In the past week, four individuals who I know and respect have invited me to appear as a guest presenter in their (new) podcasts. As far as I can tell, they travel in reasonably distinctive circles and, while some know each other, they are truly independent.
Why is this happening?
Frankly, I’m not sure yet. One of the podcast presenters referenced a guru who apparently has achieved great success and income from the process. Another, I believe, is using an offshore provider to conduct the interview on his behalf. I also received an observation that the time is now for podcasts in part because of the rapid evolution of smartphones — it is much easier for someone to listen to a podcast from a mobile device, than it is to read a conventional blog posting.
Maybe it’s coincidence. Maybe I’m a real authority on marketing, and this diverse group of individuals has recognized my knowledge, and has invited me to share it. I don’t know yet, but I have some clues.
- My wife, who is not a technological luddite but not the earliest adaptor of new devices, has finally replaced her old cellphone with a new smartphone. Yesterday, she exuded about all the things the phone can do. “It can play music. I can see the weather report. I can find everything here.” As the technology expands, undoubtedly, it reaches a critical mass where it isn’t just the early adaptors who are using it.
- A couple of years ago I had the opportunity to visit northern California and learn a fair bit about trends, and indeed it seems these trends are manifesting. This causes me to look forward to my next visit to California in late September/early October, though I won’t be able to share publicly my findings because of non-disclosure requirements.
- Finally, ideas seem to have a tipping point, when they move from the place when only a few early adaptors catch on, to when there is a sudden surge of interest. Think LEED, for example, a few years ago. Obviously, it is great when you can be one of the individuals who catches the wave early enough, but not too early, to enjoy the branding advantage and recognition as an expert/leader in the field.
So I’m thinking carefully about podcasts, and probably will have one of my own in place in the next month or so. And, if you aren’t already there, I think you should really be connecting with BIM and Integrated Project Delivery (IPD) because these will soon be forces you will not be able to escape.
