How to Easily Convert Your Blog into a Free Podcast for iTunes

[tweetmeme] Have you ever wondered how to make a podcast (a digital audio file that you can play on an MP3 player like an iPod)?  I found a quick and simple way to do it with an online tool that converts your blog into a free podcast for iTunes.

It’s called Odiogo, and the beauty of this technology is that it allows you to transform your blog post into “high-fidelity, near human quality audio files ready to download and play anywhere, anytime, on any device.”

Repurpose Your Blog Content

As I mentioned in a previous post about leveraging your blog content to get more leads, using this service enables your blog to reach a wider audience, since many people prefer to listen to podcasts instead of taking the time to read blog articles.

Odiogo not only supports iTunes, but other major podcast services such as Microsoft’s Zune or Juice.

Encourage Readers to Become Listeners

The company has developed tools to simplify the integration of the Listen Button feature on diversified environments, such as WordPress and Blogger, so you can encourage your blog readers to become listeners. Unfortunately, I can’t use that capability since my blog is hosted on WordPress.com. But I have added an Odiogo icon to the right-hand side of this page so that you can subscribe to my podcast.

Let your friends and fans know about this capability too. Post links to it on your website as well as your Facebook page.

If you use Odiogo now, let me know what you think about it, and send me your subscription link. I’d like to hear your what you have to say!

Apple iPod and iPhone Users May be Forced to Listen to Advertising

[picapp src=”0600/a0f3aea6-389e-48fb-943d-9a7ef5a5c14d.jpg?adImageId=7606739&imageId=608009″ width=”234″ height=”160″ /] Marketers may soon have a new captive audience for their advertisements: iPod & iPhone users.

A British newspaper reported Tuesday that Apple has filed a patent for an “enforcement routine” software.  It’s believed that the technology for this application would force users to watch or listen to commercials, which they would be unable to skip past.

The report said that users could be required to answer questions about the advertisements to make sure they listened and fully understood them. In addition, iPod users could be asked to press certain button combinations to allow them to continue listening to music.

This software would be a boon for Apple, since it could help cut the costs of some of its best selling products. And it would certainly be a golden opportunity for advertisers, since the iPod and iPhone are such popular items.

My knee-jerk reaction to this news as a consumer was, “Oh, no. Not more advertising.”  But then I remembered that I’m in the business of helping companies make money online so, “Way to go, Apple! Whoo-hoo!”

Social Media Revolution

You may have seen this video already on YouTube, but I thought it contained some amazing statistics about social media that I wanted to share here too.  Read carefully!  I’m convinced that social media is here to stay, and businesses need to pay attention to leverage it for their success.