July Lunch Recap: Podcasting and Vodcasting at the NIH

First of all, if you didn't come, boy did you miss out. Not only was the talk good -- and more on that later -- but the NIH meeting rooms are pretty swanky. Comfy chairs. A mic at every seat. Four flat panel TVs spaced throughout the room so you can see the presentation no matter where you sit... Seriously, it was our most upscale (and official) location yet.

But, of course, what people really care about is the talk. Joe Balintfy, our esteemed CCG VP and a public affairs officer at NIH, was great. His talk was concise and informative. We learned about what NIH is doing in terms of audio reports, podcasts, and vodcasts. We heard samples of his work. And he provided some of his "lessons learned."

Some tips:

• Be consistent. If you're going to start distributing podcasts and vodcasts, set a schedule and stick to it.
• Be realistic. Realize how much of a time commitment this form of social media takes and don't tackle it unless you can make the commitment.
• Be smart. Vodcasts and podcasts don't have to tackle new material. Use can use these outlets to repurpose content you've written for other media.
• Set goals. One of the more interesting conversations revolved around setting standards for success. NIH is still doing this. Right now, they're measuring success in terms of growth of viewers and listeners, but Joe will be evaluating success metrics in the coming weeks.

Want more details about NIH's activities? We're happy to share. Just email us and we'll send you Joe's PowerPoint presentation.

For those who attended, what did you learn? What information did you find particularly useful? Let us know!

-- Robin