Who is Alan Levy

July 11, 2006

I’m Alan Levy, CEO of BlogTalkRadio.com.

As I’ll be posting here a lot to keep you up to speed on all the excitement over at BlogTalkRadio.com, I wanted to take a moment to introduce myself.

Like many bloggers, I only discovered this incredible medium a couple of years ago. My background is in telecommunications, where I launched Destia Communications, took the company public, and sold it to Viatel.

Though we are well versed in launching companies and taking them public, financial success was not our motivation in launching BlogTalkRadio.com. Instead, it was a deep fascination and respect for the blogosphere. It’s the first medium to allow any individual a fair platform for speaking his mind and securing an audience. Plus it’s gone a long way to help some of the Have-Not’s become the Have’s.

And the thought of enabling the Have-Not’s led us to a new idea…

The Birth of BlogTalkRadio.com
Like every megalith on the internet, BlogTalkRadio started out as a tiny idea. After seeing a friend of mine, Martin Varsavsky, spread the message of his wi-fi marketplace, Fon, through blogging and networking with other bloggers, I became fascinated by this strange new world called the blogosphere.

Following his lead, I dove into the medium, posting, commenting, and reading all types of blogs.

I was hooked. But my new obsession left something to be desired. I come from a telecommunications background – I’m used to the vigor and instantaneous nature of verbal communication.

Then the light bulb blasted on!

If any person in the world can easily create his own news column or text media outlet through a blog, why couldn’t any one of us host our own talk show?

BlogTalkRadio.com was born.

Rooting for the Little Guy
As I said earlier, blogging caught my eye because it gives voice to every individual with something to say. Never before have we had the freedom and platform to share our ideas and secure an audience.

We are dedicated to extending the blog to live talk shows that again give voice to the little guy, the common blogger, the individual. We’re also providing a platform that groups can utilize to amplify and enhance their message. Charities, political activists, professional organizations, business owners, and schools – through BlogTalkRadio.com, we can each establish continuing dialogues that inspire and affect change.

Now each of us can harness the gravity and influence of Talk Radio magnates like Rush Limbaugh, Howard Stern, or Dr. Laura, to support the topics and issues important to us. And all it takes is any kind of phone, landline and otherwise, and something to say.

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Posted by Alan Levy

BlogTalkRadio.com: Extending the Blogosphere

July 10, 2006

BlogTalkRadio.com is coming soon - in the next 10 days or so.

However, so many people are asking us to begin discussing the site and the concept behind it, that we’ve launched our blog early.

So here you have it!

How BlogTalkRadio.com is Extending the Blogosphere
The blogosphere is exploding. With over 47 million blogs currently online, the blogosphere is still growing at a rate of over 100,000 new blogs every day. But its size is its least impressive trait. The blogosphere has changed the faces of news and media, and has given a booming voice to the unique individual.

But the blogosphere, as potent and influential as it may be, is restricted. Conversation, momentum – that dynamic vigor and gravity borne out of a heated and passionate debate – these cornerstones of human communication are sedated by the limits of the written word. So imagine if we could blow the glass ceiling off the blogosphere and extend its reach beyond text. Ask yourself, if every man and woman having the opportunity to write his or her mind can change the world – what could every man and woman accomplish with access to the air waves?

The Blogosphere Goes Verbal
We’ve all heard about the advent of podcasts. Bloggers can talk their posts now and readers can listen. But this still does not allow for live communication and dynamic conversation. There is no real-time connection.

Podcasts, like the written word, are historical in nature, documenting a thought process that, the moment it is placed in a post or podcast, is a historical occurrence.

So when we talk about the blogosphere going verbal, we don’t mean recordings. We mean live. Live Blog Talk Radio.

Introducing the New Blogger’s Medium: Live Talk Shows
The beauty of the blog is that it reflects an individual’s point of view. We can now get our news and our insights from any and every perspective, no longer reigned in and censored by media moguls, their politics, or the lack of a platform.

Now bloggers can extend this reach by conducting live talk shows where people can listen live and call in to comment, interact, and engage the host. All in real-time. And all for free.

To become a host and conduct your own live talk show, all you need to do is get your free host account at BlogTalkRadio.com. Then you just need any kind of phone – whether it’s a cell phone, land line, VOIP, Skype, etc. We’ll give you a dedicated phone number that unlimited people can use to listen to the show. You can even accept up to four simultaneous callers to participate in the show.

Inter-promote your blog and talk show. Give your audience a choice – they can listen rather than read, or they can do both! And if they don’t have time to listen to your live show, we archive your shows for one month so you and your listeners can listen at your leisure.

You’ve already conquered the blogosphere. Now seize the air waves!

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Posted by Alan Levy

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