Another Perspective on Odeo

Yesterday, I pointed out to the role of Power Laws in the major press coverage done on Odeo. The main point being that the reputation of the owners drove the mention.

I came across a pointer from Dave Winer where he points out another factor, the media. Dave quotes Staci Kramer of PaidContent:

Few start ups launch with John Markoff as an advance man. The story's close to dismissive or oblivious to other entrepreneurial efforts to make money by automating audio feeds or creating audio for RSS-driven distribution. Markoff heralds today's upcoming announcement of Odeo, Ev Williams' new venture with Noah Glass, as "a small, hopeful step" toward podcasting "becoming the commercial Web's next big thing." He adds, "The question for Odeo, and for the many other entrepreneurial efforts almost certain to come, is whether there is any money to be made from podcasting." (Like I said, blinders when it comes to endeavors already underway.)End of mini-rant.

Source: PaidContent

Dave also vents a bit of his frustration with the media and it’s often irresponsible reporting, especially as it comes to Podcasting:

My comment. This is John Markoff as kingmaker, not reporter. He's trying to deal a market to people he likes, and away from people he doesn't. Of course this is not the proper role of a NY Times reporter, who is supposed to report objectively on just the facts. But Markoff is so far from that role, he's more of a king these days than a kingmaker.

Source: TheTwoWayWeb, “Markoff as kingmaker, not reporter”

I definitely think the media is a culprit and and eager to learn more about how these articles takes shape. I doubt we’ll ever get those answers though.