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Saturday, February 02, 2008

Get the FIR widget!

I found a new service called Sprout that allows you to build a widget that plays multimedia, among a lot of other things. It’s remarkably easy to use, as I found out when I managed to get into the beta. It took about 10 minutes to build this widget, which plays the most current episode of FIR. As each episode is posted, I’ll just go into the widget builder and update the media link so it always plays the most recent episode. Just copy the embed code (click “share”) and visitors to your site or blog can listen to FIR directly from your page. Pretty cool, huh?

 

Posted by shel on 02/02 at 11:49 AM
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Friday, January 04, 2008

The FIR Listener Contest is open

If you’re wondering about business podcasting - how to start one, where it might fit within your communication planning, or even how to make your current podcast more effective - winning the FIR Listener Contest could be the answer you’re looking for!

To mark the third anniversary of For Immediate Release: The Hobson & Holtz Report on January 3, we decided to run a contest for listeners where the prize is a free copy of How to Do Everything with Podcasting, the book written by Shel Holtz with Neville Hobson (FIR’s co-presenters) and published last June by McGraw-Hill. The book’s list price is $24.99 / £14.99 / C$29.95.

How to Do Everything with Podcasting walks you step by step through the process of creating, publishing and promoting your own podcast. It includes a substantial business focus that will help you see how businesses can use podcasting as an effective and measurable way to communicate with customers and employees.

There are actually three copies of the book up for grabs, depending on where in the world you are.

We’ve arbitrarily divided the world into three segments - The Americas, Europe and the Rest of the World - and we’re looking to award the book to one winner in each of these areas.

The whole FIR team is behind this contest - Neville Hobson and Shel Holtz, together with FIR correspondents Lee Hopkins, Dan York, David Phillips, Eric Schwartzman and Sallie Goetsch - and will judge each entry.

How to Enter

  1. Tell us your answer to this simple question:
    "I think a podcast will help my organization/my client because..."
  2. You can communicate your answer to us in English in any way you wish - email, recording (audio or video), comments to this post, whatever way you think is the most effective. Look around this blog for your contact options.
  3. Submit your answer by the deadline - Friday January 25, 2008 at 6:00pm GMT.

That’s all there is to it.

Of course, there are a couple of little contest rules:

  1. There is no entry cost to the contest. In other words, it’s free to enter.
  2. With your entry please provide your name, your email address and your location (country and city). You can also submit any other information you’d like to tell us, eg, your phone number or address, but it’s not required to enter. If you’re a winner, we’ll ask you for that information.
  3. If your answer is written, please limit your content to 400 words.
  4. If an audio recording, please submit an MP3 file, maximum length 8 minutes or size 4 megs. If video, do not send the file but tell us where on the net it’s located and we’ll visit it.
  5. The three winners will be announced in FIR #315 on Thursday January 31, 2008. Copies will be mailed to each winner during the following week (or as soon as we know postal addresses).
  6. We will not use your personal information for any purpose other than related to this contest. And no one other than the judges (see above) will see it.
  7. There is no cash or other alternative to the three prizes.
  8. By entering this contest, you give us the right to make use of your entry in any way we decide in connection with the FIR podcast series. We are more than happy to exercise any right under a Creative Commons license.
  9. This contest is void where prohibited by law. Contest entrants are responsible for determining their eligibility to enter.
  10. The judges’ decision will be final and no correspondence will be entered into about any entry.

Listen to episodes of FIR during January as we’ll be talking more about the contest.

Good luck!

Posted by neville on 01/04 at 02:02 AM
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Monday, December 10, 2007

The FIR #300 marathon coming

Whew! We just completed recording the 300th episode of For Immediate Release: The Hobson and Holtz Report.

Quite a marathon session which, as you’ll hear when it’s posted, contains many contributions from members of the FIR community to mark this milestone episode.

We want to make sure we include everyone’s contributions, which means a bit more time on editing than usual. It also means this show will be a bit longer than usual.

The show will be up today but not until sometime this evening California time.

It’ll be worth the wait, promise!

Posted by neville on 12/10 at 09:18 AM
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Sunday, October 07, 2007

Conversations at FIR Geek Dinner Oct 5

image

A great success is how we would judge the first FIR Geek Dinner in the UK which took place in Windsor on Friday October 5, 2007.

As the photo indicates, we had a full house in the Ristorante Amalfi where nearly a dozen of us gathered over dinner. Many of us already knew each other; for some, it was a first time to meet.

In all cases, we had at least one thing in common - FIR and being part of its global community.

Guests game from far and wide. Co-host Neville Hobson and wife Laura from down the road in Wokingham. Co-host Shel Holtz and wife Michele from Concorde, California. Everyone else from the surroundings of London: Canterbury, Kingston, Chiseldon near Swindon, Amersham, Maidenhead and Hartley Wintney.

Who’s who, clockwise from left: Jed Baxter, Shel Holtz, Michele Holtz, Alan (?), Samantha Grant, Martyn Davies, Neville Hobson, Ronna Porter, Michael Blowers, David Phillips. Photographer (not pictured): Laura Hobson.

Others also took photos; you can see them at Flickr if they’re tagged firgeekdinner.

We had a blast! Thanks to everyone for being there.

Posted by neville on 10/07 at 04:36 AM
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Monday, September 24, 2007

FIR Geek Dinner in Windsor Oct 5

Shel and Neville will be presenting two FIR episodes together next week during Shel’s UK visit.

Not only that, we’re planning an FIR Geek Dinner on Friday October 5. Both our wives will be there, too.

The dinner will be in Windsor starting at about 7.30pm. Venue not yet fixed - we’ll have it confirmed by the end of this week - but it will be within easy reach of the two train stations as well as by car.

If you’d like to join us for an informal and relaxed evening of good company and conversation, let us know. Or if you’re a member of the FIR Group on Facebook, just reply to the invitation sent to all members.

Hope to see you in Windsor on October 5!

Posted by neville on 09/24 at 10:46 PM
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Tuesday, August 28, 2007

FIR makes Podfinder UK list

Neville and I were delighted to learn that FIR was featured on Episode 23 of Podfinder UK. Here’s the entire show, which is nice and short. We’re the fourth of five podcasts reviewed. Thanks to Neil and Josephine!

Posted by shel on 08/28 at 09:08 AM
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Saturday, August 18, 2007

On the right road

Special thanks to Tom Keefe for sending this (and a few other) photos along. Tom was in Granger, Indiana when he came upon FIR Road:

image

Posted by shel on 08/18 at 07:20 AM
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