I don't get it...

[DeanRichards]

I'm a huge fan and supporter of the Thirty Day Challenge and the Thirty Day Challenge Plus! The content is outstanding and the cost for 30DC+ is ridiculously low.

But what I don't understand is why the 30DC+ content - the podcasts - are being formatted in ways that won't load on iPods. This isn't a "support" issue. I know how to do the conversions. The question is why should I have to? The whole 30DC staff is fantastic, so I'm thinking there must be a reason that I can't simply plug my iPod into my computer and sync it all in one go. It is a massive PITA to screw around with all the 'casts that won't load, do the conversions and then try to organize it in a way that makes sense.

Is there a method to this madness?

[Ondermania]

I'm on the 30dc+ also and the one thing i've noticed is that each video or podcast interview seems to make shameless indirect plugs to products and that the links contained in it are simply affiliate pretty links...

I don't know if that's a good or a bad thing, and it could be that i'm more sensitive and aware of it now that i have the knowledge, but i really do think it should be an area for beginning Internet Marketers to go to that is no nonsense, and one that offers clear advice on what to do rather than an area that is used as excuses to market other products to people who are already members...

I honestly would like to see step by step methods to start businesses from scratch that continues on from the 30dc instead of segmented sections that tell you how to do certain things as it makes someone following it to try and figure out the puzzle for themselves... That's the one piece of the puzzle i really would like to see from the 30dc+

Other than that, it's a good service and look forward to seeing what it offers in the months to come...

[ke6hts]

Since I use a "real" computer and don't use an iphone or ipod, I don't have these problems . But more seriously, is the ipod even meant to work with .mov, .m4a, m4v type video files without conversion? I'd be *major* surprised if the ipod didn't work properly with the relatively few 30DC+ mp4 files.

With respect to shameless 30DC+ indirect plugs, my focus is on the content so I probably wouldn't even recognize such plugs (assuming they actually exist.)

With the exception of the 30DC, I haven't seen any free information describing a step-by-step process to build a business. And most of the paid content seems to be about how to get better at a particular aspect of a business, i.e. traffic building, link building, building a continuity site, etc.

I find the 30DC+ much along these lines in that they teach how to use the tools rather than how to apply the tools. I saw one video series in StomperNet where Frank Kern showed the process of finding a Clickbank product, and researching and developing an adwords campaign to promote that product (including a Google slap in the process.) This, for me, was an aHa moment ... so THIS is how it is done. This was the same type of aHa moment I had when I first took the 30DC!

Marvin

[Ondermania]

This is exactly it!

Aha moments that puts all the pieces in place. There needs to be an element of that in the 30dc+ whereby each month a different business model is explained from start to finish so that we can understand the core fundamentals of how to start and grow a business...

The 30dc just focused on blogging... I understand that blogging at the core is just a landing page that google is looking for and that the landing page can be anything... But there are far more methods than that... As an example... Frank Kern's 'Screw google method'

He proposes we test out new markets using yahoo as it allows for direct marketing to the sales page rather than creating a landing page and initially growing it with SEO... If that is possible, then why even use Google in the first place???

I'm really stuck to be honest... So much information is being fired over at me from different angles that i don't know who to go with...

[Majestic12]

Its a funny old game. I'm still awestruck by the amount of IM people targeting other IM people.

[fuzzyness]

Back to your original thread starter DeanRichards... if it's any consolation I too have the same problem with quite a bit of 30DC+ content not able to transfer to my iPod (or iPhone too come to think of it). I'd honestly presumed it was just me!

[DeanRichards]

It's a time management issue for me. I'd love to listen to all the podcasts in my car, or while gardening, etc. The problem I'm finding is that even when I let iTunes do the conversions, most of them still won't play on my iPod Touch, which I keep updated with all the newest software.

Ok, after a ridiculous amount of screwing around, I found a way to make this work (even if it is a horrible kludge). I run all the videos through Format Factory (free application for the PC). The output type is ipod 640x480 MPEG4. You have to manually select for All File Types when you're selecting your files to convert because even it is fooled into thinking the podcasts already in mp4 will automatically work. Once they are converted, you can open the output folder with the converted files in Windows Explorer and with your iPod connected to iTunes, you can drag the files to the "Movies" section on your iPod or iPhone. It won't let you put them in "Podcasts." So now I have all the audio only 'casts in "Podcasts" and all the video 'casts in "Movies." Like I said, it's a kludge, but it works and I can listen in the car.