Literary Community: Podcast thoughts
Jul. 8th, 2015 05:32 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
hrjHaving finished my round-up of podcasts I've been listening to, it's interesting to think about the podcast phenomenon in general. A wonderful thing about access to technology and the internet, is the democratization of media. Unless you are operating at fairly high levels of professionalism, the limiting factor in being about to put out an audio program (or a youtube video, or a blog, or ...) is largely your own skill and expertise.
By that I mean: the difference between recording a podcast using the audio capability of a smart-phone or laptop (including multi-person options such as Skype), and doing so using the sort of higher end recording equipment likely to be available to the average person outside the music industry isn't that large. And the spread of sound quality is even smaller when you consider the non-optimal listening conditions most people enjoy. (Earbuds on public transit anyone?) Even for a step up to doing some editing and adding music intros and fades and whatnot, you're dealing with tech that (at least in some versions) is easily available and has a small learning curve. If you want to move on to a professional level, then there's a major jump in expense and expertise, but the entry level is very accessible.
So the difference between a great audio program and a so-so one is largely going to be a matter of interesting content, program structure, and a certain minimal level of vocal technique. The difference between success and obscurity seems to be mostly a combination of the first -- interesting content -- and having a network that connects you to your potential audience. From what I've seen, financial considerations (e.g., Patreon support) tends to come into it when people want to level up their sound equipment or for those for whom audio programming is part of a multi-level freelance career. Most people get started purely for the love.
As with an democratized process online, the failure mode for the consumer is wading through a flood of material you have no interest in to find the programs you do. And for the creator, the failure mode is being unable to communicate your existence to those who would enjoy being your audience. And, as with all other democratized online media, that combination of failure modes has yet to find a resolution.
I don't have a good sense of large-scale trends in who consumes what sort of online media. I hear things like "kids are all about vids these days" or "the blog is dead" or "if you don't have a YouTube book trailer what are you thinking?" and so forth. But for me, text versus audio versus video content is rarely in competition. Rather, they fill entirely different spaces in my life. I can't read blogs while commuting. I don't want to listen to fragments of audio programs while waiting for the photocopier. It's hard to multi-task around videos when I'm working on a small laptop screen (and impossible on a phone). So I gravitate toward content that matches both the technical and attention-window parameters of any given context.
On a personal level, I've sometimes thought about doing a parallel podcast version of the Lesbian Historic Motif Project. Something that combined the text discussions with some more informal thoughts. (Even the potential for bringing in multi-person discussions, although that ratchets up the emotional work considerably.) And then I have two reactions. The first is: Hey, with just a little initial set-up work, I could expand access for next to no additional work. The second is: are you bleeping crazy? The last thing you need is another hobby! And yet, if the blog format has become a stagnant pool at the side of the river of information, might it be something worth considering?
By that I mean: the difference between recording a podcast using the audio capability of a smart-phone or laptop (including multi-person options such as Skype), and doing so using the sort of higher end recording equipment likely to be available to the average person outside the music industry isn't that large. And the spread of sound quality is even smaller when you consider the non-optimal listening conditions most people enjoy. (Earbuds on public transit anyone?) Even for a step up to doing some editing and adding music intros and fades and whatnot, you're dealing with tech that (at least in some versions) is easily available and has a small learning curve. If you want to move on to a professional level, then there's a major jump in expense and expertise, but the entry level is very accessible.
So the difference between a great audio program and a so-so one is largely going to be a matter of interesting content, program structure, and a certain minimal level of vocal technique. The difference between success and obscurity seems to be mostly a combination of the first -- interesting content -- and having a network that connects you to your potential audience. From what I've seen, financial considerations (e.g., Patreon support) tends to come into it when people want to level up their sound equipment or for those for whom audio programming is part of a multi-level freelance career. Most people get started purely for the love.
As with an democratized process online, the failure mode for the consumer is wading through a flood of material you have no interest in to find the programs you do. And for the creator, the failure mode is being unable to communicate your existence to those who would enjoy being your audience. And, as with all other democratized online media, that combination of failure modes has yet to find a resolution.
I don't have a good sense of large-scale trends in who consumes what sort of online media. I hear things like "kids are all about vids these days" or "the blog is dead" or "if you don't have a YouTube book trailer what are you thinking?" and so forth. But for me, text versus audio versus video content is rarely in competition. Rather, they fill entirely different spaces in my life. I can't read blogs while commuting. I don't want to listen to fragments of audio programs while waiting for the photocopier. It's hard to multi-task around videos when I'm working on a small laptop screen (and impossible on a phone). So I gravitate toward content that matches both the technical and attention-window parameters of any given context.
On a personal level, I've sometimes thought about doing a parallel podcast version of the Lesbian Historic Motif Project. Something that combined the text discussions with some more informal thoughts. (Even the potential for bringing in multi-person discussions, although that ratchets up the emotional work considerably.) And then I have two reactions. The first is: Hey, with just a little initial set-up work, I could expand access for next to no additional work. The second is: are you bleeping crazy? The last thing you need is another hobby! And yet, if the blog format has become a stagnant pool at the side of the river of information, might it be something worth considering?
