Podcasting Resources
September 24, 2006 9:11 AM   Subscribe

The popularity of podcasting has grown by leaps and bounds in the past year. Evan Williams, co-founder and former CEO of Pyra Labs, the makers of Blogger, is a co-founder of Odeo, a resource for podcast listeners and podcasters. More info here. Odeo is just one of many podcast directories; personally, my favorite is Podcast Pickle. Another great resource for audio content is PodioBooks.com, founded by Evo Terra. PodioBooks are serialized audio books which are made available in podcast format, many read by their authors. [more inside]
posted by eclectica (28 comments total) 14 users marked this as a favorite
 
For more indepth coverage of podcasting, check out podCast411 podcast, for interviews with

an eclectic mix of podcasters, podcasting news, and technical tips and advice.

After listening to podcasts for a year, these are my current favorites: Anthony from Paris, Delta Park Project, Escape Pod: A Sci-fi Magazine, Quirky Nomads, The Sound of Young America, The Word Nerds, ZedCast.

I'm always on the lookout for new podcasts, please leave a link to your favorite

podcasts, so I can check them out. Thanks!
posted by eclectica at 9:11 AM on September 24, 2006


DJ Diplo
posted by thirteenkiller at 9:36 AM on September 24, 2006


Has anyone isolated the factor in making podcasts that turns seemingly reasonable people into egotistical fools?
posted by Artw at 9:41 AM on September 24, 2006


Artw, heh.

Broadcasting is something that requires training. Everybody and their brother thinks, 'I can do that!', when they really can't. They end up sounding like egotistical fools.

Don't get me wrong, I love the fact that there is a lot of audio out there. It's just like the rest of the web, though. You gotta be able to find the diamond in the rough. That's why these directories are great!

Also, I fucking hate the term podcasting. I also hate ipods.
posted by lyam at 9:45 AM on September 24, 2006 [1 favorite]


Heh. Yes, the term is irksome. I think I'd find the whole thing significantly less irritrating of it was called "putting an mp3 file on your site". There's defiantely less room for smuggery there.
posted by Artw at 9:50 AM on September 24, 2006


Thanks for this. I just bought an iPod nano to be able to listen to audiobooks while feeding our new baby ... and even though I was not particularly enamored of the whole iPod/podcasting bandwagon, I have to say I'm now hooked. The device is easy to use, there are some decent, professional quality podcasts out there, and I'm really enjoying the audiobook version of Bryson's A Short History of Nearly Everything.
posted by Zinger at 9:56 AM on September 24, 2006


Artw, I will say this about the term 'podcasting', before it's creation, hardly anyone seemed to put .mp3s other than music on their sites. Once the term was created, everyone wanted to jump on the bandwagon and have a podcast.
posted by lyam at 10:02 AM on September 24, 2006



Joanna: thirteenkiller, thank you for the link to DJ Diplo, I am going to check it out today.

Has anyone isolated the factor in making podcasts that turns seemingly reasonable people into egotistical fools? -posted by Artw

Joanna: Like any other form of communication, whether it's audio or written, there are all types out there. There is always a culling process to go through to find new media, the wonderful thing about podcasting is that you can just subscribe to the shows you enjoy and ignore the rest.

I'd find the whole thing significantly less irritrating of it was called "putting an mp3 file on your site".

Joanna: Podcasting is the method of distributing multimedia files, such as audio or video programs, over the Internet using syndication feeds, for playback on mobile devices and personal computers. Podcasting is also the automation of the process explained above; from the rss feed to the actual device.

I fucking hate the term podcasting. I also hate ipods. -posted by lyam

Joanna:I don't have an iPod, but I produce a podcast and listen to them daily on my computer, and on my Zen mp3 player (not an iPod).

Joanna: Zinger, you're very welcome, I'm glad you enjoyed the post. There is another great audio book site called , check it out!
posted by eclectica at 10:16 AM on September 24, 2006


oops
that link should have read "Librivox", but it works!
posted by eclectica at 10:20 AM on September 24, 2006


In this fast-paced modern world, it is imperative that us content-providers give our users something that they can download and never listen to.

(except for the people who are going to interject "but I listen to 40 podcasts a week. I use Goldwave to speed them up so I can listen to more. I wake up to a Podcast from my iHome and then it's podcasts all day until I pass out!" You are truly heroes and I am writing a letter to my senator (Ted Kennedy), suggesting that you be awarded the Congressional Gold Medal of Honor.)
posted by Mayor Curley at 10:29 AM on September 24, 2006


Jeeze, an awful lot of bitterness in this thread, particularly from people who claim not to like and thus presumably not to care about podcasts...

elclectica, thanks for the Librivox link too - I note with delight it's got some children's classics on there; my (older) son already loves listening to Dr. Seuss, and will probably enjoy Pinnochio and some of the rest.
posted by Zinger at 10:53 AM on September 24, 2006


In this fast-paced modern world, it is imperative that us content-providers give our users something that they can download and never listen to. -posted by Mayor Curley

If it's important to you, you'll take the time to fine tune your subscription list, until you only receive show that you enjoy and are actually looking forward to receiving. Most podcasts are only updated once per week, and on average, are only 20-30 minutes long. People are spending less time watching television, or listening to radio, preferring to consume online content because they can tailor the media to their interests.

Personally, one major reason that I enjoy podcasts is that I am recently visually impaired, and I'm not able to read books as I used to love to do. For me, discovering podcasts with free content was like a goldmine and I appreciate them so much!

I posted these podcasting resources for those who are interested, and if someone is not interested, that's fine with me.
posted by eclectica at 10:53 AM on September 24, 2006


Almost all of the podcasts I like are just re-broadcasts of NPR programs to which I already listen (exception: Basic Brewing Radio). The large majority of the home-made podcasts I've heard sound either like bad college radio DJs or morning radio DJs.
posted by trey at 10:54 AM on September 24, 2006


Odeo, Podio. Podio, Odeo.

Evan, Evo. Evo, Evan.
posted by nonmyopicdave at 11:44 AM on September 24, 2006


Benjamen Walker's Theory of Everything (previously) and Joe Frank (of course) are more than worth your time.
posted by dhammond at 1:10 PM on September 24, 2006


Jeeze, an awful lot of bitterness in this thread, particularly from people who claim not to like and thus presumably not to care about podcasts...

Not so much bitterness as an observation that theres an awful lot of hype and bullcrap involved.
posted by Artw at 1:42 PM on September 24, 2006


The popularity of podcasting has grown by leaps and bounds in the past year.

Not to jump all over you, but is this actually true?
posted by dhammond at 1:51 PM on September 24, 2006


Has anyone isolated the factor in making podcasts that turns seemingly reasonable people into egotistical fools?

I suspect they were egotistical fools before, but with podcasting there is no gatekeeper to say, "Sorry, you're an egotistical fool, and you need to be a bit more than that to interest listeners." It's the audio equivalent of vanity publishing.

And Iyam is right - a lot of broadcasting is being done by people who have never set foot in a radio station. I was a radio presenter for years, and it really irks me to hear people in front of a mike who literally don't know the first thing about broadcasting (the first thing : part your lips before you open the mike, so you don't make a smacking sound before you speak. To that I'd add the rule, "make sure your cat isn't in the room and hungry before you record.)

Apart from NPR and BBC podcasts, I like In the Groove and Thomas Edison's Attic.
posted by QuietDesperation at 2:03 PM on September 24, 2006


I also listen to several technology and business related podcasts regularly. Although according to Wired, if Apple has their way in the Podcast Ready cease-and-desist case, we'll all be listening to audio called something other than 'podcasts' in the future.
posted by marc1919 at 4:19 PM on September 24, 2006


The popularity of podcasting has grown by leaps and bounds in the past year.

Not to jump all over you, but is this actually true?
posted by dhammond


Yes, this is true, according to this recent article posted at "Podcasting News"

2006 Podcasting & Portable Media Expo to be Bigger Than Last Year
August 25, 2006
Tim Bourquin, founder and CEO of TNC New Media, producers of Podcast & Portable Media Expo, sends word that he expects this year's expo to be bigger and better than last year's inaugural Podcasting Expo.

"Last year, many people were still asking what podcasting was," said Bourquin. "This year, everyone wants to know how they can get involved."

The conference, which was named Expo Magazine's Best New Show winner 2006, will take place September 29-30 at the Ontario Convention Center (above) in Ontario, California. It will feature exhibits and conference sessions aimed at both corporate and individual podcasters.

"About half of the show's attendees will be independent podcasters," Bourquin said. "The other half will be from the corporate side who produce podcasts for their own company or for clients."

Registration numbers so far for the 2006 Podcast & Portable Media Expo are at 3,000 attendees and 85 exhibitors, up from slightly more than 2,000 attendees and 60 exhibitors last year. In addition, two of the three "official" hotels of the Podcast & Portable Media Expo are already sold out. The third is nearly full.


The attendance at this expo is good barometer of the growth of pocasting popularity in the last year.
posted by eclectica at 6:12 PM on September 24, 2006


Thanks to everyone who posted their favorite podcasts!
I will check them out asap.
posted by eclectica at 6:16 PM on September 24, 2006


Shane and Tom’s Squeezebox
http://www.shaneandtom.libsyn.com/

KCRW (in particular Morning Becomes Eclectic, Music Exchange, The Business & The Treatment)
http://www.kcrw.com/podcast/

ABC News Shuffle
http://abcnews.go.com/Technology/Podcasting/

CBC
http://www.cbc.ca/podcasting/

Ebert & Roeper
http://tvplex.go.com/buenavista/ebertandroeper/rss-podcast.xml

Let’s Get Baked
http://letsgetbaked.ckdu.ca/

CBC Radio 3
http://www.cbcradio3.ca/

Nardwuar
http://nardwuar.com/nardblog/

New York Times Music PopCast
http://www.nytimes.com/ref/multimedia/podcasts.html

Anti-Hit List
http://starweb.blogs.com/podcasts/

Zunior Cast
http://zunior.blogspot.com/
posted by boost ventilator at 7:07 PM on September 24, 2006


Hmm, I do actually listen to a lot of podcasts, but that's because my commute is 1.5hrs each way. As well as the BBC's output, other British broadcasters that do some interesting things include XFM's Adam and Joe show and Channel4's 4radio, which appears to be the hardest way to download audio ever. Worth it for the Kipper Country Code, though.

I would also like to second KCRW's output, although I prefer Rob Long's Martini Shot. It's also worth checking out Pete Tong and Slate.com's output.
posted by flameproof at 2:50 AM on September 25, 2006


My favorite podcast is Filmspotting. I can't listen to The Sound of Young America anymore because the sound quality is way off (any one else?).
posted by mattbucher at 1:29 PM on September 25, 2006


Here's an interesting article that features Odeo among other websites... unfortunately, it's not as positive as Evan might like.
posted by crunchland at 2:53 PM on September 25, 2006


It's kinda of funny, in a stupid-me kind of way: when I first heard of 'podcasts', I ignored them, because I don't have an iPod, nor need for one (I'm happy with my cheap mp3 player).

But I do download radio shows in mp3 format.

Now, Apple trying to claim trademark over the word 'podcast' tickles me. It's totally pointless, as the 'confusion in the consumer' is clearly only favorable for Apple (it is 'obvious' to many, I'm sure, than an iPod is required to listen to a podcast). That's the sort of silliness I'd have expected from other quarters (Sony or perhaps Microsoft).
posted by Goofyy at 4:23 AM on September 26, 2006


Apple's no different from Sony or Microsoft in that respect. They're just much, much slicker.
posted by PinkStainlessTail at 4:29 AM on September 26, 2006


Pink, come on. Are you so young you've never heard of 'betamax'? Silly is Sony's middle name.
posted by Goofyy at 6:21 AM on September 26, 2006


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