It’s a conference call. It’s a podcast. It’s a live show. No, it’s TalkShoe!

This is an idea that is difficult to describe because there’s nothing quite like it. However, shortly after you start begin exploring it you realize how practical and obvious it actually is and wonder why it hasn’t been done already. Imagine hosting your own audioblog, chatting with hundreds of listeners in real-time, then posting a recored version of your show on your blog and podcast directories, and doing it all from your iPhone while driving home from work! Okay, so maybe that’s a bad idea, the driving part, that is. But if you want to broadcast your own audio show, listen to, or participate in other shows all from the mobility of your iPhone, then this is for you. Welcome to TalkShoe, the conference calling, community podcasting thingy that’s totally cool and highly addictive. Read on and find out why we think the quirky TalkShoe site has the potential to rival YouTube for your online attention.

TalkShoe offers a directory of audio shows that are done in the form of conference calls. The shows are organized by topic and you can see which ones are in progress if you wish to join a live show. You can join from a phone or a computer. If you missed a show, you can listen to a recorded version or take it with you as a podcast. TalkShoe makes it easy to create your own shows for up to 250 participants and thousands of listeners. TalkShoe is now iPhone enabled which means you can hop on a show or even start your own while your walking your dog or out on the town. Incredibly, the service is absolutely free, and you can share your own shows on your web site or blog. You can even earn real money by building a listening audience.

First off, we know TalkShoe is audio-only and YouTube is video and audio. Unlike YouTube, which is a passive, one-way user experience, TalkShoe offers true real-time interaction letting the audience participate in the experience. Muted audience members have the option to text chat to each other during a live show. Since many chatters will be Googling and adding interesting content to supplement the audio which enriches the show greatly. Sure, YouTube offers user comments, but these are not real-time like TalkShoe chats. TalkShoe also shows more potential in many areas where YouTube fails such as educational content and training seminars. And TalkShoe shows work well as podcasts so you can listen to them while doing other things. And as great as YouTube is today for video entertainment, you just can’t beat the live interaction with your audience that TalkShoe provides.

The iPhone interface makes it dead simple to find and join live shows or listen to recorded shows. To join a live show you simply tap the show title to see the phone number and a four digit call id number. Tap the phone number to call and then enter the id number to join in. Best of all, you don’t have to register or sign in to listen to shows.

TalkShoe gives bloggers and podcasters a new way to connect and build an audience. You can create, schedule, and run live shows, or upload existing podcasts. Your shows will be listed on the TalkShoe site and can be listened to on your blog, website, iTunes, or many other podcast directories.

If you want to host your own show you will need to register, but is free. As the host of a show, you control the participation, you can see who is listening, you can grant people permission to talk, and you can start and stop recording at any time. You get a profile on the TalkShoe site where you can promote yourself and your upcoming shows. Registered users can also follow their favorite shows and get SMS reminders for upcoming shows, as well as text chat to other listeners during live shows.

The iPhone enabled interface began as a school project at Carnegie Melon University last semester. The students used the TalkShoe API to pull in all the data and render it into a format for mobile Safari. The API’s will provide other developers ways of using the TalkShoe content within blogs or other mashups. Or better yet, get TalkShoe working on a VoIP client thereby removing dependence on AT&T which will also open TalkShoe to the iPod touch. Developers interested in working with this data should check out their developer community site at the link below.

TalkShoe for the iPhone
iphone.talkshoe.com

TalkShoe web site
www.talkshoe.com

TalkShoe developer community
talkshoeapi.ning.com

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