Next week the ADM Measurement Committee will be meeting to discuss this year’s download measurement goals and objectives. There are many items we want to address during this first year. These objectives will help solidify the presence of podcasting and new media.

We are currently seeking an ADM member to help assist me with managing the second core goal listed below. If you are knowledgeable with the challenges of calculating download measurements and would like to help, please contact me at measurement (at) downloadablemedia (period) org.

Core goals and objectives:

1. Create terminology, definitions and classifications of download measurement techniques. We will be interacting with the Terminology Standardization Committee.
2. Create formulas for calculating auditable download measurements of media.
3. Research methods to gather audience information and revenue reporting in the space.
4. Create procedures for accurately gathering audience demographics.

Beyond the core objectives, the Committee may also address the following objectives, if time allows.

• Make recommendations for the HTTP protocol to report completed downloads.
• Create an exportable file format, most likely in XML, that reports download statistics from video sharing web sites such as YouTube. The format would allow video content creators to easily export statistics from these sites to quickly combine for reporting total audience statistics.
• Recommend formulas for unifying the download measurement of different media formats for a specific episode. For example, video podcasts are typically distributed in multiple formats such as wmv or mp4. The formulas would allow for reporting of these downloads as a unified total.
• Research future media technologies that could add additional download measurement information such as play totals.

The ADM Committees have an opportunity to forge standards in the space that will give confidence to those who are unsure of the industry. If you are not an ADM member, I encourage you to join and help us mold the future of new media.