This is just irritating. MediaPost reports that Podcast Users Outnumber Bloggers:
US adults who download podcasts now outnumber those who publish blogs, according to new data by Nielsen//NetRatings. More than 9.2 million Web users, or 6.6 percent of U.S. adult Web users, have downloaded an audio podcast in the last 30 days, compared to 6.7 million users (4.8 percent) who published blogs in that time, according to the research company. Nielsen//NetRatings also reported that around 5.6 million online adults (4 percent) have downloaded a video podcast in the last 30 days.
What on earth is that comparison supposed to mean? It’s like saying that people who listen to songs on the radio outnumber the book-writers. Or better yet, the song-writers. Downloading a podcast is like reading a blog, not like blogging. Therefore the comparison makes no sense. You could compare the number of people who reads blogs to those who download podcasts but I guess that’s just not so easy to assess. So let’s just compare what is measurable, instead of what actually makes sense. So media industry, dahling!
It shows a total lack of understanding of the unmediated, distributed or networked ‘media’, their audiences and interactions among them. I often point out these days that there is no such thing as the ultimate audience as your readers/listeners/viewers become your distributors and occassionally co-creators as they pass your ideas and creations along. The Nielsen//NetRatings comparison statistic highlights how pointless is to focus on aggregate numbers within a networked space.
And here is another gem:
Video podcast users were 764 percent more likely than the average user to visit StarTrek.com, a CBS Paramount site based on the 40-year-old "Star Trek" TV franchise. Video podcast users were also 630 percent more likely than average to visit Live365.com, and 624 percent more likely than average to visit Fark.com.
Video podcasts? Video blogging or vlogging, sure, but video podcast…? Let’s talk about musical essays, shall we? At least learn the lingo, damn it. And, by the way, what’s wrong with Star Trek? Not that I watch it, you understand.
Nick Buckley
on Jul 20th, 2006
@ 10:14 am:
I think the problem is that when you first start bringing things back from the new world, even the well-travelled start out trying to smoke dried potatoes and eat boiled tobacco.
Adriana
on Jul 22nd, 2006
@ 11:32 am:
Yeah, Nick. However, this is NOT a new land anymore. 3 years ago, perhaps. Today they really need to get a clue before the train runs them over.
Clue-train… geddit?