edited:
Neville and I record over Skype using a process called a “mix-minus.” (A couple years ago, I recorded a YouTube video that provides detail on how to configure a mix-minus setup.) One of the key advantages of the mix minus is that each of our voices is recorded to a separate track.
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The file is recorded to a digital recorder onto a flash card. I keep a notepad by the rig to note the timecodes of mistakes. Often, when we screw up, we have a bit of a chat about what to do next, more bits our listeners just don’t need.
I record to the uncompressed WAV format, advice I got at a New Media Expo from Doug Kaye. If you record to MP3 and edit the MP3 file, then save it, you’ve just compressed a compressed file. Each time you save, you degrade the audio. So I do all my work in WAV, saving the compression to MP3 for the very last stage.
Once the recording is done, I transfer the WAV file to my laptop and open it in Adobe Audition. (I used Audacity for the first couple years of the show, but as podcasting became more of a hobby, I graduated to a commercial product with more bells and whistles.)
At the beginning of our session, I let the recorder run for about 20 seconds while neither of us says a word. I use this clip as a noise profile, which lets me run a noise reduction utility on the entire recording. As a result, the hiss in the background—from air conditioning, heating, or whatever, is eliminated.
Next, I use my notes to delete the extraneous discussions and mistakes. If I’m trying to get a show that ran particularly long down to an hour or so, I also delete some bits and bobs, or even entire news items that will become FIR Cuts, segments that didn’t make the final cut but that we make available as separate files.
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With the editing done, I save each track as a new, mono file. On each of these files is just one of our voices, so there are long gaps during which you can’t hear anybody talking. These gaps are mostly dead silent, thanks to the noise reduction routine, but that process leaves artifacts whenever it encounters a sound that’s louder than the hiss captured in the noise profile (such as an inadvertent bumping of the microphone). These artifacts mostly sound like clicks and pops, so I highlight each of these gaps and use Audition’s amplification tool to reduce the sound to zero.
(Incidentally, I’ve never taken an audio engineering class; I learned to use Audition by trial and error. I suspect there are easier ways to do this—some of you might even be rolling your eyes, wondering why I do it this way. If there’s a more efficient process that produces these results, tell me!)
Now that the treatment of each track is finished, I move the them to the multitrack view, which combines the two tracks. I save this as a WAV file, naming it with the episode number and the word “voices,” like this: fir377-voices. I use Levelator, a free tool from The Conversations Network, to bring all voices to the same optimum level.
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I load the output file from Levelator back into Audition, and add the music from the intro, the segment intros for news and comments, and the podsafe song we play at the end of the show; Levelator is for voices, and doesn’t do so well with music.
I export that file to MP3, add the ID3 tags, and upload the file to LibSyn, where our audio files are hosted.
The entire process takes about two hours. The longest stretches are the noise reduction and Levelating processes, during which I do other work on my other computer, so the actual amount of time I spend physically manipulating the audio file is about an hour.
The result is a show that is passionate and from the heart, but sounds good.
It’s a choice. It’s not the right choice, or the only choice, but it’s the one we’ve opted to use, and I don’t believe for a minute that it diminishes the value of the show.
If we read the entire show from a script, on the other hand...how passionate or from the heart would that be?
Thursday, September 04, 2008
A misdirected email leads to a company crisis
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In the days before email, someone at a company where I worked inadvertently pushed the wrong speed-dial number on a fax machine. Instead of faxing a draft press release to outside counsel, he sent the release to a newspaper reporter who covered the company as part of his beat.
It was fear of this kind of all-too-human mistake that led attorneys in organizations everywhere to resist the introduction of fax machines to the workplace. The same paranoia accompanied earlier communication technologies, including photocopiers and telephones.
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More recently, lawyers lobbied against email, worried about the ease with which company-confidential information could escape the ever more porous walls of the organization. There is good reason for lawyers to worry. More than one email has been sent mistakenly to external addresses from within IBM, one about a switch to Linux for employee desktops, another from an executive telling employees about the company’s woes. There are hundreds of such stories from companies, but few as chilling as the tale plaguing Carat, a media agency owned by Aegis Group, as reported yesterday in AdvertisingAge.
Faced with an impending round of layoffs, Carat’s HR staff prepared an email for those tasked with notifying affecting employees. The email was accompanied by PowerPoint and Word attachments that covered key talking points for those to be laid off, those remaining, clients and vendors. The email also telegraphs the extent of the layoffs by talking about consolidation of business units, although actual numbers aren’t included.
Rather than send the email to the intended audience of senior managers, though, the company’s top HR executive inadvertently sent it to all employees.
The AdAge piece will give you all the details about the layoff itself, along with a quote from John Hollon, editor of Workforce Management (an AdAge sister publication), who said:
It seems to me the issue here is one of a dumb, stupid error that just about everyone who uses e-mail does from time to time. You would think that the chief people officer would be more careful given their position in the company—a reasonable assumption to make—but that’s not always the case. Owning up to the problem, apologizing and emphasizing it was a terrible mistake won’t solve this or make it better but can go a long way toward getting beyond it quickly.
Still, if I were the CEO, I might want to start looking for a new chief people officer. You pay those people to step up in these situations, not make it worse.
Over on David Murray’s blog, comments revolve around whether it makes sense for Carat to can Rose Zory, the chief people officer. On the one hand, it seems like a PR move designed to pacify without really addressing the issue. On the other hand, as one commenter put it, “I still really question how effective that HR person will/can be moving forward after a fiasco like this.”
(I learned about the story from a reader who read about it on David’s blog.)
A series of questions beyond that of Rose’s fate arise from Carat’s unfortunate experience, key among them…
- How do you deal with layoffs now that employees have had sneak peeks at all the layoff materials?
- How do you handle the reputational damage outside the organization?
- What steps do you take to minimize the risk of this happening again?
The first decision the company should make is to take the hits. Being defensive won’t help. Admit this was a horrible mistake and just deal with—even agree with—the criticism.
Next, acknowledge that nothing is going to fix the situation. It will take time—and positive action—to rebuild the company’s damaged reputation.
Be utterly transparent about all this. No equivocation, no hunkering down. Admit and elaborate on plans that were exposed in the email, even if your original intent was to keep them quiet.
Dealing with employees is tougher, but not impossible. An apology from the highest levels of the organization is a good start, followed by a conversation about how the process for managing the layoff unfolded. There’s not much you can do for employees who will lose their jobs, but plenty for those who are staying, including becoming more open in your ongoing communication with them about the state of the business and the forces at work on the organization, as well as the previously-hidden internal workings of HR. Employees are never surprised by a layoff when they work for companies that keep them well informed.
Finally, don’t jerk that knee and restrict the ability to send email. Rose’s mistake was a bad one, but it was a mistake. Organizations are made up of humans; we are all inherently imperfect. I doubt there’s even a need to reinforce the need to be careful when pushing that “send” button—no message could be stronger than the one that has already been sent.
If you were counseling Carat, what advice would you have?
Crisis communication • Internal • Transparency • (3) Comments • (0) Trackbacks • Permalink
The Hobson & Holtz Report - Podcast #377: September 4, 2008
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Content summary: SNCR awards deadline Sept 8; Twitter questions for Laura Fitton; PR Week blog contest update; follow-up discussion: Seth Godin and ‘the myth of launch PR’; Dan York reports on Google Chrome and upgrading the web; the Media Monitoring Minute with CustomScoop; News That Fits - Google Chrome and the Google way of communicating, free Newsgator Enterprise Server, Google Apps Video; listeners’ comments discussion and Friendfeed FIR Room round-up; music from Belladonna; and more.
Listen to FIR now:
Get FIR:
- Download the MP3 file (29.0Mb, 1:03:15)
- Subscribe to the RSS feed
- Get the show at iTunes
Messages from our sponsors: FIR is brought to you with Lawrence Ragan Communications, serving communicators worldwide for 35 years, www.ragan.com; Save time with the CustomScoop online clipping service: sign up for your free two-week trial, at www.customscoop.com/fir.
For Immediate Release: The Hobson & Holtz Report for September 4, 2008: A 63-minute podcast recorded live from Concord, California, USA, and Wokingham, Berkshire, England.
FIR Show Notes links
Links for the blogs, individuals, companies and organizations we discussed or mentioned in the show are posted to the FIR Show Links pages at The New PR Wiki. You can contribute - see the show notes home page for info.
FIR on friendFeed
Share your comments or questions about this show, or suggestions for future shows, in the FIR FriendFeed Room. You can also email us at fircomments@gmail.com; call the Comment Line at +1 206 222 2803 (North America), +44 20 8133 9844 (Europe), or Skype: fircomments; comment at Twitter: twitter.com/FIR or at Jaiku: fir.jaiku.com. You can email your comments, questions and suggestions as MP3 file attachments, if you wish (max. 3 minutes / 5Mb attachment, please!). We’ll be happy to see how we can include your audio contribution in a show.
Join the FIR Discussion Forum and extend your conversations with the FIR community. You can also join the FIR Facebook Community and become an FIR friend.
So, until Monday September 8…
For Immediate Release • (0) Comments • (0) Trackbacks • Permalink
Tuesday, September 02, 2008
Inclusion: My choice for social media marketing best practice
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Mitch Joel, over at Six Pixels of Separation, has challenged a number of us (and by playing the “tag” game, a growing list of other people) to share a social media marketing best practice. Mitch’s own post highlights consistency as a virtue.
Chris Brogan says ” Learn how to listen.” South African marketing manager Nelly Spencer talked about authenticity.
My contribution to the conversation is then notion of inclusion. It’s hard to find a critique of social media that doesn’t refer to the “echo chamber,” that metaphysical space where ideas and beliefs are amplified and reinforced by transmission back and forth among the same people in the same place. There is talk of cliques, exclusive niches of well-known social media luminaries, and the so-called A-list. (It has been suggested that the “A” in A-list stands for something else, but we won’t go there.)
I see examples of inclusion everywhere. Lynn Tyson, Dell’s vice president of Investor Relations, told Neville and me in an FIR interview that she’ll take a call or meet with the smallest shareholder; she does not confine her work to the big fund managers and investment analysts. She’s able to expand that philosophy through her blog, DellShares, one of the few IR-focused blogs in all of business.
Consumer-generated media is all about inclusion. When CNN runs one of its iReport videos during a hurricane or convention, it’s the voice of somebody who once would have been viewed as insignificant or irrelevant that gets the air time.
For my part, I try to answer every personal email I get, including dozens from students looking for help with their theses or dissertations, and hundreds from communicators looking for advice to help them kick-start social media in their organizations. I highlight new PR-focused podcasts. I cite ideas and observations from brand-spanking-new bloggers and link to them.
I suppose it’s only appropriate, since I was among the group that Mitch tagged, for me to tag others. So here goes:
Brian Solis, Donna Papacosta, Joe Thornley, Jose Leal and David Phillips.
The rules are simple (and you don’t have to be one of the five I’ve tagged to play). Here’s what Mitch is asking (in his own words):
- Write a Blog post on your Social Media Marketing Best Practice. I’ll challenge you to choose just one (granted, you’re free to do whatever you want).
- Include links to other people who have written similar posts for this Social Media Marketing Best Practices writing project that have caught your attention, or include their insights in your own post (just make sure to give them proper attribution).
- Link back to this Six Pixels of Separation - The Twist Image Blog. This will help me organize all of the content, it will help spread the word, and if you link back to this Blog and email me, I’ll make sure to include - at least - two links back to you. (note: you don’t have to do this, but I am trying to keep this as organized as possible).
- If you use Technorati Tags (or anything like it), please tag your post “social media marketing best practices project”.
- Feel free to tag other people in your post to get their opinion and help spread the project.
Oh, there are prizes. See Mitch’s post for details.
SNCR award deadline approaches
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When you’re well-connected to the community of communicators applying social media to their companies’ and clients’ communication challenges, you come across a lot of truly excellent case studies. If you’ve produced such an effort, why not get recognized for it?
Recognition does far more than boost your ego. When honored for a program you executed that some in your company don’t understand, the fact that an esteemed group of judges deemed it worthwhile can elevate the value of the program in the eyes of company decision-makers. The more exposure of award-winning strategic applications of social media, the greater the number of converted leaders who will see the benefit of getting their own companies similarly engaged.
Put it this simply: I recently got an email from someone who was reading about the means by which social media channels can improve communication but lamented, “I can’t find anyone, anywhere who really wants to use these impressive tools.”
As competitions shine the light on the truly brilliant uses of these tools, that attitude should change.
A couple opportunities to show off your work are on the horizon, beginning with the Society for New Communications Reseach’s (SNCR) Excellence in New Communication Awards. The deadline is a week away—September 8. Awards are presented in six divisions—corporate, government, media, nonprofit/NGO, academic and technology innovation (focused on vendors and suppliers of social media tools).
There are seven categories in each of the divisions, ranging from online reputation management and internal communication to blogger relations collaboration and co-creation.
The entry fees shouldn’t be an obstacle for anyone—$70 for non-members and free for SNCR members. Winners will receive their awards in Boston on November 14 at SNCR’s annual Symposium and Awards Gala (which I’m planning to attend).
So do yourself, your profession, and business in general a favor: Dust off your best social media effort and submit it as a SNCR entry.
Monday, September 01, 2008
The Hobson & Holtz Report - Podcast #376: September 1, 2008
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Content summary: Vote for FIR at Podcast Alley; new FIR Interview posted; iTunes download problems; diary date for next FIR Live: Sept 20; PR Week blog contest update; Michael Netzley discusses recommendations for managing Singapore’s internet; the Media Monitoring Minute with CustomScoop; News That Fits - trends to help define the future of PR and marketing, latest Pew podcasting report, when form destroys function in connecting people, why and how embargoes work in tech blogging; listeners’ comments discussion and FIR Friendfeed Room round-up; music from Uberbelly; and more.
Listen to FIR now:
Get FIR:
- Download the MP3 file (28.6Mb, 62:32)
- Subscribe to the RSS feed
- Get the show at iTunes
Messages from our sponsors: FIR is brought to you with Lawrence Ragan Communications, serving communicators worldwide for 35 years, www.ragan.com; Save time with the CustomScoop online clipping service: sign up for your free two-week trial, at www.customscoop.com/fir.
For Immediate Release: The Hobson & Holtz Report, for September 1, 2008: A 62-minute podcast recorded live from Wokingham, Berkshire, England, and Concord, California, USA.
FIR Show Notes links
Links for the blogs, individuals, companies and organizations we discussed or mentioned in the show are posted to the FIR Show Links pages at The New PR Wiki. You can contribute - see the show notes home page for info.
FIR on friendFeed
Share your comments or questions about this show, or suggestions for future shows, in the FIR FriendFeed Room. You can also email us at fircomments@gmail.com; call the Comment Line at +1 206 222 2803 (North America), +44 20 8133 9844 (Europe), or Skype: fircomments; comment at Twitter: twitter.com/FIR or at Jaiku: fir.jaiku.com. You can email your comments, questions and suggestions as MP3 file attachments, if you wish (max. 3 minutes / 5Mb attachment, please!). We’ll be happy to see how we can include your audio contribution in a show.
Join the FIR Discussion Forum and extend your conversations with the FIR community. You can also join the FIR Facebook Community and become an FIR friend.
So, until Thursday September 4…
For Immediate Release • (0) Comments • (0) Trackbacks • Permalink
Saturday, August 30, 2008
Web 2.0 in the workplace
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I’ve been noodling around with a PowerPoint-slash-video approach to explaining the value of Enterprise Web 2.0 (or whatever you want to call social media behind the firewall) ever since I read an article that rejected its usefulness. The presentation has been evolving over the last couple months, and I finally decided to just finish it rather than continue trying to tweak and refine it. It is long—nearly 25 minutes, too long for YouTube—so be warned. I’m hopeful it will prove useful for someone somewhere.
Intranets • Social Media • Video • (2) Comments • (0) Trackbacks • Permalink