At my company we handle digital publicity for emerging and established musicans and I often get asked very basic questions about the key elements of who we as a PR firm approach online. Here is a beginners guide to some critical componants on the Internet with solid definitions for you... 1. Blogs, Vlogs & Audio-Blogs bloggers, vloggers and audio-bloggers are writers who regularly include music in their content and upload MP3s for their readers to sample.
Definition Of A Blog: A Blog is really just an informal website. The format of a blog site is its an online journal or diary that is usually more personal and more subjective than a proper website. Blogs have actually been around for years, but it wasn't until recently that they came to be known by this term.
Definition of an Audio- Blog: An Audio- Blog is a Blog that includes music as well as text. Usually the text is a critique of or some commentary of the music. Audio-Blogs are becoming more and more embraced by the industry. The Globe and Mail recently ran an in-depth article on Audio-Blogs that makes a great point:
“People who go to file swapping sites such as Grokster want stuff for free. People who maintain music blogs for little glory and no pay want to share their feelings about music, and use MP3 files to make the exchange more vivid.”
Definition of a Vlog: Same as above but with video content Bonus Definition: Blogosphere – Are the collective countless blogs on the web (think atmosphere).
2. Definition of an Internet Radio Station: Listening to radio broadcasts via the Internet. Using streaming techniques,high-quality audio can be delivered to users at their computers, and in coming years to their mobile devices, and even home stereos. The audio is played via a software media player or a browser plug-in that supports streaming audio formats such as those from RealNetworks and Microsoft. Internet radio may be streamed at the same time as live AM and FM broadcasts over the air, or it may be a recording of a previous broadcast.
3. Web-Based Music Magazines & Music Journalists A Music Webzine Is… A magazine that is available online (as opposed to in print on paper). A music ‘zine focuses on music as a main topic. and of course there are many music journalists on the net who freelance for different sites.
4. Online Music Directories - An online directory is a web-based list that specializes in linking to other websites and categorizing those links. Online directories often allow site owners to submit their sites for inclusion. Editors of online directories review each individual submission to make sure it is appropriate and pertinent for that specific directory and category.
5. A Podcast is… A podcast at its core, is just a computer audio file that is created along with some computer code that enables the file to be downloaded to your computer (and therefore is transferable to ipods). There are now thousands of free podcasts available at iTunes, Yahoo, and on dozens of other content sites
6. A Social Networking Site… Enables people to rendezvous, connect or collaborate through computer-mediated communication. Many advocates of using these tools believe (and actively argue or assume) that these create actual community, and have adopted the term "online communities" to describe the social structures that they claim result. (Definition from Wikipedia) some examples are Bebo, Hi5, MySpace (of course!) and Ning
7. Video Upload Sites YouTube is most popular one but there are hundreds of video upload sites - quite simply put these are places where you can upload your own video. More and more artists are getting noticed through videos and homemade movies that show a whole new dimension. Some examples are: short movies from the road, interview profiles, personal diary entries etc.
