Just one of those things that I like doing -- helping out other’s podcasts!
The 365 Days of Astronomy podcast -- the official podcast of the International Year of Astronomy 2009 -- is continuing into 2010. The format remains the same with each episode contributed by different people from around the world. Although many people have signed up for days in 2010, there are still plenty available.
…At the end of each weekly episode I read out a standard blurb describing the podcast and how to get involved. To shake things up a bit for 2010 I thought it would be nice to have a series of different voices read the outro. I have around 10 voices so far but still need another 42 before the end of the year. The voices I have are heavily biased towards the UK and US so I’m particularly keen to get voices representing other countries.
I enjoy contributing to the 365 Days of Astronomy podcast, so if you’d like to give it a go -- try! Especially if you have a different accent to the US/UK collection of voices they already have.
In addition to our new Skeptic Zone episode out (number 75! I can’t believe it!!) -- it’s the anniversary of the Skeptically Speaking show this weekend, so check out their show if you haven’t already!
I’m also promoting these shows because podcasting can be occasionally… a little unrewarding, if you think about it in terms of the effort to reward ratio. People who are your listeners don’t pay for what you do. They may donate, but that’s seems to be less popular and I know some podcasts have found sponsorship and advertising very useful.
There’s a few things I’ve learned over the years that helps puts things into perspective and leads me to support other people’s podcasts the way I do.
Cheryl Herbert, Dr Rachie and zzzzzzzzzz.... at dinner, D*C 2009
I don’t even know how many people donate to the Skeptic Zone show, but I guess it’s not many. I’d ask, but as long as there’s some who are kind enough to do so, I guess I’m pleased -- running a site isn’t done for free, nor is hosting on Libsyn and the time and technology you need is another thing entirely.
Richard Saunders, apart from being well-known as the ‘nicest guy in skepticism’, is also one of the most hard-working. See the picture of him asleep at a skeptical gathering at D*C for evidence!
You are not, however, owing your audience anything in return though, because you’re doing this podcast for free. Sounds harsh in a way -- but I personally create a podcast for more than one reason. News-flash -- it isn’t always all about you!
Getting out this audio and videos for free, even though podcasters do pay for it through things like hosting and the equipment… it’s still kind of liberating. It does cost us though, to do what we do. You might have a glimpse of that in the most recent episodes for both the Skeptic Zone and the Token Skeptic, where we have audio from Melbourne and Canberra -- which is not quite the same neighborhood as our homes in Sydney and Perth!
Richard, Dr Rachael and I are three members who have traveled world-wide. We do Dragon*Con, Atlanta and The Amazing Meeting. I only do the former, but if you think about round-the-world travel, hotels, the time taken off work… yes, this isn’t a profit-making ‘hobby’. We’ve traveled to Melbourne for both our own unique show for the Young Australian Skeptics; Dave the Happy Singer and I have done the Global Atheist Convention and various members of SZ have done the Australian Skeptics Conventions for the past few years -- Melbourne, Tasmania, Adelaide and Brisbane. Eran Segev is probably returning to do TAM 8, for example.
All three of us have gone across the USA a few times; I’ve been to London and Auckland briefly and hope to revisit again some time in the future. Certainly if we can afford to have other members of our show come along with us as well, it’d be additionally brilliant -- we want you to meet all of us, not just us three! Here’s to uniting the team at TAM Australia!
We don’t get paid for any of that, as podcasters. We choose to do it. So, we’re to blame for enjoying jet-lag just a bit too much perhaps!
It is, due to my studies, a great way for me to learn new skills as a presenter and I have had wonderful opportunities to meet well-known figures in person as well as contact them for interviews online later. I have met inspirational educators and found myself challenged time and time again by the exposure to international lectures. That is probably my main incentive, that I get to travel, meet great people, educate myself, improve my skills… then learn how to put it online and / or write it up.
Perhaps some people might like my interviews? That’s more of a bonus, really. Being a listener of a podcast is no way akin to being a customer. If I want to suddenly turn my whole show into my practice sessions of my Japanese grammar, I can do so if I wish. Or do video-casts of shodô, perhaps?
Maybe you’ll go elsewhere? Or maybe you’ll practice your kanji along with me! Your choice, subscribe or not. That’s how it is. This is just one aspect of what we skeptic podcasters, much like any hobby. It doesn’t reflect all of what we are nor does every attitude or opinion expressed encapsulate all of our views as skeptically-thinking people.
There’s plenty of other podcasts out there -- hell, we listen to them ourselves and count many of them as friends and fellow travelers on the journey of finding out why and how we believe in things as we do. You’ll notice that in the video, for example, let alone episodes of the Skeptic Zone show.
You can see that in the way some podcasts just do as they like or have a particular audience in mind and cater to them. I like that one podcast said that they originally wrote two listeners -- ‘one friend and their dad’! Everyone else was just a coincidence.
Some might want to appeal to a broader audience -- and all of us enjoy constructive criticism. I’ve seen great podcasts like the Geologic and Skepticality get completely unfair (and downright puzzling in its vitriol!) attacks in the past, so I know from their example not to take it too personally when someone complains:
Q: “‘I’m not even ten minutes into this episode and wow… how about that incredibly disrespectful language in regards to… I don’t think it was necessarily appropriate to spend so much time…I understand that this podcast often jokes about off-colour topics, and I’m really not trying to complain about free entertainment. However, I do think that…”
A: “Good thing you’re not really trying to complain about free entertainment. Phew!”
In short -- meh. Life is too short and fighting with GarageBand should and does take more of my time. Oh, and redoing all those podcast eps that have lousy sound quality. If you choose to listen to me, I’m very grateful and will try to improve as a matter of personal pride in my work. But I’m not getting that wrought up as to whether I appeal to the ‘teenage market’, as Tim Minchin writes. The message is more than just the medium I’m choosing to use in this case.
However, I do very much feel for situations faced by authors like JC Hutchins. I have Tweeted a link in the past and commented on the blog-post for ‘An update on the 7th Son sequels, 2010, and my creative plans‘ -- if you haven’t read it, you might like to get an idea of what it’s like for those who use podcasting as an important element of their career. Buy his books already!
I look forward to hearing from people in terms of how they enjoy the shows, what views and constructive criticism they have… and, that’s constructive, not destructive criticism -- kind of like the difference between asking a polite question of AC Grayling or hogging the microphone at the Atheist convention to rant and rail for several minutes… because you weirdly think that it should be you up on the stage rather than Professor Grayling behind the lectern.
It’s actually a lot easier to get your own podcast than to be AC Grayling, by the way. Feel free to do so if you want to have a bit of a rant, it’s well within many people’s capabilities.
I also like recommendations of what I should next add to my iPod. I’ve now become a listener of Citizen Radio and I hope to continue being challenged by podcasts in the future.
Oh, and helping them out where I can. Again -- consider donating some audio help to the 365 Days of Astronomy podcast outros, and happy anniversary to Desiree Schell and the Skeptically Speaking crew! Here’s to wearing that exo-skeleton well when dealing with challenges that you never expected you’d be facing!
{ 11 comments… read them below or add one }
The fact that I am even awake now (EDST 02:35) makes me a fool for jetlag right? You make some very good points K. I work my butt off for the podcast and personally, it costs me a lot of money.
Last year alone, I went to NECSS in NYC (which was fab btw) but I covered the cost of a hotel room in NYC for a week to do that. I was thrilled to be in the States, I went for D*C, but then Atlanta is not exactly close to New York! I also made a special trip to Boston to do SiTP. At my own expense. Which once again, was fantastic, but also at my own expense. And somehow I left a pair of shoes there, and my favourite earrings went missing in NYC! Wha? This year, I will be at TAM8 in July on a panel, then back in Atlanta for D*C. I pay for this, I take time off work.
Sometimes it is easier and not so expensive. For example, it looks like I will be able to get to TAM London, since I am going to Wyoming for work in October. Work conference ends on Oct 15, TAM London starts the following day. Naturally, I will do what I can to get there, in order to get interviews for The Zone and network with other sceptics.
I love what I do, of course, and like you, I do it because I love it, but we do cop a lot of out of pocket expenses. Like most volunteers obviously!
I love the sceptical community for their willingness to do this. WIN!
London is on the way to Wyoming? Gasp. You are a jetsetter Dr. R.
Yes, you turn left at Greenland. :p
To both Kylie and Dr Rachie- you have my heartfelt admiration for the work you do.
This morning – JC Hutchins wrote:
Free-flinging New Media creators, it’s time we had a talk. Get your head around this. Nothing you do — no matter how much time, effort and money you spend on creating pitch-perfect, delicious Free content — will ever fully please your audience. They shall never be sated, mostly because people like us created precedents years ago that trained Free-fed audiences to be ravenous. They will consume until there is nothing left to consume, and they’ll demand More.
(Even when you clearly explain that there will be no More, and why, they’ll grouse about the inequity of your decision. I do not understand how, after receiving hundreds of hours of content for Free, a person can legitimately characterize my recent decision to leave podcasting as unreasonable or unfair.)
…And don’t give away any more than you wish to give. You are not a hostage to your audience. The only thing you owe your audience is quality Free content released on a schedule that is dictated by your terms. If those terms transform into hanging up your Free hat and moving on to other important aspects of your career, you can do that. I did, and I assure you, life goes on.
With few exceptions, creators cannot sustainably dedicate their creative lives to performing heroic tasks for Free to please strangers. This can quickly lead to consensual enslavement, not artistic empowerment. That’s no way to live.
And sometimes, as in the case of the email I received today, you cannot give any more than you already have. This is because you’ve freely provided everything there is. There is no More.
Brilliance. Go read his stuff.
I didn’t know he’d left podcasting, but he brings up some good points. I think you as a producer of content need to be clear on why you do it and be sensible about whether or not it is healthy, financially, physically and emotionally.
Blog readers/ podcast listeners won’t pay your rent.
I’m fortunate – I am paid for my blog-writing on another site.
But yes, this was why I was getting the transcripts of the Skeptic Zone interviews done into a book.
I also read his post – very interesting points to ponder. So now I will go and ponder.
I was sad to see J.C. bow out of podcasting, but his reasons couldn’t be more pure and his openness and honesty with his fans is unprecedented. I can’t fathom how some people are giving him shit over it and would love to punch them in their ungrateful mouths for their troubles. For the record, every skeptical podcaster I’ve known is heroic in dimension and every one I’ve ever spoken with personally has been humble and human and absolutely wonderful. That goes for you, Kylie, and every other member of the Skeptic Zone team (Dr. Rachie, too!).
JC’s a smart guy, and knows the business of podcasting and blogging better than anyone. I look forward to buying any books of his that I see in the future, and am grateful for the content he’s given us over the years.
Likewise, I’m grateful to all of you wonderful skeptical bloggers and podcasters. I know you all have busy lives outside of this, and am in awe of the effort and sacrifice you put into it.
Also, having now met a few of you in “real life” I know you’re wonderfully friendly and accepting people. That fact has helped me in a lot of ways.
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