Five Fast Facts

• The Financial Aid Podcast is free. No strings attached whatsoever. No subscription to buy, no service to spend on, no gear to invest in. Free, free, free.
• Subscription refers to the mechanism of delivery, not the cost. By “subscribing” you get the show delivered to you, rather than having to go out and get it every day.
• We’re a daily show, 5 days a week. Subscribe and listen or you could very well miss an episode, and that would be a shame.
• You don’t need an iPod. It’s convenient, but you can listen right on your computer.
• This is a conversation, not a radio broadcast. I love to hear from my listeners!

How to Subscribe/How to Add to iTunes

1. Download and install iTunes.
2. Click the Add to iTunes button.
3. Enjoy!

How to put the Financial Aid Podcast on your Web site or MySpace page

Here are some great ways to add the Financial Aid Podcast to your site. For educational institutions, it’s free with no restrictions. For other businesses, please see the Business Partnerships section.

1. Simply create a text link: <a href=”http://www.FinancialAidPodcast.com”>The Financial Aid Podcast</a>
2. Add our Flash Player by copying and pasting this code to your web site: Click for the code
3. Add our Google Gadget by copying and pasting this code to your web site: Click for the code
4. Contact me and I’ll gladly talk with you about how I can help.

About Your Host, Christopher S. Penn

Labeled a visionary in new media with an intuitive sense for how marketing and community outreach should be done, Christopher S. Penn is the Chief Technology Officer of the Student Loan Network, founder and producer of the multi-award winning Financial Aid Podcast internet radio show, and co-founder of the groundbreaking PodCamp New Media Community Conference.

Mr. Penn has been called upon for expert information by researchers for the Congressional Advisory Committee on Student Financial Aid and the Federal Bureau of Investigation, as well as being sought after for conferences and private intensive seminars.

Mr. Penn has spoken before diverse audiences ranging from executives of major venture capital firms, to state Departments of Education heads, to aspiring college students looking to make their mark on the world. He speaks daily on his Financial Aid Podcast internet radio show on topics of personal finance, college affordability, and career/professional development. Mr. Penn has also been featured in many books, newspapers such as the Wall Street Journal and New York Times, magazines such as BusinessWeek, television newscasts, and publications for his leadership in financial aid and new media.

Publications

Mr. Penn has been featured in:

• The Wall Street Journal
• The New York Times
• BusinessWeek SmallBiz
• The Greentree Gazette
• NASFAA Today’s News
• Higher Education Washington
• Student Paths Magazine
• What No One Ever Tells You About Blogging and Podcasting, by Ted Demopoulos
• The New Rules of Marketing & PR, by David Meerman Scott
• Podcasting for Profit, by Leesa Barnes
• The Business Podcasting Book, by Michael Geoghagen and Greg Cangialosi
• Join the Conversation, by Joseph Jaffe
• BostonNOW newspaper

Media Inquiries

I am available for media inquiries at our main office number, 617-328-1565. Please also feel free to leave a message on the show hotline, 206-350-1208. You may also contact me via email from this handy form.

Public Speaking and Conferences

I am available as a public speaker on the topics of:

• New Media 101 - The basics of podcasting, blogging, and new media. In this one hour presentation, Mr. Penn explores the new media environment and strategic implications for your organization and brand.
• Social Networks 101 - Understanding Your New Community. In this one hour presentation, Mr. Penn reveals four strategies for evaluating social networks and understanding the context in which people use them.
• Awakening Your Superhero - 21st century versions of timeless strategies for success. In this one hour presentation, Mr. Penn examines the 10 parameters of a superhero and demonstrates what powers you already have today.
• Blogging 101 - Community Communication at its best. In this one hour presentation, Mr. Penn reveals the top 4 reasons to blog, some blogging tools, plus tips to be a productive blogger and missteps to avoid.
• New Media Marketing 101 - How to use new media to spread the word. In this one hour presentation, Mr. Penn examines the four stages of new media participation and engagement, basic metrics, and how to create value propositions using new media tools.

Speaker fees vary; travel and expense coverage is always required. Here’s a sample excerpt from the MASFAA 2007 Fall Conference.

Past Speaking Engagements

• PodCamp Boston 1 & 2
• PodCamp Toronto
• PodCamp NYC
• PESC Technology and Standards Conference
• PodCamp Europe @ VON Europe
• Podcasters Across Borders with Mitch Joel
• PodCamp Philadelphia
• Emerson College Career Panel
• Bentley College CIS Presents Featured Speaker
• NASFAA private engagement
• MASFAA Annual Conference
• SREB GoAlliance College Access Marketing Conference
• Emerson College Graduate School of Integrated Marketing & Communications

Business Partnerships

Please use the contact form if you are interested in a business partnership with the Student Loan Network or the Financial Aid Podcast. We are always interested in learning about new opportunities to better serve the students and families working to make college affordable.

Disclaimer

While I do my best to help my listeners, it’s important for me to declare that I am not a certified financial planner, chartered public accountant, or in any way certified to “officially” dispense financial advice. If you ask for advice, I’ll help as best as I can, but please consult with a qualified financial professional like a CFA, CFP, CPA, etc. before making any significant financial changes. Listening to the show or surfing this web site constitutes your full acceptance of this disclaimer, indemnifies and holds harmless me and the Student Loan Network for any consequences of advice you take.

Disclosures

Read above about disclaimers for sure. I own stock in some student loan companies. I own exactly 1 share of First Marblehead (FMD) and 1 share of MRU Holdings (UNCL), for a combined total value of about $40 $5.35, both bought through ShareBuilder.com. Because the Student Loan Network is not publicly traded, I don’t own any shares or equity in it.

Comment, Blog, and IP Policy

The Financial Aid Podcast is a private web site, blog, and podcast wholly owned by the Student Loan Network, created by Christopher S. Penn. It is not affiliated or associated with the US Department of Education or US Government.

All content on this site, including comments, is licensed under the Creative Commons 3.0 US BY-NC-ND license. Under this license, you are permitted to re-use content, including comments, as long as you give attribution including a hyperlink to www.FinancialAidPodcast.com in the following recommended format:

<a href=”http://www.FinancialAidPodcast.com”>Cited from the Financial Aid Podcast</a>

Additionally, Financial Aid Podcast content may not be used for any commercial purpose without a separate license from the Student Loan Network. This includes content syndication on sites that accept advertising of any form. You may not make derivative works of the Financial Aid Podcast content.

I reserve the right to update, alter, edit, or delete comments submitted for any reason, without notice. By leaving a comment on the Financial Aid Podcast site, you agree to license the content of your comment under the Creative Commons 3.0 US BY license.

Anonymous comments, spam, and unsolicited commercial comments may be deleted or edited to reflect a different promotional focus - namely, Student Loan Network products and services.