I’ve been consulting for a number of years in Information Technology. My focus has always been Online Collaboration. The amount of activity being generated in corporate America is amazing. I don’t know if it’s Web 2.0 or simply that the people in positions to make decisions are opening their eyes to the fact that online Collaboration is happening in every facet our lives. 

YouTube, Facebook and any number of other Social Networking sites are becoming important because the ability to connect with some one that we respect and believe is much easier that it has ever been. I can gather any number of opinions and use them to create my educate view of any subject in a matter of minutes.

If you are going to make a impact with your company as either a consultant or an employee you have to find opportunities to position yourself as an expert in your area. It’s pretty easy to do at the moment. If you capture your day to day knowledge transfer with your customer or employer in a form that can be easily shared and can be “Time Shifted” to provide the information in a form and a time that is convenient for consumption by your audience.

I’ve begun this year to record my troubleshooting and training sessions as both Podcasts and Web Videos. These Podcasts make me look like a genius because no one else is doing that level of support and documentation. My customers simply rave about the fact they can get access to my expertise anytime they need it.

If you are old enough to remember when the PC first came out. The guys or gals in the office that where able to use “VisiCalc” or “Lotus 1-2-3″ for spreadsheets looked like gods to Management? Why? Because they could get answers to problems and create the documentation of those problems all in record time. The documentation (the spreadsheet) was shared and consumed by people all over the company simply by sharing the file. The file contained the instructions on how to solve a problem. How wonderful is that!

Podcasting and Webcasting is the “Lotus 1-2-3″ for this decade. If you can capture important information in a format that can be consumed anytime and anywhere your value to your company will be enhanced. Your ability to position yourself as an expert is increased because very few people are willing or able to provide the same level of quality information in an easy consumable form.

Podcasting is a way to present information once and then reuse it over and over again. If you have created your information using principled techniques your Podcast can be consumed for a long time.

Podcasting and Webcasting is a skill that involves two (2) separate components. First there is the technology, which can be formidable. The second component needed to be successful is the ability to understand how to present or market the information to your customers. I don’t care if you are a consultant or a full-time employee. If you don’t package the information is a way that is easily consumed your simply wasting your time.

What’s most important to understand is that only about 30-40% of the skills you need are focused around the technology. Most of the challenges you will face are around the presentation or marketing of your content.

Last year I attended a course on Podcasting called “Podcast Secrets“. It was presented by one of the top experts in Podcasting. His name is Paul Colligan and he’s a expert in the technology and clearly understand the value building systems that are easy to manage and maintain. Paul’s co-host is Alex Mandossian an undisputed expert in Electronic Marketing. They release a book called the Business Podcasting Bible. The course was a deep dive into the current state of the technology and the marketing skills needed to be successful with Podcasting.

If you are responsible for sharing information with employees or customers you should really take this course.

With Paul and Alex’s help this course helped me understand not only the “How” to build and maintain my Podcasts, but more importantly they gave me in-site Electronic Marketing revolution. Understanding the reasons and the ways that Podcasting can help build creditability is critical to your success.

I’m using this episode of the Collaboration Secrets Podcast to give thanks to and promote Podcast Secrets 2008. Don’t miss this class IF you are interested in making a significant improvement in your professional reputation or you are looking for ways to accelerate our income.

Thanks and I’ll see you Online!

Episode #5

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