Radio/Podcasting -- Not quite the same

Mark Ramsey makes a good point in a Hear 2.0 post, entitled "Commercial Radio's Podcasting Myth."

The myth of [commercial radio] podcasting is that this long-form way is the way listeners want to consume our content simply because it’s the way they consume our content over the air – a context in which they have no choice in the matter, by the way.

Actually, they do have a choice – it’s to tune in and out, ever-hopeful for a “hit” or “highlight.” And tune in and out is exactly what they do.

When we transform the radio show to the podcast we are thinking about the medium all wrong. In an on-demand world for much of commercial radio, the unit of currency is not the “show,” it’s the “hit,” the “highlight.” Listening to radio over the air is as different from listening on-demand as an album is different from a song.

So let's take a look at our favorite case study, WJMA. They're part of the way there. Their news podcasts are short -- and that's good. But they're simply an excerpt from an on-air podcast -- and that's bad.

As Ramsey points out, podcasts are listened to -- and used differently -- than on-air content. A little bit of shaping would make these news podcasts work effectively as podcasts. They still need a quick intro, a graphic, and some helpful metadata (like station ID, contact info, etc.).

Different media, different requirements.

So we continue to day 26 of the WJMA Podwatch.

- Ralph

Twitter Haters (Twaters) Unite!

Well, it's official. The Twitter phenomenon is over. I've been inundated all afternoon with copies of the new Nielsen study that showed problems with Twitter's "stickiness." According to David Martin, Nielsen Online's vice president for primary research:

"more than 60 percent of Twitter users fail to return the following month. Or in other words, Twitter's audience retention rate, or the percentage of a given month's users who come back the following month, is currently about 40 percent."

One post said, "Twitter is a white hot star....it's pretty hollow inside." Another compared it to the CB radio craze. The funny thing is, we've been here before -- and will probably be here again
Everyone who thinks Twitter is pointless is gleefully sharing this article -- those that can use e-mail, that is.

And that's really the point. If you're on the wrong side of the digital divide, it can be almost impossible to comprehend the value of this or any other Internet application.
Let's take a step back in time to when e-mail was new. What good is e-mail? If you only get spam or forwarded stupid jokes, then it isn't worth much. And you can't e-mail someone who doesn't have an account -- but you could call them, or even send a real letter. So why bother with it?
Because it's a useful business tool. Because archived e-mails are easier to search than paper documents. Because it's more economical than snail mail. Because it's faster than snail mail. And so on.

And yet we all know people who still have little or no use for e-mail. Even if they have accounts, they're seldom used. And if these folks really have to use it -- well, they sometimes need a little help. (How many company decision makers still rely on their assistants to handle the Interwebtubbie stuff?)

And Twitter's basically the same. Like e-mail, it's what you make of it. There's plenty of nothing being said on Twitter, but there are things of value going on, too. Businesses are using it to communicate with customers. Performing artists are using it to connect with fans. News organizations are using it for headline news feeds. And so on.

So all those Oprah fans who joined because she said to, looked at it, scratched their heads and then closed their accounts, don't matter much (in my opinion). If Oprah had told them to all buy Yankee screwdrivers they would have, and then placed the tools in closets or drawers where they would sit unused.

Because that's what Twitter is -- a communications tool. Like the Yankee screwdriver, it doesn't do all things equally well. But if you're a woodworker or fine furniture maker, there are times when no other type of screwdriver will do. And if you're running an Internet-oriented business, there are times when Twitter is ideal.

And is Twitter like CB Radio? Well, that was originally a communications tool also. Sure, it got to be a big fad in the late 1970's, and the on-air chatter eventually killed its effectiveness for professional truckers. But the concept's still around -- truckers now use cell phones for two-way communications, which filters out all that over-the-air noise.

Ditto with Twitter. You don't have to get updates from everyone in the world. Just the people (or businesses) you're interested in. That communications band can be as tightly focused as you want it to be.

Doesn't bother me that people are coming and leaving. I didn't follow them anyway (I suspect few did). I can talk to professional colleagues, post notices for upcoming business events, and do a little crowd-sourcing when necessary.

So please, twaters, stop with the article forwarding. I got it already. And what I really got is how much you don't get it.
- Ralph

Day 25 of the WJMA Podwatch. (No, they don't Twitter either.)

Object Lesson #4 - Lionel's 752E and Its Owner

In previous posts we looked at a 1934 toy train and what it says about the technology of the day, the values of the culture, and how it functions in said culture. But there's one more thing this object can tell us -- the character of its owner.

Although I never met Ken's father-in-law, we can deduce a few things about him through this Lionel 752E streamliner. The train's set box has the name of the West Virginia department store it was shipped to (via Railway Express), so we know where he lived (Ken’s confirmed this). While we don’t know how much money he made, we do have some clues that he made some, but was careful with it.


As outlined previously, this train was a big purchase, and consequently its led a gentle life. The minor nicks and scratches on the body are simply evidence of a half-century of seasonal use.

Ken's father-in-law also purchased some accessories along the way. These aren’t top-of-the line, but they're the kind of inexpensive accessories that most any department or dime store. Mostly likely they were bought within a year or so of the train set. The lights currently with these accessories aren’t original – as they burnt out, the owner replaced them with Christmas lights.

It may have been possible to special order the correct lights, but using readily available holiday lights would have been a much more economical way to keep these accessories operational. And interestingly enough, not a lot else has been added to this set. The train came complete in 1934, and there are no additional cars or locomotives.


The scale of this set is pretty big. Lionel was transitioning to O-gauge (about 1:43 scale) from Standard Gauge (about 1:24 scale) moving from the 1920’s to the 1930’s. The trains were smaller, and for the most part more affordable. Most O-gauge trains could navigate a 34” diameter circle of track.

The articulated 752E couldn’t, though. It required a 72” diameter curve – a considerable space investment. We know the owner lived in a house with at least one room big enough to accommodate something this size (Ken says it was traditionally set up in the sun room). So the price tag and the space requirements suggest someone living in a fairly nice house or apartment.

I could go on with more details about the model itself, but that’s not the point here. This train set has a story to tell – just like many of the objects that surround us in our own homes. I wonder what stories they could tell?

- Ralph

Part 1: Lionel's 752E and Technology
Part 2: Lionel's 752E and Cultural Values
Part 3: Lionel's 752E and Its Function

Object Lesson #3 - Lionel's 752E and Its Function

Historical objects can tell us many things. We've seen how the Lionel train that belonged to Ken's father-in-law can tell us about the technological level of the times, as well as its cultural values. This time, we look at how its function also says much about traditions and daily life.

How it was used

So who did Lionel make this 752E Union Pacific streamliner for, anyway? In 1934 there was no law requiring that toys be labeled for age-appropriateness (another cultural difference). And perhaps it's just as well. Lionel offered many toy trains of varying sophistication and prices for different age groups. Many had toy-like proportions instead of the scale-model look of the 752E. Clearly, this was not a toy for everyone.

The original price tag was in 1934 for this train set was $34. Not a lot? The equivalent price today would be about $500. This was not something to purchase on a whim and hand over to a child to leave out in the rain. In the heart of the Depression, such a purchase was an investment – and Lionel meant for their Union Pacific streamliner to be a worthy one.

The 752E (like other Lionel high-end products of the day) was solidly constructed and built to last. At the time many of these trains were purchased for family Christmas displays (sometimes called putzes). This practice had its origins in the late 1800’s, and adding a circle of track and an electric train to an elaborate winter scene around the Christmas tree was a natural progression. (The concept of the putz lives on, witness the continued growth of Department 56 figures and buildings).

As with many holiday decorations, these trains were generally carefully unpacked and set up just for the season. Afterward, they were just as carefully repacked and stored away for the rest of the year.

Ken’s family train is no exception. This 734E is still stored in the original boxes it arrived in back in 1934. The train's clearly been run, and you can see some wear in the lettering where it was repeatedly handled throughout the years. But this was decidedly not an everyday toy (and perhaps not even considered a toy at all), but a valued object.

Many toy trains from before World War II tend to have similar stories. The more expensive ones are more likely to be found in their original boxes, and have evidence of wear and some scratches, but not hard use. Most damage comes from being stored in attics, where extreme temperature fluctuations fatigue the metals, or in basements, where moisture causes rusting over time.

Tomorrow: what an object tells us about its owner.

- Ralph

Part 1: Lionel's 752E and Technology
Part 2: Lionel's 752E and Cultural Values
Part 4: Lionel's 752E and Its Owner

Object Lesson #2 - Lionel's 752E and Cultural Values

This post we continue our look at Ken's father-in-law's train set. What can such an object tell us about the world it was made for?

Cultural Values

The reason Lionel chose to make this particular model was because of the immense popularity of the prototype. In the early 1930’s aircraft design had led the way with the concept of streamlining.

Soon all forms of transportation were adopting the concepts (and the look) of modern aircraft. Car fenders became smoother with fluted edges, while car bodies sported rounded corners and flowing lines.

Railroads looked into streamlining for two reasons: fuel efficiency (and therefore lower costs), and to counter the competition from airlines for the passenger business.

Lionel's version is very close proportionally to the prototype.

In 1934 the Union Pacific unveiled the “City of Salinas” M10000, a train billed as the future of railroading. Instead of a series of separate passenger cars linked together by couplers, the train was one long, integrated (and articulated) unit. Some called it an airplane fuselage on wheels, and the UP was glad for the association.

The M10000 was sent on an extensive goodwill tour across the country, and became the last word in modern rail travel for a while.

If you look carefully at commercial art of the day that celebrates progress, you’ll often see some version of the M10000 pictured alongside a fast-moving airplane, zeppelin, and steamship.

The body made of light-weight airplane-grade extruded aluminum, and coupled with its streamlined contour, made the M10000 one of the fastest trains in service.

By modeling the M10000, Lionel offered a product would have had a great deal of positive association to the general public.

Part 1: Lionel's 752E and Technology
Part 3: Lionel's 752E and Its Function
Part 4: Lionel's 752E and Its Owner