The following post represents an overview of my presentation at BlogWorld Expo 2007 in Las Vegas. I thought it good to share this material with the tribe as the “Ten Rules” fall in line with not only a sense of standards but also creating an environment where we can perfect our passion for new media! It is my hope that these rules will inspire Podcast Engineer’s (new media producers), to embrace new ideas in the production of meaningful content rich experiences. Here goes -

Rule 1 - Design experiences to increase subscriptions

Everything constitutes an experience - a podcast is no different. While content is the focus of our efforts the complete package must be developed properly to attract and engage our audience.

Rule 2 - Experiences don’t just happen - they’re planned

Nothing happens by chance! Success happens through intentional actions. Podcast development must be a structured process that has clearly defined goals and development strategies. If structure does not exist then we’re shooting from the hip!

Rule 3 - Design for the participant

There is no such thing as a “user” in the vocabulary of a podcast engineer! We structure our podcast to engage a participant in a meaningful experience. The experience must be crafted to meet their needs and desires–otherwise we miss the mark.

Rule 4 - Decipher the environment

Knowing how our media appears on software such as iTunes, Zune Software, or ZENcast Organizer is half the battle to good presentation. Individual devises like the iPod, Zune, ZEN, Nokia Nseries phones or even an Apple TV require an understanding of meta-data tag implementation within the various menus on each device. Knowing how we “satisfice” is critical to presenting our textual and visual content!

Rule 5 - Replicate good design

As Hillman Curtis so eloquently has stated, excellent designers “beg, barrow, and steal” to create the best designs. As professionals we should constantly be looking to each other for inspiration and “best practices” when developing our media. You now have a free pass to engage in the best form of flattery!

Rule 6 - Quality rules the day

William Edwards Deming knew the power of quality and so should we! Every effort should be employed to create quality media and never compromise. Our audience is an asset that should be treated as such even when success drenches our bank account! If it’s not good enough–it doesn’t get posted.

Rule 7 - Seek out and follow standards

What standards exist in the podcast medium? Very few. Those that do exist are proprietary (iTunes tags) or not followed. We’re on a mission to change that as they’re vital to the health of the podcast industry. Without standards, our industry will flounder and fall into entropy. Once they’re created though, we must commit to them and follow compliance. (Review Rule 6)

Rule 8 - Invest in high quality tools

We’ve all heard the saying “garbage in, garbage out” right. That principle applies here perfectly. As aspiring professionals we must always be increasing our production capabilities to create better media. This means investing in better tools is critical to creating more meaningful experiences.

Rule 9 - Test everything!

Using a prototyping model in our development workflow it is possible to create polished media that is far above our competitors. Through an iterative testing process it is possible to produce superior media. This is the most skipped-over step but the most critical!

Rule 10 - When you think you’re done testing - test again!

This pretty much says it all!

Note: These “Rules” are principles meant to provide direction to our efforts and not a constraining force. If the tribe has other suggestions I’d love to hear and incorporate them in the future.