As you read here, or on some other source, Netflix is raising their prices for the streaming and DVD combo service. They are raising it from $9.99 per month to $15.98. From the sound of their blog post on the subject, they are pretty resolute on this change.
As always, our members can easily choose to change or cancel their unlimited streaming plan, unlimited DVD plan, or both by visiting Your Account.
That sounds eerily like, “It’s my way, or the highway.”
Well, thanks to Netflix raising their prices 60% it’s going to cause people to look for alternatives to Netflix. I just resurrected my Hulu account that has sat dormant for a couple of years. I signed up for the service when it launched but didn’t find the service compelling. Now that I may be rethinking my choice of streaming video service, and the Hulu service is much more mature now, it may be a viable option. The price is the same $7.99 as Netflix and they have a large number of television shows and movies to choose from. Not as large as Netflix, but may be doable. The thing that will make it possible to switch will be the content for kids. Perusing the television shows I’m not seeing a lot of programming for children, except for Naruto.
I think Matthew Leech has a good plan for replacing the DVD portion of Netflix. I didn’t think about using those red kiosks at the grocery store. They rentals are only $1 (if you remember to return them the next day) and they have the latest DVDs there even before Amazon VOD. I’m still holding onto the idea that Amazon will bolster their streaming offerings with their Prime service as well. That along with the cheap or free shipping that comes with the service would work well for the family.
One bright spot in this whole thing is the fact that all three services, Netflix, Hulu/Hulu Plus and Amazon VOD/Prime are all services that are available on my Roku set-top box. Stay with Netflix, add Hulu Plus or dump them all. Any way I go, I’m covered. That’s refreshing not having to change out boxes and cables behind the entertainment center.
Meanwhile, I’m not making any decisions until August 31, 2011. At that time I’ll cancel the DVD service. Until that time though, I’m going to go on a DVD binge and catch up on the top 20 movies in my DVD queue.
Now the third, and most important topic on Social Networks, how do I use them? Too many times I see posts on the social networks that I frequent that are just promoting their blog posts or latest episodes of their podcasts. Social networks are about more than just sending out a note that you have a new blog post. It’s about engaging an audience and sharing, as the definition above implies. If you do a podcast about a certain subject, like marketing, ask questions about marketing. Share what ways you’re using the topics in your podcast in your business. Give examples of how those in your network could use your latest podcast to make them money. Again, the word is engage.
So let’s look at an example someone who engages his audience, and in my opinion does social networks correctly. That person is 
So are social networks important for your podcast? Sure, but make sure the social networks that you choose are not just used as a cheap press release medium. If you’re excited about using social networks to promote your podcast and build a community, there are others out there that can help you in the best ways to leverage social networks. One person you definitely have to check out is 
First off, let’s get this ugly fact out of the way; unless your podcast is a standout in the thousands of podcasts in iTunes, there’s a good chance you’re not going to make a dime on your podcast. If you’re getting into podcasting to make money, you’re going to be sadly disappointed. At least for right now. There are opportunities to make a few bucks, but basically the monetization model for podcasting is far from fleshed out. Even though that’s the case, let’s take a look at the models listed above.
Premium Subscription – When you subscribe to a podcast, it’s not like subscribing to cable. No money changes hands. You simply add the podcaster’s RSS feed to your aggregator of choice. In the premium subscription model, you still subscribe to the podcaster’s feed, however this time you have a username and password and you pay the podcster to subscribe to the feed. This model is much like the premium channels like HBO. You pay an agreed upon amount each month. There are a few services that can provide this type of service, but the one that’s getting a lot of use is 
I’m not going to pretend to be an expert on SEO. I do however understand keywords and their importance in your show notes and blog posts.