The second European Podcast Awards are now underway.

It's a great opportunity to promote your podcast to a European audience and to win some great prizes from their sponsor OLYMPUS. So go on, take a look at the podcast nominations and see what's good.

You may also find some inspiration from the podcasts on show, but brush up on your language skills because there's always alot of German submissions, 300 reported so far!

We've recently updated our website with some new features. You'll notice that it's looking a little sharper, but the main change is the new podcasting showcase and podcast samples page we have added.

Corporate podcasting showcase
To listen to "real" podcasts that we have produced for our clients, just follow the rotating podcast logos on the left hand side of the homepage. You may recognise the likes of OPEC, Zurich and if you're in the UK I'm sure that the Government's Business Link will also ring a bell. If you click on any of these logos you can now sift through a selection of podcasts of varying style and format to get a good idea what's possible with this modern and dynamic media.

We'd highly recommend tuning in to Scottish Life's Pensions Radio for 2 or 3 way pensions banter. If the episode in our showcase whet's your appetite, you can subscribe in iTunes - just search for "Pensions Radio" in the iTunes Music store or visit the Scottish Life's Beehive website for other subscription options such as iGoogle and a generic feed for Zencast etc.

The Living Britain podcast that we produced for Zurich discusses the changing face of Britain. The podcast is based upon research commissioned by Zurich. Each episode, three voice over artists were invited to record the male and female interview and the introduction. A clean, contemprary musical sting completed the podcast's authentic radio programme feel. Very interesting listen for anyone in the UK - and any Anglophiles too.

Podcast stings and compilations
The podcast samples page have been updated with some stings and voice over recordings that showcase some of our audio podcasting work in one place. Just scroll down and tune in using our online player to hear some of our work over the years. We produce our own stings using the latest software and real musical instruments. If you're interested to here some of our more adventurous work I could do worse than to point you to Pensions Radio again - if you're planning an ongoing podcast rather than a one-off series then a good sting and some artistic license can really enthuse your listeners!

Podcast Production has been busy over the last few months recording podcasts with specialist software solutions company Questionmark.

Questionmark provides technologies and services for online testing and assessment to wide range of educational institutions, corporations, government agencies and awarding bodies all over the world. Their blog includes tips on best practices, case studies and commentary. Podcasts on the blog offer insights from users of the Questionmark Perception assessment management system as well as learning industry thought leaders.

Each month, Podcast Production's recording engineer joins hosts Joan Phaup and Sarah Elkins from Questionmark to record an audio podcast. The global nature and diversity of Questionmark's business means that their guests can be dialing in via landlines or Internet telecommunications from all over the world. Once we have tapped in and recorded the podcast in the best audio quality possible, we edit any slips that may have occured and once everyone is happy with the content it is produced with its distinctive "sting" and published on the Questionmark blog.

In podcast 6 Sarah spoke to David Lewis about formative assesement. I'm sure to those such as myself that are new to the subject, this podcast could make a good introduction:

David Lewis of Glamorgan University has extensive experience with Questionmark Perception. I spoke with him recently about the large scale implementation he has been working on at Glamorgan, where they use Questionmark for formative assessment, summative assessment and module evaluation. David also spoke about the training programs that have been developed within the University, the collaboration with other higher education institutions in Wales, and provided some great advice for anyone working with online assessments

Tune in to this podcast with David Lewis

We're sure their podcast is up to the mark!

Anyone interested in the oil market price, who would like to know a little more about the wider issues affecting the cost their next tank of petrol is encouraged to tune in the OPEC Monthly Oil Market Report podcast.

Every month, Podcast Production produces and publishes this podcast within 24 hours of the Monthly Oil Market Report being released by our customer OPEC - in fact, more typically the same afternoon!

Of course, none of this would be possible without the efforts of the OPEC team in Vienna or "ever-ready" broadcast journalist and correspondent Eithne Treanor who does the voice over an mobile podcast recording. A true pro!

Pensions Radio, which Podcast Production produce for Scottish Life has been nominated for Hitachi's European Podcast Award. The podcast has developed its own unique blend of bare pensions facts with banter centered around the UK pensions industry.

Lords, ladies, ministers, journalists and pensions experts frequently join Chief pensions strategist Steve Bee and "man on the street" Stephen Ballard for live on-site recordings which are usually in London. It makes interesting listening, even for the pensions ignorant such as myself - so why not tune in? If you like it, vote too!