Jak's First Blog

Podcast.com DUH!

2006-03-09T15:09:00.000Z

I was going to call it a day just now but I (fortunately) stumbled across what might possibly be the motherload in terms of podcasting links.
Podcast.com is a directory of podcast directories. Using it gives you access to thousands of podcasts from across the globe (althought in cyberspace, the concept of the world as a globe is somewhat smeared).
Its even declared on the home page that Podcast.com are putting together the world's most comprehensive podcast directory. Seems they're off to a good start.

Podcast frenzy

2006-03-09T14:45:00.000Z

Podshow.com Is not only a source of podcast news (click on the news tab at the top of the page), it is also a small, easy to browse database of podcasts that otherwise might be quite hard to find.
It also provides links to other podcast sites such as Podcast Alley and Indie Podder.
Indie Podder is pretty decent since it organizes its databse into separate categories. Click the Media tab and there's a good list of links to news and media related podcasts. Alternatively, you can just browse through all of the other tabs and just see what you come up with.

SeattlePi.com - A short list of news and entertainment podcasts, some of which are broadcast by U.S. newspapers.

Telegraph Podcast Section

2006-03-09T14:42:00.000Z

Telegraph News Podcast Section
Need I say more? Probably, but don't be lazy, check it out yourself. Worth the time.

A good find....

2006-03-08T16:06:00.000Z

Ok, so imagine you're scouring the internet, longing to find a good podcast on whatever bizarre subject you have a compulsion to find some audio based information on and you cannot find anything! Well, chances are, you'll find it here:
http://www.podcastingnews.com/forum/links.php
This is a pretty comprehensive yellow-pages style guide to podcasts on the internet. The links are divided up into sections and make it pretty easy to find what you want.
For my purposes, the News and Media section is quite good and once again, broken down into sub-sections for easy browsing.
The main site http://www.podcastingnews.com/ is also a very good website for general information on podcasting. The forum section is worth a look.

Podcasting Confusion

2006-03-08T15:22:00.000Z

I've been searching for more news podcasts but I can't seem to get away from what I have dubbed the "Big Three."
ABC News Podcasts
CBS News Podcasts
CNN News Podcasts
All three websites offer pretty comprehensive services but only one of them covers more world news than the others; this is CNN. CNN also offers the choice of being able to subscribe to two different live feeds, either a normal news feed or a "Wall Street" business news.
My only complaint with the other two is that they focus a lot more on U.S. based news rather than global affairs. This is understood however, since they are both U.S. based companies.

More on podcasts

2006-03-06T10:47:00.000Z

I'm now going to stray away from auto journalism for a bit now, and review a bit more on podasting.

http://www.ftpplanet.com/blog_guide/podcasting.htm Is a site that gives pretty good explanations of what podcasting is, how to podcast and how to download them.
Since podcasts rely on RSS feeds to operate, you can read all about RSS feeds here: http://www.ftpplanet.com/blog_guide/blogs_rss_xml.htm The page also contains some information on Blogs.

It might have been published about a year ago, but the following news story goes into detail about the integration of podcast technology into a number of companies' online news programs: http://news.com.com/ABC,+NBC+News+launch+news+podcasts/2100-1025_3-5720500.html

When I clicked this link, I wasn't sure if it was a site dedicated to news about podcasts or if was dedicated to news reported in podcast form. Turns out it was the former. It's still a good source of information relating to the world of podcasting and provides hundreds of links to external pocasting websites. http://www.podcastingnews.com/

More Auto News Blogs

2006-03-03T13:59:00.000Z

Ok, so I know it's in German or Dutch (I'm no linguistics expert) bu the following website appears to be a pretty unique auto news website:
http://www.autopodcast.de/
It appears to be a blog that is updated on a daily basis. However, instead of updating with text, it features podcasts that you can download and listen to. It seems to be that there are two formats of each podcast available, one for computer use and another to listen to on your Ipod.
A pretty good idea I think. Although you do have to be able to understand Dutch to get any real benefit from it.

http://www.businessweek.com/autos/autobeat/ Is an auto news blog that focuses on the business side of the industry. Quite boring unless it's the sort of thing you're after.

http://www.autoblog.com/ Is a very good and comprehensive blog that covers all aspects of the automotive world. Today, (March 3rd) by 9am (US Time) there had already been 3 blogs posted by three different people. This would indicate that there is a team that work on this blog as a full time occupation. This is backed up by the significant amount of space dedicated to advertising.

Another blog that's worth noting, but doesn't really need any explanation.
Check the links along the right hand side of the page for more sources. They all seem a bit samey though.
http://theautoprophet.blogspot.com/

Geneva Show

2006-03-03T12:28:00.000Z

Ok, so I'm a day late, but that doesn't take away from the undeniable importance of the 2006 Geneva Auto Show. The show, the most anticipated of the automotive year, kicked off yesterday in the usually tranquil city of Geneva in Switzerland.
The home page for the show is:
http://www.salon-auto.ch/en/
But you can view other galleries and related news items on these sites also:
http://shows.autospies.com/gallery/shows.asp?manu=&cat=&thisPage=1&galleryId=36
http://uk.cars.yahoo.com/motorshow/geneva-06/news/

Another decent automotive blog

2006-03-02T13:06:00.000Z

http://www.cars.blogs.ca/ Is another pretty decent example of an automotive news blog. Updated almost daily, it simplifies and condenses the automotive news of the day and offers it in smaller, easy to digest chunks. It also features some good links to other auto news websites and allows you to browse the posts according to car manufacturer which makes finding a specific story easier.

http://fastlane.gmblogs.com/ Is GM's own news blog that features their latest press releases and presents it in a manner which makes it seem unrelated to the company. Although a good daily source of news for GM companies and cars, it isn't really going to be very objective since it is produced by GM.

http://www.vehicleinfo.com/AutoMuse/ Is an auto blog with a difference. This is what AutoMuse says about itself: "AutoMuse®, call it a blawg, blog, or just downright useful information on automotive consumer and legal issues, including diminished value, the Used Car Review™, collision repair, insurance, fair market value, valuations, law, cars, trucks, car, truck, vehicles, consumer, government, attorneys, lawyers, Like Exchange™, and what makes a car blog, car blawg, auto blog, or auto blawg." Unlike most other auto news sources, it doesn't just concern itself with the latest models. It deals with issues that are currently being dealt with in the industry, quirky news stories and other random bits that don't really get mentioned anywhere else.

What a find!

2006-02-27T15:01:00.000Z

Whilst combing the net for more alternative automotive news sources, I came across a real find. http://www.theautochannel.com/ is a source of automotive news that focuses on and uses multimedia such as audio and video to tell its news stories. With at least 10 new stories posted on a daily basis, autochannel.com is home to a wealth of up-to-date automotive news. These stories cover everything from debuts, motor shows reviews and new car reviews. there are some nice examples of customization: You can view stories according to manufacturer or motorsport. This allows you to narrow down stories easily and quickly. There is also a section titled, Industry Insider, which features all the latest industry related news that is not related to the consumer side of things.
Upon clicking on the Media tab at the top of the page, you are presnted with "thousands of hours" of streaming audio and video. The media is organized into various sub sections that allow you to browse through with relative ease.
Check it out.

Alternative Automotive News Sources

2006-02-24T12:37:00.000Z

So, as an automotive journalist, it is essential to be aware of sources of automotive news outside of the mainstream efforts such as monthly or weekly glossy mags or automotive sections on main news websites.
Through my research on the automotive news world, I have compiled a list of websites and blogs that fulfill these requirements and offer up to date news relating to the automotive industry.
www.autonews.com Is a very comprehensive source of automotive news although it seems too big a company to be classified as an alternative news source. The site is updated multiple times on a daily basis depending on the frequency of breaking stories. In this manner, it acts like an automotive news-wire than a news provider. A good feature though is the ability to customize the site depending on whether you want world, european or american automotive news.

http://www.automotivedigest.com/ Is a news site in the same vein as Autonews.com but seems a lot more detailed in its coverage of the actual industry site of the automotive world. A good feature is it's listing of industry related events across the globe, including auto shows and aftermarket product displays. The best feature of this site that I did not see on any others is the section on Market Research. Another advantage of this site is that you can subscribe and have updates sent to your email either on a daily or weekly basis.

http://autopark.blogspot.com/ Is an automotive news blog that is updated daily and is mainly concernced with new models that are being released and revamps of old models. In this context, it is quite a good source; however its depth is somewhat limited. It does not go into detail on the goings on of the auto industry.

http://www.motorken.com Describes itself as "an automotive news site with a twist." And considering how is operates, this is really quite an apt description. News stories are submitted to the site by registered users and then readers of the site select which stories make the headlines. This is the ultimate interactive news site in my opinion. This set up means that the news featured on the site directly reflects the interests of the public sector that are interested in automotive news.

Focus mode...

2006-02-16T13:28:00.000Z

Ok, so I've decided that I'm going to start focusing this blog on automotive journalism since that is a major interest of mine and I consider myself pretty knowledgeable about it. More detailed blog to come with information and where's the best place online to get automotive news and the current issues that are affecting the automotive journalism world.

Podcasts

2006-02-16T13:10:00.000Z

In short, podcasts are MP3 audio files that are available to be downloaded onto your computer and transferred to an iPod or any portable media device that supports MP3 files. In online news media, they are used as easily accessible forms of news that do not require the concentration that reading a news story would.
As well as audio files, some news agencies are now making video podcasts available to download.
ABC news online is one of these.
One disadvantage of podcasting is that to listen to most podcasts, you will need podcast software which you will most likely have to download and then install on your computer.
Once downloaded and set up though, podcasting is quite an efficient way to listen to the news that interests you. Most online news services allow you to select which "feed" you would like to subscribe to. If it's economic news you are after, then you can subscribe to a feed dedicated to that. The same applies to world, local, sports and entertainment news.
ABC news has a pretty decent and comprehensive podcast system set up, you can view it here:
http://abcnews.go.com/Technology/Podcasting/
CNN also offers an excellent video podcast feed as well as a live radio news feed:
http://www.cnn.com/The BBC's offering is somewhat limited, but they do offer the RSS feed option which selects news stories for you depending on your interests.

First Blog is always the hardest

2006-02-06T15:07:00.000Z

People of the world, this is my first blog ever. Enjoy.