-Measuring Growth-

As my adventure into Internet radio continues, I am learning more and more every day about streaming and the tremendous opportunities there are for marketing and collateral development in the digital world.

As a newbie to the scene (I consider myself a newbie, though I have been at it for approximately six months), I had some idea about server latency and file structure, but I had no idea how directly my organizational habits would affect my process as a dj online.

I have been wading into the world of live streaming bit by bit, doing short shows peppered all over my clock, with no real schedule, mainly because my daytime job didn't allow me to commit to blocks of time during the day.

According to the stats produced by Centova Cast, the broadcasting software utilized by ShoutCast, my listener base is, for the large part, in Europe, Asia and China. This means adjusting my live broadcast schedule to the wee hours of the morning if I want to foster that audience. Though I'm sure that I do, I haven't quite figured out how I'm going to make the transition from daylight to darkness for my broadcasts.

Recording "live shows" is always an option - and I do have some ideas for a show rambling around in my brain which includes a show called "Remedy Radio"; though I'm not sure exactly what the premise of the show would be as of yet I am sure that I can come up with something compelling that may even be commercially viable.

I'm thinking that "Remedy Radio" could be a show on Trancelogic.club about the marijuana culture in Canada - not a "Cheech and Chong" type show, but something that is both entertaining and informative about the recreational and medicinal use of marijuana in Canada. Right now it's  just a shell of an idea, but I plan on developing it in the very near future.

Trancelogic.club is still a baby. I'm running on auto dj for the majority of the time because the reality of working a 9-5 job is sucking all of the energy I have out of me that could go into producing spots, shows and selling the concept of Trancelogic.club to appropriate interests in the business community. But I am determined to continue building on what I already have.

If you would have told me six months ago that I would be broadcasting live to the world via the Internet I may have doubted you. At the same time, if you would have told me that I would be conquering the use of Centova Cast and utilizing encoding software I may have doubted you. But the fact is, there has been progress, and that progress will continue on into the new year.

The Visitor Will Come Soon

In a few short weeks my friend from Toronto will be visiting me in the city of Halifax, where I reside, alone with no cat or dog to keep me company. Though this is to my advantage as well (the no cat or dog thing) because I don't have to deal with dander. I'm hoping that my friend finds the city delightful and inviting, so that he may chose to return at a later date.

I am relaxing in my bat cave today in anticipation of the large bird that I'm going to eat on Sunday. The bird, with all the other stuff, I'm sure will be delicious. Too bad I couldn't just pop in as the invisible man and help myself. No, I'm afraid my presence will be all to well known.

I feel as though I am going through a transition in my life, from someone who panics to a thinker. If you have to ask what I mean by that, congratulations, you have made it to this point in your life with relative ease. Panic and anxiety can completely immobilize you in fits of fear and to experience them is frightening.

The term thinker is from my own head. I'm not quoting anyone or anything. As someone who has been prone to anxiety in the past I know how it can be; I've experienced it first hand. The term "thinker" just seems appropriate because, given that other checks and balances are in place, you can literally think your way into or out of just about any situation.

But of course, the groundwork has to be laid before you can jump right in. A good therapist and a great prescription are good starts. But you need to have good friends as well, some kind of social network. And everyone should be allowed to have the right to meaningful employment, whatever meaningful means to them.

In a few short weeks, the days will be shorter and the nights will be colder. I will be enjoying the company of my friend at a local pub - and we're all going to talk about hopes, dreams and fears. Let's work on making the fears go away and proliferate hopes and dreams into each of our lives.

The Post With the Most

Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada

I'm listening to Armin Van Buren, contemplating the meaning of life. No, not really, but just really happy today about today being today. It has been a good day. Things that I didn't expect to happen, happened. It felt good to be the recipient of some positive feedback!!

I've got a couple of compliments on the radio station www.tranceradio.ca . Some people are really into the type of music we play. I know in Europe the EDM genre is huge; a much better developed presence for sure. Halifax radio is just radio.

Our audience is from all over the world, but 75% of our audience is homegrown. We have friends in Norway, Iceland, India, London, Ireland, all over the world. I had a listener from China for several nights in a row. Cool...I'm into that cultural exchange!

My goal is to have 50-60 listeners regularly (daily) to start off, but I would like to get much  much bigger than that. Not too big - but big enough to host some parties and get some artists on board for premiers and interviews.

Does this sound like a large task? It is. But it's something that I want to do. It's in my bucket.

Scream Media Rocks. 

October 2, 2017

Not so all of a sudden, positivity has come to play an integral part in my life. I am finding it very difficult to find people who share my outlook, and can only hope that those of you who chose to read my stuff can see that a positive attitude is paramount to success. No shit. It really means something.

I have people coaching me from all sides, each trying to move me toward a particular goal or position in life that I am not prepared to accept for myself, but still, they push, refusing to render the image that is my giving them the finger as I move successfully off into the future.

I'm not into playing games. Nor am I into the blame game. Life is life and it often involves shit that we don't want to deal with. But for every success, there is a small glimmer of light, like a smoldering flame underneath a giant piece of newspaper in a bonfire.

I want to win the game of life. But I'm not sure what a win looks like for me yet. The verdict is out. I am feeling very hopeful about positive things to come. I hope it remains that way for everyone at least for a little while. But, beware, for after the pumpkins comes Christmas carols! Fuck me.

www.trancelogic.club is going swimmingly. I'm enjoying it so much I'm losing my weekends to it - which is fine, but I have to find a mate to hang with after the station is turned down. I don't mind being alone, but in these cooler nights of autumn in Halifax, it would be nice to have someone to cuddle up with. www.trancelogic.club will be debuting a new DJ this month. DJ Darren. The schedule isn't done yet, but I'll post it as soon as it is.

Everybody needs a little TLC!

Trancelogic.club

I've been listening to my station a lot now, and I've come to the conclusion that my playlist is ready to move forward. When I first started this venture I really thought I'd be posting a lot of long sets. But in reality, nobody wants to hear a long set unless they're in a more intimate environment. 

Even after 15 years of being an all out EDM sewer rat I still have no idea who the biggest show is and all that stuff. I can find that out any time at Beatport or something like that. I keep getting sidetracked with older tracks that I really want to play because I believe they are really good and that people will like them. That would be awesome if people liked them.

So here I am thinking that "yeah, I know everything there is to know about Trance music" - yeah right. I knew nothing  and make it a point to continue to know nothing. I know I fell in love with Oceanlab about a million times last night. For real.

I'm hoping to get some written content up this week. I have two ladies who are anxious to get started on their writing careers here in Halifax and they've blessed me with their time to develop that. I need to find some sources for video content. I'm still very happy.

www.trancelogic.club

Let's Build a Radio Station on Shoutcast

I can guarantee that listening to this station will wake you up and get you moving at work, during your exercise routine or your 420 sessions. It is the" pick me up" that everyone wants to find in their life that isn't drug induced.

I have been building the station myself over the last couple of months, and I have enjoyed every minute of it. This is  a bucket list project for me, so if I succeed, I will be able to scratch it off my list and sit back and just enjoy the music and entertainment.

During the course of trying to build up, I have come across numerous characters and have come to realize that all is not always as it seems. Some people love commitment, others run from it like it's the plague. As I sit here and listen to my music, I am lapsing into a comfort zone.

I have actually had people say "I don't get it" when I explain to them what I am doing online. They're baffled. Not that I think everyone needs to know about the web, but you should be able to put two and two together and figure out that it's a creative business venture. Or at least that's what I think.

It's going to take me a while to get up and running as I would like to have it. But until then, please visit often. I am making the builds online and doing it live for the most part, which most people who do this sort of stuff would cringe at. But in any case, I will persevere and hopefully my ratings will continue to climb. 

http://www.trancelogic.club

The Survey.

A comprehensive customer or consumer survey can go a long way to help you plan and implement your marketing strategies for your company. A good survey can take some time to prepare because the number of questions you ask should be limited to keep the attention of the survey subject.

The survey can be done in person, or it can take place online, and it usually helps to offer some kind of incentive to those that agree to take the survey. Plenty of people will give you friction, or they will just pass you by totally and not participate.

But diligence will ensure that you get a favorable number of surveys completed. What is the magic number? Well that’s hard to say. I have a friend that spent the better part of an entire day soliciting people in a high income are of  Toronto, and even with an offering a token gift for their thoughts, she only managed to get ten willing respondents out of  thousands who travelled by.

Tenacity and patience are certainly good characteristics to have when doing your survey. Keep in mind though, that metrics are very important.

How you set up your questions is up to you but keep in mind that a long survey will probably result in less participation. The KISS method is usually the best method of all.

If you choose to do your survey online, be sure to use your Facebook, Twitter and other social marketing accounts to direct people to your survey. In general a ten percent return on invites to complete the survey is quite good.

I've done surveys for everything from newspapers to broadcast operations, and have grown quite fond of the challenge that harvesting respondents. Do you need more information about this or other concerns with your small business? Remember; Scream Media is always available for a consultation, in person or via telephone.

Contact us at 902-229-8230
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So Much To Do.

Starting a new business can be a daunting task. So many papers, so many decisions, so many things to do to give your business legs. In the rush of wanting to get things done, sometimes we forget how important it is to be organized and deliberate with our marketing efforts. It is very important to know what the "bigger picture" of your marketing plan is so that you can make better decisions in the future about where to spend those precious marketing dollars.

One way of getting organized is by downloading an annual expense "template" from the internet. There are tonnes available, particularly at www.microsoft.com, and they will help you get it together by providing you with a worksheet that has been developed particularly for tracking your monthly marketing expenses. Another way of achieving organization is to set up your own spreadsheet in programs like Excel or Quickbooks. If you have access to one of these programs, use them to build a twelve month snapshot of your marketing dollars hard at work.

Why is it important to have this snapshot? Well, first, you want to know where your money is going. Second, you want to be able to put some kind of metrics behind your marketing choices, for example, ad "x" is working in that dollar range, directory listing "y" doesn't seem to be performing as you had hoped at that cost. The benefits of keeping your marketing activities organized far outweigh the couple of hours it may take to get them on a spreadsheet or on paper.

If you're starting a business or just trying to get the one you have organized, and you feel that it's a task you'd rather not deal with, contact Scream Media for professional advice about marketing plans, business plans, digital marketing, and many other business related products and services.

Call Social Media Guy!

Do you find yourself with a great idea for a product or service, but without the skills to bring them to market? Let Scream Media and our sister company that deals with SEO and digital marketing, Social Media Guy, show you how to bring it all together and monetize your ideas today!

Audio Blogs

What is an Audio Blog? 

An audioblog is a blog with vocal recordings as its central part. For example, a podcast, a a type of digital media consisting of an episodic series of files subscribed to and downloaded through web syndication.

How can I take advantage of the audio blog on my website?

An audio blog gives you the opportunity to shine as leader or an expert in your field, a top seller for your product, or simply act as much needed fresh content to your website or web presence. Giving your audience a voice to recognize with your brand is a powerful way to sway sales your way by proving that you have what it takes to take listeners on as customers while offering solid suggestions about how they might use your products to keep the status quo or to innovate a process or service.

As mentioned, the audio blog can be presented in multiple formats, but is usually created in an mp3 format. Depending on your desired outcomes, an audio blog can be a heavily produced piece or three simple channels of audio - your expert, your interviewer and whatever technical background you desire. 

Setting up an audio blog requires varying degrees of expertise. A three track layout is simple to use, but in order for the blog to flow properly both the presenter and the marketing professional putting the blog together must have a certain amount of knowledge about that which they are blogging about. 

Generally, audio is produced using some type of mutli-track software. This type of software is easily available on the web for purchase. As usual, steer clear of "free" software offers as they usually end up being some type of scam or malware. 

Not unlike radio journalists, audio bloggers may choose to write scripts, voice pieces of the blog separately and have multiple interviews within the interview. In any case, the audio blog is a worthy, tech possible source of portable content for your web collateral. 

For more information about audio blogs, please contact me. I would be happy to identify areas that would be appropriate for further development in you organization.