Podcast Analysis (College Central)

http://www.stitcher.com/podcast/college-central-podcasts-career-and-job-search-advice

1. Title of Podcast

• College Central Podcasts: Career and Job Search Advice

2. Creator of Podcast, provide details and background

• Creator: College Central Network, Inc.
• College Central podcasts provide clear, concise, expert advice and tips for entry-level job search and career related issues. Find insight and instruction on resumes, interviews, internships, etiquette, and more.

3. How long has it been produced

• it started from Mar 05, 2012 so it has been produced for more than three years.

Market Placement

1. Target Audience

• The target audience would be anyone in college that is looking for job search advice and career advice.

2. Evidence that it is reaching this audience

• This podcast was designed to help college students so the only way that it would still be an active podcast would be if it were reaching its active audience.  

3. Identify 3 Competing Podcasts that target the same audience

• Secrets of the Hire: http://www.stitcher.com/podcast/the-secrets-of-the-hire-podcast
• Career Tools: https://www.manager-tools.com/podcasts
• Career Cloud- Job Search Advice and tactics: http://www.careercloud.com/careercloud-radio/

4. Describe how each of the 3 succeeds at reaching the audience, and compare to your initial podcast

• Secrets of the Hire: It provides interview tips, resume advice and career advice for College Students and Recent Graduates. Text and sound are the two medias it use to reach the audience.  
• Career Tools: Each cast is clear and answer three questions related to the topic. A conversation between the two hosts sharing their ideas about career tools.
• Career Cloud: It belongs to CareerCloud.com. It is hosted by Chris Russell, CEO of CareerCloud. He invites guests like career coaches, recruiters and job seekers to talk about job hunting. Text, sounds and a image of the producer are shown.
• Our initial podcast belongs to College Central Network, Inc. Sound is the only media it use to reach the audience. It has a title but does not have any notes about each episode.

5. What are missed opportunities in reaching this audience, how can the Podcasts do this

Multi-Media

• Missed opportunities: background music, images, and guest speakers.
• The podcast can be in live situations, the use of a speaker and “props” together with sound and images, which will be more attractive.

Multi-Media

1. List all multi-media sources used on the Podcast you are analyzing

• Text and Sound are the only sources “College Central Podcast” used.

Steven’s part (not completed)

2. Describe the value of the media sources

3. Describe what multi-media can be added or improved in the existing site

Cross-Promotion

1. How effectively does the Podcast point to all other linked social media

2. Which other social media tools are linked to the site

• Social media tools that are linked to the site are FaceBook, Twitter, LinkedIn, and Google plus. Also there are links for the app store and google play store to have access to the site on phones or tablets.

3. What are opportunities to expand the social media linkage

• I feel as if Stitcher has all the social media linkage that they need. They have an option to embed the podcasts, FaceBook, Twitter, LinkedIn, and Google plus icons. These are the top social media sites that have access to many viewers.

Look

1. Overall, how does the Podcast sound and look?

• Overall the Podcast has a good sound quality. When listening to the Podcast there were no issues or difficulties understanding what was being said. The Podcast is visually appealing. It is very easy to navigate and the background and theme of the Podcast is not confusing to look at.

2. Does it look professional?

• It does look professional. Not as professional as Serial but it has a clean look.It is uploaded on Sticher which hosts different radio shows and podcast. Whereas Serial was an individual project, this one is uploaded in a platform where it allows it to personalize a template.

3. How timely and updated is it?

• It uploads a roughly 7 minute long podcast once a month. It is usually in the first week of the month between the 5th and 7th of each month so there is consistency there.

4. Does the sound and look fit with the image of the target audience and topic of the Podcast

• The sound of the podcast is reminds me of a 70s how-to video. It’s almost too jolly for lack of a better words. College students might be put off by the speaker’s tone but the topics are very relevant to their needs. The look is very much there but the sound needs a bit of work.

Transparency

1. Do you feel you know the creator?

• No, I do not feel like I know the creator. This website shows different types of podcasts on various different subjects. There is no biography describing the person who is giving the information. I learn on a certain subject, but I do not learn about the creator.

2. Does it seem to be personally produced, or a corporate statement?

• This Podcast seems to be a corporate statement. Stitcher is a site that has a wide variety of podcasts on different subjects. One person alone can not produce all of those podcasts. The one we focused on was College Central which is a company that helps college students network and look for jobs.

3. Would you want to follow regularly? Other: Add anything else that stands out to your group

• I would follow this certain blog regularly. Looking for jobs or learning about applying online is a hard process and not something that seems particularly interesting to read. Being able to listen about these tips makes the situation easier.