Tech Opinion Blog & Podcast
Personal Company
Personal Company
Weekly Download is a tech opinion blog and podcast that I started and incorporated as an LLC in July 2011. The website was designed with WordPress and modified with various plugins and some PHP on top of the default theme, Twenty Ten. Each week, I post a podcast on iTunes based on material we link to or feature on the website.
This project excites me because I get to write about my passion for emerging trends in technology. Sharing my opinion allows me to get perspectives from people all over the world. The concept was derived from several leading tech opinion sites, like Daring Fireball, Asymco, and Technologizer. The design of the site is minimalistic but is robustly built with many features that benefit the end-user. The podcast provides a unique perspective that supplements the website’s content. Finally, the social media aspect adds an additional layer of user engagement with the overall work.
This project excites me because I get to write about my passion for emerging trends in technology. Sharing my opinion allows me to get perspectives from people all over the world. The concept was derived from several leading tech opinion sites, like Daring Fireball, Asymco, and Technologizer. The design of the site is minimalistic but is robustly built with many features that benefit the end-user. The podcast provides a unique perspective that supplements the website’s content. Finally, the social media aspect adds an additional layer of user engagement with the overall work.
Site Design
In order to focus attention on material created by site authors, the site design is both minimalistic and content focused. The top of the blogroll features “Top Downloads” which are the two most popular, recent stories written by myself and the co-producer. Following the feature section is the linked-list of micro-blogs that direct the reader to posts and sites on the web. Linked posts are clearly identified by color and with wording. The right sidebar persists on each page for quick access to featured posts and podcasts.
In order to focus attention on material created by site authors, the site design is both minimalistic and content focused. The top of the blogroll features “Top Downloads” which are the two most popular, recent stories written by myself and the co-producer. Following the feature section is the linked-list of micro-blogs that direct the reader to posts and sites on the web. Linked posts are clearly identified by color and with wording. The right sidebar persists on each page for quick access to featured posts and podcasts.
RSS
The RSS feed was modified to handle the link behavior exhibited on the website using a WordPress plugin. Subscribers who download a linked post with their RSS reader can still use the link functionality. If the user wanted to access the post itself, they can click on “permalink” and they are taken to the main site. [Image = Reeder, a Mac RSS reader]
The RSS feed was modified to handle the link behavior exhibited on the website using a WordPress plugin. Subscribers who download a linked post with their RSS reader can still use the link functionality. If the user wanted to access the post itself, they can click on “permalink” and they are taken to the main site. [Image = Reeder, a Mac RSS reader]
Podcast
Using the Blubrry Powerpress software for WordPress, our podcast posts are instantly relayed to iTunes for download. Blubrry handles site statistics and embeds an HTML5 player to every Podcast post. This means that our podcasts work on iOS devices and use minimal system resources for efficient listening. iTunes supports subscriptions, so users can also have the podcast automatically downloaded to their iPod/iOS device when a new podcast is available. [Image = iTunes podcast listing].
The podcast is produced with on GarageBand, an OS X music-production software. Podcasts average 30 minutes long and are published weekly. Our podcast is downloaded an estimated 2000 times a month, and the listener base is growing.
Social Media Marketing
Weekly Download is primarily advertised via Twitter. Posts via WordPress are instantly tweeted to users following @WeeklyD. Tweets are automatically formatted for the character limit and implement short links. Additionally, post tags are converted to hashtags appended to Tweets. Additionally, I tweet to followers and members of the tech community to gauge interest and opinion on various posts. I find Twitter to be an intimate medium for networking with a user base, and it is far superior to Facebook. Twitter offers a distilled, uninterrupted opinion that anyone can view. [Image = Weekly Download on Twitter].
Future Directions
With continued marketing and user base growth, I’d like to provide more arcs of opinion, allowing users to vote on what stories interest them with social media integration via Google+ and Facebook. Additionally, I’d like to expand our author base to include individuals knowledgable about the topics we post each week. Podcasts including expert opinion could be focused on particular topics like Gaming or Augmented Reality.
Using the Blubrry Powerpress software for WordPress, our podcast posts are instantly relayed to iTunes for download. Blubrry handles site statistics and embeds an HTML5 player to every Podcast post. This means that our podcasts work on iOS devices and use minimal system resources for efficient listening. iTunes supports subscriptions, so users can also have the podcast automatically downloaded to their iPod/iOS device when a new podcast is available. [Image = iTunes podcast listing].
The podcast is produced with on GarageBand, an OS X music-production software. Podcasts average 30 minutes long and are published weekly. Our podcast is downloaded an estimated 2000 times a month, and the listener base is growing.
Social Media Marketing
Weekly Download is primarily advertised via Twitter. Posts via WordPress are instantly tweeted to users following @WeeklyD. Tweets are automatically formatted for the character limit and implement short links. Additionally, post tags are converted to hashtags appended to Tweets. Additionally, I tweet to followers and members of the tech community to gauge interest and opinion on various posts. I find Twitter to be an intimate medium for networking with a user base, and it is far superior to Facebook. Twitter offers a distilled, uninterrupted opinion that anyone can view. [Image = Weekly Download on Twitter].
Future Directions
With continued marketing and user base growth, I’d like to provide more arcs of opinion, allowing users to vote on what stories interest them with social media integration via Google+ and Facebook. Additionally, I’d like to expand our author base to include individuals knowledgable about the topics we post each week. Podcasts including expert opinion could be focused on particular topics like Gaming or Augmented Reality.
