Podonomics

After getting a heads up from Rob Walch, I did some research on Mur Lafferty. I never met her, but with all that she’s accomplished in podcasting over the past 2-years, this list wouldn’t be complete without adding Mur.

I’m not usually wrong (I’m a Capricorn, what do you expect), but in this case, it’s wrong to exclude Mur and her accomplishments in podcasting from my definitive Top 10 list. I already updated the final Top 10 list with Mur’s profile, but I have to pay tribute to her successes with a quick summary.

A self-professed writing junkie, Mur Lafferty spends her days writing for magazines and producing several of her own podcasts.

Mur is one of the first women to author a book on podcasting. She co-authored Tricks of the Podcasting Masters which was the only podcasting book selected by Amazon as one of the Best Books of 2006 in the Reference category. Mur also produces presidential candidate John Edwards’ podcast called At the Table, a podcast that captures the informal dinner conversation between Edwards and his wife.

Mur also produces 2 of her own podcasts:

• Geek Fu Action Grip - A podcast about all things geeky.
• I Should Be Writing - A podcast helping freelance writers navigate through the freelance writing market.

Mur is one of my picks as a Top 10 savvy woman in podcasting in 2006.

Technorati: mur lafferty, women in podcasting, women, women in technology, top 10, podcasting

Over the past 10-days, I introduced my selection of the Top 10 Savvy Women in Podcasting for 2006.

They’re not hot, nor are they brainless. Instead, these 10 women are smart, savvy and chose to use podcasting in an innovative way to educate others, increase sales, decrease costs, make money or raise their profile. They all contributed something unique to the field of podcasting and are blazing their own trail.

Here are the 10 women I covered over the past 10-days.

Penny Haynes is the producer behind the successful International Podcasting Expo (IPE).

Dr. Kathleen King launched 2 services this year to help bring together educators interested in podcasting, ILearnRadio.org and BX Radio Network.

Donna Papacosta teaches communicators how to use podcasting to compliment other communication tools.

Joanne Colan was handpicked to host the hugely successful video podcast, Rocketboom, at one of its most critical points.

Amber MacArthur is helping mainstream audiences learn more about podcasting and all things technology through her daily segment on a mainstream television station.

Colette Vogele co-authored the Podcasting Legal Guide to help podcast producers understand how to use content in their podcasts.

Amanda Congdon owns a 49% stake in one of the most popular video podcasts.

Gretchen Vogelzang & Paige Heninger, better known as the hosts of Mommycast.com, were the first female podcasters to ink a 6-figure sponsorship deal with a major coporation.

Audrey Reed-Granger launched one of the first consumer goods podcasts for a Fortune 500 and continues to produce it 18-months later.

Mur Lafferty’s book - Tricks of the Podcasting Masters - is the only podcasting book to make Amazon’s Top 10 Best Books of 2006 in the Reference category.

Technorati: mur lafferty, Audrey Reed-Granger, amanda congdon, penny haynes, dr. kathleen king, donna papacosta, joanne colan, amber mac, colette vogele, mommycast, women in podcasting, women, women in technology, top 10, podcasting

One night, the Director of Public Relations at Whirlpool saw her husband doing something odd. He was listening to a recording of a program that sounded like radio, only it wasn’t on radio. After Audrey Reed-Granger listened to her husband describe what a podcast is, she decided to produce one for Whirlpool.

Not only did Audrey make podcasting history by becoming one of the first consumer goods corporations to launch a podcast in 2005, but she silenced many of her critics who thought she’d fall flat on her face for focusing on issues rather than promoting products.

The success with The American Family Podcast (what the Whirlpool podcast is called) is all in the numbers. Audrey reported at a conference that the Whirlpool podcast went from 800 downloads to 70,000 in just 12-months. Her return on investment for all those ears? Just under $140 on podcasting equipment.

Audrey Reed-Granger is one of my picks as a top 10 savvy woman in podcasting.

Technorati: women in podcasting, women, women in technology, top 10, podcasting

Gretchen Vogelzang & Paige Heninger, better known as the hosts of Mommycast.com, are using their podcast to hold the world together, one child at a time. With a few hundred thousand listeners, Gretchen & Paige have become the conduit that companies can use to target moms in their promotional campaigns.

While others were still trying to figure out how to profit from podcasting, these 2 simple moms made podcasting history in November 2005 by becoming one of the first podcasters to ink a 6-figure sponsorship deal with a major corporation. This 12-month deal propelled Gretchen & Paige to stardom in the podcasting field and made them sought after speakers at many events, teaching businesses how to use podcasting as a profitable tool.

Recently, Mommycast parted ways with Podshow, a company that’s one of the largest distributors of new media content, due to reasons unknown. Although Mommycast left Podshow, their internet celebrity status continues to rise as they’re now represented by a Hollywood talent agency.

Gretchen Vogelzang & Paige Heninger are two of my picks as the top 10 savvy women in podcasting for 2006.

Technorati: mommycast, women in podcasting, women, women in technology, top 10, podcasting

Think Richard Hatch, the man who schemed his way to win the first season of the hit television show Survivor, is the ultimate survivor? Well, that title could very well go to Amanda Congdon, a video podcaster who will appear regularly on ABC’s online news channel, ABC News Now, and will host a weekly five-minute video blog appearing on ABC.com.

Amanda is best known for being the host of one of the most popular video podcasts called Rocketboom. In the spring of 2006, Amanda left (or was fired) from Rocketboom and although it was a messy “break-up,” the news surrounding her departure landed in the NY Times, Washington Post, PBS and MSNBC. After Amanda’s story hit the mainstream, she hosted a summer video podcast series called Amanda Across America, sponsored by Ford and blip.tv.

While some give Amanda flack for airing her grievances with Rocketboom’s producer on her blog (complete with 224 comments), she still holds a 49% stake in Rocketboom and stands to profit from its continued success, even while she thunders on to other creative opportunities.

For this reason, Amanda is one of my top 10 savvy women in podcasting for 2006.

Technorati: amanda congdon, women in podcasting, women, women in technology, top 10, podcasting

If you want a legal perspective on podcasting, Colette Vogele is the person you need. Head of her own law firm based in California called Vogele & Associates, Colette advises companies on how to protect their intellectual property in the new media and technology space.

Colette is often seen speaking at events about the impact of podcasting on law (and vice versa), most recently at Podcamp West and the Podcast & Portable Media Expo. She co-authored the Podcasting Legal Guide, a much needed resource that provides advice on how to use and distribute content legally using a podcast. This guide has become the Bible to help podcast producers know what they can and can’t include in a podcast, especially if they have a simple question and require a simple response.

While her work keeps her mainly on the West coast, she recently admitted that she’s passionate about what this medium has to offer and is looking forward to be the podcasting industry’s “legal star.” Her own podcast is in the works and in the meantime, you can catch up with her podcasting thoughts on her blog.

Colette is one of my picks as a Top 10 savvy woman in podcasting in 2006.

Technorati: colette vogele, women in podcasting, women, women in technology, top 10, podcasting

If you’re looking for a lady who loves to report on the mashup between technology and pop culture, Amber MacArthur is just the person. Amber is busy at work at City-TV as their New Media Specialist, helping mainstream audiences learn more about Web 2.0 and all things technology through her daily segment called World Wide Web.

Amber’s face is well known in the podcasting world. Along with her day job, Amber still finds time to produce and host her own video podcasts, the very ones that helped her land a job at City-TV. Her 3 video podcasts are:

• CommandN
• net@nite with Leo Laporte on the TWIT network
• Inside Popnology, a City-TV branded podcast looking at technology trends

Because of her amazing ability to ask just the right questions, Amber can be found at many events moderating a panel or sharing her experiences as a podcaster.

Amber is one of my picks as a Top 10 savvy women in podcasting for 2006.

Technorati: amber mac, amber macarthur, women in podcasting, women, women in technology, top 10, podcasting

A former MTV Europe VJ, Joanne Colan entered the podcasting world just 6-months ago. Having had TV experience while living in her native England, Joanne made the easy transition into video podcasting with her adorable accent and TV smarts.

Fluent in both English and French (listen to Episode 5 of Podonomics), Joanne was handpicked by Andrew Michael Baron to host the hugely successful video podcast, Rocketboom, at one of its most critical points. Not only did Joanne show that she’s not just another pretty face, but she quickly took Rocketboom beyond where it was and made it a better brand.

She’s the missing battery from the remote control and she’s my pick as one of the Top 10 savvy women in podcasting in 2006.

Technorati: joanne colan, women in podcasting, women, women in technology, top 10, podcasting

Whether she’s preparing a newsletter or polishing off an ezine, Donna Papacosta is a communications genius who knows how to help her clients use both old and new media to communicate their message.

Having hosted Episode #177 on the critically acclaimed podcast called For Immediate Release hosted by Shel Holtz & Neville Hobson, Donna continues to share her podcasting knowledge with her peers in the communications and public relations field. Not only is she called upon regularly to sit on panels and speak at events, Donna also teaches communicators how to use podcasting in their communications mix through her bootcamp and teleclasses.

Her own podcast, Trafcom News Podcast, is held as an example on how to produce a podcast that has excellent sound qualities without taking a huge bite out of your bottom line.

Donna is my pick as one of the Top 10 savvy women in podcasting in 2006.

Technorati: donna papacosta, women in podcasting, women, women in technology, top 10, podcasting

While Dr. King (of Martin Luther fame) encouraged people worldwide to dream for peace, Dr. Kathleen King is on a mission to help educators worldwide incorporate podcasting into their curriculum as a teaching tool.

A frequent speaker on the role podcasting plays in education, most recently at the Podcast & Portable Media Expo as well as the International Podcasting Expo, Dr. King has written a new book on the convergence between technology and education called Harnessing Innovative Technology for Higher Education (although she’s authored many other titles). She’s not finished there as a newly minted contract with her publisher will set her up to publish one title a year.

On top of that, Dr. King launched 2 services this year to help bring together educators interested in podcasting, ILearnRadio.org and BX Radio Network. Of course, she hosts a couple of podcasts, one called Adventures in Transformative Learning, the other Podcast for Teachers.

Dr. King is the area code that completes the 10-digit conference call number and she’s my pick as a Top 10 savvy woman in podcasting for 2006.

Technorati: dr. kathleen king, women in podcasting, women, women in technology, top 10, podcasting