I’ve been on the lookout for the perfect pocket sized video recorder to meet my needs. I’m an audio guy mostly, but I occasionally have a desire to create video content from time to time. For example, there are times when I want to do product demos such as the video demo I did for the Tascam DR-07.

The main reason I haven’t done more of these videos than I have is due to the desire to have a much higher level of audio quality in the videos that I produce. There are a lot of point and shoot cameras that have pretty decent video quality, but I want to use my professional audio gear to produce the audio for the video and I don’t want to have to add the audio to the video project in post production. Therefore, the perfect camera for me would be one with an external audio input jack.

Today, I found just the camera I’ve been looking for in the Kodack Zi8. I learned about this terrific camera while watching Cali Lewis’ GeekBrief.tv episode 641. Would you believe that within 30 minutes of watching her video, I had this camera in my hands? I’m not kidding! I immediately did a search online for the camera, looked over the specs, and started to call stores to see if anyone had it in stock. Luckily, I found a local Best Buy store who had ONLY ONE in stock. I immediately left the house and picked it up.

While the audio input jack was the most important thing I’ve been looking for in these little mini cameras, I am excited to tell you that the Zi8 also includes several other features that I’m excited about. It shoots video in full 1080p HD, though I’m more impressed with the 720p at 60 frames per second. It has terrific image stabilization. It takes 5 megapixel still images. Both the video and the still images are captures in 16×9 format, which I LOVE by the way. It takes high capacity SD Cards up to 32Gb so I could actually record as much as 20 to 30 hours of HD video on one card. It comes with software for the PC that allows me to very easily upload directly to YouTube, Facebook, Vimeo, and other sites. And the video is recorded in to a .MOV file that I can just as easily drag and drop onto my Mac Desktop and edit it with Screenflow or iMovie.

Of course that’s a enough of WORDS about this VIDEO camera. So here’s the video I created as soon as I took it out of the box. Note: I didn’t spend any time at all editing this video. Just wanted to test video quality as quickly as possible. Take a look at this video and tell me what you think!

Podcast Answer Man Episode 115
All About Wordpress

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In this episode, I have a great conversation with Mitch Canter from StudioNashVegas.com. The focus of our conversation is about using Wordpress not only as a blog, but as an overall solution for your website.

Here is the list of Wodress Plugins that we discussed during the show:

C Forms
http://www.deliciousdays.com/cforms-plugin

Life Stream
http://wordpress.org/extend/plugins/lifestream/

Yet Another Related Post Plugin
http://mitcho.com/code/yarpp/

Stumble For Wordpress
http://wordpress.org/extend/plugins/stumble-for-wordpress/

WP Greetbox
http://wordpress.org/extend/plugins/wp-greet-box/

Google Analyticator
http://wordpress.org/extend/plugins/google-analyticator/

Google XML Site Map
http://www.arnebrachhold.de/projects/wordpress-plugins/google-xml-sitemaps-generator/

All In One SEO
http://wordpress.org/extend/plugins/all-in-one-seo-pack/

fotobook
http://www.facebook.com/apps/application.php?id=2254862517

Facebook Connect
http://www.sociable.es/facebook-connect/

BB Press
http://bbpress.org/

Discuss podcasting with other listeners in the Podcast Answer Man section of the gspn.tv Community Forum.

EQUIPMENT SALES: Please consider purchasing from me when making your next purchase for audio gear to improve the sound of your podcast. Email me at Cliff@gspn.tv or call me at 859-757-1399.

PODCAST CONSULTING: I’m also available for one on one podcast consulting. Whether you want someone to get everything set up for you or you just need a little help along the way, I’d love to work with you. I’m able to demonstrate using screen sharing technology during our call which makes it just like I was there sitting next to you at the computer. If you are interested, email me at Cliff@gspn.tv or call me at 859-757-1399.

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The much anticipated 2.2 firmware update for the iPhone and iPod Touch was released today. With the update comes a few new features, one specifically that should interest podcasters. Take a look at this image and see if you can spot it in the list…

That’s right! Podcasts are now available for download in iTunes application over Wi-Fi and cellular network. I must admit that I was surprised to see the ability to do this via the cellular network. It makes me wonder why I can download a fifty megabyte podcast episode over the cell notwork but not a three megabyte song from iTunes. Who cares, we got our podcast downloads right?

Don’t Break Out The Party Hats Just Yet!
I must say that as an end user and as a podcaster, I’m not happy with the implementation of downloading podcasts via the iPhone / iPod Touch. Let me share a few reasons why.

Fumbling Between Two Applications:
The first thing I don’t like is that it closes down the iPod Application to launch the iTunes wi-fi Application. Once we finish downloading our podcast episode(s), we have to close the iTunes app and then go back and re-open the iPod application to browse to the new podcast to play it. Seems a bit clunky to me. Not typical of Apple to have so many steps. More on this as you read on.

Taking RSS Out Of The Equation:
The second thing I don’t like is that it it get’s new podcast data from iTunes instead of the original rss feed. This means that if we used a “One Click Install” option to subscribe to a podcast, when we click “Get More Episodes…” we are taken to the “What’s Hot” list in the podcast section of the wi-fi iTunes podcast section.

Let me give you a better example. Let’s just say that we were to go to the iTunes Store on our computer, we do a search for Podcast Answer Man, and click on the “Subscribe” button from the Podcast Answer Man podcast page “in iTunes.” If we go through this process, then when we click on “Get More Episodes…” in the iPod application, it will take us directly to the Podcast Answer Man Page in the iTunes wi-fi store and give us options to download more episodes that Apple is currently aware of. More on the aware of part of this in just a moment.

However, let’s just say that that we wanted to skip the iTunes store and subscribe the podcast directly. If you have never done this before, you simply click on “Advanced” in the menu of iTunes and then click on “Subscribe To Podcast” and then enter in the url of the rss feed.

If we were to do this, when we click on “Get More Episodes…” in the iPod Application, it WILL NOT take us to the Podcast Answer Man page in iTunes. Instead, it will take us to the “What’s Hot” section in the iTunes wi-fi application for podcasts. This happens even if we use the same rss feed that is registered in the iTunes Store. NOT COOL APPLE!!!!

Another issue is that the iTunes store does not stay consistently synced with podcast rss feeds. I might release an episode of a podcast at 8am and it might not show up in the iTunes listing until it next syncs with the rss feed at 5pm later that day, or whenever they choose to resync.

Of course, there are a ton of podcasts that are not listed in iTunes. So for those podcasts that we are subscribed to, we are out of luck.

No Syncing Back To The Computer:
A third thing that I do not like is that you when you do a search in the iTunes wi-fi store for a podcast and you download an episode, it DOES NOT sync back to your computer! What’s up with that? Did they do any testing on this functionality at all?

What They Should Have Done!
What they should have done was to turn the iPod podcast functionality into an rss reader. When we click “Get More Episodes” it should read the RSS FEED, show us a list of episodes available in the feed and give us the option to download whatever episodes we want to download right there INSIDE the iPod application.

They should have given the ability to subscribe to a podcast right there from the iPod Application by entering an rss feed as well. Basically, the iPod functionality on the iPhone / iPod Touch should function much like the “podcast section” in iTunes, distinct and feature rich and completely usable, independent of the iTunes Store.

Oh, and of course, whatever we would subscribe to or download on the iPod App should sync back to the computer as well.

I like that they allow us to browse the Podcast directory in the iTunes Wi-Fi store. I really am. However, the fact that you can “subscribe” to a podcast and they don’t sync back to the computer. It makes me ask… “Why bother?”

I guess I’m just thankful that they finally approved the gspn.tv Application in the App Store. At least my listeners have some sort of access to the latest content that I produce on the go, including all my premium, password protected content.

What are your thoughts? Share a comment and Join The Conversation!

Podcast Answer Man Podcast
Interview with Tim Bourquin of New Media Expo

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In This Episode, I share an interview I did with Tim Bourquin after he had finished interviewing me for his New Media Expo Podcast.

Don’t forget to call in your questions for the show at 859-795-4067
You can also post questions in the Podcast Answer Man section of the gspn.tv Community Forum.

EQUIPMENT SALES: Please consider purchasing from me when making your next purchase for audio gear to improve the sound of your podcast. Email me at Cliff@gspn.tv or call me. My phone number is on the top of the the Equipment Page.

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It is no secret that I love Wordpress not only for blogging software, but for content management all together. Since the beginning, I’ve helped many of my podcast consulting clients set up some of the best looking and easily navigable podcast sites available.

While I am able to take an existing Wordpress Theme and modify it to meet my client’s needs, I must tell you that I can not take credit for the original designs that I’ve used. I’ve been an affiliate with Revolution Themes for quite some time. And as such, I’ve recommended several clients to use these great themes as the foundation for their online presence.

Effective this morning, my favorite themes are going Open Source with a brand new site named RevolutionTwo.com. What this means is that these themes are now going to be made available for free to the public.

My first thought was how in the world was the team behind these awesome designs ever going to make a living and to continue to be able to provide support for those who use the themes? I learned that they are now offering either a one year or lifetime membership to full support on all their themes.

As a long time customer of theirs, I can tell you that their support for these forums are second to none! Personally, I know the cost of getting a decent web site designed. It would cost no less than $1,000 and likely much more to have a site that looks as good as these themes. For only $99 you get unlimited access to all the Revolution Two Themes and you get full support for 1 year. For only $149 you get a lifetime membership allowing you unlimited support and access to all themes.

I would like to point out that I’m available to help on a one on one basis in learning how to customize these themes to meet your needs. I charge $95 per hour for my services. So you can see how much of a good deal the theme support membership can be!

If you choose to use the Revolution Two themes and/or membership, I’d love it if you would be willing to come to PodcastAnswerMan.com and click on the banner that links to them in the sidebar so that I can get the affiliate commission on the referral.

281,000 individuals nominated a total of 1,874 podcasts for 22 categories in the 2008 People’s Choice Podcast Awards!

Out of those nominated, only 10 podcasts for each category make it to the actual voting round. With 22 categories, this means that of the 1,874 podcasts nominated, only 220 are eligible for this year’s 15 day voting period.

I’m very honored to announce to you that SIX of the 220 podcasts nominated were gspn.tv podcasts!

Below are the podcasts that were nominated and for which category:

About The Church – Education
Weekly Lost Podcast – Entertainment
Full Time Mom – General
Musically Challenged – Podsafe Music
Almost Daily Devotional – Religion & Inspiration
Podcast Answer Man – Technology & Science

The voting will open up at http://PodcastAwards.com on October 23rd and will run for 15 days. In the nomination phase, each person was limited to one vote per category, period.

However, when official voting opens, each person is allowed to vote for their favorite podcast in each category EACH DAY for FIFTEEN DAYS.

It is vitally important that if you wish for gspn.tv podcasts to have a chance of winning an award, that you vote each and every day once the voting opens. If you are willing to make this commitment to proving that the gspn.tv Community is one of the most engaged audiences out there, please let me us know that we can count on your daily vote by TELLING US HERE!

In This Episode, I share an update on the gspn.tv iPhone Application that I mentioned in episode 074 of The Podcast Answer Man Podcast.

I share my excitement over a real time website analytics program called Woopra.

I mention my blog post that describes How To Embed MP3 Flash Players On Regular HTML Sites.

I talk about SurveyMonkey.com and how conducting a survey of your listeners can help you learn things that could be useful in growing your audience.

Finally, I share with you one of my favorite new podcasts put together by a fifth grader and her father titled “With Liberty And Justice For All.” Check out the show, leave her some feedback, and tell her the Podcast Answer Man told you about her.

Don’t forget to call in your questions for the show at 859-795-4067

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Podcast Answer Man Free Feed:

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In this episode I explain why it has been a few weeks since I last released an episode of the Podcast Answer Man podcast. Of course you can see the new layout of the site here. Believe it or not, this theme you see on this site is the exact theme that I used to build this site for a client. I mentioned that we recently released our 1,000th episode for gspn.tv. I also mentioned that I spent more than 10 hours working on this 30 minute video project. I didn’t mention it in the episode, but this is another video project that I did for myself.

I took some time to answer a question from someone in the community regarding setting up an rss feed with feedburner so that you can change from one domain to another without asking your subscribers to subscribe to a new feed.

Here is a screen capture of where you change the original feed address in Feedburner:

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In this episode, I am joined by Jeff Roney of Roney Zone Productions. We talked about a few low cost ideas on how you can promote your podcast!

We talked about Building a relationship with another show, bringing value to the conversation, the use of sub domains for branding purposes, video as a promotional tool even for audio podcasters, and the power of the written word.

CALL IN YOUR PODCAST & NEW MEDIA COMMENTS & QUESTIONS 859-795-4067!

Discuss Podcasting in the gspn.tv Community Forum.

Special Thanks to Agee Design for Sponsoring Our Podcast! Mention Podcast Answer Man for a 20% Discount!

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In this episode, I review the Marantz PMD620 Professional Portable Digital Recorder. I also give a bit of an update regarding my feelings on the Zoom H2 Recorder. I also compare both the Marantz and the Zoom recorders to the Edirol R-09. Folks may be shocked to learn that if I had to replace my Edirol, there is a good chance that I might do so with the PMD620.

GET YOUR PODCASTING AUDIO EQUIPMENT FROM ME!
CALL IN YOUR PODCAST & NEW MEDIA QUESTIONS 859-795-4067!

Discuss Podcasting in the gspn.tv Community Forum.

Special Thanks to Agee Design for Sponsoring Our Podcast! Mention Podcast Answer Man for a 20% Discount!

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Links Mentioned In This Show
Podcamp NYC April 25th – 26th
Podcamp Ohio June 28th
Evan Agee – Agee Design – Our Awesome Sponsor!
Twitter
EverNote
TelePixie Wakeup Calls
GET YOUR PODCASTING AUDIO EQUIPMENT FROM ME!
CALL IN YOUR PODCAST & NEW MEDIA QUESTIONS 859-795-4067!

Discuss Podcasting in the gspn.tv Community Forum.

Special Thanks to Agee Design for Sponsoring Our Podcast! Mention Podcast Answer Man for a 20% Discount!

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I’m honored to receive the review that I got from Lisa Hendey on her blog, Productivity @ Home. Here’s just an excerpt of what she said…

Enter Cliff Ravenscraft, the Podcast Answer Man. With a couple of quick telephone conferences, Cliff was able to advise me on equipment purchases and help me assemble and use my new equipment. His service was friendly, responsive, and related in terms even a rookie podcasting mom could understand.

Had I taken my normal route of consulting “dummies” books, I’m certain I would still be losing sleep and performing at a sub-optimal level. Once I determined that putting together a quality podcast in a time efficient manner was important, the end goal seemed to justify the expense of bringing a consultant on board. I am incredibly pleased with the return on my investment.

Thanks Lisa, it was a pleasure working with you!

In this episode, I talk about the importance of doing everything you can to make things work for your sponsor. There is great potential to do relational based endorsements that would far exceed the effectiveness of nearly any other form of marketing out there. However, there is great potential to really do sponsorships poorly. Either way, you will likely get the income from your original contract with the sponsor. However, the goal is to make it to where the sponsor will want to sign on as a long term sponsor.

Discuss Podcasting in the gspn.tv Community Forum.

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Thanks to Agee Design for sponsoring the Podcast Answer Man!

In this episode, I discuss what a Podcamp is and why I plan to attend no less than four of them this year. A PodCamp is a usually free, community driven, UnConference for new media enthusiasts and professionals including bloggers, podcasters, YouTubers, social networkers, and anyone curious about new media. The first PodCamp was held September 8-10, 2006 in Boston, Massachusetts. PodCamps are now being held worldwide.

Upcoming PodCamps: (Note: There may be more that I’m not yet aware of)
Bold = Events that I am registered for!

* PodCamp Nashville – February 9, 2008
* PodCampMidWest – February 15-16 – Kansas City
* PodCamp Seattle – Februaryish, 2008 (in planning) – Seattle
* PodCamp Toronto 2 – February 23-24, 2008 at Ryerson University
* PodCampWesternMass, March 8, 2008
* PodCampSA (South Africa), – early March 2008 in Bloemfontein, South Africa
* PodCampSLC – March 29th, 2008 – Salt Lake City, Utah
* PodcampDC is coming April 18-20 2008
* PodCamp NYC 2.0, Friday April 25 and Saturday, April 26th, 2008
* PodCamp San Antonio – Numero Dos, May 3, 2008
* PodCamp Atlanta 2 – May 17-18, 2008
* PodCamp Chicago Somewhere in Chicago – June 6, 7, and 8th 2008
* Podcamp Austin – Austin, Texas – June 20, 21, 2008
* PodCamp Ohio – Columbus, Ohio – June 28, 2008
* PodCamp SF – January 18, 2009 @ MacWorld SF

Discuss Podcasting in the gspn.tv Community Forum.

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Thanks to Agee Design for sponsoring the Podcast Answer Man!

The POWER of the HEIL PR40 / PR-40 Microphone!

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Heil PR-40
In this episode, I’ve decided to show off one of my favorite pieces of equipment in my studio. My Heil PR40 microphone was recommended by Leo Leporte. I’m using this episode to show the MAJOR difference in the audio between cheap microphones as they compare to the Heil PR-40 sound.

Of course, I want you to know that one stream of income that I have going in my career as a podcast and new media consultant/coach is that I also sell audio equipment packages. The Heil PR-40 Full Package which includes the Heil Shock Mount, the Heil Boom Mic Arm and a custom popless filter is, by far, my most popular package.

If you are saving up money to improve the quality of your audio sound. Before you buy Compressors, Gates, Equalizers, etc, you should first purchase a professional microphone like the Heil-PR40 and it will increase the quality of your audio well above 95% of all the other podcasts out there.

You can purchase the the Heil PR-40 using the Add To Cart buttons below. Be sure to check out my other equipment packages on my official EQUIPMENT PAGE.

Heil PR-40 Package as show above = $625 (Free Shipping)

Heil PR-40 Package without the Heil Boom Mic Arm = $510 (Free Shipping)

Heil PR-40 Broadcast Mic Only = $325 (Free Shipping)

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In this episode, I talk about the importance of taking your time when naming your podcast

Discuss Podcasting in the gspn.tv Community Forum.

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Thanks to Agee Design for sponsoring the Podcast Answer Man!

Discuss Podcasting in the gspn.tv Community Forum.

In this episode, I do a screencast explaining why I love Netvibes and why it is now my personalized home page. If you would like to add the gspn.tv podcasts tab that I showed in this video, CLICK HERE after you have your netvibes account set up.

If you are interested in talking with me about my podcast consulting services, you can reach me by email at Cliff@Ravenscraft.org or you can use the contact page at BitCastMedia.com.

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Thanks to Agee Design for sponsoring the Podcast Answer Man!

In this episode, I share my concerns about those who attempt to start podcasting using the Live Show format. I was shocked at how this almost came out as sort of a “rant.” I didn’t intend for it to come out that way. I’m wondering if this might spark an ongoing conversation on the topic.

In the episode, I shared my suggestion that using a cheap microphone and recording into AUDACITY would bring you a much higher quality of sound than that of recording into a phone line. Not only that, but I prefer listening to a podcast when the host(s) are pretending that they are speaking to, or for the benefit of, ME, the downloading listener. I don’t get this same feeling from many of the shows that focus so much of their attention on those who have joined them live.

It’s just been something going through my head I guess and I am not sure I delivered my thoughts well in this episode, but I got it off my chest and we’ll see what comes of it.

Discuss Podcasting in the gspn.tv Community Forum.

If you are interested in talking with me about my podcast consulting services, you can reach me by email at Cliff@Ravenscraft.org or you can use the contact page at BitCastMeida.com.

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Thanks to Agee Design for sponsoring the Podcast Answer Man!

Discuss Podcasting in the gspn.tv Community Forum.

If you are interested in talking with me about my podcast consulting services, you can reach me by email at Cliff@Ravenscraft.org or you can use the contact page at BitCastMeida.com.

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Thanks to Agee Design for sponsoring the Podcast Answer Man!

Discuss Podcasting in the gspn.tv Community Forum.

In this episode, I share why I rely so heavily on using an audio mixer in my podcast recordings. I also explain what a mix-minus is and how to set one up. Check out the new equipment page on the blog!

If you are interested in talking with me about my podcast consulting services, you can reach me by email at Cliff@Ravenscraft.org or you can use the contact page at BitCastMedia.com.

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Thanks to Agee Design for sponsoring the Podcast Answer Man!

Discuss Podcasting in the gspn.tv Community Forum.

In this episode, I take a quick lunch break to bring you a video podcast of some options out there for microphones for your podcast. Check out the new equipment page on the blog!

If you are interested in talking with me about my podcast consulting services, you can reach me by email at Cliff@Ravenscraft.org or you can use the contact page at BitCastMedia.com.

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Thanks to Agee Design for sponsoring the Podcast Answer Man!

Discuss Podcasting in the gspn.tv Community Forum.

In this episode, I discussed how The Podacast Answer Man will now be a part of my personal/professional blog at CliffRavenscraft.com. Also, I explained that I am going to official end the NetJunk and Pursuing Your Passion podcasts and move the content from those shows into the Podcast Answer Man show. This is an an effort to streamline my efforts in podcasting. More about this in the episode.

T.J. called in with a question about how I play my audio clips right into the show as we record. I use a program called Pod Producer which you can get for FREE at PodProducer.net.

Chris Oatley called in and asked about video podcasting. I do plan on doing more video podcasting and I will certainly be doing many episode devoted to the topic. In this episode, I do share some important tips as far as shopping for a camera. Make sure any camera you buy has an AUDIO INPUT JACK! This is extremely important. I also shared that a good place to host your video files is Libsyn at Libsyn.com. I also mentioned Podango, but asked anyone who was considering the use of Podango to hold off just another few days until they here our big announcement in the gspn.tv State of the Community address that I’ll be releasing this week.

Jon from MonsterCookies.ca wrote a question in our forum. He wanted to know why his artwork and description would not update in iTunes even though he had updated this information on his libsyn account. The problem is that Jon is using Feedburner. This is where iTunes is looking for the feed data. I explained that Jon needs to sign into his feedburner account, go to the “Optimize” Tab in the settings panel and then click on the “Smartfeed” option. It is here that he should change his podcast artwork, description, and keywords.

Call in your comments and questions to our Listener Feedback Line at 859-795-4067 and we’ll try to play your call in our next show.

If you are interested in talking with me about my podcast consulting services, you can reach me by email at Cliff@Ravenscraft.org or you can use the contact page at BitCastMedia.com.

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Thanks to Agee Design for sponsoring the Podcast Answer Man!