ktoddstorch @ business thoughts

The Quest for Verizon FIOS

Verizon FIOS is now available in my neighborhood!  Now, the only reason I know this is because I've repeatedly checked their website and made phone calls to the company.  What did they do with my email address that I gave them to "let me know when the service was available in my area"?

After numerous phone calls to Verizon, I finally got a person on the phone to order the product.  I needed to speak with someone, because I have local phone service with them and I was one of the first DSL customers in my city.  I wanted to negotiate a bundle package with them that wasn't available on-line.

Without even asking for a price quote, they said it would be $29.95 a month.  Now, this 5Mb/2Mb service is nearly $5 cheaper than I'm currently paying for 768k/128k DSL.  I also got my local service down over $15 a month as well.

Of course, they can't come and install the "battery backup" in my garage until December 12th, but I believe it will be worth the wait.

It really is amazing how inexpensive these services have become.  When WiMax arrives, what is going to keep from a few people getting this type of service and having it open for many to use in the neighborhood/city? 

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tags:  verizon | fiber optic | verizon fios

Happy Thanksgiving!

To all my friends out there, I hope you had a wonderful Thanksgiving and getting some good time with friends and family.

I've really been getting into Flickr lately and have a photo stream from this Thanksgiving holiday.

www.flickr.com

This is a Flickr badge showing public photos from K. Todd Storch tagged with thanksgiving2005. Make your own badge here.

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tags:  thanksgiving2005

LA Times, Podcast Guest; Final Thoughts on Portable Media Expo

www.flickr.com

This is a Flickr badge showing photos in a set called Portable Media and Podcast Expo '05. Make your own badge here.

A great event for sure, especially for the first year.  Big kudos to founder Tim Bourquin and all of his staff.

I would expect that this will grow quite a bit for next year as well as have plenty of other businesses and media suits checking it out.

Some of the highlights:

• The 2 themes of the event were "Passion" and "Content" (Attention!  The majority of podcasters understand both of these!)
• Meeting podcasting friends face to face (too many to list, but you can check out the photos to see just a few)
• The Thursday night "unofficial launch party" featuring Brother Love and Chance
• All of the panels, especially the "monetizing" ones.  FYI, no one quite has this figured out, but expect a number of podcast "networks" in the next few months.  Note:  there will be plenty of these netorks that fail as competition for talent and dollars begins

The LA Times printed an article about the panel I moderated.  Check it out here.

Also, I was a guest on my brother's podcast over the weekend discussing the Expo.  You can download the interview here (.mp3, 33 minutes, 40 seconds).

[link] to Flickr photo set

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tag:  portable media expo | blogging church | la times

Photos from the Portable Media and Podcast Expo

Flickr set from the Expo.

[link]

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tag:  portable media expo

Where are you?

Add yourself to the Business Thoughts Frappr map!

[link]

Podcast Expo: The Radio Panel

I was asked to moderate the "How Podcasting is Changing Traditional Radio" panel at this year's Portable Media and Podcast Expo.

Panel members were:
Mark Ramsey, Radio Marketing Nexus
Sam Levin, Inside Mac Radio
Dan Mansergh, KQED
J. Mikel Ellcessor, WNYC

Questions from the audience focused mainly on monetizing the content and internal support/operations.

Thank you to Expo founder, Tim Bourquin for the invitation to speak.  I hope I get to return next year!

**UPDATE*** - 8pm
[link] to a good Expo recap from Digital Podcast
[link] to iLounge's Expo vendor recap

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tags:  portable media expo

Portable Media and Podcasting Expo

I'll be at the conference/expo this weekend.  It will be very interesting to actually meet in person all of the podcasters that I've "talked" to over the last year!

If you haven't had a chance to read the Future of Podcasting feature I did back in February, now would be a good time.

[link] to conference schedule

Great meeting everyone at the "unofficial kickoff" of the Expo.  Chance and Brother Love held an acoustic concert to welcome everyone. 

Very surreal meeting podcasting friends in person!

• Rock and Roll Geek Show's Michael Butler, Chance's guitarist and Chance
• Chance on stage

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tags:  portable media expo

Ride for the Roses

I am headed to Austin next weekend for the 9th annual Ride for the Roses weekend.  This is an entire weekend event capped off by a cycling event in which I'm participating in the 100 mile ride.

This event for the Lance Armstrong Foundation is 'a celebration of the fundraising and awareness-building efforts of the 2005 Peleton Project, the LAF's grassroots fundraising and outreach initiative.'

I am fortunate to have been granted Media Passes for the event.  I plan to attend many of the Saturday and Sunday events and report back next week.

As a fan/triathlete/cyclist, I couldn't be more excited about the opportunity and weekend.

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tags:  livestrong | lance armstrong | laf | lance armstrong foundation | ride for the roses

Business Thoughts in Print!

I've written about the book before and lately, I've been getting emails from people noticing the acknowledgment Michael gives me at the beginning of his book.  Michael is a fantastic guy and we've had quite a few brainstorming emails over the early months of podcasting and of course during the creation of the first Disney podcast.

Pick up the book if you are interested in starting your own podcast or want to know more about this new medium.

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tags:  podcasting | podcast solutions | michael geoghegan

Away, but Not Gone!

Sorry for the delay in posting!  It has been very busy and there was no time in the evening for me to focus on blogging.

I have lots of notes to get back to my regular posts but I thought I would let you know about a new Business Thoughts venture (big words for a blog/podcast I am sponsoring)!

I am pleased to announce that Business Thoughts is sponsoring Zen and the Art of Triathlon.  Brett needed help with his bandwidth, so I stepped up as a sponsor.

This is a blog and podcast that focuses solely on the triathlete and the triathlete lifestyle.  I have been following Brett's work from almost day one and he is providing a great service, info and entertainment.  There is a very natural connection between triathletes and business, so the sponsorship makes a lot of sense, especially with my triathlon passion.

Brett and I have had great brainstorming emails for nearly a year and I even got to meet him and his wife face to face at a triathlon in Shreveport.

So, welcome triathletes and visitors from Zen and for all Business Thoughts readers, I invite you to check out Brett's work here.

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tags:  triathlon | zen and the art of triathlon