Draw in the mobile, tech-savvy crowd with a multimedia
podcast feed
http://www.channelnewsasia.com/stories/technologynews/view/184557/1/.html
There was a time when webcasts were considered an advanced mode of
workplace communication. Not any more.
Companies are slowly turning to podcasting as a cheap, convenient
way to disseminate information to their intended audience.
Podcasting is based on RSS technology - resource description
framework site summary, otherwise known as rich site summary or
really simple syndication - a format for distributing and
syndicating content, such as news, from an online publisher to Web
users.
The user does not have to troll websites for information as content
feeds are sent directly to him. He simply connects his portable
multimedia player to the computer and the subscribed podcasts are
pushed to the device.
There are several areas where podcasting can be used in the
enterprise space. For example, management can broadcast internal
messages to employees, much like how corporate newsletters are used
to relay an organisation's strategic directions, announcements and
achievements.
Podcasts can also be used to transmit corporate information to
external parties such as partners, customers and
shareholders.
Singapore-listed United Test and Assembly Centre (Utac) is an
example of a company that has adopted podcasting as a means to
reach out to its shareholders and the investing community. It
podcast its second-quarter and third-quarter results this
year.
"In this contemporary age, with people constantly on the go, we
have to move with and adapt to the pace of technological
development and information flow, or risk being left behind," said
Mr Chong Chow Pin, Utac's director of investor relations and
corporate communications.
"The decision to use podcasting was made to allow us to explore
more creative uses of technology, to better communicate corporate
development announcements to shareholders."
He said that the on-demand availability and mobility offered by
podcasting allows the company to reach the masses quickly and
efficiently.
"As it is based on RSS technology, information disseminated via
podcasting is 'push-delivered' to the subscriber without requiring
him to visit our website or the SGXNET to download the content,"
explained Mr Chong.
"Podcasting is easily accessible to anyone with an Internet
connection. In addition, podcasting presents the interested
subscriber with a list of announcements and allows him to pick and
choose only those that interest him."
However, he stressed that Utac is not forsaking more traditional
channels of communication, such as email alerts, Webcasts,
conference calls and physical briefings. It merely wants to offer
shareholders the flexibility of listening in to its briefings at
their convenience.
"With the audio format, relevant information is delivered to you on
your portable digital music device and can be listened to wherever
you are - be it while walking around town, working out in the gym,
or while driving to and from work," Mr Chong said.
"Interested investors do not have to obtain the relevant content by
reading a page, being in front of a television set at an appointed
broadcast time or sitting in front of a computer and scrolling
through a website."
Mr Alan Goh, director of business development at financial portal
ShareInvestor.com Ptd Ltd, agrees that podcasting makes information
delivery more mobile.
"The company's target audience can download the audio presentation
and take it with them as they go out jogging or while travelling to
the office. It is hard to think of another multimedia channel that
is as versatile," he said.
ShareInvestor has been plugging the benefits of podcasting as an
alternative mode of communications to listed companies in
Singapore.
"The key thing we often emphasise is that podcasting can increase
the company's mind share among its target audience," said Mr
Goh.
"This can be achieved as investors can easily listen to a podcast
while doing other tasks online or even while running on the
treadmill in the gym. We believe that podcasts can increase the
awareness of a company and enhance its image and brand value in the
minds of its investors and other target audiences."
Companies should take note not to merely extract the audio track
from the video footage of a briefing and post that as a podcast, Mr
Goh added. As such a podcast would require a copy of the slide
presentation, it limits the usefulness of a purely audio
format.
Companies should produce their podcasts like a radio talk show or
as a speech. This makes it easier for the listener to follow the
topics discussed and points raised.
The authenticity of the podcast can also be called into question.
Mr Chong told Today that since podcasting pushes a complete audio
file to the subscriber, it is possible that unscrupulous listeners
might edit the file and pass it off as an original from the
company, but with erroneous information.
"While we can control the possibility of having the content
illegally edited by deploying a streaming audio format instead of a
podcast, it will, however, defeat the purpose of making the
information portable and convenient for our intended audience," he
said.
Then, there are concerns about copyright issues and possible
libellous remarks being made.
"Podcasting could get as big as blogging and therefore open up a
can of worms," warned Mr Graham Perkins, specialist consultant,
School of Technology for the Arts, Republic Polytechnic.
According to Mr Goh, ShareInvestor is seeing "glimpses of interest"
in podcasting among Singapore's public-listed companies.
While webcasting - which allows users to view video footage of the
briefing synchronised with PowerPoint presentation slides - is
still preferred to podcasting, he expects podcasting to become
increasingly popular as growing interest in the MP3 audio format by
technological-savvy investors means that the potential audience is
growing.
"With the proliferation of Internet use and the digital audio
revolution being driven by the increasing use of the MP3 format,
the trend of companies adopting podcasting as a communications
medium can only grow," said Mr Goh.
"Currently, the typical MP3 listener is usually younger and
technological-savvy, which may leave out a sizeable segment of the
population. But we believe that the increasing trend for mobile
phones doubling as MP3 players will boost the popularity of
podcasting.
"As the size of the potential podcast audience increases, we expect
more business enterprises and public-listed companies to adopt
podcasting."
