This week’s Podcast Review is about the Ten Golden Rules Podcast.

Description: This Podcast offers weekly tips for online business owners about the leading internet marketing trends, including Web 2.0 and search engine marketing.

Comments: This Podcast is a neat mixture of great and pertinent content for the internet entrepreneur mixed with music, a variety of guests and even some fun.

There are about 17 episodes so far and new content comes out weekly. The show notes are excellent and include time marks that help you go to just the topic you want to hear. Here is a sampling of some recent topics:

- Innovate Like Thomas Edison
- American Marketing Association Bootcamp
- Commission Junction University
- Radio vs Podcasting

Interviews with current internet stars is one of my favorite elements of this Podcast, I like to learn from the best while they are flying high. This show does a nice job of capturing their success for our benefit.

Pluses: The content is strong in this Podcast, almost instant play is available (loads your local media player), good show notes and I like the song of the week idea to close out the show.

Minuses: The website is a little clumsy for me, maybe it is the color scheme but my eye has a hard time using the page. There is no search nor categories for the shows.

Recommendation: If you are an internet entrepreneur then you need to give this show a listen, good direct advice and some heavyweight guests make the Ten Golden Rules Podcast a must listen for you.

Posted by Steve Rucinski | Comments (7) | Permalink

This week’s Podcast Review is about the Strategy Driven Podcast.

Description: StrategyDriven Podcasts focus on the tools and techniques executives and managers can use to improve their organization’s alignment and accountability to ultimately achieve better results.

Comments: This new but content rich Podcast has great production values, sound, use of music and clarity of presentation.

Each Podcast is about 30 minutes in length and occurs primarily in an interview format with a host and a topic consultant. Here is a sampling of some recent topics:

- What is a Strategy Driven Organization?
- Make the Mission Measureable
- Introduction to Organizational Performance Measures
- Vertically Cascading Organizational Performance Measures

New shows seem to come out once per week so I expect a continued stream of new and valuable content.

Pluses: I like the website design, the gold on black is attractive, instant play is available and the show notes are good. RSS subscriptions are available.

Minuses: It takes a couple of clicks to get to listen to a show, Podcasts pages are not standalone searchable and there are no subcategories for Podcast topics.

Recommendation: I think the content and the quality of thought and advice is the strong suit here and should be a must listen for senior executives and leaders. I suggest you check out the Strategy Driven Podcast.

Posted by Steve Rucinski | Comments (4) | Permalink

This week’s Podcast Review is about the 60 Second Ideas Podcast.

Description: 60 Second Ideas spans the globe for proven new small business ideas you can tweak, borrow, copy, pilfer or simply be inspired to come up with your own profitable small business ideas or home based business ideas.

Comments: Billing itself as the ‘most profitable minute’ on the internet this Podcast has some great content. Minimal music, good sound quality, no ads and a very eclectic mix of stories and ideas you are sure to learn and be inspired.

If you listen online there is even a small slideshow that plays along with the audio, sort of a still image Vodcast or video Podcast. Here is a sample list of recent topics.

- It’s A Virtual Party - Go Cake Go
- Home Business Idea - Do My Stuff!
- Imagination to Profit
- Interview Donald Trump’s Season One Winner, Bill Rancic

Most of the content has some age to it but I think there are some good short nuggets worth the visit.

Pluses: Instant play, short length, image slide show and simple but clean sound in the Podcast.

Minuses: Not enough frequent content, more content only findable by category, not archives, or search.

Recommendation: If you are willing to work at the site just a little I think you can find some interesting 60 second bites of ideas and wisdom in the 60 Second Ideas Podcast.

Posted by Steve Rucinski | Comments (5) | Permalink

This week’s Podcast Review is about the MidwestBusiness.com Podcast.

Description: Adam Fendelman and Brad Spirrison host MidwestBusiness.com which covers technology and business news in Chicago and the Midwest of the United States.

Comments: These quick (usually less than 5 minutes) Podcasts do a very thorough job of covering the startup technology landscape. A quick show intro and Adam and Brad are into the subject, no fancy production values, no commercials just tech company talk quick.

There are over 30 shows available and new content is provided just about every week. Here is a sampling of some recent show topics:

- Financial Tech Ripe For Growth
- Technology Predictions For 2008
- Is Facebook’s $15 Billion Valuation an Aberration?
- GrubHub Scores Food Loot, New Legal Repository

Pluses: Instant play, short bites of content, over 30 shows, simple clean website, subscriptions and show notes.

Minuses: My only negative is that Adam and Brad’s voice’s can be kind of monotone, I know they are passionate about their subject but a little more emotion in the delivery would be great.

Recommendation: If you care about the Midwest USA technology environment at all then you need to check out the Midwestbusiness.com Podcast.

Posted by Steve Rucinski | Comments (5) | Permalink

This week’s Podcast Review is about the Small Business IT Radio Podcast.

Description: Small Business IT Radio is a show for IT Professionals that service the small business market.

Comments: This BlogTalkRadio hosted Podcast is a Canadian based program. Audio quality is good and most shows typically get right to the topic. Occasionally their is a sponsor message but off-topic content is kept to a minimum.

This show provides new content every week and averages from 45 to 60 minutes each. Usually they have a guest expert that is interviewed. Here is a sampling of some recent show topics:

- Inside the DELL PartnerDirect Program and Small Business
- Facebook for Business
- Andrew Barber-Starkey’s “The 7 Success Accelerators”
- Top 10 Ways to get leads into your business

There are well over 25 different shows focused on helping Small Business IT firms achieve success. Show notes are available but not necessarily detailed.

Pluses: I like the focused content and the shows focus, small business success for IT providers is difficult and I think the show has targeted a good audience. The audio is good, the topics and content is strong. The Blogtalk interface provides good web basics, search, RSS, instant play and archives.

Minuses: Occassionally the sound level between the host and guest is wide meaning you have to play with your volume levels to listen effectively, this can be distracting. There are also no show categories available.

Recommendation: If your business is providing IT services and products to the small business audience then the Small Business IT Radio Podcast is one you should check out.

Posted by Steve Rucinski | Comments (4) | Permalink

This week’s Podcast Review is about the Manager Tools Podcast.

Description: Manager Tools is a weekly podcast by Mike and Mark focused on helping you become a more effective manager and leader.

Comments: This Podcast covers management basics, the sound is great, the content is very clear and specific and the speakers waste no time getting to the point.

Most of the Podcasts are 30 minutes or less which makes them very digestable. The site also provides PDF show notes so you can take away the key points of the specific topic you need. Here are some of the recent topics covered:

- How to Set Annual Goals
- How to Schedule One on Ones
- How to Handle a Group Interview
- Basics of Calendar Management

Pluses: Great content delivered quickly, instant play site audio, RSS feeds, PDF show notes, clean and basic website, access to premium content is available if you care to pursue it.

Minuses: No archive visible or categories other than premium and basic Podcasts. I would like to see the topics covered grouped by category.

Recommendation: I really like this Podcast and think there is a great need among small businesses for management and supervisory basics. Check out the Manager Tools Podcast today.

Posted by Steve Rucinski | Comments (4) | Permalink

This week’s Podcast Review is about the Blue Box Podcast.

Description: Dan York and Jonathan Zar once a week (roughly) get together to have a conversation about Voice-over-IP (VoIP) security.

Comments: Great sound, nice music, Dan and Jonathon tag team a big topic that is very relevant to small businesses today, VOIP security.

Each Podcast is about 45 minutes in length and they have been at it since October of 2005, there are over 70 Podcasts for your enjoyment. Here is a sampling of some recent topics they covered:

- VLAN Hopping, SIP Digest vulnerability, VoIP security hype, Skype security, Google’s latest moves
- Interview with ZFone and ZRTP creator Phil Zimmermann by Brenno de Winter
- Linksys SPA-941 vulnerability, SIP DDoS, New release of SIPVicious, Asterisk security roadmap
- SIP Security discussion with Cullen Jennings of IETF and Cisco

Yes this is a deep technology show, Dan and Jonathon discuss the very latest in VOIP technology and related security issues.

Pluses: Instant Play (My Favorite), RSS Feeds, extensive show notes, categories, good content and sound and an incredible amount of material is available.

Minuses: The 2 right sidebars are VERY busy and distract my eye from the left column content too much. I know there is value in the sidebars buy it is not easy to use. (IMHO)

Recommendation: If VOIP is important to you then you MUST add this long lived and content packed Podcast to your list of must listens. Check out the Blue Box Podcast today!

Posted by Steve Rucinski | Comments (1) | Permalink