Like the young lady in the audience at the end of the video says: I love this woman. Her work is one of the key building blocks in the foundation of who I am.

Here’s her site. I can recommend anything she has written, but I’d especially like to mention:
The Left Hand of Darkness
The Earthsea Trilogy & the related books
Always Coming Home
Gifts
Voices

She is a treasure.

Enjoy:

So, here’s one of my favorite thinkers, Malcolm Gladwell, on the importance of diversity in…the evolution of spaghetti sauce:

I’m talking with several potential clients now about doing videocast projects. They’re eager to move forward, but: how do they convince their bosses to sign off on something new? The folks at the top of many organizations just don’t see the need to do things differently, even though they’re not necessarily satisfied with the depth of their current relationships with their target audience(s). They know that they need to strengthen their relationship with that audience, but they believe that the tried-and-true way is the only way that works - or, at least, the only way they’re familiar with.

Sometimes communication is more important than comfort, though.

Just a deep breath and a look at the world around you will prove the point - people of all ages, all kinds of people (admittedly more in the industrialized world - but that will change) are choosing the information that goes into their heads. They’re carrying portable players, and they’re viewing/listening to the information they want to hear. There’s a remarkable power to ‘on-demand’ content - in a very complex world, it can give people a bit of a sense of control over the input in their lives. It’s significant that recorders like Tivo helps viewers avoid ads and focus on the content they actually want to see - you can see/hear exactly what you want - sometimes even before you know you want it, as Malcolm points out.

That, as we can see, is a powerful motivator for busy people.

According to this summary of an Edison report:

…The Podcast Consumer Revealed, found that:

* The audience for audio podcasts grew 38% in the last year;
* The audience for video podcasts grew 45% in the last year;
* About 30% of regular Internet users have downloaded a podcast;
* Awareness of podcasting has leveled off at about 37;
* People listen to or watch podcasts primarily on their computers (about 75%).
(emphasis mine)

Podcasts Offer Marketers New Opportunity To Reach Listeners

Edison also found that podcasting was creating new opportunities for marketers to reach listeners:

* Podcast listeners spend nearly 25% more time listening to Internet audio than average;
* Podcast listeners spend an average of 7 hours and 50 minutes per week listening to Internet audio,
compared to the overall overage of 6 hours and 20 minutes.

窶弑sers continue to prove that they want to consume radio on their terms…”

Your target audience is already getting their trusted information from a diverse group of sources. The audience, the content, and the methods of play are growing ever more diverse.

I believe that this is a sea change, not a simply a trend. Are you lagging behind?