Being a podcaster, there are a lot of things I hear about the medium. I am, by no means, the first person to talk about this. A lot of this has been discussed across all sorts of outlets. It’s the bloggers that I run into a lot of the time with this.
“Why would I want to listen to a podcast[wiki] when I can read all the information on a blog[wiki] a lot faster?” Usually, after that general point has been made, the conclusion is that these “online radio shows” are stupid. Even further, the technology, essentially, shouldn’t exist or be payed attention to.
It’s also about that moment in the conversation that the person, or persons, looks at me to say that it’s nothing personal towards me, or that classic, “no offense or anything.”
My response? Then don’t listen, don’t watch video podcasts. Believe it or not, you have that power, just like you can decide what blogs you do or don’t read. It’s not that much different than walking into a book store and deciding between the unabridged version of some literary masterpiece or the same thing on tape.
Essentially, that’s what you are going to get out of me. I could go into a long list of why podcasting, as a source of information, is worthwhile, in a variety of concepts and journalistic philosophies, but why do I want to do that? If you’re mind is made up that podcasts, audio or video, are crap, then what is the point of trying to change your mind? You’re the only one that can do that for you, and that’s only going to happen by actually trying it out for yourself.
I’ve been through my share of podcasts…one download and out. Some are boring, ranting with bad recording and even worse music or conversation. But, just as I said…one download and out.
I like your podcasts…they are spontaneous and fun. I think you said it once on one of your most recent productions; it’s like stepping into your living room and having a brew and a conversation with you and the wife, or with the Crazy Canucks! It’s refreshing. It’s one of the reasons why I still think your best episode was the live podcast from the brew-pub with all 5 of ya.
Podcasts are just another form of underground journalism…it will never take over the major, mass media outlets. But podcasts (and blogs) serve a purpose for a small audience. You help me by teaching me about new bands that I would never here over here in Chiner…and by keeping me up to date on the Canucks. Just as leaflets and posts did in the previous century…podcasts just give us a little more if we need it.
There are definitely some people out there that underestimate the reach of your podcasts. To those I say, ‘F* off.’
I don’t like vacuous TV, insipid radio or crappy newspapers as info or entertainment – instead i like homegrown stuff whether the deliverable is audio/video (mediacasting), photcopied newsletter, ditto-machined fanzine, blog, broadsheet, pirate radio, or a message spraypainted on a wall. It’s all about creativity and content – well that and sharing experience with the rest of the globe’s habitants.
For the record, I dislike telephones even more than TV and really like going to a movie if the theater serves adult beverages and has couches to lounge in.
I think that there is grounds for merit within what podcasting is and can be. The potential is there, and I think it is far from being met. Accessibility is still a bit of an issue, but that will only change through education, meaning teaching people that you don’t need iPods to listen to podcasts.
I’ve been in the trenches of teaching people the beauty of HD Radio back in the states. It’s an incredible technology, only accessible by a few. There’s another technology that stands to have so much potential, but I fear that it’s already in the hands of the wrong people, meaning commercial radio. Still, the technology is young, but the means to listen is expensive.
Hmm, this is something for another post… 🙂