I was recently perusing the Podcasting News site and found an article with some new media tips from Trent Reznor. Now, I am only vaguely aware of Mr Reznor, not being a Nine Inch Nails fan, myself.

However, it was the tips themselves that fascinated me. And by fascinated, I mean baffled. It starts off well.

Have your MySpace page, but get a site outside MySpace - it’s dying and reads as cheap / generic.

Remove all Flash from your website.

Remove all stupid intros and load-times.

This is good. No one likes to navigate a site that is trying to be too cool. Next.

MAKE IT SIMPLE TO NAVIGATE AND EASY TO FIND AND HEAR MUSIC (but don’t autoplay).

Apparently this one deserves caps, but I would like to see how Mr Reznor can make audio files easy to find and play without the use of any Flash whatsoever.

Still, let’s continue. There are a few useful tips regarding updating your site frequently, and providing things to keep people coming back for more. Good stuff. However, after ten tips, I think he started to run out of ideas.

Make interesting things. Get a Twitter account. Be interesting. Be real.

Be interesting? Be real?? Is that even slightly helpful?

That’s like going to a doctor and asking them what to do about your broken arm and the doctor saying: “Fix it.”

It’s like me saying, I’ve been podcasting for a good few years now, want my advice? Try talking out loud.

So, in the spirit of Trent Reznor, here are my top five new media tips:

1. Be cool
2. Be good
3. Be nice
4. Be tasteful
5. Be awesome

You’re welcome.