RawVoice Support

Hi Everyone

This is a long announcement but please read it all the way through also
there is a new BrryCast online at www.brrycast.com
<http://www.brrycast.com/> First and foremost I want to welcome all the new
members to the Blubrry Community. I wanted today to step back and cover the
strategy and thoughts that went into the building of the Blubrry website and
cover some points that we have covered in past announcements but I felt need
to be covered again as we have a lot of new community members.

When the team at RawVoice laid out the design criteria for Blubrry.com we
wanted a site that gave each Podcaster an equal opportunity for exposure and
also the opportunity to display there branding and give them as much control
over there show page as possible. The Top Picks list was weighted so that
any show could get exposure and that we could adjust the criteria at will so
things did not stay static. With the introduction of Hot Picks we will be
giving listeners a chance to pick specific shows that stand out as another
way to break out along with some other cools stuff we will be adding
shortly.

Our Goal was to take elements of MySpace combine them with Elements of a
Podcast Directory what emerged is what you see today. The main thing we knew
for sure was that we did not want Blubrry.com to be just another directory.
The design is what it is but this lead us into a discussion topic that
helped drive our terms of service and podcast listing requirements.

The balance was how not to become just a podcast directory but yet become a
viable site for podcasters and those that joined the community. What I want
to focus on are several of the terms of service and how several of them were
formulated.

When we sat down with fellow podcasters before the launch and talked about
the podcast listing requirements to be on Blubrry. As a community we made
the decision that each show that was listed on the site would be required to
help in building the sites awareness. The podcasters suggested that we
require each show in a non invasive way promote Blubrry.com on their podcast
through very short shout out promo type inserts.

This requirement is outlined in the terms of service but we have noticed a
trend that has us concerned. Podcasters that signed up in the first month we
were online have been very good in promoting the site and using some of the
promos that other podcasters have created (see bottom of page for promo
links) but as of late many of the new shows are not promoting the site at
all in there podcast.

Our goal was not to have 20,000 podcasters sign up for Blubrry. Our goal is
to have several thousand podcasters that wanted to be here, that would be a
integral part of the blubrry community

In having each Podcaster promote the site every other member will benefit in
getting exposure from listeners who visit the site and explore the show
listings. This builds momentum for all and drives listener increases.
Because through the social aspects of the site, we bring all our collective
listeners together.

The site design allows listeners find podcast in an easy to navigate way.
Through the large graphics you can put on your show page they get awareness
of your brand. Because there is no intrusive advertising on your pages there
is no confusion that your brand is your brand.

We have made it easy for them to consume your content and clearly give them
a link to your home page. Many podcasters have generic home pages with no
branding and we knew that some would make Blubrry there primary home and
many of you have.

While I don't like to talk about money all the time, this is a important
aspect of the blubrry plan. I knew from experience that in order for
RawVoice as a business to grow, (yes we are a business) that we would have
to have a business model wrapped around Blubrry. We knew that we would be
able to negotiate ad deals easier with larger number of podcasters in a
buying pool. This is one of the reasons in the membership agreement that you
give us permission to negotiate on your behalf with the right of refusal on
any deal that we present to you no one else offers that kind of a opt out
clause.

Thus far we have nearly 100 shows at Blubrry.com making money simply by
having listed there show here that filled out the advertising survey so that
we would have the information that we needed to present their podcast to
advertisers.

To date 255 shows of the 610 listed have filled out the advertising surveys.
I would like to see that number go up dramatically, so that we as a company
can help you in finding sponsorship deals to help sustain your shows for the
long haul. This gives us the incentive to continue to roll out new features
and invest in the website.

I have said this before but I will say it again. This company is not funded
we are funding this out of our back pockets. We all have day jobs and would
like to build out all of our site offerings so that we can be full time. In
order to do that though we have to help your shows become more successful
and build audience numbers. But we cannot do it alone. The only way this is
going to happen though is if we all work together as a community.

I care about Podcasters I am a Podcaster myself and I know the hard work
that goes into building a show and audience it is not easy. I also know that
some people are not in it for the money and that is cool. You still can be
listed at Blubrry but the promotion requirement stands. All of our time is
valuable and I want to make sure that those that want to take there shows to
the next level are represented well.

I hide very little in what we are doing I tell it the way it is and we
probably disclose to much information. But if we are to succeed as a
community I must be very open with all of you so that you know where we are
headed and if you see something you do not like you can call us on it.

That being said I don't want to have to start de-listing shows because they
are not contributing to the growth of the site. But at the same time if 200
of the 600 shows on the network are promoting the site in a non intrusive
way on there podcast than the other 400 are getting free publicity and
exposure. Every show has a specific format and I am not here to dictate
anything you do on your shows but lets build this baby out together and lets
continue with this media evolution.

The cost of being part of this community is cheap. So please give the site a
simple shout out during your shows. If we all did this the long term payoff
would be significant. It's the ultimate in viral marketing. At the same
time help us help you by filling out your advertising surveys via the "Your
Settings" menu item.

I am not going to harp on this as I know some are using the site as a
directory, but as the site numbers grow we will be inclined to take care of
the shows that are helping the site grow more than those that have signed up
and are just using use as another place to be listed.

I highly encourage each of you to visit faq.blubrry.com and read through the
past announcements and the FAQ there as it is chock full of the ideology and
the process we are using here.

But we remain a site that does not lock you in, we don't make you sign a
contract and you can leave at any time. The user agreement is the fairest of
all podcasting sites. Help us make Blubrry the social podcast community of
choice one that podcasters want to be part of.

Remember your input and your listener input is what drives the development
of this site.

Todd Cochrane

CEO RawVoice

Resources:

Blubrry Promos http://www.blubrry.com/page.php?p=spots

Terms and Conditions http://www.blubrry.com/page.php?p=podcastterms