If you’re like me, it’s pretty easy to find yourself
bouncing all over cyberspace trying to digest information. It’s something that
can consume vast amounts of time. Not to mention the wasted minutes (and brain
cells) when you stop to see what rehab center that whacky Lindsay Lohan is
headed to…C’mon, admit it, you look. Such is the case with news of the
formation of the ADM (Association for Downloadable Media). So, when I did catch
wind of it, I scurried on over to the ADM site to see what was up.
I’m a big believer in the viability of building successful
business around blogging, podcasting, videocasting, etc. as a marketing and
advertising medium. My concern has always been the measurement of its
effectiveness. In my opinion there is a certain amount of “cool factor” driving
ad dollars to the web right now. It’s only a matter of time before ad agencies start
demanding gobs of proof that the money they spend on that part of their
marketing is working, ultimately looking for ways to get a better price. So
it’s important that we provide them with the facts and figures to justify the
current rates, and higher rates in the future.
Anyway, according to their website, a big part of what the
ADM is all about is just that. Note the Mission Statement: To provide leadership in and organization of advertising and audience
measurement standards, research, education and advocacy to all those involved
in portable media (Podcasts/ATOM/RSS media enclosures) across the Internet,
iPods, MP3 players, mobile devices, P2P and other upcoming platforms. So, this
being a brand new organization that is focused on something I believe in, I
ponied up the dough to become a member (a bit spendy, but I’ve belonged to
other organizations with significantly higher dues).
No sooner had I done that than I came across this post from
Scott Bourne at onlinemediatricks.com.
Turns out that there are those in the
new media community that are a bit suspect of the way in which the ADM has come
together and the players involved. Admittedly, some of those players in ADM
have to be considered some of the “big dogs” of new media, Apple and NPR to
name a few. In response Scott along with other folks in the arena have formed “an informal group of podcasters and
bloggers who share a variety of concerns with what they saw initially and are
seeing from the ADM’s initial formation efforts.” This group has a working
name of the Association of Podcasters and Online Media Producers.
See, there are those just like you and me that see something
and say, “Wait a minute…is this a good thing? What are these guys up to?” The
great deal is that this group is all about keeping any organization in this
space as transparent as possible, even to the point of launching a different
organization if they feel the new media community believes it should. (Sure, I
find this out after I shell out my registration fees for ADM. Let this be a
lesson to you kids…).
What an opportunity! Now, I’m not quite as concerned about
the ADM as Scott and the others in the group. Hey, I’ve been in this new media
world for a relatively short time and am not as familiar with the big players
and I’m probably still enjoying blissful naivety. That doesn’t diminish the fact that this
medium is all about push and pull. So if the Association of Podcasters and
Online Media Producers wants to “pull”, I’ll “push”…and you might want to as
well at the New Media Survey Blog.
Tell them what you think about ADM and what to do next and look for results of
the survey shortly after its end date of August 13th, 2007.
Ultimately this medium is all about diversity, uniqueness and creativity. While
it is imperative that we standardize some sort of measurement for advertisers, it’s
vital we not do anything to hinder that creativity and individuality. It’s about
improving new media for all not just a few. Any organization that represents it
must have that at its core.
Be Sociable