Last November, I conducted several email interviews to prepare my column about podcasting in higher education for the Feb. 2006 issue of University Business: “The Power of Podcasts”
At Thomson Peterson’s, the company well-known for its college guides, podcasting has been introduced in February 2005. Dan Karleen, the blogger behind Thomson Peterson’s Syndication for Higher Ed, answered these questions last November.
1) How are Thomson Peterson’s podcasts doing in terms of traffic? Can you give me some numbers? What’s the trend? Has iTunes make a big difference?
As of this writing, we are averaging 3500-4000 downloads per month, with approximately 60% of those coming via iTunes.
In the early months following our February 2005 launch, we were hovering in the hundreds per month. So we’ve certainly seen growth, which I would attribute to three main factors:
- We’ve launched more shows, which are automatically downloaded by those subscribing via the RSS feed.
- iTunes and other podcast directories.
- Integrating links to the podcast at various relevant points across our website.
2) Why did Thomson Peterson’s decide to launch podcasts? How is podcasting complementing Thomson Peterson’s other online and offline activities?
With more and more students using digital media players, we think it’s a natural fit to offer short learning-oriented programs that students can download and take with them for listening at their convenience. Thomson Peterson’s had been exploring the idea of offering audio and video resources as a way to supplement the online experience. When podcasting came along, giving people the option of subscribing to receive new programs automatically, the time seemed right to launch a series of podcasts complementing our three core areas: college admission advice, financial aid resources, and standardized test preparation. In addition to serving as an alternative to text-based resources already available on the website, the podcasts are also an excellent way for listeners to connect with some of the on-location events we produce, including admission and financial seminars for parents and students. We offer highlights from these events as excerpts in some of the podcasts. Unlike many other podcasts, the information in our podcasts has a relatively long shelf life, and this has translated to continued strong demand even for some of our earliest programs.
3) In your opinion, why would it make sense for higher ed institutions to use podcasting?
In addition to being a fun and inexpensive way to promote a university, podcasting can also be a valuable learning experience for those creating the podcast. For example, students in speech and communications classes practice by making audio or video recordings of their presentations and then studying them as a way to improve their performance. Podcasting can be an even more valuable platform for practicing communication skills, as the potential for feedback is more broad-based. Podcasting gives students and others an opportunity to improve their skills on a number of levels—planning a series of communications; keeping the communication fun, timely, and interesting; selecting talent; producing programs that may be heard by thousands or even millions; and then tailoring their offerings based on listener feedback. So, podcasting in the context of promoting a university, school, or program, can have many benefits.
Once we get past the initial surge of interest in podcasting, I think we will start to see universities develop many official and unofficial podcast channels. As we have seen on the commercial side, we will see more college radio and TV stations will begin to podcast—expanding the distribution of university information and also the opportunities to become involved in program production. As the access to the tools and technology become more ubiquitous, we will see more schools and programs creating podcasts as a way to attract new students and also keep in touch with alumni and donors. Informational podcasts will enable those in student recruiting to spend valuable in-person time speaking one-on-one with prospective students, rather than repeating the basics.