Lots of questions - let’s answer them live. I’m hosting a live Webinar this Friday where I’ll be answering as many questions as I can about the Premiumcast.com system. You can register for free here. No cost to get in but you need to subscribe to get a seat.

The New Media Expo recordings are now available via Premiumcast.com. As you can see here, the complete recordings from New Media Expo 2008 are available for purchase using the Premiumcast.com engine. Very cool process, once you purchase you have complete access by RSS - i.e., you can click the good old “GET ALL” button in iTunes and it all comes to the iPod - forget these lame download it all, sync it all nonsense.

The Blog is back and in good form. I won’t be updating this Blog about Premiumcast.com issue (unless they’re really big) - so if you want to be kept up to date on all things Premiumcast.com, take a look at the Blog. And, obviously, you can always subscribe to the RSS feed for the Premiumcast.com Blog.

Physical products are now possible. Perhaps saving the best for last, I wanted to make sure everyone knew that we now have complete integration with Kunaki.com. What does this mean? Well, now, you can offer a physical version of your product in addition to all of these virtual options. Hint: Mom doesn’t get the whole download thing yet and is a lot more likely to buy with that physical option.

Piqued your interest? Got questions? Isn’t it a great thing that we’ve got that Webinar on Friday?

Sponsored By: Free Webinars - You Can Master The Topics What Matter - Membersites, Web 2.0, Twitter, etc.

Sponsored By: Free Summer Webinar Series - Free Webinar Series On Membersites, Web Design, Twitter and More!

I’m not saying they didn’t try, I’m saying it didn’t work - o.k., they didn’t try hard enough …

You can read the first part of the sage in this post. I won’t bore you with a recap - but it is kinda humorous if you haven’t checked it out yet.

In the midst of responding to this New Media opportunity, they forgot the customer service. That’s what I want to talk about here.

The Call

Last Tuesday (the 19th), the day after my posting, I was on a conference call with Carly and someone called “Michael.” The essence of the call was as follows:

They rebooked me on a USAirways Flight that didn’t have that awkward overnight, extra city, and time warp requirement thing.

But Paul, wasn’t that part of your issue? In fact, didn’t you say in your blog post?

After a long chunk of time on the phone I was rebooked with lousy seats on a US Airways Flight, (yes, the airline who charges you $2 for a soda and threw out the inflight entertainment machines because they weigh too much)

Yep.

Now, to be fair, Carly emailed me that I was on USAirways because (from her email)

You will still be traveling on the same carrier, US Airways (the carrier that you originally chose to book on Orbitz.com ),

Well, yes and no. As per the original booking, I was US Airways from Santa Barbara to Vegas because Santa Barbara is one of those hub towns. Once in Vegas, I was flying Delta - which is why I tweeted that whole (in response to the original “how can I help make this right?” tweet). For the record, the link is here.

@carlyatorbitz I’d like what I paid for - good seats on an airline I trust (and have miles with). Delta/United is fine. US Airways is not.

Strike 1.

But, the promise was, via email,

Please note: the following seat assignments for your flights are either aisle or window and are at the front of the plane.

Thank you Orbitz. Now, you just better follow through!

I may hate US Airways but at least I had good seats, right?

I mean, they gave me the specific seats I was sitting in, US Airways would honor those, right?

And I was leaving early the next morning and wanted to spend time with my kids, not in phone queue hell.

Side note, I also have a $100 credit with Orbitz with these fascinating rules for claiming the credit:

We’ve also noted a $100 Travel Voucher in your account. In order to redeem this you need to forward your next Orbitz Travel Document (itinerary) to customerrelations@orbitz.com and reference the $100 future travel voucher. Your account will then be credited.

Does that make sense to you?

The Trip There

Flight #1 was as promised.

Flight #2 was not the seat on the emailed itinerary (promised row 1). Tweeted Carly and she said she’d look into it. Never heard back.

Funny thing is, flight #1 was delayed in Santa Barbara so I got rebooked outta Phoenix. Orbitz did rebook me (don’t if this was auto or Carly) in a LOUSY seat (but again at least they rebooked me). After an hour wait in the customer service line at Phoenix, I got a decent seat.

So, for those of you keeping score - not the airline I asked for and only 50% of the seats promised. A promise of a “looking into it” with nothing.

So far, not good.

The Steak

Waiting for me at the hotel was a $150 gift card for a local steak house called the “Blue Ridge Grill.” Very nice and very classy of Orbitz to send the card - very nice and very classy steak house. Had dinner with a couple of good friends on Orbitz - served by a great waiter.

The Trip Back

O.k., at this point, it starts to get REALLY silly.

My email from Carly promising “seat assignments for your flights are either aisle or window and are at the front of the plane” said I would be seat “7a (Window). See below:

Strike 2 - and a big one.

As you might have read in this Tweet,

And of course gal next to me is afraid of flying and drunk.

Can’t blame that one on Orbitz but it sure made it worse. So much for “either aisle or window and are at the front of the plane.”

One of the longest 4 hours and 5 minutes of my life. I could tell you stories …

And then of course, the Phoenix / Santa Barbara flight - again, “either aisle or window and are at the front of the plane.”

Was placed in seat 9c - as per the reservation.

Plane only had 9 rows.

And it was one of those commuter flights where the back row was seats all the way across.

Yes, the “either aisle or window and are at the front of the plane” seat was in fact a middle seat in the back of the plane.

Strike 3 - you’re out.

And no, my mileage numbers weren’t on the reservation despite what the email said. And no, didn’t have the wherewithall to look it up at the counter. I needed to get away before I did some “damage.”

Strike 4

——

I’ve had a few Tweets from Carly asking to connect. I’ve responded (I’m pretty sure) via Tweet and from responses I’m guessing she’s not getting them. I could have made a mistake in the midst of this so I will give her the benefit of the doubt.

I called the number on the email today and left a message giving her my cell tomorrow. I’ll be able to take it any time during business hours.

——

O.k., now that the rant is over, what can we learn from this?

Attempting customer service by Twitter (or any other social media element) is not enough. It’s a story of both new media AND CUSTOMER SERVICE - it has to be. My complaints weren’t really listened to, the full blog post wasn’t read for details, my requests weren’t met, no follow ups were made, nobody double checked the “fix.”

If you’re going to put this much time, effort, and money into this, it isn’t that hard to hit the mark. Having an employee monitoring Twitter to see what people are saying about your company is admirable - and very forward thinking. But, if you don’t empower them to respond accordingly, you’re not just wasting money - you’re doing damage to your company. You need to train in Customer Service 101 before you train in New Media 202.

Anytime multiple people are involved in fixing a customer complaint, someone needs to be assigned to check that the seat is actually as promised (or that the “fix” is actually “fixed.”). Why didn’t anyone check? Once I told Carly that flight #2 was off, why didn’t that set off something to get someone to check the rest?

Your customer base is empowered to tell the real stories now. This post will be on my blog forever. I’d love to add a “Updated” element at the top that makes this a happy ending but … I’m not quite sure how they can do this.

Throwing money (or a gift card) at a problem isn’t always the answer. As much as I enjoyed the steak (and I did), I would have enjoyed what I asked for even more.

——

My passion is the people and the business of new media (and podcasting). I’m dedicating my professional life right now to helping others not mess up the wonderful opportunity in front of them.

And it is a wonderful opportunity.

It has been “fun” to view this through the eyes of my professional life (and tell thousands the story) but until major companies have a handle on this, it is going to get ugly.

I was pleased to see the effort, but so disappointed to see the lack of follow through.

Side note: I’ve noticed Carly is already responding to other Orbitz complaints via Twitter in her account. The last free piece of consulting advice you’re getting from me is this:

Orbitz, you’re not doing enough. Fix this problem before it does you in.

And, finally, whereas this has been a piece about Orbitz … do you see your company making the same mistakes?

Orbitz (and Carly), ball is in your court …

Sponsored By: Free Webinars - You Can Master The Topics What Matter - Membersites, Web 2.0, Twitter, etc.

This Blog post is a work in progress, my thoughts and thinking so far. I actually changed my mind about a lot of things after dinner the last night of New Media Expo – and figure I’ll do it many times over the next couple of months. I wouldn’t suggest this is the “definitive” piece on the subject, but something to continue the conversation. I covet your comments below.

If you haven’t already yet, please read part 1 and part 2 before reading this onel.

So, in short, New Media Expo was great for those attended and made the most of it. However, sadly, not enough people attended and not enough people made the most of it.

This should be filed away as obvious, but if next year ends up like 2008 … the show is dead.

So, a decision needs to be made.

Is this a show about media?

Is this a show about the technology of media?

It can’t be a show about both.

It tried for 4 years to be a show about both.

It’s never worked the way we’d hoped it would.

That has to change.

Mom once told me, “try to be everything to everyone and you’re nothing to nobody.”

Mom was right.

Formula for a Media Show

The numbers for Podcasting continue to rise. Not only are downloads going up but the list of media entities with some kind of Podcast offering continue to go up as well. This is going nowhere but up.

The ‘stars’ in this space continue to be more and more recognized. To make things even more fascinating, we are starting to see some cross-over elements (Felicia Day, Ninja, Grammar Girl, etc.). You’ll be seeing a lot more of this as well.

Now, if every media player was there, you know who would show up: “Traditional Media” Players, Press, Technology Companies, Media Buyers, Investors, etc. – basically everyone you want at a show like this. In a year or two of that, companies will start “launching” their Podcasts at this event because the press will be there to cover it.

At that point, the show has reached the tipping point – and Tim retires a very rich man.

You want a media show and the superstars need to be there. All of them. How do you get the superstars there? You need a SXSW kinda event. It ain’t gonna be cheap or easy.

All of Podcasting needs to come together to pull this off – the stars of every major player need to attend and their companies need to pay to make it happen. We’re talking 10x the budget for everyone.

I would suggest you’ll be looking at 100x the payout if we spend it.

Now, you bring everyone together like this and the sessions also have to change, the look and feel for the event needs to change. Actually the SXSW model is probably the one to model the closest. Comicon is the show to emulate after that. In short, anything that you might hear at a Podcamp needs to go away.

And your buyers/vendors are very different at a media show.

Is this where we want to go?

And, of course, should we be a “media” show or a “Podcast media” show?

Finally, this isn’t an issue of what Tim needs to do with the show, this has to do with Tim producing the kinda of show that makes this approach possible. If you think the bickering re Vegas being “more expensive” was loud - to pull this off, you need massive budget commitments.

Formula for a Technology Show

If the superstars in this space are too expensive/complicated to bring into the game, the option is to become, simply, a massive technology show. Forget the star power and go for the numbers. There is money in numbers – if the numbers are high enough.

There are a ton of companies who want a piece of the Podcasting (and New Media) “pie.” You bring them enough cool people and they’ll pay through the nose to get to those people. But, those people who need to come are not measured in thousands, but tens of thousands. You pull that off and you’ll see project launches at the show, you’ll see buyers at the show, you’ll see what you want at the show.

Of course, there is some serious competition in this space. Serious competition in this space. Did I mention serious content in this space. Does NME want to compete with NAB, etc.?

And, of course, a technology show attracts a very different audience than a media show will.

And technology is, no matter what we like to think, a commodity.

Do we want to be in the commodity business?

Decision Time

So, it’s decision time.

I ask the following questions and covet your comments:

Which show would you rather attend and why?

Which show do you think we should be next year and why?

What does Tim do next?

Sponsored By: Free Summer Webinar Series - Free Webinar Series On Membersites, Web Design, Twitter and More!

Part 2 - The Bad

Funny enough, NME08’s definitive moment for me was a conversation with a “consultant” to Hollywood who had nothing about complaints about the event yet couldn’t spend the three hundred bucks to attend the sessions with meat. I realized during the conversation that he, and everyone else in this space, really only have three options:

• Get in now, early, and get the perpetual early bird worm that we’re all looking for.
• Wait for the bleeding edge types to take the first round of arrows in their backs.
• Complain, whine, moan that things aren’t perfect yet.

Options #1 and #2 are valid. Option #3 results in little less than my wanting to scream.

In short, Tim Bourquin threw a first-class show (like always) that my business will benefit from (like always). But, things with the show weren’t perfect and we need to deconstruct them here to make next year’s event even better - if there is next year’s event.

Tim Bourquin posted this one - “5 Reasons Why I’m Thinking About Quitting The Tradeshow Business” and, well, I can’t find fault in his thinking. He is up against a lot.

Michael Geoghegan (the Jimmy Stewart of Podcasting) writes of the lack of exhibitor growth over the last few years. He’s right. His “fix” we’ll examine in the final part of this series but, he is right, the exhibitors didn’t show up. Tim explained why in his piece - is this Tim’s problem, the vendor’s problem, or the problem of the tradeshow space?

Several speakers didn’t show up or canceled at the very last minute. It amazes me how anyone in a space still fighting for legitimacy didn’t (even attempt to) “make up for that” with the level of class Tim invited them to the show. Craziness happens, but … you can do better.

Several speakers gave the same exact speech as the year (or years before). If our message is we’re growing in some exciting ways - the least you can do is offer a new story. Yes, such a tiny percentage have heard the story so far that “it’s new to most of you” but for those old timers who did show up - we’d love some new content. Being at the front of a revolution is worth a new slide deck now and then.

Tim is right, doing an event is just more complicated than it needs to be any more. We saw that reflected in companies who arrive with half the impact they did in previous years and, gosh darn it, we saw that reflected in the companies who didn’t arrive this year.

But truly frustrating to me we some of the “pioneers” in this space unwilling to cut through all this mess and actually do something. Those who showed up figured out how to play the game (I’m mean come on, Leo Laporte broadcasting live - how much did that cost Stickam?) and for that I say thanks. For those who didn’t show up I’d like to suggest that there is a thin line between strategy and laziness. Sometimes, in short, doing the right thing takes a little effort.

I heard a lot of chat about the “problem” with this event was that it tried so hard not to be the very thing it was, The Podcast Expo 2008. Funny thing is, before I got on the plane I would have disagreed strongly - but now that it’s all over, I’m beginning to agree. More on that in the next piece.

So, in short, Tim is right, it was harder to pull this thing off than it should have been but … I think maybe a few of us could have tried harder.

This little media revolution is worth it. In those options listed above, I wonder how many have picked option #3 while telling themselves over an over again that they’re embraced #1 or #2. And whereas Vegas (or any other convention town) is a pain in the butt, we have ourselves as much to blame as anyone or anything else.

Sometimes revolutions aren’t easy. Actually, I think that’s textbook definition.

Thoughts?

Technorati Tags: new media expo 2008, podcast expo, tim bourquin, las vegas, stickam, leo laporte

Sponsored By: Free Webinars - You Can Master The Topics What Matter - Membersites, Web 2.0, Twitter, etc.

Update #5: First half of flight completed. Only one of the two seats was in position promised (although both were certainly in the up front / window/aisle category). In a totally unrelated issue, missed connection in Pheonix and had to be rebooked on later flight. Orbitz did that automatically. Here at hotel, gift card for local steak house (and it looks like a good one) was waiting for me. Thanks Carly. Next report, the flight home …

Update #4: Finished call with Carly At Orbitz. I’m still on the US Airways flight but they promise seats near front with window or aisle. Not reflected at site yet but we know how reservation systems are. I will arrive at airport tomorrow expecting good seat. They also promised a $100 credit with Orbitz (I don’t see that in the system either - but, again, computers). They seems a bit surprised that I was already booked on this flight (did I note make that clear in the blog post below) but the better seats and $100 credit is a good thing. Think they did enough? I’d love to hear in the comments below. For the record, I got #2, not #1, and #3 - do you think they made it right? I would love to hear you thoughts?

Update #3: Carly At Orbitz promises to call at 3p with the details for the fix. Will report here.

Update #2: Carly At Orbitz has contacted me via direct Twitter message. We’ll see what happens here. 40 minutes before I was going to do web check and see about paying for a better seat too. Will this end well?

Update #1: John Jaworski suggests we follow Carly At Orbitz to see how this ends up. Great idea. Carly, make this great please.

Read this one all the way through - it is going to get interesting.

I fly to Atlanta Wednesday for Stomper 6. I’m looking forward to it on multiple levels.

I booked this flight on Orbitz for some reason. The reservation was Santa Barbara to Vegas to Atlanta. Not bad. Delta too for the biggest part. I’ve got miles with them and my relationship with Stomper has had me slowly moving from a United Premier flyer to whatever they call the Delta guys.

I checked my flight this morning with Orbitz to make sure all was well.

This is what I got:

Wednesday, August 20, 2008 Flight #1
US Airways #2922
Depart: 9:40am
morning Santa Barbara, CA
Santa Barbara Municipal (SBA)
Arrive: 11:15am
morning Phoenix, AZ
Phoenix Sky Harbor Intl (PHX)

PHEONIX? HUH? WHEN DID THAT HAPPEN?

Wednesday, August 20, 2008 Flight #2
US Airways #4
Depart: 1:34pm
afternoon Phoenix, AZ
Phoenix Sky Harbor Intl (PHX)
Arrive: 2:43pm
afternoon Las Vegas, NV
Las Vegas Mccarran Intl (LAS)

THEY ACTUALLY ADDED A FLIGHT TO PHEONIX ON MY ITINERARY. DON’T WORRY - IT GETS BETTER

Delta Air Lines #1080
Depart: 9:44am
morning Las Vegas, NV
Las Vegas Mccarran Intl (LAS)
Arrive: 4:54pm
afternoon Atlanta, GA
Atlanta Hartsfield-Jackson ATL (ATL)

YES, THAT’S RIGHT, THEY ACTUALLY HAVE ME OVERNIGHTING IN VEGAS (NOTICE THIS FLIGHT IS THE NEXT DAY) AND DIDN’T THINK TO TELL ME

The flight back …

Sunday, August 24, 2008 Flight #3
Delta Air Lines #1091
Depart: 6:50pm
evening Atlanta, GA
Atlanta Hartsfield-Jackson ATL (ATL)
Arrive: 8:08pm
evening Las Vegas, NV
Las Vegas Mccarran Intl (LAS)

THAT ONE WAS ALMOST WHAT I ORDERED. DON’T WORRY … KEEP READING

Sunday, August 24, 2008 Flight #4
US Airways #605
Depart: 6:10pm
evening Las Vegas, NV
Las Vegas Mccarran Intl (LAS)
Arrive: 7:23pm
evening Phoenix, AZ
Phoenix Sky Harbor Intl (PHX)

YES, YOU READ THAT RIGHT, THEY ACTUALLY HAVE ME DEPARTING LAS VEGAS TWO HOURS BEFORE I ARRIVE

Sunday, August 24, 2008 Flight #5
US Airways #2725
Depart: 8:00pm
evening Phoenix, AZ

BACK TO PHEONIX??????

Phoenix Sky Harbor Intl (PHX)
Arrive: 10:17pm
evening Santa Barbara, CA
Santa Barbara Municipal (SBA)

AND I’M HOME. I WONDER IF THE RIP IN THE SPACE TIME FABRIC THIS FLIGHT REQUIRES WILL HURT

——–

So, I get on the phone with Orbitz.

While the gal on the phone is trying to make things right, I tweeted the following:

Tweet #1 - http://twitter.com/colligan/statuses/891503352

Tweet #2 - http://twitter.com/colligan/statuses/891511056

And more … you can read them all here.

After a long chunk of time on the phone I was rebooked with lousy seats on a US Airways Flight, (yes, the airline who charges you $2 for a soda and threw out the inflight entertainment machines because they weigh too much) I tweeted the following:

So, one more time, Orbitz, you lost this customer - and my thousands of blog readers, Twitter followers and online friends will know why.

Yes, I was trolling for someone at Orbitz to respond. You bet I did. The gal on the phone I think did the best she could (and got me to Atlanta on time) but this kind of customer service is simply unacceptable.

This came back in the Twittosphere …

@colligan I read your tweets about Orbitz and I’m listening. How can I help make this right?

So now this gets good.

I tweeted three simple requests, you can read them here, here and here. I asked for decent seats on an airline I trust and something for my time. Reasonable I think …

I also Tweeted

@CarlyAtOrbitz Finally, please do something. I want this story to end well for Orbitz. Right now, … not a chance. You have the power.

It’s funny, I’ve already had one run-in with a Twittered customer support rep who promised me the world and delivered squat.

There is something about the embracing of New Media by some companies that says this is a two step process - A) use New Media to promise and B) DELIVER.

So, I’ve put this online hoping Orbitz will deliver.

I’ll will report everything - you know me …

And I’m taking bets on the final outcome in the comments. Please predict how you think this will end.

This should be fun.

Sponsored By: Free Summer Webinar Series - Free Webinar Series On Membersites, Web Design, Twitter and More!

I write this in the United Club at LAX on the way home to see my girls. I’m sure I won’t cover everything in this posting but I wanted to, at least, start the process of getting this out. It’s always a privilege to Blog because it lets me work out the thoughts and concepts swirling all around this giant head of mine.

As promised, my slides from my presentation are up. The audio is not for public consumption yet, but I’ll let you know when that is ready as well.

Today I want to talk of the great stuff that happened at New Media Expo 2008. My next post, I’ll chat the “bad” and we’ll end with a “what’s next” examination - at least from the cyberpen of this observer. It is always easier to tell everyone else what they need to than it is to figure these things out for yourself. Please subscribe to this Blog if you haven’t already, to get the rest.

The Tech. Who else noticed the ironic pairing of Gary Vaynerchuck’s encouragement to stop branding other video players with the new Wizzard video player offering? Am I the only one that saw the power of grouping shows together in Susan Bratton’s new widget? Will the TubeMogul integration with Libsyn help my constant theme of “publish your content via whatever channel will take it?” Whereas past tech launches of previous events were very exciting tech enhancements (I still wonder where we would be without Gigavox’s Levelator), what we saw this round were tools to make the makers more powerful players in this space. How could I not applaud?

The People. I usually start my presentations with a bit of an apologetic encouragement that it’s o.k. to see make money and make a business out of your Podcast. As I did the same this year, I could see in the eyes of the audience that they no longer needed this element. They were ready to take action re their own destinies. We have matured. Yes, there numbers were down but the quality was considerably up and … did anyone really think we’d see the (same) entire audience at the Ron Moore speech a few years back at Expo #4? It has very little to do with the Vegas location as much as it has to do with the people willing to give this the time and money this deserves. Forget the Podfaders and smile at those who remain.

Those who remain are doing some amazing things and encouraging a new generation to take us to the next level. I met so many people aware of what is in front of us with a strong willingness to do something about it (past waiting for Adam Curry to send them a paycheck for 20 downloads). It was the buzz of potential that was intoxicating - it wasn’t Vegas.

Microsoft, Sony, Panasonic. Not only are ‘we’ starting to take this seriously, but ‘they’ are as well.

Star Power. To have Leo Laporte in the back broadcasting live was a blast and a half. To have an event where (and yes, I will leave some off this list - for that I am sorry) Veronica Bellmont, Kent Nichols, Felicia Day, Gary Vaynerchuck, Zadi Diaz, Geoff Smith, Jonathan Coulton not only show up - but make themselves accessible - is just a kick in the pants. Always fun.

The Concert. The Coverville 500 was great to see and participate in. Watching talent like Dr. Floyd, JoCo, and Dan Klass live was as enjoyable as any “big name set.” Yet to feel like you could not only grab a CD but actually talk shop with all of them was what made this so different.

Yes, “numbers were down” but this year was marked by quality, not quantity. This reality was overshadowed by the very quantity, not quality groove that is Vegas - but those taking note, noticed.

My business will be better as a result of this event.

I have more tools and connections than ever as a result of NME08.

I’m more sure than ever that this industry is right for me - no matter what we call it.

I count many of you not just as business partners - but friends.

So much good to report from New Media Expo 2008.

Your thoughts?

Technorati Tags: Gary Vaynerchuck, Susan Bratton, TubeMogul, Libsyn, Gigavox, Leo Laporte, Veronica Bellmont, Kent Nichols, Felicia Day, Gary Vaynerchuck, Zadi Diaz, Geoff Smith, Jonathan Coulton, Coverville 500, NME08, New Media Expo 2008

Sponsored By: Free Webinars - You Can Master The Topics What Matter - Membersites, Web 2.0, Twitter, etc.

My goal for this posting is simple. Let me help you answer the question - “should I attend Paul’s presentation, or Rob’s/Mark’s/Andrew’s/John’sorShel’s presentation?”

The “official” description for mine is as follows:

There is real money to be made in new media. Martyrs and mavens from the bleeding edge have paved paths worth deep examination for anyone looking to pay bills (and more) with their content. Join Paul Colligan in this session as he completes the third part of his three-year series on the very real business of podcasting and new media profits. Learn exactly how to build on the successful models others have already designed. Discover a simple 27-day plan for content monetization that can be followed by anyone with valuable content and a willingness to learn. Leave the session with an outline for what comes next for you! Paul is well-known for his time-tested approach to content monetization. If you want to leave the expo with a plan for making money with your media, don’t miss this exciting session!

7 reasons to attend:

• Monetization of your content is your most important issue right now.
• You desire to understand the business issues of New Media.
• You want to examine the models of those who are financially successful in our “space.”
• The concept of a 27-day plan intrigues you.
• You have valuable content - or want to learn how to create it.
• You know the right information can help you break through.
• You are READY to move from Maker to Merchant (don’t worry, you can keep Making too).

7 reasons to attend another session:

• Monetization doesn’t matter to you.
• You’d rather get “Making” help than any other kind right now.
• The idea of a 27-day plan terrifies you (it does some - you’d be surprised).
• This “isn’t about” valuable content for you.
• You have all the information you already need.
• You don’t ever want to see revenue from your New Media projects.
• The topic of any of the other presenters seems more important to you right now.

The trick now is to condense my 157 slides into a 60 minute presentation. Glad Vegas has lots of Starbucks.

I hope to see the people in my session who need my session. Will you be one of them?

Technorati Tags: paul colligan, new media expo, Rob Walch, Mark Alyn, Andrew Lock, John Havens, Shel Holtz

Sponsored By: Free Summer Webinar Series - Free Webinar Series On Membersites, Web Design, Twitter and More!

On July 15, I wrote of a little experiment I was running. You can read the full details (and reasons for the test) here. I also promised to give you some numbers … so here they are:

On the mailing in question, we had a very decent 17% clickthrough rate. I’d be very happy with that every time in email campaigns. I feel this was a nice sampling to pull numbers from.

On terms of affiliate link to non-affiliate link, 1.7 clicks on the affiliate link (2nd click) to every 1 click on the non-affiliate link (1st click).

Yes, some people just click on the first link they see without reading. I understand that.

But, that was almost one out of every 3 clicks. I might run a similar test with my link first but … fascinating none the less.

And, remember I never told that list I was running this test - we might “expect” more on the Blog post numbers but not here …

So, how did the Blog test do? Worse.

It was almost 1.5 clicks to my affiliate link to every 1 click to the non-affiliate link.

I.e., 33% of my clicks lost me money when I let them know the option for me to lose money was there.

Yes, this audience knew what I was doing, so I’m sure there were plenty of clicks to the non-affiliate link just to see what it did, so I won’t pound these numbers into the ground - but they are fascinating none the less.

How did this do with the (commented) predictions posted in the previous post?

Sid suggested 82.5% would click on my affiliate link.

Marc suggested 90% would click on the first link because it was, simply, the first link.

Rory said 64% link #2 (my affiliate link).

Garrett was the other side of Marc with 90% on link 2 - because people “like” me. Thanks for the kind thought, Garrett.

Marcus said 69.3% on the affiliate link.

Richard agreed with Garrett.

Marcus wins the Dr. Horrible purchase on iTunes. I’ll be emailing you soon buddy.

So, what does this all mean … ?

First of all, double-digit losses in any form need to be given serious attention. The idea that a third of my audience might go another way simply because I gave them the option to do so doesn’t set well with me. You?

And remember, this isn’t people choosing not to buy this is (at least appears to be) people saying “yes, I’m interested in your content but I don’t wish for you to profit from the service your providing for me.

Or am I misreading this?

Is there a subconscious element to online users who don’t like people making money from them? Is there some crazy disconnect that makes them willingly go the path of making sure you don’t profit? Would they do it with “big guys” if they felt empowered to do so? Perhaps does the majority of the online user base simply feel used - and this is there way of “using” someone back? Is this the behavior we see in the hatred for Microsoft and the open source movement?

Perhaps we have an audience that doesn’t consume our content the way we want them to? Was Marc right, is it simply we need to give people better directions?

Is “full disclosure” a good thing, or a marketing mistake? Would ANY industry survive with a “I only want to make money from the people who want me to make money” attitude? Harsh question, but it needs to be asked. What’s your answer?

I’ll be chewing on these results for awhile and will be certainly testing some more.

I’d love your thoughts …

Sponsored By: Free Webinars - You Can Master The Topics What Matter - Membersites, Web 2.0, Twitter, etc.

We are but a few short days away from New Media Expo 2008. I offer my 8 top tips here but would love you’re additional tips in the comments section.

1. Buy the Full Conference Pass but then be willing to miss anything. Remember that everyone who buys the pass gets all of the recordings within a week. The valuable education part of this you can experience by time shift. Attend the ones that make sense attending live (either for the speaker or the audience that might be in attendance), but be willing to miss the ones that don’t make sense for you during your short Vegas stay.

The real important feature of the pass is that it will separate you from the thousands on the floor. If you want a real discussion with a speaker, a power user, a large vendor, a “rock star” (see below), etc., the Conference track will get you the access you want.

2. Keep well hydrated. Vegas food is, well, Vegas food. Conference food is, well, conference food. Hotel food is, well, you get the idea. I won’t even go into the adult beverages that one might take in during the course of this trip. The key is to keep well hydrated.

Big tip - most hotel exercise rooms have a cold filtered water source.

3. Practice your USP. Your USP is your “unique selling proposition.” It is what separates you from all the rest. Know yours - and be able to give yours in 8 seconds or less. A “I do a really cool show about everything” is not a unique selling proposition. Let me give you a few USPs to model from:

I help people leverage New Media to get their message out to more people with less effort and for greater profits.

Podcasting Kit for Sharepoint is an accelerator for social media, using Podcasting, and social networks to deliver the next generation knowledge management experience to Microsoft customers.

Yes, the first one was my own personal USP and the second one was the USP for Premiumcast.com. You can guess the source of the others.

Post your USP below!

4. The first morning, make a quick loop around the floor before you do anything else. In short, you want to get a “big picture” of the event before you decide on your strategy for taking things on. You can tell a lot about a company by what their booth looks like, who is staffing it, what they’re giving away, etc. Once you’ve made your loop, sit down for a few minutes, drink some water, and plan your attack.

5. Realize the best moments for you aren’t on the schedule. This one is extremely important. The connections you make in the hallway, with a passer by, during a session, while talking at a booth, etc. - these are the ones that count. Look out for these opportunities and embrace them. Point #1 above is, honestly, all about buying access to a better chance at such opportunities.

6. If you want to approach a New Media “Rock Star” … do so intelligently. The “Rock Stars” in our space are very cool people and very approachable. They are attending this event because they want to meet their audience, etc.

However, there are times and moments when they will be surrounded by fans. There will be times when they really want nothing more than to escape to the bathroom or visit the speaker lounge. You can tell a lot by looking into their eyes and seeing if they look like now is a “good time.” Use a little common sense in approaching them and you’ll meet those that you want to meet.

7. Vegas doesn’t sleep - you must. This one should be pretty obvious, but we all need a reminder now and then. If you want those moments I’m describing above, you’ll need more than a catnap between the poker game the Profitable Podcasters Meetup.

8. Keep up with the New Media Expo Events Wiki. This little site is the default page for “everything else” going on at the event. It’s kinda silly there is no RSS feature but you can get updated by email and would do well bookmarking this page and checking on a semi-regular basis.

Those are my top 8 tips - post yours below!

Sponsored By: Free Summer Webinar Series - Free Webinar Series On Membersites, Web Design, Twitter and More!