I think part of the whole thing is that we need to test what we do. Yes, Facebook could open up a whole new set of listeners/subscribers, but it also might not.

As independent content providers we must do our best to reach our audience. We must be ubiquitous and in doing so we'll get clearer sense of where our people are. I know that the majority of my people are hanging out on Facebook. Will I try other stuff? Absolutely, but always doing it in a way that reaches out to those that will benefit from what I have to offer.

And yes, FB is a great way to get them started! Thanks for your comment!

After all how many people do you know that do not use Facebook at all? While I would much rather have them subscribe in ITunes our a podcatcher Facebook is a great way to get them started!

Paul

I agree that we get so wrapped up in the podcasting world that we forget our listeners aren't as familiar with the technology. Making access to a podcast easier is the way to go. Everyone knows what to do on Facebook. I'm going to setup the Facebook App in my Libsyn account right now!

Thanks

Let me share a story to illustrate my point. On a recent trip to Glacier National Park, I came across one of the most beautiful lakes in the mountains. I was so excited. I located a feeder stream coming into the lake on a rocky sand bar that dropped off rapidly. The water was crystal clear and the most beautiful blue turquoise you have ever seen. Everything was perfect. I selected my favorite fly and began to present the fly. After 30 minutes of perfect casting, nothing! I selected my second favorite fly and went to work again. Nothing! This went on for about three hours. I was shocked. If I were a trout, I would have taken each one of those fly's. Then it hit me like a ton of bricks. I wasn't a trout. I went back into my fly box and picked the ugliest fly I could find. I was even embarrassed to tie it on hoping that no other person on the planet would walk by and see it. I made a perfect cast and BAM! Within an hour I caught several of the most beautiful cutthroat trout.

This little fly fishing experience taught me a valuable lesson about attracting your your prospects and building a community. Never assume you know what the prospect or customer wants. The only way to understand what the prospect or customers wants is to ask them. And guess what, they will move mountains to get it.

Blessings!
Steve

I still refer to what I do as a podcast, although I often end up trying to explain it in other ways…I'm not sure even if they get it!

Thanks for letting us know about your desire to use the player even though you don't use all of Libsyn's offerings. Those are the sort of insights that the devs like to hear, particularly if there's a need.

Thanks also for bringing into perspective the MySpace metaphor. It does bring things into perspective! Thanks so much for taking the time to comment 🙂

When I talk to people about my podcast, I try to use the word "show" or "Internet Radio Show". You're right, they don't care that it's an RSS feed, or an mp3 file, they just like to listen to it and are often surprised that they can get it "on demand" rather than having to tune into their radio at a certain time/place. The word "podcast" can be intimidating or confusing for a lot of folks.

I DO love the idea of making it easier to tell folks to "Like me on facebook, you can click 'play' there and listen." That sounds SO much easier and would give me another option for my mother-in-law. She does use facebook at work and that would probably save me burning CDs for her every couple of weeks.! Because I host my audio files at Libsyn, but use my own blog to create the RSS feed and promote the show, I've had some trouble getting my show to work with the facebook app, but I'm going to give that another shot. I'd like to see the facebook app be another, easy way for folks to find my content. Lastly, (and this probably goes without saying) that a few years ago this could have been a "Myspace" conversation, which reminds us that the platform is constantly changing and evolving, so using MANY tools to promote and share content is always important. I'd hate to throw all my eggs in the Facebook basket only to have the next-best-thing swoop in and leave my show in the dust.