I asked a year ago — why do they think I want to hear a podcast? I still don’t understand why they (all the way up to the top of the food chain) think I do. I don’t.
I like blogs because I read faster than you talk, much less faster than you talk with your uh’s, ah’s, and cross-talk interruptions. I want you, as the presenter / publisher, to go through the trouble to tell me the point. I don’t want to listen, I want to read. If I had an MP3 player and wanted to rule out any possibility of hearing myself think and forgot how to read books and magazines, I’d probably rather listen to music than listen to you drone. Nothing personal — but no, podcasting (and regardless of the charm of the presenter, Internet TV) doesn’t move me a bit.
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Well obviously Ron, SOME people like listening to podcasts.
If I had an iPod I’d listen to them on my commute to and from work, for example.
I’m with Ron on this. I have no idea how to use IPOD or even get started. And to put forth the effort I believe would be just as uninteresting as going to Cost Cutters to watch them give haircuts.
I’m with Ron, also.
The only podcast that even moderately tempts me is Lilek’s “Diner”, but I still have never downloaded or listened to one. And I even have an iPod now, so technically I have no excuse.
Same deal with videoblogging, too — occasionally it’s OK, but for the most part, I’d rather read.
Dean, you can fool some of the people all of the time!
Part of the problem with podcasting is the name. They want it to rhyme with “broadcasting” and they distorted the meaning to get there. In truth you don’t need an iPod or even a portable music player. You just subscribe to ‘em in iTunes and they show up like any other track, and you can listen to them while you use the computer.
I would not listen to voice podcasts any more than I would listen to talk radio, because I can’t think while other people are talking, but there a bunch of good music podcasts. My fave is probably Coverville, a weekly podcast with interesting cover versions of songs.
I think podcasts are like listening to the radio or audio books.
Right, Ted. So why would bloggers want to go back in time to those media?
No need for iTunes. Just download “Juice” for free without any of that other DRM crap iTunes tries to mesh into everything.
I don’t do podcasts from bloggers. Boring and most people don’t have the voice / equipment to do it correctly. However, Escape Pod on the other hand has me hooked. Short, SciFi stories usually read by someone with a decent setup (not always. There’s been a few I never listened to because of crappy compression).
Plus, the 30 to 45 minute story is perfect for my commute to work.
Well, I have a couple of podcasts, and listen to lots more, and basically I consider them to be an alternative to radio and audio books. (In fact, there are lots of free audiobooks available via podcast at podiobooks.com, including mine, Nina Kimberly the Merciless.)
I never listen to the radio anymore, because there are so many podcasts out there that I can listen to the people I like, when I like, without commercials, and I can press “pause” any time I like. Nobody is forcing you to listen, but there’s a hell of a lot of free audio content out there available to anyone who wants it, so you’re free to make whatever decision you like about it. For me, I think it’s light-years better than commercial radio.
Lair and I do er…several podcast together and seperately. I find it rather good for toning one’s voice and teaching coherent brief rhetoric. I am learning how to mix audio as well which is useful for a muso like myself.
I don’t generally listen to podcasts. But the ones I do listen to on occassion have been great. Still, I don’t think it’ll last beyond the fad it’s become. We’ll see though. Obviously, there are a lot of people who would disagree with you.
Doing them probably helps a person better their public speaking skills. But I never listen to them. Is it just to slow a medium for me.
I like to read, and read fast. Newsreaders are a lifesaver – they allow me to skim everything out there and dive into what interests me. Not only are the podcasts a slow way of getting information, they are also inconvenient.
And…you can’t do more than one at a time. My browser almost constantly has 5-15 tabs open with articles I’ve either queued up for reading or have read and intend to refer back to.
Right, Ted. So why would bloggers want to go back in time to those media?
Well, it’s a little hard to read, when I’m driving. And, if I’m working around the house, it’s easier to listen than read and try to get my chores done at the same time.
I have gone through the Bible twice. I didn’t read it. I listened to it while driving around in my car. It takes 77 hours to listen to the whole thing.
I would never have read the Bible through cover to cover, but I could easily listen as I drove hither and yon.
Let’s use the technology that works best for the situation.
I haven’t listened to many podcasts, but the few I’ve tried have been excellent. Jim Dunnigan and Austin Bay on the Glenn and Helen show are always enlightening. Hearing Wretchard from the Belmont Club was quite a treat as well.
I generally prefer to read, but when doing things around the house or going for a bike ride or a jog, there’s really nothing else to do, especially given that my music of choice is not available on commercial or even satellite radio.
No IPod needed either, I just download them and put them on my MP3 player. Dean, if you have one of those you could listen in your car with either an FM transmitter or a tape adapter.
It seems the argument here is for a way to listen to blogs while on the go. I imagine that cheap text readers will make that unnecessary very soon.
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