In order to embed a YouTube video copy the URL of a video, go to to the Add Media section of your write page (the page where you compose your blog posts), click on Add Video, paste the URL into the box, and click the Insert into Post button:

How do I post a Google Video?

Copy the URL.

Go to your Write Page, click on Add Video just below the post title

Paste the URL into the box

How do I post a DailyMotion video?

When you have found the video you want, look in the box underneath it.

That box is very long but it has the id you need.

Scroll through that box, or copy all of it into Notepad. The part you want is the value: value="http://www.dailymotion.com/swf/5zYRy1JLhuGlP3BGw"

Copy the numbers: value=”http://www.dailymotion.com/swf/5zYRy1JLhuGlP3BGw

and write them like this:

[dailymotion id=5zYRy1JLhuGlP3BGw]
and that will make this:

[dailymotion id=5zYRy1JLhuGlP3BGw]

How do I post a Odeo audio

Go to their site and go to an audio player page - for example a DJ Nicky T , Fatboy Slim vs Shaggy mashup

Copy and paste the URL in your address bar, it should look like this: http://odeo.com/audio/1233398/view


And write it out like this [odeo=http://odeo.com/audio/1233398/view]

Then you will get a nice audio player like this:

[odeo=http://odeo.com/audio/1233398/view]

How do I post a Vimeo video?

Wordpress support embedding of Vimeo videos inside your blog posts or pages using the following syntax:

[vimeo http://vimeo.com/240975]
or
[vimeo 240975]

Simply put the above code into one of your blog posts or pages and you will get this:

You can find the URL or ID of a particular video (http://vimeo.com/240975 or 240975 in the above examples) by going to Vimeo.com, finding a video you like and looking at the URL of the video in your browser.

How do I post a Splashcast video

You can now embed Splashcast media into your blog.

The form of the code is [splashcast playerid]

So this [splashcast CLIW1846SO]
turns into this:
[splashcast CLIW1846SO]

How do I embed Kyte.tv?

You can embed Kyte TV shows using the Kyte shortcode for WordPress.com. You can find the shortcode for a Kyte show by going to the embed page for a show (click on the “Embed this TV” link below a show). For example, here’s the embed page for Scobleizer’s Kyte show:

http://www.kyte.tv/channels/place.html?uri=channels/6118

You can see the WordPress.com embed code on the right hand side of the page:

[kyte.tv 6118]

If you paste that code into a WordPress.com post or page, you get this:

Note: Because Kyte provides live video streaming, chat and comments, many people use it to create live shows. If you embed a live show you might want to consider creating a separate page on your blog - for example you could call it “My Live Kyte Show” - and embedding the show there. That way your show will be permanently accessible from that page (if you were to embed it into a blog post instead, the show would scroll off the bottom of the page as you publish new blog posts).

How do I post a PodTech video

You can post audio or video from PodTech Network (podtech.net)

Find the video you like:

Click the orange SHARE button:

Find the wordpress.com code. Copy that and paste it into your post.

Alternatively, you can use the “Post to your WordPress.com blog” button below the player if you want to post directly from PodTech instead of embedding their player while writing a post in your dashboard.

How do I post a LiveVideo video

You can embed videos from http://www.livevideo.com

The code looks like this:
[livevideo id=F25406F905A64843B19E7CDC3CFD04A4]
and that turns into

[livevideo id=F25406F905A64843B19E7CDC3CFD04A4]

You get the ID from either the URL of the video

or the codes next to the image.

In their comment, PodTech clarified that their service is essentially a kind of content-sharing site for commercial purposes rather than a site that hosts the content of individuals, so that was useful to know and also helped me to make more sense of the setup of the site, in that it's more like a media channel than a hosting service. As a media channel, the layout isn't, then, as 'unruly' as I suggested. *grin*

I also realised that I must have read WordPress's commentary on audioblogging incorrectly as they can't have suggested you 'upload' your audio as PodTech doesn't offer that feature to general users. Just goes to show, you should read the small print more carefully before you rant and rave! *chuckle*

And, to be fair, on a revisit to PodTech, they do actually have some interesting content. I guess I got caught up in my rant and saw only what I wanted to see. There's this interesting clip from the Scoble series, for example, on the Meosphere:

[podtech content=http://media1.podtech.net/media/2007/05/PID_011142/Podtech_MeoSphere_demo.flv&postURL=http://www.podtech.net/home/2937/keeping-track-of-your-life-with-meospheres-ceo-2&totalTime=229000&breadcrumb=7a30140303d44afe9fa161e6688fc4e1]

I really like the graphical meosphere, sounds pretty cool. I think I'm going to investigate this site a little bit more. The graphical element reminded me a lot of a cool book I read once about the interconnectivity of things and ways of mapping them: Total Interaction.

So, I almost feel like an apology is in order... you know, a bit like those you get in the physical media... sorry, we got it wrong... *wry grin* So, apologies, PodTech, you're not the culprit and you're not as 'unruly' as I thought at first glance.

I'm hoping many (at least those based in or near the Bay Area) get to be on the scene. For sure, one great Intel community guy will be there -- Bob Duffy.

Bob's in my social media posse, and he has been helping Intel move from blogging into communities and helping experts get more involved off of Intel sites, where IT pros, consumers and other tech lovers might be asking for insight that Intel can share. He helped compile data, tools and experts to legitimize Intel's branded community for IT Pros called Open Port. He's now climbing the ladder to get a better view and help other groups and community minded managers benefit from best practices, and to integrate with existing and ongoing community efforts. For me, he's in the right place in the right time -- for him and for Intel. He's a listener, participant and skilled at crystalizing powerful notions blended with data to help teams break down silos, harness expertise, ignite interest in activities beyond those inside Intel... He helps us move ahead because he's thoughtful, inclusive, he's involved online and takes time to meet and share interests and insights offline.

Sometimes, I see Intel trying to create products or solutions that will meet future demands. There may not be a huge need today for "Dunnington" 6-core processors because many applications are even multi-threaded to take advantage of dual core processors -- but there's tons of working going on to help get software to work ever better with new hardware. On the other hand, things like data security defense and power efficiency needs are top of mind, but often many don't know that Intel engineers and products can help. New features are being built right into the latest chips at a faster, more predictable rate than ever before (i.e Intel's "tick-tock" method of new chip design followed by new cycle of product process improvements followed by new chip design...).

This is where Intel marketing teams can step in and help. Finding the right communication tools and identifying pools of conversations can connect Intel technology experts with the growing number people and companies who might benefit from what Intel insiders are working on.

Here are some examples of IT stories and topics Intel experts are exploring on Open Port.

Here's Bob talking in August 2007, just before the virtual doors were opened at Open Port

[podtech content=http://media1.podtech.net/media/2007/08/PID_012329/Podtech_MV_at_INTEL_Folsom.flv&postURL=http://www.podtech.net/home/4122/intels-online-strategists-insights-into-community-building&totalTime=489000&breadcrumb=d4bdc99c5a9f4fca89b8d7d9c50aba8b]

Bob will be joining the social computing wiseman, Forrester Research's Jeremiah Owyang, on this day two panel:

8:30am - 9:20am Wednesday, 04/23/2008 "Community Building: Good, Bad, and Ugly"

Dawn Foster (Jive Software), Jeremiah Owyang (Forrester Research), Bob Duffy (Intel), Kellie Parker (PC World & Macworld). A great community requires considerable forethought, attention to technology, and a dose of know-how to manage the unruly. Read more.

Full schedule of Web 2.0 sessions here.

During Web 2.0 Expo, I'm also looking forward to seeing the winners of CNET's WebWare 100.

Hope to see you at the expo Tuesday or Friday. That week, I'll be joining Ogilvy's Rohit Bhargava at the New Communication Forum April 24 at 10:00 a.m. PT. Rohit is moderating a panel called "Future of Marketing and Advertising." More on the New Comm Forum in a future post. I'm looking forward to catching up with Rohit after giving birth to a timely book called "Personality Not Included -- Why Brands Lose Their Authenticity and How Great Companies Get It Back." Learn more on his great blog.

[podtech content=http://media1.podtech.net/media/2008/04/PID_013499/Podtech_Sights_Sounds_IDF_Shandhai_200.flv&postURL=http://www.podtech.net/home/5072/idf-shanghai-sights-and-sounds&totalTime=236000&breadcrumb=d5279439ebc54492b2905d718a35f33a]

IDF Shanghai Tout, originally uploaded by Hugger Industries.

I'm looking forward to the kick of the 2008 Intel Developer Forum April 2-3 in Shanghai. Lots of my admired teammates will be there. I coined this event as the best, most integrated, cross team, cross geography social media team effort for Intel to date.

Here's a post I wrote for the Technology@Intel blog. It features tech topics, links to how we'll be sharing the the IDF experience.

Here's a cool video my pal Annie and I directed with PodTech.  It looks back and a ahead at IDF, where great people get together to build the future upon the latest incremental tech advancements that start at the the computing core...the microprocessor.

[podtech content=http://media1.podtech.net/media/2008/03/PID_013462/Podtech_Intel_Shanghai_IDF_Preview.flv&postURL=http://www.podtech.net/home/5022/idf-shanghai-2008-atom-enabled-devices-to-debut&totalTime=215000&breadcrumb=3efb85bea0864219b2a9d5ff5812ec0d]

This is from Jennifer Jones of PodTech's "Marketing Voices -- an episode worth repeating...

The many online social media have become an important part of the marketing mix for many corporations and organizations. Whether it means listening to online conversations, participating in communities of enthusiasts, clients, consumers or social networks, or simply increasing transparency, understanding how social media can be made to work for you is key to building stronger brand engagement and loyalty. It’s also going to save you money. But how?

In this video podcast, Marketing Voices’ Jennifer Jones, and others, talk with industry insiders to find out how combining social media with the art of storytelling in blogs, wikis and podcasts will foster conversations, convert incremental audience, and ultimately increase audiences’ engagement with brands. How can you use social media to create a voice for your brand that resonates beyond your corporate Web site? How can syndication help move your brand’s voice to your audiences, and bring those audiences back to your brand?

We'll see more "real" devices when the chips are releases to gadget and gizmo makers in the second quarter of this year.

Here is where we can watch what people are saying online. Here are some bookmarked stories on del.icio.us and StumbleUpon.

Here are a few of my favorites:

Interviews with Innovators by Jon Udel from ITConversations Network. ITConversations also hosts some interesting podcasts on Social Innovation and other interesting topics.

Talking with Talis is one of my more recent discoveries. In their own words, it is:

conversations with thought-leaders at the interface between Web 2.0, Libraries, and the Semantic Web...

Inside Silicon Valley from PodTech News is another one of my favorites. I became aware of PodTech when Robert Scoble moved there from Microsoft.

ScobleShow is another one of my favorite ones. Since Scoble is no longer at PodTech, I wonder whether this series will continue.

Channel 10 is a great source that covers products and innovations at Microsoft.  I have watched some really grate videos and podcasts there.

Google Engineering Edu and other Google tech talk videos is one of the best sources of technology information. Google often invites thought leaders, developers, language designers to their campus. They make these videos available free.

A talk a day is my motto. A technology or Science podcast or an audiobook is a great companion when I take my walks or sweat it out on my treadmill.

Rio Pesino of PodTech has a short, nifty episode of his gaming show, "Reboot" that spotlights a Japanese company selling PCs covered in solid gold ($750,000) or silver cases covered with diamonds ($560,000). Sure the bling is the thing, but it's that Intel Core 2 Duo inside that make me sing!  See it here:

The LIFT conference is happening right now. "LIFT08 is a three day event to explore the social impact of new technologies." This definitely sounds like something I would enjoy attending. Not only would I be among my fellow tech geeks, but it feeds my inate social need to give back to the community and to the world. Thank goodness for blogs. I'm going to follow the happenings where I can. Not all of us can get away to Switzerland.

After I gave WSJ Digital Network kudos for their Davos World Economic Forum coverage at the Davos Daily, I see Emily's report???  What's the deal??   Expand blog network and keep the firewall?  It's called 'burn the village' strategy and invest in a differentiated product.

Emily writes:  "Speculation that News Corp. would make WSJ.com a completely free site had been rife in recent months, since Mr. Murdoch had signaled he was contemplating lifting the subscription wall. Mr. Murdoch had indicated that lifting the pay wall could broaden the Journal's online audience and boost its Web advertising revenue, offsetting any loss in subscription revenues.

Mr. Murdoch made his comments today at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, in answer to a question.

"We are going to greatly expand and improve the free part of the Wall Street Journal online, but there will still be a strong offering" for subscribers, Mr. Murdoch said. "The really special things will still be a subscription service, and, sorry to tell you, probably more expensive."

It's a "burn the village" strategy for WSJ.  They can provide rapid blogging coverage to commoditize the blogosphere then create a separate product that is highly differentiated and charge for it. 

This plays directly into WSJ's hands since they invest the most in the talent.  Same is true for the NY  Times, but they have actually integrated blogging into their online site which has no subscription firewall.   Interesting strategies by both companies.  Many have said that newspapers should create blog networks.  

There was a great post and debate about data being a commodity on bubblegenration and publishing 2.o last month. 

Is blogging and free content a commodity?  Lets have some pork bellies with those blog posts.  Meanwhile look for big media companies to "Burn the Villages".   

Why?  Commoditize the blogosphere then roll them all up.

This is how the WSJ Digital Network describes their coverage at Davos in the Davos Daily:  The Daily Davos provides updates from the World Economic Forum's annual talkfest in Davos, Switzerland, which draws more than 2,000 business, political and academic leaders for a five-day program of workshops and panel discussions. A team of reporters and editors from The Wall Street Journal and Dow Jones Newswires is on the scene, and will be posting news, commentary and gossip as the conference unfolds.

Folks what we are seeing here is professional blogging.  Great job by the WSJ bloggers.  I'd like to know who the people are that are behind the blogging for WSJ.  For example I know that Eric Savitz is Barron's Tech Trader Daily.  Linking to a person behind the blogging is easier then some generic face like Davos Daily - there are two brands the blog site and the blogger(s).  I like AllThingsD, but its Kara Swisher who I like to read.   

WSJ Digital Network is a collection of blogs.  Will they partner with other networks.  PodTech currently works with Dow Jones and they should form a strategic partnership with WSJ Digital.

[podtech content=http://media1.podtech.net/media/2008/01/PID_013329/Podtech_MV_CES2008_Rafe_Needleman.flv&postURL=http://www.podtech.net/home/4877/cnets-needleman-on-his-views-of-traditional-versus-new-media&totalTime=502000&breadcrumb=27aa48f693354041b3ee8647c200233c]

[podtech content=http://media1.podtech.net/media/2008/01/PID_013323/Podtech_Intel_CES2008_Ultra_Mobile.flv&postURL=http://www.podtech.net/home/4857/mobile-internet-devices-make-a-splash-at-ces-2008&totalTime=180000&breadcrumb=b438cb739c7540e6ad6896c089f76bce]

When discussions about radio moving into the new millennium come up there is one aspect of technology that is often invoked: the podcast. Detractors of broadcast media say that podcasting signals the death knell for radio. Supporters stress the importance of stations adopting podcasting as a new delivery mechanism for radio shows. Both sides will be interested in our topic today: Is podcasting dead?

That question was asked yesterday morning in the tile of Alexander Wolfe's Information Week column entitled "Wolfe's Den."  Wolfe is not optimistic about the future of podcasts.

Hence the question in my headline, "Is Podcasting Dead?" More correctly, the question should really be whether podcasting isn't on artificial life support. Because, as best as I can see, there's a lot more money and effort being spent on creating 'casts than there is interest and dollars headed back to content creators from consumers.

Heck, if you check out the iTunes podcasting directory, you'd think this stuff is more popular than Monday Night Football. (OK, the MFN isn't what it once was.) Yet the most recent study I could find forecasts that the number of regular podcast listeners in the United States will reach 7.5 million this year. This compares to 200 million from radio.

The interesting thing about those figures is that many of the podcast listeners are in fact hearing repackaged radio content. Alex Iskold over at Read Write Web gives us a documentation rich analysis of the current podcasting climate:

The last problem may be delivering the final blow to podcasting -- competition from big media companies. They all quickly figured out that recycling their audio content into podcasts is cheap and easy. So many of them have done just that. NPR, CNN, and National Geographic, for example, make their content available as podcasts. Looking at what is popular on iTunes we see very few independently produced podcasts, but rather a top downloads page that is dominated by the pros.

While the popular podcasts are dominated by video, at least one radio syndicate has bridged the digital gap in a major way: National Public Radio (NPR) is a front runner in the union of radio and podcasting. Many of NPR's popular shows are available as podcasts as well as during their regular time slot via streaming audio.

To further shake things up, the departure of iconic podcaster John Furier from Podtech has ignited a furious and sometimes vitriolic array of commentary across the media landscape. What is interesting is that many of the arguments supporting the death of podcasting as a delivery mechanism are areas that radio is, and has long been, strong in.

• Intellectual Capital - Podcasts require more attention, which many would rather focus on watching video or listening to music.
• The Commute - drivers generally do not wear headphones while driving, and most cars do not have an input jack for an iPod. In addition most podcast content is seen as being "too serious," for listening to after a long workday.
• Cars - even if auto manufacturers start integrating iPod/MP3 player docks in their new models the rate at which this will become the standard will be limited by the rate of new car purchases.

While podcasting might not be a dying delivery mechanism, I think those who hold it up as a "radio killer" should reconsider their positions.

photo courtesy of arvindgrover, used under this Creative Commons license

Like so many, I believe there's an unstoppable swell of social media energy and needs inside companies and industries around the world. It's up to us to help companies, industry and government leaders understand why we ought to keep forging into new ways of communicating better using the Internet. Younger folks, even my own kids, are already using the Internet like I used to use the phone, radio, TV and the yellow pages. Heck, my five-year-old knows how to answer a Skype call and turn on the video chat!

Let's keep movin' ahead with it!!

[podtech content=http://media1.podtech.net/media/2008/01/PID_013309/Podtech_MarketingVoices_Shel_Israel.flv&postURL=http://www.podtech.net/home/4850/social-media-worldwide-shel-israels-perspective&totalTime=450000&breadcrumb=98b6db17d747439fa5d78b75bdfa0848]

And that's not necessarily a bad thing, it doesn't really work when trying to setup a business or try to integrate with one of the oldest industries in the world, advertising.

It's not an accident that Ask A Ninja signed with an advertising company and not a podcasting company (although we tried). The advertising world has it's own language, it's own way of closing deals, different from both Hollywood and the Valley.

Using Mark's framework, podcasting is a philosophy, a community, and a technology. I think to understand where we are today in terms of all of these things we need to step back in the wayback machine to June of 2006.

That's when the community was at it's prime with Vloggercon. We descended on the Swedish American Hall and the future was ours.

This was Hippie central, when the philosophy of raging against the mainstream media was at it's peak -- and mainstream includes anything that was making money, or wasn't aggressively fucking with tenets of Aristotelian storytelling was being a part of the man.

The night before VloggerCon, I participated in what has become known as the worst episode of "This Week In Tech". That night I met Andrew Baron, Patrick Norton, Leo, Scoble, Amber Mac, and Jason Calacanis, among many others. During that show Andrew claimed he want to be the next Rupert Murdoch (or maybe it was Sumner Redstone) and everyone on the panel rolled their eyes and chuckled. These were the guys that survived the first bubble and now were here for the second. Jason and Andrew got into a very uncomfortable nerd fight, boiling down to Andrew calling Jason out for not knowing how to run a business.

During VloggerCon, Rocketboom was the anointed success story. The ones who had figured it all out. Sure they sold some advertising ($40k for one week on ebay!) but they were mostly about the community and about being independent.

The day after the Rocketboom keynote, there was a small panel on creating characters for podcasts. I was there (and debuted HopeIsEmo.com), Tim Street was there, and a couple of guys from The Pan were there.

I just remember being glad that Tim Street was in the room. Everyone hated him, in a big way. Because he was just so unapologetically crass and commercial about his podcast. He was a little sexist and crude and that just riled everyone up.

And there was me, talking about the ninja and our big audience and whatnot. And there was just a real sense of frustration in the packed room at why we had gotten so big and why shows like the PAN weren't getting more audience.

After the panel, I remember a few voices of support (I'm talking about you Fritz Grobe :) ), but mostly it was awkward, very turd in the punch bowl vibe.

Then two weeks later the Rocketboom divorce happened.

I still don't know exactly what happened. I've never gotten both sides from the actual players. What I do know is that I saw a show that had a similar setup as mine and I freaked. I was planning on just doing as they did. Go to ebay, sell some ads after 18 months, done and done.

But upon further analysis, $40k isn't that much considering how much work they put into the show. They only did that initial sponsorship, there was only sporatic follow-up campaigns. What Rocketboom had in spades was cache, not cash.

At the time, we were in a similar position. Tons of viewers, but no real revenue streams. We were paying the rent from the small amount of capital from my friends and family, but we were barely scraping by, and we couldn't sustain that for much longer.

I realized that we had a problem, we had been pushing off the business angle for too long. We were being hippies.

"Hey man we can worry about that later, man," said my inner hippie.

Well, later suddenly became now. We needed grown ups to help us sort through the deals we had on the table and then move forward.

So that's what we did. We signed with Agents and managers and lawyers and business managers.

We stopped being hippies, and we really got serious about working for ourselves and supporting us through advertising and merchandising.

(As a side note, months later I found out why Andrew and Rocketboom were less concerned about making money with his podcast. He's the son of Fred Baron, a wealthy Texas lawyer and Democratic fundraiser (who personally donated $90k in 2007). And Andrew lives in a great apartment in Manhattan. He was already a financial success without Rocketboom.)

The community also reacted, losing some of it's innocence.

And now the ADM has formed (and I'm on the board). That act alone should really help those that want to use the technology of podcasting/personal media to create businesses. The ADM will allow us as an industry to learn what the advertisers need from us in order to spend their billions of dollars on this space.

It will also give you a clear choice when you're a podcaster, it will allow you to either go down the path of being a hippie, or go down the path being a producer and business person. Or if you're like me, a little of both. :)

Eighteen months after VloggerCon, I think the core community to try and recapture the magic of that weekend. PodCamps, The Winnies, etc. All try and keep that torch alive, but the bigger questions are mostly solved. Most of the people at PodCamp AZ wanted to know how to build a big audience, how to make money, how to copy the Ninja's success.

And we've also seen the rise and fall of several early podcasting companies.  These companies were savvy enough to see the opportunities to make money in the space, but didn't bring in the relationships with ad agencies that would actually bring in the cash.

Some of the early companies treated indie producers bumpkins that would never read the contracts they offered.  They promised big, and under delivered.

Now we're seeing more and more established advertising companies starting to come into the space and sell bigger and bigger sponsorships (most notably Federated Media, our ad selling partner).

We still have a long way to go, both as an industry and as a community. We need to do a better job of reaching out to the YouTubers and let them know about the wonders of RSS. We need to to do a better job of realizing that anyone that not a part of the huge media congloms is an ally.

And we need to get past the what's and how's of the technology and just create new and amazing things.

[podtech content=http://media1.podtech.net/media/2008/01/PID_013293/Podtech_Intel_CES2008_ProcessorInYourP.flv&postURL=http://www.podtech.net/home/4832/intel-asks-what-is-this-thing-at-ces-2008&totalTime=154000&breadcrumb=346c362832284c319bc98bc525d8b2cd]
Here's what people said when they held the chip inside the Intel booth at CES:

This year at CES 2008, I saw two times more people walking around video taping our booth, learning about the latest technologies from Intel experts. I even brought my Sony HDV cam and shot several interviews and the Intel keynote -- here's an Intel blog post I shot and wrote featuring a few short clips of Smash Mouth on Stage with Intel CEO Paul Otellini. As did my "double down" pal Nick Knupfer.

What I love most every year -- this was my seventh CES in Las Vegas -- is getting to see so many of my media friends, coworkers and even college buddies (ran into one of my best Chico buddies at the Intel keynote). This year took things into a new stratosphere because I got to connect and work alongside fellow social media enthusiasts and see my Intel pals like Bryan Rhoads really have fun with more resources devoted to social media. Today's (somewhat) more organized efforts spouted from organic energy a few years ago, and now I see the social media posse swelling with new talent. We'll making new inroads, new friends and better relationships along the way. This is great, because I believe that we ought to encourage any Intel employee to participate with social media in a smart, fun way. The more people we have out there, the more connected and meaningful Intel will be to people's lives. More relevance and more able to respond to what's happening today and any changes we need to make in order to make a positive impact in the world. If we keep at this pace, I (and many of my coworkers) believe we can help move up into the top ten most recognized brands using social media.

Here's some of the social media posse action from my visit to CES 2008:

Everyone's favorite "Tell Me How It Works" guru and my Chico WildCat buddy Ralph Bond and I visited PodTech's BlogHaus the evening after Bill Gates' keynote. At that point, he thought my soft brown Italian jacket was the most talked about thing at CES.

We got to hang out with PodTech's wonderful interviewer and photographer Michael Johnson:

There's never a dull moment because even standing in long taxi lines allowed time for mindflow sessions with geniuses like Rohit Bhargava.

Hotel hopping with John Furrier -- who helped me dive fast and deep into Podcasting in 2005:

And seeing Brian Giesen's bright smile and energy at breakfast is enough to give anyone a jolt -- let's hit the show!

Intel got to sponsor this year's killer blogger bash "It Won't Stay in Vegas." Intel gave away a free ride on the Zero G plane, a cool promotion to celebrate everyone reaching new heights in mobility. Even Doc Searls took the flight as did other top bloggers (Andru Edwards from GearLive) and tech industry shakers. Here is a video from Tom Foremski, whos shows the social media posse he ran with at CES 2008 (rebloged here).

In the Tom's video above there's has a blip from the bus ride where a guy shows off an MID -- see the video I shot on MIDs from the Intel booth.

And it's great to see the action from the PodTech BlogHaus.

I flew back to the Bay Area on the new Virgin America -- what a great flight! Cool new painted planes, sweet back seat touch screen entertainment with music videos, live TV and other cool things. Got a few drink and really enjoyed the spirited, lovely people working for the new airline. As I entered the plane, I got to congratulate Robert Scoble holding his cheerful newborn baby. That's what life's all about!

One person I most missed this year compared with last year?  Jeremiah Owyang, one of the best social media posse pioneers who has helped me make so many connections and is helping so many others nowadays playing in the big leagues at Forrester Research.

For the second year in a row at CES, PodTech's BlogHaus was the place to be whenever you weren't on the showroom floor, eating or taking a bathroom break (notice I didn't say sleeping). It was a great place to see friends like Tom Foremski, Michael Johnson, John Furrier, Reboot gaming guru Rio Pasino, Robert Scoble and his video shooting/editing partner in crime Rocky. I got to catch up with many of them and made new friends. The PodTech crew pumped out lots of great video, audio and blog stories from the BlogHaus, located deep inside the bellissima albergo di Bellagio.

I got to hear about the blogger bus ride from the Bay Area and see what Tom Foremski was excited about as he arrived in Las Vegas for CES 2008. Here's a look at one thing Tom released from CES:

Video | 09:36 | Posted by Tom Foremski | January 10th, 2008 5:44 amNext week I'm launching ScobleWatcher.com - the ten minutes of Robert Scoble you need to see each day :-)

Robert is an extraordinary and tireless media producing machine. He would run 24/7 if he could, and he sometimes does.

Here are a couple of days of Robert at CES2008 in Las Vegas and the PodTech BlogHaus, (which was a great place to hang out…)

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Traffic is at an all time high right now and PopSnap is conference hopping from CES to MacWorld so stay tuned for the best live blogging I can provide.

It's been a pleasure to work with PodTech at BlogHaus, Gizmodo, Mogulus, and Robert Scoble.

Thanks to TechCrunch and PerkettPR for making all this possible.

Thanks goes to Tom Foremski from the SiliconValleyWatcher for putting together this video.

I like it at 2:45 because Retrevo is a helpful website that let's you search for information about gadgets that you like and hear about from your friends in a resourseful way. You can search for ratings, reviews and information based on any make model or design of your gadgets and gizmos. The best part is they let you find support for your gadget after it breaks.

See more coverage at PodTech and Mogulus.

Also check out Gizmodo to see some pictures of me taken at ShowStoppers. I think they are doing a piece on the babes of CES or something like that.

Back at MIX06 I noted that Microsoft had not yet embraced the social media revolution that clearly was going to dominate the online experience. I think they have now done so, but they may be too late. The demos of something called "Zune Social" were neat, but I noted the key feature was the ability to integrated with a Facebook profile. I'd argue that Open Social (or some variation on that theme), that is very largely company agnostic, will ultimately prevail. I didn't get the idea Zune Social would be a big winner over time, but ...

(posted from the CES Bloghaus! Thanks Seagate and Podtech!)

Update:  Engadget will have an interview up soon 

Robert Scoble was one of the first bloggers. While the face of the business blogger during his tenure at Microsoft. he wrote, “Naked Conversations: How Blogs are Changing the Way Business Talk with Customers.” Today Scoble is the topic of conversation after Tech Crunch writes about his next move.

Michael Arrington reports that Scoble plans to leave Pod Tech mid-January for Fast Company. Arrington is not the only one who has gotten wind of this rumor (I heard it over a month ago and said I would keep it under the table, but now that everyone else is writing about it the word is out and this post shouldn't change all that). Robert left a comment on Michalel’s blog post stating “He says “I will be doing something else on January 15th, but still am not finalized on what that is. I will let everyone know on January 15th what I do.” Both Arrington and Scoble are in Paris for LeWebb right now so it makes sense that Scoble would let the cat out of the bag.

Pod Tech spent their $7.5 million dollars in funding and tried to be the network about business in Silicon Valley. Tech Crunch says that Pod Tech will probably enter the “dead pool.” If they do it will probably be because there is no other show, brand recognition or anything else about PodTech that has ever seemed to create a spark for people.

I’ll be watching his departure closely so check back to find the latest updates.