Matt Bacak wrote a blog post about the value of blogs and podcasts for corporate promotion. You can read it here.

The point in his entry that I find most remarkable is this statement:

“People read your Blogs not necessarily just for the content, but for your personality. If they like your personality then they will continue to read your Blog. If they don’t like your personality then they may read your Blog once and leave it. So let your personality shine through in your Blog if you want to keep readers that you want to target.

The same personality theory applies to podcasts. If you entertain people and they are having a good time then the number of podcast listeners you have will soar.”

I assumed early and incorrectly when launching Personal Life Media that a well-produced podcast rich with targeted content would generate more audience than a marginally-produced, unedited (one take wonder) folksy podcast with personality.

I was wrong.

The secret formula to success IS at Matt says - personality. Imbue your show with personality and with germane content and you just may have a hit.

Listeners want education and entertainment. To be a good podcaster, you must be your true self and let it shine through. Listeners want to connect with you as a human, they want to like you, they want to know not just your opinions, but tidbits about your life and what shaped your values.

Whether it’s Adam Curry, C.C. Chapman, Christopher Penn, Jen Bucket, the Diva Girls, KFC the Skydiver, Britney Mason, or Dr. Patti, the common denominator is a really delightful personality.

So if you’re planning to blog or podcast to generate more leads for your business, as Matt Bacak recommends, don’t forget to bring yourself in all your glory to your effort.

Happy New Year. Here’s to celebrating each of us as amazing individuals.

Mary Hodder, one of the Top 10: Hottest Chicks in Tech according to Suz.

A “dabbler.” That word defines one strong aspect of Mary Hodder’s rich personality. Long before she got involved in developing algorithms for search engines, she was a florist, chef, film-maker and paralegal to name just of few of her transformational careers. Once she perfects something, she moves on. Learn the most important insights she gleaned playing the “Key Takeaway Game” with Susan in this measured and insightful interview with the entrepreneur Marc Canter calls “the leading smartest woman in the Internet today.”

Find out why Dabble.com is an amazing, helpful media planning tool if you are buying interactive broadcast spots. She weaves in human-powered video search rankings to create high-value discovery and recommendation for your next video-ad media buy, including time spent and velocity of specific videos so your ads get in the best video on the web that is most germane to your brand.

Suz and Mary talk about 23andme, the new “personal genome service.” Who knew we needed one!?! And they discuss Aubrey de Grey’s “bio-remediation” research focused on reversing the molecular and cellular damage of aging.

Here’s Aubrey’s Facebook group if you want to live forever…

Next up is the Social Media User’s “Bill of Rights.” Mary describes the steps Dabble is taking to protect her user’s privacy and the disconnect she sees in “Facebook’s extremely liberal view of how they use data.” That’s YOUR data, dear listener.

Finally, Mary, a Silicon Valley Insider and “Chix Populi” gives us her tips on the conference circuit so you can plan your calendar for 2008.

Tune in and enjoy!

Related Links:

• Get a 20% discount from our sponsor ICE.com, the #1 Online Jeweler
• Get a Free Audiobook from Audible
• Isobar US: Largest Digital Marketing Network in 38 Countries
• Dishy Mix Blog

Doug Weaver and Scot McLernon, Upstream Group on Training Digital Sellers, the Retention Crisis and “The One Thing You Need to Know.”

Two stalwarts of the digital marketing industry just teamed up to launch Habitat, a new traveling sales training campus.

Hear about the digital marketing industry’s talent crisis.

Habitat will teach our fresh-faced work force, not just about technology, measurement and media, but also about the all-important soft qualities of trust, integrity and honesty.

“Getting to Us” is their mantra - not getting to “yes.” This free podcast episode will give you ideas and hope and some great perspective.

Hear the dreams, plans and aspirations of this deeply-experienced duo with their new Habitat program and get some great tips on their “required reading” including “The One Thing You Need to Know” from Marcus Buckingham (Doug’s choice) and “How To Win Friends and Influence People” by Dale Carnegie (the classic as recommended by Scot - have YOU read it recently???).

You can download either of these free, from my sponsor Audible.

This is a wise and uplifting show and it’s great to know that we have such amazing talent training our future stars.

This is also the first DishyMix to have two guests on at once. Let me know how you like the format!

AskMen.com, a site I end up linking to a lot for the sassy quality of their editorial recently posted their version of the top 10 hottest women in tech. My friend, Morgan Webb, made that list, as she should. She’s smart and beautiful and has a great podcast, WebbAlert.

I like this list of hot chicks, but I have my own, and it’s filtered through my lense, which is that like Morgan, what draws me to women is an combination of personal power, intelligence and flair.

Starting next week, I’m doing show after show of my DishyMix podcast highlighting the women I think embody an unparalled level of intelligence and style.

You’ll meet Mary Hodder, founder of Dabble, considered to be the “leading smartest woman on the web” by Marc Canter.

Kim Polese, progenitor of Java and currently CEO of SpikeSource.

Julie Roehm, aka “Unruly Julie,” partner at Meta and formerly of WalMart and Chrysler, is a distinctively sharp marketer.

Sarah Fay, CEO of Carat/Isobar US runs one of the biggest integrated media houses in the world.

Gina Bianchini, founder of Ning has launched a thousand social networks.

Wenda Harris Millard, formerly of DoubleClick and Yahoo! is now president of media at Martha Stewart Living Omnimedia.

Amy Powell, svp interactive marketing for Paramount is a movie studio exec pushing the limits of digital.

And in writing this, I realize I must get Jessie Stricchiola, founder of Alchemist Media on the show. If I’m going to have a “gorgeous+smart” line up, I’d be remiss in not including her.

What chicks do you think kick ass in media, marketing and the Internet space? Let me know your Top 10: Hottest Women in Tech. I’ll get them on DishyMix.

Reference list on these hot women:
Episode 199: Morgan Webb Guest Hosts, DIY video podcast, 3 Games and more….
Capital IQ Power Moves » Morgan Stanley Announces Appointment of 241 ..
Morgan Webb’s Funky Shoes | Jeff Louella
Technology via Morgan Webb and WebbAlert | Entrepreneurs Mean Business
YouMakeMedia » Latest episode of Tekzilla speaks with Morgan Webb..
Morgan Webb on Tekzilla | Geek Woman Speaks
Ramblings of a Geek » Blog Archive » Morgan Webb: Back to S..
Peter Gamez » Interview With Morgan Webb
Top Linux News » Morgan Webb switches to Linux
Free Celebrity Pictures » Blog Archive » Morgan Webb (x34)
Morgan Webb Blog - More Morgan Webb images for you, my readers
Morgan Webb : The Life of Luxury
Pictures of Morgan Webb at Hot Celebrity Search
Morgan Webb Alert!
Deep Jive Interests » WebbAlert: Morgan Webb Reads Techmeme
elliottpesut.com » Morgan Webb on Microsoft’s Troubled Future
» Den of Geek loves Morgan Webb
beatmaniaIIDX blogs BETA
Morgan Webb’s New Videoblog — benway.net
Beet.TV: Who is the Sexiest Tech Online Video Pesonality: Morgan Webb, Dan..
Morgan Webb, Feminism and Cultural Capital in Web 2.0 « Scrawled in W..
Webb Alert!! Morgan Webb’s new daily online tech news show…watc..
Atom’s Antics » Morgan Webb’s Webb Alert
Morgan Webb debuts daily video show - Lost Remote TV Blog
Morgan Webb’s New Videoblog | NSLog(); // Erik J. Barzeski
Heather Morgan

Carrie Runnals, one of the Divas from DivaCast called and asked me for my secret for making great turkey gravy.

Diva Cast Voice Mail

Here are my two tricks. A day or two before you cook your turkey, make home made turkey stock and a roux. Then, add them to the pan drippings when you’ve cooked your bird and you’re ready to serve it.

Turkey Stock

Buy some extra turkey pieces when you buy your bird. I use wings and necks. Have your butcher hack them into 3-4 in segments for you unless you own your own cleaver and know how to weild it. Throw them in a big sautee pan with olive oil and butter, and brown the skin well. Then add hacked up carrots, celery, shallots, onions and thyme and keep sauteeing for about 5-10 minutes until the onions soften and the shallots start to brown. Add hot water and bring to a boil. Simmer for 3 hours or longer until the meat falls off the bones.

Cool and separate the stock from the turkey and veggies. Feed the turkey meat to your hubby and dog. Compost the rest. It’s dismal looking by this time.

If you’re making the stock a day or more ahead, refridgerate it. If you’re using it that day, keep it on a back burner to heat up when you’re ready to make the gravy.

Roux

Put a half stick or more of butter into a saucepan. Bring it to a bubble then turn it down. Whisk in Wondra flour - at least a 1/4 cup. Cook the flour on low heat, whisking the whole time with all your intention and focus on beautifully browning but not buring the flour/butter mixture. Cook it for 3-5 minutes until it’s a beautiful light brown. Take it off the heat and reserve it.

Once your turkey is cooked (put onions, carrots, celery, shallots and thyme in the pan with water while you’re cooking your bird (brine your bird first) put the pan on the burner, with the bird set aside, and bring the drippings to a boil and add the roux. Wisk the roux in, then start slowing adding the hot, hot turkey stock until you get a perfect consistency. Mash up the veggies in the gravy, then run the gravy through a seive to get out extraneous bits before pouring into a gravy boat.

Let me know how this worked for you.

YUM!

Listen to the episode.

This article in Adotas on a Hard Rock Cafe’s podcasting campaign is the best written example of a marketer using podcasting’s unique attributes - host endorsement, deep audience engagement/loyalty, micro-targeting.

I’m pleased to see that these campaigns are getting coverage and results.

Advertise in Personal Life Media shows! email me susan at personallifemedia dot com

Our gorgeous host, Meredith, really shines in this video. She shares six very personal ways she embodies the green movement in her own life.

I love her shiny, pretty, down to earth wholesomeness.

Here’s her interview on DishyMix if you just can’t get enough.

Here is a sample of recent & upcoming DishyMix podcast Guests. Do you have recommendations for executives you’d love to hear more about?

• Wenda Harris Millard, President, Media, Marther Stewart Living Omnimedia
• Julie Roehm, Co-Founder, /Meta, LLC
• Steve Wozniak “Woz”, Founder, Apple Computer, Author “iWoz”
• Dov Seidman, Founder and CEO, LRN and Author “How”
• Daina Middleton, Global Advertising & Interactive Marketing Director, Hewlett Packard
• Adam Gerber, CMO, Quantcast
• Doron Wesly, VP Media Practice, Millward Brown
• David Carlick, Managing Partner, Vantage Point Venture Partners
• David Clark, N. American GM, Joost
• Joseph Carrabis, Founder, NextStage Evolution
• Scott Rafer, founder & CEO, Lookery
• Scot McLernon, President and Doug Weaver, founder & CEO, Upstream Group Habitat
• Mary Hodder, founder & CEO, Dabble
• Gina Bianchini, founder & CEO, Ning
• Marc Canter, Broadband Mechanics on Open Social Networks, Threesomes and Cutting Through the Bull
• Mitch Joel, President, Twist Image on Power Speaking and Personal Branding
• C.C. Chapman, The Advance Guard – From Deep in New Media
• Scott Kauffman, President and COO of Blue Lithium
• John Durham, CEO of Catalyst SF “Market Capitalist” and “Cork Dork”
• “Matzoh Man” Pinny Gniwisch, Founder of ICE.com
• Danny Sullivan, Search Engine Content Hurricane
• Brad Berens, iMedia’s Editorial Headman Tracks Audiences for 400 Years
• Mike Donahue, EVP, American Association of Advertising Agencies on Killer Margaritas, Top TV Commercials and Eccentric Parts
• Brian Morrissey: Adweek Reporter on Running Ultra-Marathons, PigDogs, Man-on-Man Chivalry and More
• Bob Garfield, Ad Age AdCritic, NPR Personality, Experimental Essayist and Author, Fearless Journalist - Launch into the Bobosphere!
• Lois Kelly: Foghound Lifts the Fog on Marketing Heaven, Alpha Fraidy Cats, Jerk-O-Meters, Seeing Patterns and More
• Get a Clue about David Weinberger: Author, Blogger, Speaker, Fellow, Twitterer, Commentator, Columnist and Willing ‘Word Association’ Player
• Rex Briggs, CEO, Marketing Evolution - Obsessions: Fast Cars, Bright Shoes and More
• Kevin Wassong, President, Minyanville Publishing and Multimedia Transitions From Agency Guy to Publisher
• Sir Ken Robinson, Creativity and Innovation Expert
• David Cowan, Managing Partner, Bessemer Venture Partners on Critical Thinking and More
• Meredith Medland, Founder, 3Outcomes Talks Hapkido, Visualization and Living Green
• Chris Fralic, Partner at Innovative Early Stage VC First Round Capital, Former eBay and Del.icio.us Exec Tells All
• Jack Myers, Media Village on Fantasy Marketing, Virtual Worlds and Heart and Guts
• Tobi Elkin, The Sweetest Side of a Digital Marketing Industry Editor
• Chris Shipley, DEMO
• David Scott Carlick, Vantage Point
• David Verklin, Carat
• Esther Dyson, EDventure
• Guy Kawasaki, Garage.com
• Jason McCabe Calacanis, Mahalo.com
• Jeff Bell, Microsoft Entertainment
• Jeremy Allaire, BrightCove
• Jim Spanfeller, Forbes.com
• Jody Turner, Culture of Future
• Kevin Roberts, Saatchi and Saatchi
• Linda Kaplan Thayer, Author of “The Power of Nice”
• Marty Kaplan, Huffpo
• Michael Barrett, Fox Interactive Network
• Pete Blackshaw, Nielsen Buzz Metrics
• Rich LeFurgy, Archer Martin
• Rishad Tobaccawala, Denuo
• Robert Scoble “The Scobelizer”
• Scott Donaton, AdAge (now publisher of EW)
• Ted McConnell, Procter & Gamble
• Ty Ahmad Taylor, MTV Networks, Inc.