Marshall McLuhan high priest of pop culture, talked about the “medium” being the message in regards to TV and other forms of PR/mass messaging. I’m a big MM fan, so I respectfully posit that nowadays the Media is the message. No matter what your content, how are you getting it out to the public? Are they able to consume your message in whatever format they want, be it live (streaming online), recorded (on your site via mp3, mov, avi, etc.) or via RSS/podcast (so they can subscribe)? Remember that how people like to consume media does not reflect on your content; it’s just a question of their preference as to when/where they like to listen/watch their podcasts/videos.

To that end, the Association of Downloadble Media is working to protect, enliven, and extend the power of online media so media creators, networks, advertisers, and consumers will all be able to benefit from great content for years to come. By establishing common metrics that define the value proposition across the whole spectrum of online content, we hope to clarify the best ways for content to be consumed so that engaging in the material you want is as seamless as possible. If you’re a content creator, having specific metrics and standards for your material means you can demonstrate to your audience who listens to your shows more accurately, whether or not you want to monetize.

Podcasters and vloggers work very hard to listen to and communicate effectively to their audience, and having uniform standards across all platforms online means they’ll be able to speak more accurately to their audience. For advertisers, having these standards means they can approach content creators with CPM’s/advertising deals while speaking a common language with content creators. If a podcaster, for instance, posts a link to their (hypothetical and potential) ADM badge that lists how many listeners they have, general demographics, and their media kit, an advertiser will know if that podcaster/show is someone they’d like to work with right away. In this regard, having a common metric/set of standards will expedite the process of people working together to monetize and distribute content online. Think of it as speed networking online where everyone speaks the same language right away, and people can say what they’re hoping from a relationship to help speed the process of people potentially working together.

Specifics

Please be aware that the badge idea is purely hypothetical and people on ADM committees may vote to go another direction than what I’ve proposed. But my point is that the ADM is committeed to finding a taxonomy and set of standards that will essentially let everyone get together in a big (virtual) room and hash out advertising and metrics questions while working with the same playbook. Does this mean that every advertising deal for content producers is set in stone once we create a set of standards? Of course not. Rules are made to be broken, and every contract/deal is specific. But both parties won’t be starting from scratch every time they meet to make a deal. Essentially, ADM wants to help everyone involved in the downloadable media space (content producers, advertisers, networks, etc.) not have to reinvent the wheel every time they talk to someone new in the industry.

Why Join?

In short, in my humble opinion, if folks who work in the downloadable media/podcasting world (audio and video) don’t set standards/metrics like these soon, many major media companies will set their own standards and everyone will either have to play by their rules, or go away. Period. Those of us who have been evangelizing new media for years can only sway folks so much by our insights—we need to also demonstrate ROI (return on investment) via models that have come before us. Remember that the media that came before podcasting was once the new kid in town. Radio used to be the purview of geeks using Hams out in the field somewhere before it rivaled/complemented newspapers, etc. Then TV did the same with radio.

So now it’s downloadable media’s turn at bat and I believe the ADM is a coach to help us all play with the same rules no matter what team we’re on. I hope Marshall would forgive the mixed metaphors as I close off here, but I think you get the point. I hope you’ll consider joining us to make sure your voice is heard now and for years to come.

-John C. Havens
VP, Business Development
http://www.BlogTalkRadio.com