Georgia Podcast Network

A few months ago, I had the idea (that I thought was original at the time) to create a product where users could add audio comments to posts, then listen to the audio sequentially — sort of a podcast created in bits and pieces at varying times and locations.

Then Skype added a feature to its software that let up to 100 users speak on a conference call at once (which in turn isn't hard to record and post somewhere). That happened before I even had time to look up a venture capitalist's phone number.

Well, now it appears video sharing site Grouper has upped the ante, adding a feature to its site where users can add video comments through a web cam. The videos and video commenting software all work through Flash, and can be embedded on a web site the same way YouTube videos are.

All I can say is... wow! View an example of the technology in action here. It's similar to what I wanted to make, except mine was going to be audio-only.

If this catches on, it could dethrone YouTube. What I know for certain is this is the first application I've ever seen that actually made me want to buy a web cam.

h/t Techcrunch

Two or three years ago, you'd be hard-pressed to find a place to host your videos. Ourmedia was just about the only game in town. Now, according to this CNN article, there are 173 web sites vying for that privilege. CNN predicts a shakeout soon, as logically it seems impossible for that many competing services to make money.

So, basically, it's crazy to try to start a media hosting company with the idea of being profitable right now. But someone has to produce all that content to put on those sites...

I think what's neatest about these mass video storage sites and how easy they are to use combined with prices dropping on decent quality equipment is the accessibility to normal people. The possibilities are endless:

• Sports coaches could put highlights from local games online
• Community theater outfits could broadcast their plays
• Clubs could post their meetings online
• Restaurants could post guided tours of their menus, featuring head chefs
• And two gals with thrift store wigs and a bottle of gin are fully capable of competing with television for your attention. Witness True Gritz, produced on a budget of next-to-nothing, and getting the big boys' attention.

It will be interesting to see in the coming years how many people are willing to pay for localized, small scale media production services in the same way small businesses are already willing to pay for small scale web site development.

I think it's a good omen that both this site and Drupal 4.7 (the software this site runs on) were officially launched yesterday, which was a coincidence. You should check out the Drupal videocasts (which would be described more aptly as screencasts) for a look not only at Drupal's new features, but also for an idea of how this emerging technology can actually be used for practical purposes. Lullabot's Jeff Robbins demonstrates the software's new features in a way that I think is much more digestible than reading a long changelog post.

Continuing on the subject of practical applications...

Our friend Patrick Fitzgerald has already been dabbling in screencasts. I recommend checking out "You're killing me here!" first. It presents a usability critique about Blogger that I don't think would be possible just by writing a blog post.

Finally, ListenShare is a local company that creates podcasts for businesses. It includes Atlantic Station among its clients. I met its founder James Harris at last month's Atlanta Media Bloggers meet-up and can attest that he's a sharp guy and that you should keep an eye on what his company comes up with in the next couple of years.

There's a new "conservative Internet broadcast network" called Hot Air run by Michelle Malkin and some friends of hers.

In the about page, Malkin mentions Al Gore's Current TV — a bigger, better-funded project with a neat web site — and others as "liberal" competition. Sites like Current, Hot Air and even our humble little Georgia Podcast Network are interesting peeks into the future that I think raise a few interesting questions:

• Can — and should — sites like these supplant traditional broadcast media outlets? Or can — and should — they co-exist with traditional media as rich supplements that delve deeper into subjects than traditional media can?
• Is the future of news coverage going to be strictly partisan, as it already is in the UK and on Fox News? If so, will it eventually follow the Daily Show/Hunter S. Thompson-by-way-of-Faulkner model ("...that the best fiction is far more true than any kind of journalism"). Is even striving for fairness and objectivity (which is rarely, if ever, achieved) worthwhile?
• If traditional media was supplanted, how will revenue models work for the distributed model of citizen media that emerges? Can there even be full-time professional journalists? Is there even a need for them if the networks cast a wide and diverse enough net?
• Will distributors of technology to view/listen to new broadcast media become the new gatekeepers, as Malkin seems to imply in the about page when she talks about iTunes and the Daily Show?

I guess this post is a little portentous and possibly bordering on banal, as these are not new questions for people who have been following what's been happening the past couple of years. But I wanted to accumulate some of the thoughts I've been having the past year or so.

h/t Buzz Brockway