BriefingsDirect Expands Service Offerings to Include Full-Text Transcripts of Sponsored Corporate Podcasts.

REDWOOD CITY, Calif. -- Verbatim text version for blogs augments audio podcast product comprising all-inclusive B2B podcasting planning, moderating, production, hosting and distribution service

BriefingsDirect(TM), the innovative analyst-moderated B2B podcast series, announced expanded service offerings here today at the Corporate Podcasting Summit by including for the first time full-text transcripts of sponsored podcasts.

"Studies of listener behavior show that they prefer to know a lot about an audio program before downloading and subscribing," said Dana Gardner, Interarbor Solutions Principal Analyst and producer of BriefingsDirect. "Contrary to conventional wisdom, giving the audience a chance to peruse a text transcript of a podcast in a blog or on a web site actually prompts more listeners to then opt-in to get the full audio production."

Podcasting is the Internet distribution of audio or other rich media files for manual or automated download to PCs or portable music players and cell phones. B2B podcasts are digital MP3 recordings of interviews or discussions on business topics, often conducted over the telephone, that are made freely available from a variety of Web sites, RSS feeds and content aggregation sites. Users interested in valuable, specific business information can search for or be pointed to these podcasts, and easily access, comment on and share them.

The use of podcasts for technology and business communications is rising rapidly. Through the power of Internet search, blogs, email newsletters, RSS, and viral online sharing, companies are increasingly enjoying concentrated yet low-cost distribution of powerful rich content to highly interested and influential user communities. Analyst-moderated podcasts of 30 to 40 minutes get deeply into complex subjects while taking advantage of natural language and the enjoyable give-and-take of a discussion among knowledgeable and balanced participants.

By creating credible knowledge campaigns on technology, products and trends, podcast sponsors are delivering dynamic new content into their own communications and RSS channels, while also benefiting from freshly produced, taggable content for search engine crawling and blog-based distribution and pass-along link efficiencies.

"Interarbor Solutions has developed a fast and simple way for companies to use analyst-moderated podcasting as a viral element of their sales and marketing strategies," continued Gardner. "Podcasting and associated RSS campaigns allow organizations to attract and communicate directly with their core target audiences, on the listeners' terms and at their mobile convenience." Company-sponsored podcasts are an ideal, cost-effective method of getting a sophisticated message out to prospects, customers, the media and the market at large with depth and credibility. Podcasts augment a company's blogs, and aid in creating more taggable content for search engines to find and deliver to inquiring buyers."

Examples of B2B podcasts are at www.briefingsdirect.com and http://blogs.zdnet.com/Gardner.

As part of a comprehensive, all-inclusive package of podcast creation, delivery and distribution services, beginning immediately, corporate sponsors of BriefingsDirect podcast shows gain:

--In-depth IT industry analyst briefing and planning sessions for identifying credible, knowledge-based podcast topics, participants and content.

--Full logistical support for podcast recording sessions via convenient, location-independent telephone conference calls.

--Expert and compelling moderation of the entire 40-minute podcast, with up to three guests, by popular IT industry analyst Dana Gardner, who retains editorial control over the show.

--Turnkey production, editing, delivery and hosting of each podcast show, as well as full perpetual license by the sponsor to use and post the podcast MP3 file anywhere, forever.

--A full text transcript of the entire podcast, with full license to use and distribute the text, as well as posting of the text and extracted podcast highlights on a transcripts-only and openly available blog, http://briefingsdirect.blogspot.com.

--World-wide distribution of the podcast via www.BriefingsDirect.com and associated RSS feeds, as well as on Apple's iTunes podcast distribution service, and through such podcast listing portals as ODEO, Technorati, Podcast Alley and Yahoo!.

--Powerful alerts of and links to newly available podcast shows and text transcripts via Dana Gardner's popular BriefingsDirect software strategies blog on ZDNet.com, as well as redistribution of the podcast and transcripts links on ZDNet.com and ebizQ.net.

Pricing for sponsorship of the complete package of B2B podcasts and transcripts - including planning, moderation, production and broad distribution benefits - starts at $3,000 per podcast episode.

Sponsors of BriefingsDirect podcasts series currently include HP, Akamai Technologies, Cape Clear Software, Wind River Systems, Integrien Corp., Eclipse Foundation and Splunk.

About Interarbor Solutions

Interarbor Solutions LLC, Gilford, NH, tracks IT trends, delivers forecasts, and interprets the competitive landscape of enterprise applications and software infrastructure markets. It also uniquely advises clients to invigorate their marketing and business outreach by going direct to their user-interest communities using rich-media information such as podcasts and RSS for viral communications benefits. Interarbor Solutions produces and distributes BriefingsDirect(TM), a unique sponsored business podcast product available at www.briefingsdirect.com. www.interarbor-solutions.com