• Wired, Tuesday, November 15, 2005 11:47 AM

Podcasters, speaking at the Portable Media Expo and Podcasting Conference in Ontario, Canada, mulled the proverbial question: to make money or not to make money. Surprisingly, several opted for the latter, according to a Wired report. Leo Laporte, podcaster of the popular show "This Week In Tech," said he won't give in to advertising on his show, because "if somebody gives you money, you owe them something." Well, techies never seem to be made of the business visionary mold, but Laporte 's keynote underscored the infancy of podcasting: no one is making money on it yet, and its protective founders are wondering whether anyone should. Nevertheless established companies like Audible.com were also in attendance, passing out leaflets about ways podcasters can count audiences, deliver ads, and charge users for their programs. Another company called Podtrac released specs for a new demographics-and-advertising program, as well as a new tracking system that counts exact downloads. Podtrac will also help podcasters create sales kits and connect them with advertisers.

Read the whole story at Wired »