Face to Face with Gen Y

Doc Martin, host of TPN's Travel Show, invited to me to talk to his students at Victoria University today about podcasting. He has set them a prac this year to actually produce tourism-related podcasts. Brilliant!

Now... talking to educated people is always challenging for someone like me, as I was too poor and dumb to get a tertiary education. Back when I graduated from Kepnock High School in Bundaberg, people from the wrong side of the tracks like moi had to go straight to work in the local coal mines, digging it out and then carrying heavy bags of coal from street to street, knocking on doors, asking people to buy my coal two-a-penny.

Anyway.

So here I was, face to face with Gen Y. My peeps. Okay, I'm a little older than Gen Y, but not much. I grew up watching Sesame Street. I'm down with Firefly and Family Guy. I've got ADD.

My first question to "the kids" was "how many of you have listened to at least one podcast?"

Four people put up their hands. Four. Out of about 100. Four uni students out of the 100 in the room had listened to a podcast.

You should have seen how many knew what RSS was.

We're all screwed.

Comments

[william dutton]

thanks for that, now i will start to spread the word more about podcastnetwork. i am in the GEN Y as i am 18 turning 19, and i want things now, such as the lifestyle and the cash, but things don't happen so i find other ways to get it happening.

[Phillip Molly Malone]

Dude, I told you this ages ago! We are into this whole thing! The people dropping your flyers are probably working for a Tech company. The rest of the world doesn't get it and thats your biggest job! You got to get them to get it.

Best of luck mate. I am doing my bit. I pimp my AFL Podcast on internet Message boards. That seems to be the link between the Geeks/Nerds and the rest of the community. Okay its still Geeky but its acceptable enough for the non-techie.

May you should suggest your host wessel into the main steam. Thats the answer. Also, maybe you need ot hit more in to the Uni scene.

JMTC
Molly

[Aaron Heath]

Im also 18. Most of my friends haven't heard what a podcast is but as they slowly get ipods they are slowly getting to know what they are. They know that i listen to shows but they just think its like radio and aren’t that interested.

People are hearing of it slowly but id give it another year or two and it will be a very common term i have no doubt.

[Rob Irwin]

It could well be that a lot of podcasting is seen as talk radio, albeit talk radio with the ability to timeshift and, if you want to, comment directly on the progams. But, talk radio nontheless. And how much of generation y is down with talk radio? Aye, there's the rub...

[Wade]

Hi Cam, I listen to your productivity show and I'm only 20, I like that I don’t have to listen at a certain time like radio and I don’t have to think, its just streamed to my brain, yes I also am a tech, but I stumbled onto TPN about 6 months ago, and listen to the prod. Show at work, even get my bosses into it. Keep up the great job Cam.

ws

[Cameron Reilly]

Aaron, Wade and Will, you guys need to print out some of the TPN flyers and stick them in front of your friends faces!

BTW, I realized after writing this post that a large percentage of the audience I was talking to were students visiting from Germany. Don't know how that affects things.... where is Nicole Simon when you need her? Oh that's right, podcasting for us from E-Tech (techconf.thepodcastnetwork.com). :-)

[Wade]

No worries Cam, tell me how. nice to see prod. 23 is up

[Cameron Reilly]

Wade, here's the flyer: http://gdayworld.thepodcastnetwork.com/audio/tpn_a5_doubled-up.pdf
Print it out, post them up on walls!

[Cameron Reilly]

Rob, the audience I was talking hadn't even HEARD of podcasting. It wasn't like they had heard of it but didn't like the sound of it. I said "it was the word of the year last year people!!!!!" but they didn't seem to care. Germans.

[Richard Giles]

What was their stream of study Cam?

Rich

[Cameron Reilly]

Rich: Travel and Tourism. I know if they were doing media or IT, they would know about podcasting, but that isnt the point. I thought most kids would have heard of it by now. Sheeeit.

[william dutton]

i think you are going a bit to fast, did you ask the question if they got ipods?? and then ask the question if they use itunes ipod. i bet that most people use it but don't think they are.