Podcasting at IBM
IBM has been a leading company with its use of blogs and podcasting. Here is an article that sums up the podcasting being done at IBM:
Explore posts in the same categories: PodcastingIBM started to encourage employees to read and create the online journals known as blogs last May. Shortly after, IBM started pushing podcasts — subscription-based audio downloads that can be listened to on laptops, iPods or other MP3 players. IBMers like McCarty are recording podcasts on the company intranet. In addition, the investor relations department has created a podcast for the public called “IBM and the Future of…” with installments that explore how technology will affect activities such as driving, shopping, banking and online gaming.
Ben Edwards said the podcast, like the annual report that he and his colleagues create, gives investors a sense of where IBM is headed strategically. “The podcasts offer an opportunity to communicate with our investors on a more frequent basis,” Edwards said. The podcast debuted in August. Through the end of November there have been about 52,000 downloads. In late October, the series even made it into the top 100 podcasts out of 20,000 listed at Apple's iTunes.
George Faulkner, who is part of IBM's strategic communications team, said the “IBM and the Future of…” podcast has been successful because listeners don't feel like they're hearing a marketing pitch. “We show that we're passionate and approachable and just excited about what we do,” Faulkner said. “We have a lot of really smart people here and their voices never get heard in the outside world.”
Inside the company, about 50 podcasts have debuted. There have been 15,000 downloads in the past two months.
All IBMers can record podcasts using the built-in microphone in their company laptops. Simple online tutorials make it easy even for novices. One of the first podcasts was a tutorial on how to start a blog. Other podcasts are on such topics as work force diversity and career development. At least one executive is using a podcast to replace a conference call. Tim Carroll, a vice president in IBM's supply chain, used to lead a weekly call with the 7,000 employees around the world who report to him. The phone bill for the call was hundreds of thousands of dollars a year, Faulkner said. But the time wasn't always convenient for everyone, particularly employees in time zones on the other side of the planet.
Nick Volkringer, a manager on Carroll's team who works at IBM's Somers campus, said he made sure to fit the call into his schedule because the topics were important. Sometimes the call was about how weather was affecting merchandise delivery, or how many critical shipments were coming out of manufacturing plants. “Sometimes it conflicted with meetings,” he said. These days, he downloads a podcast of Carroll's weekly talk to his laptop and listens to it whenever it's convenient. “I can download these podcasts and listen to them at home in the evenings or if I have free time on my calendar in the afternoon. I can listen to it instead of bypassing another important meeting,” Volkringer said.
Carroll's podcast is always No. 1 in IBM's library, Faulkner said, but McCarty's “Rock and Roll Podcast” is also very popular. “He talks about mobile computing, and he records it from his desk at home. His personality comes through as he delivers information about what it's like to be a remote worker,” Faulkner said. “Little stars are being made here through this platform.” In his podcast, McCarty interviews colleagues on tips for working away from a cubicle, such as which applications run on a cell phone. He's produced about a half-dozen podcasts in the past three months from his East Village apartment. “People seem to like it. I get encouraging pings and notes,” McCarty said. As a musician and someone with a background in creative writing, the 31-year-old McCarty said he enjoys his role as a new media person at IBM.
“Five years ago, when I took the job, my friends were like, 'IBM, are you kidding? That's a stodgy job.' But we've launched podcasting, we've launched blogging. From a new media standpoint, it's been a sexy job.”
