FUTURE TRENDS - US Adults Spend Over 12 Hours Per Day Consuming Media

According to a new eMarketer study, US Time Spent With Media: eMarketer’s Updated Estimates and Forecast for 2014-2019, American adults spend 12 hours, 7 minutes per day consuming media.

Considering time is also spent working and sleeping, that’s an awful lot of time committed to media.

How is it possible?

It’s all thanks to multitasking - eMarketer counted two hours if a person spent an hour watching tv while also surfing on smartphone.

eMarketer also estimates that nonvoice time spent per day by smartphone users will rise from 2 hours 18 minutes in 2014 to 2 hours 42 minutes by 2019.

The continued growth in the number of apps is a factor in this increase.

More and more of the digital universe is designed to cater to smartphones, and this often takes the form of apps.

You can hear more about how US adults consume media in the latest episode of eMarketer's Behind the Numbers podcast.

Interested in Canada’s media usage trends? Check out IAB Canada’s report.

DIGITAL - Live Video: Tips and Techniques for Creating Great Content

Live video - everybody’s talking about it, everyone says you should do it, and you need to do it well.

Social Media Examiner’s latest podcast features Alex Khan, the founder of Attractive Media, a German social media agency that helps businesses with live video.

Khan says that in only two years, he’s built his audience from nothing to 230,000 followers and 55 million hearts on Periscope, and he shares tips for creating great content.

According to the podcast, Khan believes people watching live video are always interested in five topics:

• Personal stories
• Behind the scenes
• Q&A’s
• Giveaways
• Sneak peeks

And your video doesn’t need to be limited to one topic, you can incorporate more.

The good news he shares is there is no expectation of perfection when you’re live - the medium is appealing because it replicates the way people connect and talk to each other in real life.

Khan shares the best ways to open and end a live stream and when to ask for a share or follow - hint: it’s not at the end - and he goes on to discuss code word strategy, software that adds graphics and animation, and much more.

Listen to the entire podcast of Live Video: Tips and Techniques for Creating Great Content.

FUTURE TRENDS - eMarketer Examines Emerging Technologies and Trends

With the hype of Pokemon GO and its augmented reality, the advent of self-driving cars and virtual assistants, and the surging growth of the sharing economy, it seems society is being bombarded with major developments and emerging technologies.

But what does it all mean?

Should you be excited about everything new?

In a special Thanksgiving podcast, eMarketer’s Marcus Johnson and Ezra Palmer consider some of the key developments of the year and discuss if they are ‘Thankful or Not Thankful’ for them.

While their discussion is lighthearted, with personal experience thrown in, the points they touch on cover many of the hopes and fears around new technology and trends, along with some interesting data.

For example, Johnson never played Pokemon GO but he and others have a much better understanding of augmented reality and its potential because of the game.

Listen to the podcast for an overview of trending technologies and developments.

DIGITAL - How to Achieve YouTube Growth

If you already have a YouTube channel and want to optimize it to get more subscribers, or are starting a new channel, Social Media Examiner has a podcast for you.

The podcast features Tim Schmoyer, founder of Video Creators, a YouTube channel and website that helps people grow their YouTube subscribers.

Schmoyer has over 200,000 subscribers, over 10 years of experience and millions of views.

He stresses the importance of your channel having a focus, targeting a specific group of people and delivering a very specific value.

Three mistakes people/organizations make on YouTube:

• The belief you need high-end production and equipment when viewers are actually very forgiving of a shaky camera when the content is valuable.
• Lack of attention to creating title and thumbnails when most traffic comes from suggested videos by YouTube - where viewers click when enticed by titles and thumbnails.
• Taking too long to hook viewers when you have 15 seconds maximum to make that click worthwhile.

Having a channel strategy and customizing your channel are all touched on in the podcast.

Schmoyer says most people don’t realize it, but the majority of viewers subscribe by clicking the red subscribe button underneath the header image, as opposed to the subscribe button underneath every video. So customization is key.

A channel trailer is important and it shouldn’t be your best video. The job of the trailer is to communicate your value succinctly.

Another area to focus on is the playlists beneath your trailer because these are examples for potential subscribers.

To really grow an audience, Schmoyer says you need to do four things:

• First, deliver good value to viewers.
• Second, do it consistently.
• Third, ask people to subscribe.
• And fourth, tell viewers why they should subscribe.

Listen to the entire podcast to learn all the details for a successful YouTube channel.

BEHAVIOUR - Educational Podcasts Focus on Breed Specific Legislation

Breed Specific Legislation (BSL) is a hot topic around the world with pit bull bans being repealed or enacted in various jurisdictions.

In response to the debate sparked by the recent pit bull bylaw in Montreal, the Pet Professional Guild’s (PPG) upcoming podcasts will feature animal behaviour experts explaining why breed bans are ineffective in reducing frequency of dog bites.

Experts who will feature in the podcasts include:

• Jean Donaldson, instructor, coach, mentor and founder of The Academy for Dog Trainers
• Victoria Stilwell, television personality and renowned dog trainer
• Janis Bradley, director of communications and publications at National Canine Research Council
• Lori Nanan, founder of Your Pit Bull and You, an educational resource for dog owners of all breeds.

PPG's Position Statement proposes that BSL paints an unjust picture of certain breeds of dogs while punishing responsible dog guardians unnecessarily, and notes that it has been found to be costly and ineffective in its aims to reduce the number of dog bites and improve public safety in any given community.

"Research shows us that all animals learn in the same way and that each animal is an individual regardless of its breed," said PPG founder and president Niki Tudge.

"Many of our professional members interact, either personally or professionally, with many, if not all, of the breeds affected by BSL and will bear witness to the fact that animal learning is not breed specific. BSL does not address this at all. It is intended to improve public safety and reduce the number of dogs bites, yet the practice includes little, if any, assessment of individual behavior or environment, owner knowledge of canine behavior and training, and/or owner suitability as a dog guardian, not to mention the fact that many dogs are inaccurately labeled simply because of the way they look."

The first podcast, with Jean Donaldson, will air on Wednesday, November 2, 2016 at noon EST.

The Pet Professional Guild is an organization founded on the principles of force-free training and pet care. Its membership represents pet industry professionals who are committed to force-free training, pet care philosophies, practices and methods.

Dr. Jason Coe Talks "B4 U GET A PET" with Ontario SPCA

The Ontario SPCA’s Animals’ Voice Pawdcasts feature some of the province’s leading experts on animal welfare, interviews with volunteers, pet care information and much more.

Last week host Kevin Mackenzie spoke with Dr. Jason Coe, Department of Population Medicine, Ontario Veterinary College.

Dr. Coe and his team have created a website - b4ugetapet.ca - “to provide soon-to-be pet owners with practical considerations to think about even before getting a pet including questions to consider asking the source of your future pet, creating a plan for socializing your pet from the start, planning how you will introduce your new pet into a household with other pets or children, and thinking through how much you should budget for the annual cost of owning a pet.”

Watch the entire podcast to learn more about B4 U GET A PET.

Shawn McIntyre on Animal's Voice

In a recent Animal's Voice Pawdcast, Kijiji Community Relations Manager, Shawn McIntyre discussed recent changes to Kijiji's pet listings. Have a listen!  

Alberta partnership features on OSPCA Pawdcast

The partnership between Alberta Animal Services and Petland Red Deer continues to see adoption successes on many levels. And with the grand opening of an AAS Adoption Centre, located within the retail store's walls, on the horizon, success in the future is almost guaranteed. 

Amy Pawson of Petland and Erica Coomber of Alberta Animal Services sat down with Kevin MacKenzie, host of OSPCA's Animal's Voice Pawdcast last week to shed some light on the partnership and what the goals are for both organizations. 


This collaborative effort has been recognized by Urban Animal alumni throughout the years with a 2011 Summit Award for Community Collaboration as well as a nomination for a 2013 Summit Award for Sheltering. Both Amy and Erica were invited to present to Urban Animal subscribers during the 2013 Regional Innovation Showcase in Calgary and their address was nominated by their peers to showcase on a national level at the 2013 Summit for Urban Animal Strategies. 

Dr. Drew explains the Pet Experience Project on Animal's Voice

PetLynx president Dr. Drew Van Niekerk sat down with Kevin MacKenzie, host of OSPCA's Animal's Voice Pawdcast, yesterday to shed some light on the Pet Experience Project and the Urban Animal Program. 

In the Pawdcast episode, Drew explains the purpose and goals of the Pet Experience Project, the significance of collaboration between sectors and the importance of connecting with urban animal communities as a whole.  

Asked the difference between Responsible Pet Ownership and the Pet Experience, Drew illuminated the relationship between the two where creation of positive pet experiences will ultimately produce responsible pet ownership. 

"The Positive Pet Experience would really come from a community that understands what pet owners want in that community," he said. "If you can figure that out, and deliver that, they'll behave more responsibly… If people behave more responsibly, then non pet owners… will be more accepting of pets in the community." 

Drew also highlighted the importance of the Urban Animal Program as a means to identify dilemmas and recast them into opportunities. "Unless we come together and solve these issues as a larger group, we'll be ineffective," he said. "We need to get out ahead of the issues so we can be a proactive group rather than a reactive group." 

In the Dish becomes Dogs Naturally on Air

In the Dish, presented weekly by Planet Paws Pet Essentials owner Rodney Habib, is joining forces with Dana Scott, editor in chief of one of the largest urban animal industry magazines, Dogs Naturally Magazine.

The new podcast, Dogs Naturally on Air will launch late November 2013. 

Planet Paws Pet Essentials was the 2013 recipient of the Retailer Summit Award at the Summit for Urban Animal Strategies in October. Rodney's continued efforts to promote pet health and nutrition have earned him a significant amount of respect in the urban animal community and his effort to connect with and educate pet families prove his commitment. 

COMING SOON!