Podcasting Jim Henson Style: Rockin’ Out the Fraggle Rock!

Coined in 2004 – the term ‘podcasting’ has been used to describe the idea of audio and video blogging. The technology simply allows a user to upload a media clip to the internet to be streamed to the masses. The benefits of podcasting allow a receiver to catch the media at anytime as opposed to a specific time slot (as in the case of traditional media). The receiver can also store the podcast on their computer or portable media device to watch whenever and however many times they like. What’s more – a person with an internet connection can actually subscribe to a podcast channel or organization and receive the latest and greatest podcasts whenever they become available.

Okay – so that’s great – but – how does this apply to the realm of public relations? It’s simple. By creating podcasts companies and organizations can tailor media messages to specific audiences and publics. Too theoretical? Alright – let’s take a look at an organization which almost everyone should be able to instantly relate to – the Jim Henson Company.

(all Fraggle Rock characters property of the Jim Henson Company)

That’s right – the same Jim Henson which brought us the Muppets, Fraggle Rock, and a whole slew of unforgettable characters and moments in television history currently utilizes podcasting technology. Rock on. A quick Google search for ‘Henson Podcast’ should lead you in the right direction – if not – just check out Henson.com and search for ‘podcasts’.

The Henson podcasts provide an excellent example of public relations relevant media. For example, I listened to two podcasts prior to writing this post – one from Comic Con 2008 and the most recent from November 17.

Let’s start with the Comic Con one… This one was all about Fraggle Rock – it starts with information about the (then) upcoming DVD releases of the show – leads into a sing-a-long (oh yeah, you read that right) with the red Fraggle – and concludes with an interview with a cast member of the Henson Company. We end up with information, entertainment and an interview – awesome. The podcast for November 17 describes an upcoming show called “Pajanimals”. Roughly following the same protocol – it also offers information and a few interviews from Henson cast members.

What I love about podcasting is how non-intrusive it is. Like, you can get all the information you want while continuing to do whatever the heck it is – you do on the computer. For example, I worked on an illustration in Adobe while listening to the two mentioned podcasts – I got all the information and didn’t slow down. That’s great – obviously this is a technique to provide for information to those who simply don’t have time to read through an entire article or press release. Think about it.

What’s more, is in the podcasts they urge listeners to send any questions they may have (to podcast@henson.com) to be answered on the next podcast – sweet! So, should glance a typical press release or be totally entertained by the media -enriched podcast… Sorry, typical press release!

Ridiculously (Really) Simple Syndication

(Come on guys, let's keep things simple.)

Really Simple Syndication (RSS) allows users to generate a personalized homepage which will automatically receive updates and feedback from a list of subscribed websites. Put another way, RSS allows a one-stop locale for an individuals’ favorite sites and news. For example, let’s assume that Jack (a MOSTLY hypothetical individual) really likes grunge music- like, more than any of us or anyone else you can possibly imagine. Jack can then set up a ‘reader site’ at a location such as Google and subscribe to various websites who continuously discuss music or other band-related information. By doing so, Jack no longer has to visit 20 different sites every time he gets on the internet to find out if anyone has posted new information about his early 90’s musical taste. Instead, Jack merely logs into his RSS reader site and quickly scans through all the newest updates from his favorite websites. There it is: in one site. Simple. Really simple. And it also allows Jack to spend more time doing… whatever Jack does (visiting Seattle? I don’t know. Whatever.)

Enter Public Relations. Ah yes, the art of sending mass communications to targeted audiences. Now how does RSS play into this? Figured it out yet? It’s simple, really. Really simple.

From a business aspect, let’s assume you are the manager at a major state university bookstore. Furthermore, let’s assume you would like to stay on top of the latest technological breakthroughs from companies with whom you purchase products from. Okay, so, the obvious players in this category may include Adobe, Microsoft, and Apple. Perfect. Next, let’s assume you are trying to watch the horizon for what new products are coming out and how many to order for your store. A simple (really simple) way to accomplish this task would be to set up an RSS reader site which would automatically give you updates on the progress of specific products. Therefore, it’s possible spend less time watching the various news on these products, and more time doing whatever else you need to.

But let’s say that’s “too business” in nature. Okay, fine. Then let’s assume you work at local news-station and you would like to keep up to date on the latest deals and decisions from local businesses. Simple. Set up an RSS reader to watch all the latest RSS feeds from local businesses and the deals/decisions that they come to which may affect the community. Just like that, any news worth reporting will come to your RSS reader site, automatically.

As you can see, the world of RSS is not only simple (ridiculously so) but also incredible effective at reporting the latest news relevant to your audience. Even more so, the news you deliver only needs to be sent once as RSS will automatically send it out to all audiences who have identified with your organization. So there you go, a simple solution to otherwise, not-so-simple (in the past) problem.

(Let the feeding frenzy begin!)