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Amanda Congdon and Joanne Colan of Rocketboom have reached the “online celebrities” status in the world of online video. As online videos gain more popularity, The New York Times reports that even traditional Hollywood talent agencies are creating new divisions to scout for talent to create Internet content.

According to the agencies’ executive,

“The goal…is not only to recruit the next generation of television and film writers and directors from the relative obscurity of sites like YouTube and Revver. It is also to help the major Web portals that are hungry for original content to find the creative people they need.”

So the moral of the story is this: Submit your audio and video podcasts to PodZinger, watch your audience and visibility grow, and wait for Hollywood to come calling!

With Google buying YouTube, many bloggers are buzzing about the potential mess Google might get into with all the copyrighted material that YouTube is currently hosting. Conversations around copyrighted material and file swapping (post-Napster) are starting to swing back with Internet video gaining more momentum and popularity.

Today, UK’s Times Online reported that a new EU proposal might require all Websites (including user generated sites and personal websites) that feature video images to conform to the same regulations as broadcasting rules.

Additionally, Reuters today also reported that the Universal Music Group filed lawsuits against two other online video sharing sites Grouper and Bolt.com for allowing users to share pirated versions of artists’ videos.

We are definitely starting to see a trend of increasing regulations and lawsuits governing online video. PodZinger obviously supports copyright protection but the industry needs to make sure that unnecessary regulations do not hinder the growth of user generated content and eventually pose a threat to the creativity of independent content creators.

In a goal to raise $30 million nationally for Breast Cancer, 30,000 walkers in Boston participated in the 14th Annual Making Strides Against Breast Cancer fundraiser. As October is the National Breast Cancer Awareness month, we thought it would be appropriate to point out some of the various video and audio podcasts that provide useful health tips and information including Katie Couric’s broadcast on Breast Cancer Awareness.

NPR: Health & Science gives in-depth reports on medicine and health, providing the latest information on issues such as heart disease, depression and stroke.

Family Health Radio, provides understandable information on common health problems and the latest health care developments from the College of Osteopathic Medicine and The Center For Public Media at Ohio University.

The Health and Happiness Podcast provides tips and hints for a longer and happier life through nutritional guidance and vitamin help.

With the introduction of he PodZinger Advertising Platform, we are encouraging all podcasters to sign up to participate…. and it’s Free. this is a great way to get your podcast found and make money.

If you have already registered your content with PodZinger, expect an email in the next week or two letting you know the email under which you’re registered. You’ll need this to sign in. If you haven’t registered your content yet, just register here. In both cases, check the “opt-in” box for the advertising program, it’s that easy.

Online content is revolutionizing the consumers consumption of media and advertising has begun to adapt to this new environment. Get in the ground floor with us. We’re looking forward to it!

Podcasting News finds three very interesting job postings on Craig’s List seeking “talents” for podcasting. Bikini Model, Drag Queen Model and Pregnant Model. The most interesting being the Pregnant Model for the PregTastic Podcast. Accordingly to the site,

PregTASTIC is a weekly podcast (online radio) for pregnant women, by pregnant women. Many of our podcasters are having their babies and we are looking for pregnant women to fill their seats.”

We checked out the site and were impressed by the kind of support they received in the community. This is definitely the long-tail of podcasting… there is something out there for everyone.

Week after week I’ve noticed articles about the continued craze of online video. Amazon now offers movie downloads from its Web site, Apple has a new technology that allows consumers to play a video from their computers directly onto their TVs, Google replaced its Froogle tab on its toolbar with Google Video in early August, Blinkx announced on Monday a partnership with Microsoft to power video search capabilities for some sites on MSN and Live.com, and most recently, Google purchased YouTube for $1.65 billion dollars, making it Google’s largest acquisition since the company’s inception eight years ago.

The increase of online video content has simultaneously caused a soar in online advertising. A recent article by Brian Morrissey in AdWeek noted that net video advertisements are becoming more expensive than advertising space on TV. Ad agency executives said that the cost to play an ad before video content now costs anywhere from $25 to $40 per 1,000 plays, which is a 25 percent increase just in the past year. Media execs say that that is comparable to the price to run a similar ad on network television.

Catherine Holahan wrote an article today for BusinessWeek discussing the recent YouTube acquisition and citing that in addition to expanding Google’s user base, the purchase gives a hefty boost to Google’s online video library, searchable content and potential advertiser base, as 65,000 new videos are currently uploaded to YouTube every 24 hours. Holahan also interviewed our CEO, Alex Laats, who discussed our new advertising platform with her and how it relates to search. We were very excited to see that we were the only company referenced in the article in regards to video advertising!

It seems the timing of the release of our advertising platform could not have been more ideal. I think now that we’ve introduced such an innovate option for advertisers, we are going to start seeing similar ones pop up among other search engines. At least we’ll still be able to say we were the “first of our kind!”

CAMBRIDGE, Mass. – October 6, 2006 – PodZinger (www.podzinger.com), the world’s most powerful audio and video search engine and online advertising network, announced today that it has partnered with popular radio show and podcast host and producer Leo Laporte to power search capabilities and advertising for his Web sites TWiT.tv and leo.am. With PodZinger’s audio and video search, visitors can now search the archives of TWiT.tv’s podcast network of nine shows and The Tech Guy in KFI radio show to uncover specific episodes and points of interest. In addition, PodZinger’s opt-in advertising platform enables Laporte to deliver relevant, contextual video ads to his visitors.

In early 2005, TWiT.tv (this WEEK in TECH), originally known as Revenge of the Screen Savers, emerged from a conglomeration of ideas by former TechTV hosts, including Laporte. The show’s immediate success quickly launched it to one of the most sought-after podcasts, allowing for the inception of eight additional shows shortly thereafter. In addition to this WEEK in TECH, Leo and his co-hosts also produce Inside the Net, Futures in Biotech, Security Now!, FLOSS Weekly, the KFI radio show, The Laporte Report, The Daily Giz Wiz, and this WEEK in MEDIA, all of which provide users with technology news.

“Each month we continually set records for our listener base,” said Laporte. “The team and I have high hopes of developing TWiT.tv into a full-fledged technology network someday, and we believe that our partnership with PodZinger will set us on the fast track. By allowing our viewers access to previous episodes, it will increase brand loyalty, as well as provide users with more listening flexibility. If they miss a show, they can use PodZinger to directly access a specific topic from that day at their convenience.”

TWiT.tv is also utilizing its relationship with PodZinger to expand its revenue through targeted word and video advertising, which will further enhance its ability to emerge as a seasoned tech network. With PodZinger’s innovative technology, TWiT.tv can track users’ interests and key words searched, providing potential advertisers a competitive edge in targeting their message to interested consumers.

Using speech recognition technology and natural language processing, PodZinger searches words within both audio and video, not just the metadata, to classify content based on topic and usage. With the ability to take users directly to where their keyword is mentioned, PodZinger makes audio and video content more accessible and improves users’ experience. PodZinger search capabilities are now available on TWiT.tv and leo.am.

“Through PodZinger’s new advertising platform, Leo and other content creators are able to drive new revenue streams from existing and new content,” said Alex Laats, CEO and chairman of PodZinger. “More importantly, the ads placed are relevant to the visitor’s interests providing a more valuable experience for advertisers, content creators and consumers.”

About TWiT.tv
TWiT.tv is a leading podcast network, featuring nine weekly aired shows including this WEEK in TECH, Inside the Net, Futures in Biotech, Security Now!, FLOSS Weekly, the KFI radio show, The Laporte Report, The Daily Giz Wiz, and this WEEK in MEDIA Since early 2005, the network has been providing listeners with up-to-date knowledge on varying technologies. Users can easily access shows simply by pressing a button on the built-in audio player on each page. Leo.am provides listeners with access to the archived KFI radio show, show notes and technology tips. All shows are free, and if users like one in particular, they can subscribe to it through iTunes or another podcast program.

About PodZinger
PodZinger is the leading audio and video search engine and advertising network for brands, content providers and consumers.  With PodZinger, consumers are able to find the most relevant content, content creators can monetize their online audio and video assets and advertisers can more effectively deliver their brand messages.

PodZinger, based in Cambridge, Mass., was recognized as the Best Web 2.0 Application in 2006 by the Massachusetts Innovation and Technology Exchange. PodZinger can be found at www.podzinger.com and through its network of affiliates.

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Barbara Loonam	Kelby Troutman
PodZinger	Racepoint Group, Inc.
617-873-7655	781-487-4610
bloonam@bbn.com	ktroutman@racepointgroup.com

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In recent BlogZinger postings, I’ve been hinting that PodZinger would soon be announcing an advertising platform that was unlike any other out there and provided more benefits to the consumers, content creators and advertisers. Well…today, we officially launched our first-of-its-kind online video advertising platform, enabling advertisers to serve relevant ads in audio and video content!With the new ad platform, podcasters are able to monetize their content and receive half of all generated revenue. Using content classification technology and algorithms for analyzing consumer intent and aggregate consumer usage, PodZinger solves the problem of connecting consumers with relevant advertising in online audio and video content. The new service goes far beyond traditional text and click-through advertising services that advertisers are dependant on today, providing enhanced online experiences for content creators, advertisers and consumers.

We’ve already gotten some great feedback from the media, and I’ve included some of the highlights below from Red Herring, The Boston Herald, Adotas, ClickZ and more. Feel free to let us know what you think of our new platform, or if you’d like to become involved in the program yourself!

Red Herring, PodZinger Targets Ads, October 5, 2006

Boston Herald, Video podcast ads on tap, October 5, 2006

Adotas, PodZinger Opens Podcast Advertising Search Network, October 5, 2006

ClickZ, PodZinger to Offer Targeted Video Ads, October 5, 2006

MediaPost, Podzinger Rolls Out Ad Network, October 5, 2006

CNET, PodZinger to share ad revenue with podcasters, October 5, 2006

TechCrunch, Podzinger to listen for ad opportunities, October 5, 2006