Haynes recounted a podcast where she shared her thoughts and feelings about celebrating the one-year anniversary of her business. She was surprised by the response of her listeners.

"They loved it, as it made me 'real'. They felt invited and involved in my private world," says Haynes.

Eissinger can relate. One of her favourite podcasts is hosted by a man who has a southern accent. Although she learns alot from his podcast, she's a sucker for his accent and in her mind, this lends alot of personality to his podcast.

"His content i

IT Consulting – Buyer Fraud Prevention
Hiring the wrong computer consultant is not only frustrating, but it can also leave you cheated of your money. There is no dearth of ‘IT consulting guys’ who cause inconvenience with their unethical behavior. For this very simple reason business owners are left feeling over-charged. The reason being - they do not choose their consultant with care. Here are a few points that will help you guard yourself from scams and getting ripped off.1) Run a background check: Today, with a few hundred dollars and a click of a mouse, even you can be a computer consultant. The point I am trying to get

Launching a podcast can be a fun adventure. You're able to bring your voice, your rant and your thoughts to the world without having to go through editors, segment producers or other filters.

Although you may have great content, you may be missing the mark when it comes to adding a little pizzaz to your podcast. Interviews with experts, monologues on an issue you're passionate about and energizing music are all equally liked by listeners. However, if your podcast lacks intrigue, it will sit in a podcast directory with no downloads and very little subscribers.

Because I just launched a podcast, I wanted to ensure that I'm on the right track. So, I asked some other podcasters on what makes a great podcast. While they agreed that it's an awesome marketing tool, they disagreed on the two ingredients that could make or break the popularity of your podcast - the use of humour and the presence of personality.

One podcaster, Donna Papacosta, president of a communications company in Oakville, Ontario and who hosts a podcast herself, suggests that when communicating with a business audience, leave the humour out.

"For a B2B podcast, I would skip the humour. People want content that is relevant to them," says Papacosta.

However, Penny Haynes, CEO of Georgia-based company that teaches people how to create their own podcasts through a virtual course, disagrees. She doesn't think your podcast should be dry and stiff, no matter who's your target audience.

"Everyone has their own ideas and tastes regarding programs, but I love a little humor. A little bit of someone's personal side can add a lot to it," says Haynes.

Paige Eissinger, who hosts a computer call-in radio show in Missouri, says that she is immediately attracted to podcasts that inject a little humour.

"The worst people in the world to do business with are the ones who are humorless and I sure wouldn't listen to their podcasts," says Eissinger.

"I don't mean that you should have a ready joke for all your B2B podcasts, just that if your message lends itself to humor, take advantage of it. Don't pass up a witty remark just because 'It's business'," says Eissinger.

Being witty is one thing, but being silly can really turn off a listener. Just ask Papacosta, who's not afraid to unsubscribe from a podcast if it turns out to be a total dud.

"I've hit the stop button on many a podcast because of content I deemed stupid or a waste of my time," says Papacosta.

At the end of the day, it's a podcaster's personality that will win many fans and garner tons of downloads.

"Content [of a podcast] is important, but surprise, surprise - personality wins out," says Haynes. "When it came down to a choice between great content and great personality, personality was the winner."

Haynes recounted a podcast where she shared her thoughts and feelings about celebrating the one-year anniversary of her business. She was surprised by the response of her listeners.

"They loved it, as it made me 'real'. They felt invited and involved in my private world," says Haynes.

Eissinger can relate. One of her favourite podcasts is hosted by a man who has a southern accent. Although she learns alot from his podcast, she's a sucker for his accent and in her mind, this lends alot of personality to his podcast.

"His content is

Know When to Exit, Do Not Be the ‘Living Dead’
Within the corporate world, there are the ‘living dead’, which are the sick companies that go on a wretched existence, without any hope of turnaround. These companies need a miracle such as a resurrection from the dead. Many of these companies need a change of DNA or business models. They are technically commercially insolvent and the owners will face the fate of bankruptcy if they close down the operations. Therefore, these ‘living dead’ just hang around, waiting for the death sentence. For some, the death sentence may take years before the owners decided not to throw in good money anymo

great podcast. While they agreed that it's an awesome marketing tool, they disagreed on the two ingredients that could make or break the popularity of your podcast - the use of humour and the presence of personality.

One podcaster, Donna Papacosta, president of a communications company in Oakville, Ontario and who hosts a podcast herself, suggests that when communicating with a business audience, leave the humour out.

"For a B2B podcast, I would skip the humour. People want content that is relevant to them," says Papacosta.

However, Penny Haynes, CEO of Georgia-based company that teaches people how to create their own podcasts through a virtual course, disagrees. She doesn't think your podcast should be dry and stiff, no matter who's your target audience.

"Everyone has their own ideas and tastes regarding programs, but I love a little humor. A little bit of someone's personal side can add a lot to it," says Haynes.

Paige Eissinger, who hosts a computer call-in radio show in Missouri, says that she is immediately attracted to podcasts that inject a little humour.

"The worst people in the world to do business with are the ones who are humorless and I sure wouldn't listen to their podcasts," says Eissinger.

"I don't mean that you should have a ready joke for all your B2B podcasts, just that if your message lends itself to humor, take advantage of it. Don't pass up a witty remark just because 'It's business'," says Eissinger.

Being witty is one thing, but being silly can really turn off a listener. Just ask Papacosta, who's not afraid to unsubscribe from a podcast if it turns out to be a total dud.

"I've hit the stop button on many a podcast because of content I deemed stupid or a waste of my time," says Papacosta.

At the end of the day, it's a podcaster's personality that will win many fans and garner tons of downloads.

"Content [of a podcast] is important, but surprise, surprise - personality wins out," says Haynes. "When it came down to a choice between great content and great personality, personality was the winner."

Haynes recounted a podcast where she shared her thoughts and feelings about celebrating the one-year anniversary of her business. She was surprised by the response of her listeners.

"They loved it, as it made me 'real'. They felt invited and involved in my private world," says Haynes.

Eissinger can relate. One of her favourite podcasts is hosted by a man who has a southern accent. Although she learns alot from his podcast, she's a sucker for his accent and in her mind, this lends alot of personality to his podcast.

"His content i

Home Based Network Marketing Business
If you are looking for a good financial opportunity that will allow you to stay home with your family, then a home business network marketing program could be perfect for you. There are literally hundreds, if not thousands, of opportunities like these available to you and all of them can be conducted at home with your computer and the internet. If you are willing to invest the time and the energy, then you can receive some great financial rewards from your home business network marketing program.How successful your home business network marketing program is will be based mainly on how much y

ees. She doesn't think your podcast should be dry and stiff, no matter who's your target audience.

"Everyone has their own ideas and tastes regarding programs, but I love a little humor. A little bit of someone's personal side can add a lot to it," says Haynes.

Paige Eissinger, who hosts a computer call-in radio show in Missouri, says that she is immediately attracted to podcasts that inject a little humour.

"The worst people in the world to do business with are the ones who are humorless and I sure wouldn't listen to their podcasts," says Eissinger.

"I don't mean that you should have a ready joke for all your B2B podcasts, just that if your message lends itself to humor, take advantage of it. Don't pass up a witty remark just because 'It's business'," says Eissinger.

Being witty is one thing, but being silly can really turn off a listener. Just ask Papacosta, who's not afraid to unsubscribe from a podcast if it turns out to be a total dud.

"I've hit the stop button on many a podcast because of content I deemed stupid or a waste of my time," says Papacosta.

At the end of the day, it's a podcaster's personality that will win many fans and garner tons of downloads.

"Content [of a podcast] is important, but surprise, surprise - personality wins out," says Haynes. "When it came down to a choice between great content and great personality, personality was the winner."

Haynes recounted a podcast where she shared her thoughts and feelings about celebrating the one-year anniversary of her business. She was surprised by the response of her listeners.

"They loved it, as it made me 'real'. They felt invited and involved in my private world," says Haynes.

Eissinger can relate. One of her favourite podcasts is hosted by a man who has a southern accent. Although she learns alot from his podcast, she's a sucker for his accent and in her mind, this lends alot of personality to his podcast.

"His content i

EFT Frauds
Electronic fund transfers is a secure and efficient system that assists electronic payments and collections. However, EFT systems and securities may contain loopholes creating possibilities for EFT frauds. Over the years, EFT frauds have resulted in losses running into the millions.Fraud in an EFT occurs as a result of unauthorized instruction, alteration of the amount or name of the receiver, etc. A number of electronic funds transfer frauds have involved the direct interception or modification of electronic data messages transmitted from the computers of financial institutions. This revelati

r message lends itself to humor, take advantage of it. Don't pass up a witty remark just because 'It's business'," says Eissinger.

Being witty is one thing, but being silly can really turn off a listener. Just ask Papacosta, who's not afraid to unsubscribe from a podcast if it turns out to be a total dud.

"I've hit the stop button on many a podcast because of content I deemed stupid or a waste of my time," says Papacosta.

At the end of the day, it's a podcaster's personality that will win many fans and garner tons of downloads.

"Content [of a podcast] is important, but surprise, surprise - personality wins out," says Haynes. "When it came down to a choice between great content and great personality, personality was the winner."

Haynes recounted a podcast where she shared her thoughts and feelings about celebrating the one-year anniversary of her business. She was surprised by the response of her listeners.

"They loved it, as it made me 'real'. They felt invited and involved in my private world," says Haynes.

Eissinger can relate. One of her favourite podcasts is hosted by a man who has a southern accent. Although she learns alot from his podcast, she's a sucker for his accent and in her mind, this lends alot of personality to his podcast.

"His content i

Top Tips for Starting Your Own Freelance Writing Business Online
There are many people, from stay at home mums, to people who may have been laid off from their jobs, to those who are looking for a second income source. If you have finished high school with good marks, or have a college education, one of the best opportunities for setting up your online business presence, at the lowest price, is to build a Freelance Writing Business Online. All you need is a computer, an internet connection, and a Word Processor. You don’t even have to pay for the Word Processor; you can download OpenOffice for free.Here are some tips you should consider when setting up your

n it came down to a choice between great content and great personality, personality was the winner."

Haynes recounted a podcast where she shared her thoughts and feelings about celebrating the one-year anniversary of her business. She was surprised by the response of her listeners.

"They loved it, as it made me 'real'. They felt invited and involved in my private world," says Haynes.

Eissinger can relate. One of her favourite podcasts is hosted by a man who has a southern accent. Although she learns alot from his podcast, she's a sucker for his accent and in her mind, this lends alot of personality to his podcast.

"His content is great and very relevant to my business, but [his Texan] accent grabs me every time," says Eissinger.

While spontaneity, humour and personality can add some sizzle to a podcast, Angelo Cerase, a Toronto-based financial advisor who has a list of podcasts he enjoys listening to, draws the line when a podcaster lacks focus in their program.

"I really, really, really hate it when a podcast has the author going on and on about absolutely nothing, without a real plan or script of what he was going to say," says Cerase.

"A little 'useless' filler is welcomed in a podcast, it makes the person on the other end seem more human. But too much is, well, too much," says Cerase.

Having a great mic, snazzy music and earth shattering content is not enough. You need to inject a little bit of humour and personality into your podcast to really get people to subscribe to your feed week after week.

Special thanks goes out to the members of the Podcaster Central Network who contributed their comments for this article. If you want to learn more about how to create, publish and host a podcast, join Podcaster Central by clicking here: http://podcastcentral-network.ryze.com.

Copyright 2005 Leesa Barnes. All Rights Reserved Worldwide.