Spotlight on Feast of Fools (plus GLBT Podcasting)

One of the most popular talk shows on the Internet today, as well as one of the originals in the gay market, Feast of Fools, alternately know as Gay Fun Show or simply FoF, is a mix of celebrity interviews, news commentary, author chats, cocktail recipes, grooming advice, political forum, new artist musical interludes, gift opening, and letter reading.

The show has won Best GLBT Podcast from the People’s Choice Podcast Awards and Best Podcast from the Gay Bloggies. As the most widely downloaded gay podcast, its availability has brought GLBT-themed programming to listeners in cities, towns, and rural areas across the country and around the world.

These Guys Get Social Networking and Web 2.0!

Yes, they may have won some fantastic awards and have created a show with fans worldwide, but one of their greatest strengths is that not only do they keep contemporary with their pop culture and show content they produce 5 times per week, they also stay way ahead of the curve when it comes to using the new tools of social networking and Web 2.0 to keep their audiences informed and in the loop, as well as reaching out to new fans through this viral network of Facebook, Plaxo and more!

First, their use of photos. With the concept of photo tagging launched by Facebook, the world of photos has a whole new lease on life. Combine this with the Photoshop talents these two exhibit with their campy but uniquely branded photos put online each week and you have yourself a powerful form of branding that reaches all of their fans on their Facebook group, as well as all of their fans subscribing to their photo updates on Flickr. By incorporating their Flickr photo feed into Plaxo, they are one of the few businesses out there today using the social networking power of photos to keep their show at the forefront of peoples minds on a daily basis, without ever being too intrusive.

In addition, they understand how to emerge from behind the safety of the computer screen and reach out to their fellow new media peers and their fans, including hosting a meet and greet mixer coinciding with the New Media Expo in Las Vegas recently.

About the Hosts and the Show

Host Fausto Fernós is an Eartha Kitt-stalking, brown-haired (and soul- patched), quasi-former Boricua drag performer who once graced public access television as Faustina. Factoid: Fernós learned how to eat fire from the Lesbian Avengers.

His partner in life and podcasting is Marc Felion, who spends time fielding emails that label him as Chris Noth’s “ting-a-ling” doppelganger, updating the show’s myspace page, and salivating over Czech porn star Pavel Novotny.

The Feast of Fools podcast continually ranks as the top-rated gay & lesbian podcast on iTunes and is frequently listed in the Top 100 list of Comedy podcasts. On average, the podcast is downloaded 40,000 times per week, making it the most downloaded GLBT podcast in the United States.

A typical Feast of Fools show is a round table discussion on unusual news stories, GLBT issues and social trends. Other shows may feature celebrity interviews (live or by phone), cocktail recipes, or “how to” sessions, such as 'How drag queens lip sync and put on makeup.' Celebrities and other notable guests are asked a series of "Breakdown" questions at the end of the show, such as "Describe yourself as a fancy shade of paint" and "What would you like to see Oprah doing in 5 years?" Since 2005, the Feast of Fools podcast has interviewed many celebrities, including Margaret Cho, Kathy Griffin, Teri Garr, George Takei, John Waters and Bruce Vilanch. Occasionally, a show will open with an original cocktail recipe, usually given a name that pays tribute to that episode's special guest. Cocktail recipes feature unique ingredients or put a new spin on classics. Examples include the "Organic Cosmopolitan" (a tarter version of the popular drink made with unsweetened cranberry juice concentrate and all natural ingredients) and the "Dancing Queen,"(an unusual and flavorful combination of pear sake and energy drink).

When not interviewing a special guest, Fernós and Felion are often joined by a rotating cast of regular guests.

Music is an integral part of the Feast of Fools podcast, and the show regularly interviews and features the music of up-and-coming talent, mostly unsigned or signed to independent record labels. Born out of necessity due to copyright and RIAA restrictions on the use of music on podcasts, this feature of the podcast has grown into an important avenue for emerging musicians to reach a previously untapped audience. Musicians whose music is featured on the Feast of Fools podcast realize increased sales on iTunes and Amazon.com. Musicians featured on the Feast of Fools podcast include Calpernia Addams, Gaye Adegbalola, Reuben Butchart, Dangerous Muse, Ferron, Scott Free, Chris Garneau, Robert German, Leslie Hall, Hey Willpower, Eric Himan, Levi Kreis, Mystechs, Jen Porter, Rachael Sage, Jim Verraros, and The Wet Spots.

And how do these guys make it work? Like public radio, Feast of Fools stands on the shoulders of it's listeners, both financially and to stay ahead of the news. (They do have several key sponsors but they also depend on the support of their loyal community to donate money and buy merchandise.)

And why is this show a success? As quoted by Marc, “the show succeeds because of our passion and experience, not because of the technology behind it or the money we invest in it. Our passion for creating a unique show is what we think makes it work. We want to give gay people a smart, humorous and savvy voice. We've observed that when traditional media companies attempt to copy our success they mostly fail because they lose sight of what makes the Internet great- the uniqueness of individuals and the ability to come together to form new communities. “

LINK: www.feastoffools.net

A Note About Podcasting:
Besides the popular Feast of Fools show, there are a small number of similarly popular podcasts online for the GLBT community. One of the most popular is the Josh and Sara Show on here! Networks. Several years running now, hosts Josh and Sara inform and entertain with a variety of notable guests including authors, performers, musicians and activists. Josh’s extensive knowledge of pop culture, entertainment & gay media as well as New York nightlife adds a unique perspective and singular interviewing style to this eclectic show. Sara brings to the table a female perspective, Jersey pride and a love of authors, musicians and people involved with small organizations doing big things for the LGBT community.
LINK: http://www.heretv.com/APodcastDetailPage.php?id=1

Not sure where to start when searching out GLBT podcasts? QPodder.com is an excellent place to begin, featuring a variety of popular podcasts including Oh My Pod!, GoRainbowRadio.com, the Adam and Matty Show, the Twinkleboi Show and the QCast Connection, to name just a few.
LINK: www.qpodder.com

JasonCable.com is a local podcaster out of Pittsburgh who has been putting together a more serious and politically slanted podcast for years now.
LINK: www.JasonCable.com








Gay and Lesbian Social Networking
Advertising - Marketing - Community

For the full-color PDF version of this story, go here:
http://www.PinkBananaMedia.com/pdf/gmg2008-podcast.pdf

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NOTE: This article is part of the Gay Market Report 2009 and is FREE TO USE as long as byline above, credit, logo and link are included with story. Credit Pink Banana Media, www.PinkBananaMedia.com/MarketReport/, and please use the following logo linked below:
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Gay Wedding and Marriage Resources

Making news around the globe, the legal rights and recognition of gays & lesbians is becoming manifested in the definition of marriage. More and more companies and communities across the US are recognizing the union of two gay men or women in terms of civil unions or domestic partnerships, granting them the same basic rights as heterosexual married couples. Health insurance benefits, estate planning and more are becoming commonplace in many gay & lesbian lives, but not all. The right of marriage, however, along with all of its legal and tax implications, is the final goal for many gays & lesbians. It would be society's way of showing that once and for all gays & lesbians are now deemed equal in the eyes of the law.

Several countries around the world have already legalized gay marriage including Denmark, The Netherlands and now Spain. In North America, Canada has legalized gay marriage, and the subsequent travel by gays and lesbians to these destinations to have their unions formalized, albeit in a foreign country, has already begun. Gay marriage is legal in Massachusetts (to residents only, but that may change soon) and in California (final approval on the November ballot in 2008), and many of the civil rights of married couples are available to gay couples in Vermont!

Several companies, both in travel and wedding/event planning, have cropped up in recent years to address these needs. In addition, with civil unions being legal in Vermont, many Americans have traveled there over the past few years to have legal civil union ceremonies performed, even though those unions are only recognized and have legal rights in the state of Vermont. With thecurrent status of legal gay marriage in California, many marriage and wedding companies have either added gay couples as one of their new target markets, or have started a new business targeting this new-found opportunity, performing a wide variety of ceremonies to date.

In print, there are now two gay wedding magazines. The first is the Rainbow Wedding Network Magazine, launched in April 2006 as the inside source for all the current events, planning resources, trends, home and family ideas and other vital issues for gay and lesbian couples, their families, advocates and allies. It includes exclusive interviews, community connections, political dialogue, fashion and fun. The second, and more recent, is With This Ring Magazine, including articles on fashion, family matters, legal issues, romance and news.
LINKS:
- www.rainbowweddingnetworkmagazine.com
- www.withthisring-magazine.com

To locate these various resources online, several sites have emerged to address this market. GayWeddings.com, GayMarriageWorld.com and the RainbowWeddingNetwork.com are three in particular that have emerged recently.

One of the first web sites online dedicated to this community was GayWeddings.com. Started as more of an online resource site for gays & lesbians looking for more information on gay weddings and commitment ceremonies, this site has evolved into a full-fledged gay wedding portal, offering an online directory of wedding vendors, as well as a full range of hotels and inns catering to the gay wedding ceremony and honeymoon.

Another site that has come online recently is GayMarriageWorld.com, a comprehensive online portal dedicated to the world of gay marriage and weddings. This site offers news and various articles about gay marriage, as well as an online community base where gays & lesbians can become members (for free) to meet, greet and discuss gay marriage topics of interest to them.

Right beside GayMarriageWorld.com is RainbowWeddingNetwork.com. In addition to offering a comprehensive online directory of gay-friendly wedding services, they also offer an online wedding registry. They also put on the recent “Same Love, Same Rights” Gay Wedding Expos held throughout the country.

Other sites that are also emerging in this market include GayWeddingFodder.com and GayRites.net.

In the retailing side of life, OutVite.com has a wonderful site dedicated to custom-printed gay & lesbian wedding invitations, commitment ceremony invitations, adoption and birth announcements, party invitations and more. Additional retailers include TwoBrides.com and TwoGrooms.com.

In the world of travel, TheWeddingExperience.com has gone above and beyond in offering gays and lesbians the opportunity to marry on board a cruise ship sailing out of Miami, Florida.

The destinations of choice for gay & lesbian weddings and commitment ceremonies seem to be Hawaii, Vermont (first state to legally recognize civil unions) and California. There are a number of wedding planners and commitment ceremony companies in these regions ready to help you with all aspects of your gay wedding, commitment ceremony and honeymoon.

In Canada, there have been a variety of services cropping up to offer gay & lesbian weddings to both Canadian and US Citizens. Now that gay marriage is legal in Canada, just knowing that one’s marriage is legal in at least one major country has been all it takes for Americans to flock to Vancouver and Toronto to have their ceremony performed and documented over the past few years.

A small but growing sector in the Marriage and Weddings category is the Gay Wedding Expo. Taking the lead in this is the Rainbow Wedding Network, with wedding expos recently held in Los Angeles, New York, San Francisco and Atlanta, with upcoming venues to include Seattle and other key areas on the map when it comes to gay & lesbian marriage and wedding ceremonies.

In addition, there is a new company, GBK Productions, bringing us the Same Sex in the City wedding expos in Los Angeles and Palm Springs in 2008.
LINKS:
- www.gbkproductions.com/events2008/samesexinthecity/







Gay and Lesbian Social Networking
Advertising - Marketing - Community

For the full-color PDF version of this story, go here:
http://www.PinkBananaMedia.com/pdf/gmg2008-WeddingFamilies.pdf

To subscribe to the PBM Monthly Gay Business Report, go here:
http://www.PinkBananaMedia.com/BusinessReport/

For the annual PBM Gay Market Report, go here:
http://www.PinkBananaMedia.com/MarketReport/


NOTE: This article is part of the Gay Market Report 2009 and is FREE TO USE as long as byline above, credit, logo and link are included with story. Credit Pink Banana Media, www.PinkBananaMedia.com/MarketReport/, and please use the following logo linked below:
http://www.pinkbananamedia.com/images/pbmlogo_200.jpg

Power Networking Lunch Presentation in Dallas

I had a great time here in Dallas today (Aug 14, 2008) doing a Web 2.0/Social Networking presentation following the Power Networking Lunch here at Maggiano's in North Park.


It was a great turnout, and prior to doing my presentation, I got to participate in the Power Networking as well... business networking merged with speed dating on steroids. It was my first one and I loved it!

More photos can be found at:
http://picasaweb.google.com/mattskal/DallasPowerNetworkingPresentationAug2008

Links:
http://www.glbtchamber.org/

August 2008 Gay Business Report

In This Issue

The Power of the Automated News Feed
How Plaxo, Friendfeed and even Facebook utilize 3rd party programs such as Picasa, YouTube and Flickr to keep you up-to-date in this even more fast-paced Information Age
If you're like many of us out there, you've been using Plaxo for a few years now. It's been a great tool, primarily used by the business community, in keeping one's Outlook up-to-date when your friends and other contacts change jobs, move or even get a new cell phone number. Change jobs and all you had to do was update your Plaxo information in order to get that job update out there to hundreds of your Outlook contacts simultaneously, and vice versa… one of your Outlook contacts moves to a new city, and voila, your Outlook information is automatically updated.....

How to Turn a Cold Call into a Warm Call Using LinkedIn.com
The new way to research and find the best contacts to start with when making business outreach to a company
First there was Friendster and then there was MySpace. Along the way, Plaxo leveraged its access into your Outlook contact database to launch Plaxo Pulse and Facebook hit the scene going from the college dorm to Main Street USA. In between all of this, chugging along as if it had the entire business landscape to itself, was LinkedIn.com, a site focused on just the business-to-business connections needed in the social networking world. Starting out as a more employment-oriented site, LinkedIn.com has grown in popularity over the past year to become almost the de facto Online Chamber of Commerce, allowing business people from around the world to network and connect in ways not possible just a few years back.....

Regional Spotlight: Las Vegas
Las Vegas has long been known as "The Entertainment Capital of the World," but these days the desert destination boasts much more than strippers and Cher concerts - especially for its growing LGBT community....

Other Highlights

  • NGLCC Launches Biz
  • New Website GayGadget.com Launches
  • Latest Styles and Trends Research
  • The Legend of How “Because” Ruined a Mailing
  • Gen Y Is Setting the Tech Agenda
  • Spotlight on IGLTA
  • Spotlight on MDG Marketing Group
  • Banner Advertising Plus
  • GLBT Online Business Resources

Download PDF

Subscribe: Click Here
Advertise in future issues: Click Here

Past Issues:

How to Turn a Cold Call into a Warm Call Using LinkedIn.com

The new way to research and find the best contacts to start with when making business outreach to a company

First there was Friendster and then there was MySpace. Along the way, Plaxo leveraged its access into your Outlook contact database to launch Plaxo Pulse and Facebook hit the scene going from the college dorm to Main Street USA. In between all of this, chugging along as if it had the entire business landscape to itself, was LinkedIn.com, a site focused on just the business-to-business connections needed in the social networking world. Starting out as a more employment-oriented site, LinkedIn.com has grown in popularity over the past year to become almost the de facto Online Chamber of Commerce, allowing business people from around the world to network and connect in ways not possible just a few years back.

The simplest use of LinkedIn.com is its power in connecting with your business contacts found in your various e-mail address books, as well as connecting with those business contacts of others you've connected to in LinkedIn.com. Thus, over time, your network continues to grow and through LinkedIn.com's InMail and Invitation systems, you're able to contact more and more business professionals when seeking employment, new business and more.

The real power of LinkedIn.com, however, is in its powerful company search feature. Say you would like to target Microsoft or IBM and you're looking for someone in the marketing department. A few years back, the primary resources you would turn to were expensive business directories offered by AdWeek, RedBook and more. Today, your best first place to start when researching a target company is LinkedIn.com's company search. You would type in Microsoft as the company you were targeting, and the search results would then be sorted based upon how close they are to you (1st, 2nd and 3rd degree away from you) and by how many other contacts that individual has.

From these search results, your research would begin. If someone is a 1st degree contact, that means they are directly contacted to you and you can reach them directly using LinkedIn.com's InMail feature. If they are a 2nd degree contact, that means there is someone (or several someones) between you and them that you share in common in your contact list. This someone makes the cold lead a bit warmer… now you actually have a relationship in common.

Out of this array of search results, you would scan the titles of the individuals found to see who is in the marketing department. You'd be surprised at the wide variety of marketing individuals you find. Your next step would be to either send that person an InMail (an upgraded, paid feature of LinkedIn.com when connecting with a 2nd or 3rd degree contact) or ask the person you share in common to introduce you to this contact. Either way, you're one step closer to making a direct connection with someone you'd like to meet to start a business relationship.

The same goes for the 3rd degree contact… as you go down the list, you can either InMail these contacts or request an introduction to them as well. Your 2nd degree contacts should be worked first, however, as the likelihood of success is higher with them. Also, as described above, the list is also sorted by those with the most contacts and works its way down. In this social business world, starting with an individual who has a lot of contacts is often your best strategy to begin with. Be wary, however, of those contacts who seem to be super power users, with many group affiliations and with their e-mail address and their number of contacts posted on their profile where their name would be. These folks are playing LinkedIn.com as a numbers game to connect with as many people as possible, and can be sometimes viewed as a new form of social networking spammers. Try to focus on the "quality" contacts and not the "quantity."

In this fast-changing environment where it seems everyone wants to be our "online friend," LinkedIn.com stands above the rest as a real testimonial to the convergence of state-of-the-art technology with the power of the online network. Used as a tool when making outreach to a company makes it second to none in its class, and with the brain power behind this organization, we can expect even greater things to come in the months ahead.

Side Bar:
Of course all strong social networking sites have developed an equally strong GLBT presence as well. For LinkedIn.com, Dennis Velco has recently launched an incredible GLBT LinkedIn.com Group, found at http://www.linkedin.com/search?search=&groupFilter=63687 . With almost 1,000 members and growing, it is an additional tool in the company research described above, in that when a contact is found who is a member of this group, it gives you an added connection to that person, especially if you're also a member of this GLBT LinkedIn.com Group.

As a spin-off from this LinkedIn.com Group, Dennis has also created a GLBT Group on CollectiveX.com, providing the LinkedIn.com members with additional tools from which to connect with. This group is found at http://glbt-network.collectivex.com .





Gay and Lesbian Social Networking
Advertising - Marketing - Community

For the full-color PDF version of this story, go here:
http://www.PinkBananaMedia.com/pdf/gmg2009-linkedin.pdf

To subscribe to the PBM Monthly Gay Business Report, go here:
http://www.PinkBananaMedia.com/BusinessReport/

For the annual PBM Gay Market Report, go here:
http://www.PinkBananaMedia.com/MarketReport/


NOTE: This article is part of the Gay Market Report 2009 and is FREE TO USE as long as byline above, credit, logo and link are included with story. Credit Pink Banana Media, www.PinkBananaMedia.com/MarketReport/, and please use the following logo linked below:
http://www.pinkbananamedia.com/images/pbmlogo_200.jpg

Current Automotive Advertising Trends in the GLBT Market


In anticipation of the August 2008 release of the Gay Market Report, Pink Banana Media has released one of its key marketing reports looking at the automotive industry’s recent advertising and marketing trends in the GLBT community. Using the $712B projected buying power of the US GLBT community as a reference point, this information is even more timely considering the overall downward trends in consumer automotive purchases this year.

Authored by Joe LaMuraglia of GayWheels.com, this marketing report includes the most recent GayWheels.com Top 10 Most Researched vehicles list, which helps to shed light on what GLBT automotive consumers are researching online when making their car buying decisions. It also brings to light both the history of automotive advertising in the GLBT community, and where this advertising is today, with companies such as Subaru, Cadillac and Saturn continuing to send the signal that they are in this marketplace for the long term.

In addition, the Top 10 report reveals that GLBT consumers have been researching fuel-efficient vehicles long before gasoline was at $4 per gallon, which shows the early-adopter/trend-setting behavior of this key market segment.

“The automotive industry is at a bit of a crossroads,” states Matthew Skallerud, President of Pink Banana Media and publisher of the 2009 Gay Market Report. “With both a recession and high gas prices hitting the world economy, we are all witnessing a significant shift in automotive buying habits this year, perhaps one of the largest shifts in the last 50 years. It will be those companies that are both progressive with their changing product lines and ahead of the curve in their market outreach that I believe will set the automotive standards for years to come.”

Lastly, the article includes up-to-date information on the six major auto makers that have achieved a perfect score of 100 in the HRC Corporate Equality Index (CEI), including Toyota, GM, Ford, VW, Subaru and Chrysler. While a site such as GayWheels.com simply uses the availability of same-sex domestic partner benefits to classify a company as gay-friendly, HRC’s CEI uses a more complex formula for its ranking.

To view and download the Automotive Marketing Report, go to http://www.pinkbananamedia.com/storydetail.cfm?storyid=8. For the full 2009 Gay Market Report coming out in mid-August 2009, go to http://www.pinkbananamedia.com/marketreport/ .

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