The Social Media Bible: Tactics, Tools, and Strategies for Business Success, 3rd Edition

What You Need to Know

Do-It-Yourself Radio

Do-It-Yourself Radio is another form of livecasting. You are broadcasting live to an audience through the Internet. While more do-it-yourself Internet radio shows are limited to 1 hour and not 24 hours, it’s still about communicating with your followers, live.

BlogTalkRadio is an Internet-based audio and radio platform that allows users to host their own, live Internet broadcast radio shows—needing only a telephone, Internet access, and a browser. BlogTalkRadio has been referred to as “a populist force in cyberspace,”2 and “the dominant player in the latest media trend, one that allows anyone with a web connection to host a talk show on any topic at any time of day. It is the newest form of new media; the audio version of the Internet blog.”3

Telecommunications executive and former accountant Alan Levy founded BlogTalkRadio, and is now its CEO. After creating a blog to update family members about his ill father, Alan launched BlogTalkRadio in August 2006. He wanted to create a way for bloggers to communicate more directly—and in real time—with their audiences.

Washington Post reporter Howard Kurtz has written many times about BlogTalkRadio in his “Media Notes” column, and claims, “The process is nearly idiot-proof. The host logs on to a web page with a password, types in when he wants the show to air, and then—using a garden-variety phone—calls a special number. The computer screen lists the phone numbers of guests or listeners calling ...