Stuff the Oscars, two Birmingham businesses have been nominated for a Webby. Stef and 3form is being recognised for it’s work on the First Light Movies site, a national film initiative established in Brum.
Tag: Birmingham UK
Podnosh is based in Birmingham in the UK, so often we write about exciting things that are going on near us.
Making social media work. Simpified.

Thanks Tess and Anthony. Want quick clarification?
Podcasts worth $165 million in the USA
Techcrunch has some guestimates from eMarketeer that reckon the number of active podcast consumers in America was 6.5 million last year (who yielded advertising worth $165 million) and will grow to 25 milion in 2012. Now the bold use of future numbers (licked finger in air) is why I’ve always struggled with a business plan (what are your predictions of tunrover/profit in 3 years and 5 years – how the b***ocks should I know!?).
I’m interested that last year 18.5 million Americans listened to a podcast and a more importantly one third of those remained active listeners. One of the reasons for this is the ease with which podcast can be found and consumed. I’ve already speculated on this and know there is a real appetite for the right niche content, so based on these numbers perhaps I should refine the planning. But I wont be paying eMarketeer $695 for the full report. Now if they bothered to present it in audio or video….
4Talent – Social Media for the Creative Industries.
A while back Antonio Gould sat in my back bedroom and we talked about social media. He’d come round to record some ideas about podcasting for his fifth and apparently final Birmingham made Channel 4 media cast. It is a great listen. Antonio has a clear and enthusiastic delivery, well produced, with loads of very useful content.
The aim is to encourage creative businesses to use all forms of social media, but starting with basics like a blog or perhaps a podcast. I think the lessons apply equally to social enterprises and to local and community groups.
Mark McGuiness makes a compelling case for a realistic use of a blog. It’s like “networking on steroids”, he tells us before adds oddles of great advice and pointing us to copyblogger, one of my favourites gapingvoid of Hugh Mcleod’s Global Microbrand idea, and David Airey.
Emily Martin of Black Apple makes a great case study. Antonio met her when speaking in America about Etsy. She explains why her online home craft business (“I carry my original paintings and prints, and all sorts of curiosities”) benefits from the relationships established through blogging: “It’s not something that will be articulated in the business schools, but people get attached to you. It’s ephemeral and that’s why they like it”.
Indeed – the ephemeral is tricky to measure, but that doesn’t mean it has no value.