RAMP-The Content Optimization Company

Daddy Yankee is one of the leading performers of Reggaeton, a music sensation that combines, Rap, Jamaican Dancehall, and a stew of Pan-American rhythms with simple candy-coated bilingual lyrics. It may sound odd, but kids from Tierra del Fuego to New Foundland están bailando en las calles (dancing in the streets).Time Magazine recently anointed Daddy Yankee is on of 2006’s most influential people. Expect to hear more from him in years to come.

If Reggaeton is the next big thing in music, then PodZinger is going to be the next big thing in Spanish language podcast search. Try out the new Spanish edition.

In a world of obsessions there are some that are quite common, others that are rare, and a few that are inexplicable. In the last category we have “Look At His Butt!” a podcast devoted to all things William Shatner .  Listen in if you’re a fan of Star Trek, TJ Hooker, Boston Legal or El Shatner’s version of Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds.  Make it so! Wrong captain, but you get the point.

CAMBRIDGE, Mass. – May 2, 2006 – PodZinger (www.podzinger.com), the only podcast search engine that enables full-text search, today announced the company has been selected by Internet video pioneer Rocketboom to power and host their search results. Using PodZinger’s video search tool, Rocketboom visitors are now able to search the entire library of Rocketboom video to find specific videos and segments of interest to them.

Rocketboom is a three-minute daily videoblog based in New York City. The site covers and creates a wide range of information and commentary from top news stories to quirky Internet culture. It is currently one of the most popular videoblogs on the Internet with more daily subscribers for original syndicated multimedia content than nearly any other site, including podcasts. Rocketboom is presented via online video and widely distributed through RSS.

“Our extensive library of videoblogs contains original videos on subjects ranging from international arts to technology and weblog drama,” said Andrew Barron, Rocketboom founder. “With such a diverse catalog of videos, it’s key that we have a search tool that makes it quick and easy for our fans to find their favorite segments and discover new ones. After a thorough evaluation of the services available to us, it is clear that PodZinger is the best partner to help us deliver the services our viewers can depend on and enjoy.”

Compatible with most popular Web browsers, PodZinger uses speech-to-text technology to create a text index of the audio, which enables users to find content anywhere within podcasts and jump directly to the point where their keyword is spoken. For partners like Rocketboom, PodZinger licenses its engine to the partner for use on their site. Without leaving the site, visitors are then able to take advantage of PodZinger’s innovative technology to search the partner’s audio and/or video content. For potential partners, this arrangement increases the amount of time visitors stay on the site, helping to build brand loyalty.

“Sites like Rocketboom showcase the future of video distribution by demonstrating the power of the Internet to deliver video content that is compelling and interesting,” said Alex Laats, president, PodZinger. “As television viewers increasingly turn off their sets in favor of watching videos on the Internet, advertisers must follow these viewers and adopt new methods for delivering their messages. PodZinger empowers advertisers to build brands in digital mediums, while simultaneously helping partners like Rocketboom strengthen their own brand and user experience.”

About PodZinger
PodZinger is powered by BBN Technologies, leveraging its 30 years of speech recognition research to transform multimedia content into searchable words. PodZinger opens up a previously untapped source of content via a simple Web search. Also, from the PodZinger site, users can subscribe to podcasts, download, view or listen to them, and have PodZinger deliver new podcasts on their own topics of interest using standard RSS feeds. So when it comes to finding what you want in podcasts and vodcasts…just ZING IT!

###

CAMBRIDGE, Mass. – May 1, 2006 – PodZinger (www.podzinger.com), the only podcast search engine that enables full-text search, today announced that users can now use its revolutionary search capabilities to find audio and video podcasts created in Spanish. PodZinger’s latest edition enables Spanish-language users to find, share and interact with podcasts created in Spanish by visiting, and searching for, the topics they are passionate about.

With targeted advertising linked to search terms, PodZinger enables advertisers to tie their messages to relevant content in audio and video, forming a closer bond with the U.S. Hispanic segment of the population and their rapidly growing purchasing power estimated today at over $700 billion. PodZinger provides marketers and advertisers with a unique way to create digital brands and reach this key consumer demographic. In 2006 alone, there will be an estimated 16.7 million U.S. Hispanics on the Internet. Furthermore, 56 percent of Hispanics between the ages of 18-34 are online, making them more likely to adopt new features of the Internet, compared to 18-34 year-olds in the general population of which only 34 percent are online, according to an AOL/Roper U.S. Hispanic Cyberstudy in July 2005.

“Online video and audio content is worldwide, and PodZinger’s goal is to help everyone quickly find topics and information that is of interest to them,” said Alex Laats, president, PodZinger. “The addition of Spanish language podcasts makes it easier for this segment of the population to search online video and audio content, and connect to information that is relevant to them and their community.”

With PodZinger, users now can search the ever-expanding world of North American Spanish multimedia content. In the universe of searchable podcasts and vodcasts, the categories of information range from sports and science to art and the absurd. Technology enthusiasts can find the latest reviews and tips on VidaTech, while soccer fans can search on fútbol to follow the action of their favorite club or country, political activists can engage in the immigration debate as presented on the popular Frecuencia Norte podcast series, and viewers looking for education news and language courses can exercise their mind on educational sites like ChilePodcast.

About PodZinger
PodZinger is powered by BBN Technologies, leveraging its 30 years of speech recognition research to transform multimedia content into searchable words. PodZinger opens up a previously untapped source of content via a simple Web search. Also, from the PodZinger site, users can subscribe to podcasts, download, view or listen to them, and have PodZinger deliver new podcasts on their own topics of interest using standard RSS feeds. So when it comes to finding what you want in podcasts and vodcasts…just ZING IT!

###