Podcast Pontifications
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Podcast Pontifications episodes

  • How You Can Exploit Podcasting's No-Code Future [S3E1]

    There’s more to podcasting -- much more -- than editing an audio waveform. Yet the ability to manipulate an audio file remains one of the biggest stumbling blocks -- and is sometimes a non-starter -- for many podcasters and would-be podcasters.

    While we’ll certainly never go “no-audio” (that rather defeats the point), we might go to “no-audio-waveform-manipulation”, which arguably isn’t nearly as sexy or succinct as “no-code”, I concur. 

    There are plenty of tools that allow you to record quickly on your mobile phone and load your ramblings to a podcast hosting company. Some of those services even allow you to mix in audio, take guests, and all the other trappings of podcasting. 

    Those tools are not the equivalent of no-code in podcasting. Those tools, at least in their current state, are the equivalent of WYSIWIG editors from two decades ago. And I do not endorse them. 

    “No-code” for podcasting allows us to un-relegate waveform manipulation from a chore we give to an audio engineer and make it an integral part of the episode construction process. Not that anybody can do it, mind you. Nor does it mean that the audio is automagically made perfect. Someone with a vision and a design still needs to be in charge. 

    Listeners don’t interact with the waveform, they listen to the audio. Beyond those looking at the bouncy, squiggly line in an embeddable player or an audiogram, the visual representation of the audio -- the waveform -- is completely unnecessary to enjoy listening to the sound. Oscilloscopes were never designed as a household tool, yet here we are waving our waveform flags proudly. 

    The audio -- not the waveform -- is the interface in podcasting. Yes, I know we have apps in the mix, but those interfaces are mostly for discovery and navigation. The real engagement happens at the listening level. Who says we need to manipulate a waveform to really design really great audio? 

    What happens to your entire process of podcasting when you remove audio waveform manipulation as a requirement? What happens when you can go from a great idea in your head to a ready-to-publish episode without ever cracking open a DAW? The no-waveform-manipulation world is already here, and it may be right for you.

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    Read more and share with a friend: https://podcastpontifications.com/episode/how-you-can-exploit-podcastings-no-code-future

    Podcast Pontifications is published by Evo Terra and designed is to make podcasting better, not just easier.

    Follow Evo on Twitter for more podcasting insights as they come.

    And if you need a professional in your podcasting corner, please visit SimplerMedia.pro to see how Simpler Media Productions can help you reach your business objectives with podcasting.

    Mentioned in this episode:

    Support For Abortion Rights

    While Americans overwhelmingly support the right of an individual to make their own decisions about abortion, unfortunately, that right is no longer protected everywhere in the U.S. The Supreme Court overturned Roe v Wade on June 24th.

    Abortion is a basic healthcare need for the millions of people who can become pregnant. Everyone should have the freedom to decide what’s best for themselves and their families, including when it comes to ending a pregnancy. This decision has dire consequences for individual health and safety, and could have harsh repercussions for other landmark decisions.
    Restricting access to comprehensive reproductive care, including abortion, threatens the health and independence of all Americans. Even if you live in a state where abortion rights are upheld, access to safe medical procedures shouldn’t be determined by location, and it shouldn't be the privilege of a small few.
    You can help by donating to local abortion funds. To find out where to donate for each state, visit donations4abortion.com.
    If you or someone you know needs help, or if you want to get more involved, here are 5 resources:
    1. ShoutYourAbortion.com is a campaign to normalize abortion.
    2. DontBanEquality.com is a campaign for companies to take a stand against abortion restrictions.
    3. Abortion.cafe has information about where to find clinics.
    4. PlanCPills.org provides early at-home abortion pills that you can keep in your medicine cabinet.
    5. Choice.CRD.co has a collection of these resources and more.
    We encourage you to speak up! And spread the word.



    This podcast uses the following third-party services for analysis:

    OP3 - https://op3.dev/privacy
    13 min
  • Season Three Starts Now!

    What can you expect from Season Three of Podcast Pontifications with me, Evo Terra? The format is strikingly familiar to Seasons One and Two. Each episode is a short-form, deep-dive into a single topic of importance to every working podcaster. These are future-forward topics that help make podcasting better. But for this season, I get a little more philosophical and high-minded. A bit more intellectual, without being pretentious. At least I hope.

    Where other PAPS, that’s podcasts about podcasting tell you want to do, Podcast Pontifications are good things for you to think about. Subscribe today so you don’t miss the daily episode I provide every Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday.


    Mentioned in this episode:

    Support For Abortion Rights

    While Americans overwhelmingly support the right of an individual to make their own decisions about abortion, unfortunately, that right is no longer protected everywhere in the U.S. The Supreme Court overturned Roe v Wade on June 24th.

    Abortion is a basic healthcare need for the millions of people who can become pregnant. Everyone should have the freedom to decide what’s best for themselves and their families, including when it comes to ending a pregnancy. This decision has dire consequences for individual health and safety, and could have harsh repercussions for other landmark decisions.
    Restricting access to comprehensive reproductive care, including abortion, threatens the health and independence of all Americans. Even if you live in a state where abortion rights are upheld, access to safe medical procedures shouldn’t be determined by location, and it shouldn't be the privilege of a small few.
    You can help by donating to local abortion funds. To find out where to donate for each state, visit donations4abortion.com.
    If you or someone you know needs help, or if you want to get more involved, here are 5 resources:
    1. ShoutYourAbortion.com is a campaign to normalize abortion.
    2. DontBanEquality.com is a campaign for companies to take a stand against abortion restrictions.
    3. Abortion.cafe has information about where to find clinics.
    4. PlanCPills.org provides early at-home abortion pills that you can keep in your medicine cabinet.
    5. Choice.CRD.co has a collection of these resources and more.
    We encourage you to speak up! And spread the word.



    This podcast uses the following third-party services for analysis:

    OP3 - https://op3.dev/privacy
    5 min
  • It's The Institutionalized Racism, Stupid. [Episode 311]

    As a white man pushing 52 years, I have a statement to make:

    I am the beneficiary of institutionalized, systemic racism in this country, and I have benefited greatly from white supremacy.

    It’s time for me to own that. And if you look and sound like me, it’s probably time for you to own that too. 

    There are a lot of things I can do and will do with that ownership. To start, and with the permission of the Center for Documentary Studies at Duke University, I’m including the first episode of Seeing White, a 14-part podcast that was the second season of Scene on Radio to the end this audio. 

    So bear through a few minutes of my taking ownership of my role - given though it may have been - and then you’ll get the good, eye-opening content. And I hope you decide, either before or after, to listen to all 12 episodes. Yes, it’s that important. Especially if you look and sound like me.

     - Evo

    -----

    Share this with a friend: https://podcastpontifications.com/episode/its-the-institutionalized-racism-stupid

    Mentioned in this episode:

    Support For Abortion Rights

    While Americans overwhelmingly support the right of an individual to make their own decisions about abortion, unfortunately, that right is no longer protected everywhere in the U.S. The Supreme Court overturned Roe v Wade on June 24th.

    Abortion is a basic healthcare need for the millions of people who can become pregnant. Everyone should have the freedom to decide what’s best for themselves and their families, including when it comes to ending a pregnancy. This decision has dire consequences for individual health and safety, and could have harsh repercussions for other landmark decisions.
    Restricting access to comprehensive reproductive care, including abortion, threatens the health and independence of all Americans. Even if you live in a state where abortion rights are upheld, access to safe medical procedures shouldn’t be determined by location, and it shouldn't be the privilege of a small few.
    You can help by donating to local abortion funds. To find out where to donate for each state, visit donations4abortion.com.
    If you or someone you know needs help, or if you want to get more involved, here are 5 resources:
    1. ShoutYourAbortion.com is a campaign to normalize abortion.
    2. DontBanEquality.com is a campaign for companies to take a stand against abortion restrictions.
    3. Abortion.cafe has information about where to find clinics.
    4. PlanCPills.org provides early at-home abortion pills that you can keep in your medicine cabinet.
    5. Choice.CRD.co has a collection of these resources and more.
    We encourage you to speak up! And spread the word.



    This podcast uses the following third-party services for analysis:

    OP3 - https://op3.dev/privacy
    26 min
  • What To Do During Your Podcast's Season Break [Episode 310]

    I am a huge fan of breaking your podcasting efforts into seasons. And to be clear, I’m also a fan of taking long breaks between seasons. Not all of my fellow podcasting pundits agree. Many adopt the position that podcasting is akin to blogging and that new episodes should keep coming out on schedule. To them, I say: Hey, you do you. 

    Me? I like breaks.

    if you’re like me and are looking for a little guidance to direct some of your chill-time activities, I have just the thing. Or ten things, rather. These are in no particular order. And if they seem a little Evo-centric, there’s a reason for that. You’ll see at the end.

    And to save space, I’m just putting the titles of the activities in this list. Check out the full article for more details at:  https://podcastpontifications.com/episode/what-to-do-during-your-podcasts-season-break

    1. Cleanup your podcast feed.

    2. Put the final touches on your website.

    3. Spend some quality time with Google Search Console. 

    4. Hire a professional to help with the branding of your show. 

    5. Replenish the content well. 

    6. Put out bonus episodes.

    7. Lock-in guest appearances for yourself.

    8. Upgrade your equipment.

    9. Upgrade your software. 

    10. Gain some perspective and relax.

    How practical is this list? Uber practical. So much, in fact, that I’m calling an end to Season 2 of Podcast Pontifications. Effective right now, I’m on break. Woot!

    Season 3 of Podcast Pontifications will begin sometime after my birthday, which is in June. I had planned on taking a break the entire month of June, but decided to advance those plans. The ideas I listed out seemed too compelling not to start right away.

    So keep your eyes on PodcastPontifications.com. Lots of back-episodes and articles if this is your first introduction to my show. I have  310 episodes to keep you full of ideas. Lots of changes coming to the site in the next few weeks that I’m excited to get started.

    In the meantime, be safe, stay well, and I shall be back soon with season three of Podcast Pontifications. 

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    Share this with a friend: https://podcastpontifications.com/episode/what-to-do-during-your-podcasts-season-break

    Podcast Pontifications is published by Evo Terra four times a week and is aimed at the working podcaster. The purpose of this show is to make podcasting better, not just easier.

    Follow Evo on Twitter for more podcasting insights as they come.

    And if you need a professional in your podcasting corner, please visit SimplerMedia.pro to see how Simpler Media Productions can help your firm. Podcasting is our only business!

    Mentioned in this episode:

    Support For Abortion Rights

    While Americans overwhelmingly support the right of an individual to make their own decisions about abortion, unfortunately, that right is no longer protected everywhere in the U.S. The Supreme Court overturned Roe v Wade on June 24th.

    Abortion is a basic healthcare need for the millions of people who can become pregnant. Everyone should have the freedom to decide what’s best for themselves and their families, including when it comes to ending a pregnancy. This decision has dire consequences for individual health and safety, and could have harsh repercussions for other landmark decisions.
    Restricting access to comprehensive reproductive care, including abortion, threatens the health and independence of all Americans. Even if you live in a state where abortion rights are upheld, access to safe medical procedures shouldn’t be determined by location, and it shouldn't be the privilege of a small few.
    You can help by donating to local abortion funds. To find out where to donate for each state, visit donations4abortion.com.
    If you or someone you know needs help, or if you want to get more involved, here are 5 resources:
    1. ShoutYourAbortion.com is a campaign to normalize abortion.
    2. DontBanEquality.com is a campaign for companies to take a stand against abortion restrictions.
    3. Abortion.cafe has information about where to find clinics.
    4. PlanCPills.org provides early at-home abortion pills that you can keep in your medicine cabinet.
    5. Choice.CRD.co has a collection of these resources and more.
    We encourage you to speak up! And spread the word.



    This podcast uses the following third-party services for analysis:

    OP3 - https://op3.dev/privacy
    12 min
  • Eye Can't Hear You: A Podcasting Paradigm Shift [Episode 309]

    Desktop consumption of podcast episodes is growing for the first time in… forever? Thanks to COVID-19 and the forced lockdown we’re are all having to deal with, we’re seeing people shift to consuming podcasts right on the device that’s busy blurring work-life boundaries for everyone.

    Some enterprising companies see this as an opportunity. That opportunity, at the risk of your eyes rolling all the way out of your skull, is a re-imagining of what was once known as “enhanced” podcasts. 

    A new wave of technologists and interface designers are turning their sights on browser-based listening. Interactive elements like polls and surveys. Short-form video or animation. Links to more content. And yes, ad units. We’re still in the very early stages of this, but I’m intrigued by those seeking to capitalize on “more than audio” in a way that enhanced podcasting failed to do.

    In-car audio and display systems are nothing new, but they’re getting incrementally better. Just last week, Nielsen started talking up their initiative to help build a better navigating experience through podcast episodes when we're driving in our cars. If we ever drive in our cars again. 

    Smart speakers with display screens are rapidly evolving as people flock to them. Interfaces and apps are getting better as designers are finding interesting ways to blend visual and audio together to create a compelling “mixed media” experience. As they have done since we transitioned away from text-only interfaces a lifetime ago.

    But some are designing away the visual interface completely. Smart earbuds are a wearable device that not only has no screen, but you can’t even see the device when it’s in operation. Earbuds lost their cord and gained ndividual computer chips and other electronics built right in, making them much more than simply a speaker. They are, quite literally, two computers that you stick in your ears, with plenty of sensors and input areas to bring a unique screen-less experience to listeners.

    These easily-misplaced gadgets are voice-aware and tightly coupled to AI-based voice assistants that continue to get smarter. It doesn’t take much imagination to see a future where we’re searching for new shows or episodes, changing the order of episode delivery, or getting recommendations on future content right from the wearable device, never having to look at or even use a screen.

    Which of these paradigms is going to win? Luckily, we don’t have to choose. I think we’ll see major advancements in both of these fronts, serving the very disparate needs for different types of listeners in different environments. 

    I know my fellow long-time podcasters are likely skeptical. And I get that. But I posit to them that the environment today is vastly different than what it was a decade ago. These are just the kinds of developments that could cause the 70% of non-listeners to see what podcasting has to offer them.

    Speaking of new listeners; I’d like some! When you reach out directly to one person -- just one person -- and tell them about Podcast Pontifications, it makes a huge difference. And who knows? Maybe the new person you turn onto the podcast loves it so much that they decide to go to BuyMeACoffee.com/EvoTerra throw their support behind your friendly neighborhood contrarian.

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    Share this with a friend: https://podcastpontifications.com/episode/eye-cant-hear-you-a-podcasting-paradigm-shift

    Podcast Pontifications is published by Evo Terra four times a week and is aimed at the working podcaster. The purpose of this show is to make podcasting better, not just easier.

    Follow Evo on Twitter for more podcasting insights as they come.

    And if you need a professional in your podcasting corner, please visit SimplerMedia.pro to see how Simpler Media Productions can help your firm. Podcasting is our only business!

    Mentioned in this episode:

    Support For Abortion Rights

    While Americans overwhelmingly support the right of an individual to make their own decisions about abortion, unfortunately, that right is no longer protected everywhere in the U.S. The Supreme Court overturned Roe v Wade on June 24th.

    Abortion is a basic healthcare need for the millions of people who can become pregnant. Everyone should have the freedom to decide what’s best for themselves and their families, including when it comes to ending a pregnancy. This decision has dire consequences for individual health and safety, and could have harsh repercussions for other landmark decisions.
    Restricting access to comprehensive reproductive care, including abortion, threatens the health and independence of all Americans. Even if you live in a state where abortion rights are upheld, access to safe medical procedures shouldn’t be determined by location, and it shouldn't be the privilege of a small few.
    You can help by donating to local abortion funds. To find out where to donate for each state, visit donations4abortion.com.
    If you or someone you know needs help, or if you want to get more involved, here are 5 resources:
    1. ShoutYourAbortion.com is a campaign to normalize abortion.
    2. DontBanEquality.com is a campaign for companies to take a stand against abortion restrictions.
    3. Abortion.cafe has information about where to find clinics.
    4. PlanCPills.org provides early at-home abortion pills that you can keep in your medicine cabinet.
    5. Choice.CRD.co has a collection of these resources and more.
    We encourage you to speak up! And spread the word.



    This podcast uses the following third-party services for analysis:

    OP3 - https://op3.dev/privacy
    14 min
  • Feeling Conflicted About Podcasting Conferences [Episode 308]

    Many podcasters woke to an email this morning from a large podcasting conference stating that this year’s event had been pushed back by a couple of months. A few days ago, another large podcasting conference sent out an odd “pandemic or no pandemic, we’re having a physical conference, dammit!” notice. 

    I’m supposed to attend both of those events. But... I’m conflicted. And concerned.

    Based on what I know right now, I don't think I'm going to go to any physical conferences or events for the rest of 2020.

    Barring extraordinary developments, like me having a positive antibody test, the availability and reliability of therapeutics,  or a vaccine;  I don't think attending a podcasting gathering of any size is worth the risk.

    But I’m not optimistic about replicating the physical experience virtually. pecifically, I’m not confident that trying to copy/paste the physical format into a virtual format is a good idea. Not that it can’t work. Clearly it can. But to make it keep working, we have to move beyond “replacing” and into “making a better experience”.

    We’re already seeing it. Some of the aspects of forced virtuality of experiences that used be physical are, indeed, better. How do you happy hour when friends are a thousand miles apart? No one shushes me when I type snarky comments to my friends in chat room while the musician is the middle of their performance on the other side of the country.

    Attempts to make something new with a virtual experience do excite me. Can a virtual experience lead to better educational outcomes? Can virtual events come with better biz dev opportunities? Can virtual experiences redefine what makes a successful conference?

    For now, count me out of all in-person events for 2020. Call me overzealous if you like, but it's where my brain is at right now. 

    I'm curious what your plans are. Are you still going to attend? What are your restrictions or requirements for that to make sense to you? 

    Also, this is a great time for you to educate me on what cool, new virtual experiences you’re having that are better than in-person gatherings. I’m far from well versed in this area, so let me know what I’m missing. 

    Apologies for the ill-prepared episode. While this episode likely isn’t one you should send to a new listener, I’d still appreciate it if you would mention the show to just one person today. Thanks in advance.

    Not that I have you much reason to so do on this episode, but you can go to BuyMeACoffee.com/EvoTerra and lend me a little support.

    Add your thoughts on my thoughts here as a comment. Or you can email me at [email protected].

    -----

    Share this with a friend: https://podcastpontifications.com/episode/feeling-conflicted-about-podcasting-conferences

    Podcast Pontifications is published by Evo Terra four times a week and is aimed at the working podcaster. The purpose of this show is to make podcasting better, not just easier.

    Follow Evo on Twitter for more podcasting insights as they come.

    And if you need a professional in your podcasting corner, please visit SimplerMedia.pro to see how Simpler Media Productions can help your firm. Podcasting is our only business!

    Mentioned in this episode:

    Support For Abortion Rights

    While Americans overwhelmingly support the right of an individual to make their own decisions about abortion, unfortunately, that right is no longer protected everywhere in the U.S. The Supreme Court overturned Roe v Wade on June 24th.

    Abortion is a basic healthcare need for the millions of people who can become pregnant. Everyone should have the freedom to decide what’s best for themselves and their families, including when it comes to ending a pregnancy. This decision has dire consequences for individual health and safety, and could have harsh repercussions for other landmark decisions.
    Restricting access to comprehensive reproductive care, including abortion, threatens the health and independence of all Americans. Even if you live in a state where abortion rights are upheld, access to safe medical procedures shouldn’t be determined by location, and it shouldn't be the privilege of a small few.
    You can help by donating to local abortion funds. To find out where to donate for each state, visit donations4abortion.com.
    If you or someone you know needs help, or if you want to get more involved, here are 5 resources:
    1. ShoutYourAbortion.com is a campaign to normalize abortion.
    2. DontBanEquality.com is a campaign for companies to take a stand against abortion restrictions.
    3. Abortion.cafe has information about where to find clinics.
    4. PlanCPills.org provides early at-home abortion pills that you can keep in your medicine cabinet.
    5. Choice.CRD.co has a collection of these resources and more.
    We encourage you to speak up! And spread the word.



    This podcast uses the following third-party services for analysis:

    OP3 - https://op3.dev/privacy
    13 min
  • Putting The Simple Back In Podcast RSS Feeds [Episode 307]

    It’s not an overstatement to say podcasting would not exist without RSS feeds. But their magic and power is mostly seen by listeners for current and future episodes. As I discussed on Monday’s episode, trying to listen to extensive back catalog episodes inside of a podcast listening app is a horrid experience. 

    But we can make it better if we think about RSS feeds from a slightly different perspective.

    Imagine if your local library organized books on shelves not by subject matter or author, but by the date they were acquired by the library branch. Now consider that the menu of your local restaurant isn’t a complete listing of everything in the chef’s repertoire. And think of how insane it would be to shop for clothes if you had to go through the full warehouse instead of the limited selections you see in a showroom.

    Generally speaking, presenting people with overwhelming choices is a bad idea. To help, creators (sellers, providers, etc) segregate content into two buckets:

    1. What We Want People To See Right Now
    2. Other Options We’ve Moved Out Of The Way As To Not Overload People With Too Many Choices

    So why don’t we do the same?

    1. The List Of Episodes We Want To Display To New And Current Listeners
    2. Well-organized Archived Or Back-catalog Content For Listeners Who Want To Dig

    We can do this with current RSS feeds. And we can do it in a way that’s not confusing to listeners. 

    This requires some strategic thinking on the part of podcasters. How “full” should your main RSS feed be? How do you decide where to break content? Do you need more than one archive feed?  

    Here’s one way I could do it for this show:

    • Podcast Pontifications: Season 3
    • Podcast Pontifications: Season 2 (July 2019 - May 2020)
    • Podcast Pontifications: Season 1 (July 2017 - June 2019)

    If you don’t do seasons, then what about years? Here’s mine again as an example, breaking out feeds by years would look like this in directories or apps:

    • Podcast Pontifications
    • Podcast Pontifications Archive: 2019
    • Podcast Pontifications Archive: 2018
    • Podcast Pontifications Archive: 2017

    That looks nice! But it also might lead you to make a bad decision. Never make a new RSS feed for your next season or the next year. If you make a new feed for new content, people will have to subscribe to that new feed. You do not want to ask people to subscribe to a new feed. Because most -- the vast majority -- will not. That’s the opposite of “frictionless”.

    Instead, you’re just renaming your main feed and removing content from it to fill up the “new” archived feeds which you’ll submit to the appropriate directories. You may also try adding a season-ending trailer to your archived feeds if you think that would help. Or you can try a totally different and more descriptive naming convention for each of your feeds. Just keep it simple and frictionless for your listeners. 

    Best of all? We can do all this with the current architectural infrastructure podcasting relies on. We don't need to change the way RSS feeds work or how podcast clients ingest those feeds to make this happen.

    This seems like a good idea to me. So much, that I'm going to implement it by the end of the week. Let me know if you’ll join me! 

    Also: please tell someone you know about Podcast Pontifications. Your word-of-mouth and personal recommendation goes a long way to bringing more listeners into the fold. So thank you in advance

    If you’ve done that and want to help further, go to BuyMeACoffee.com/EvoTerra and slide a couple of bucks my way each month to support the show.

    -----

    Share this with a friend: https://podcastpontifications.com/episode/putting-the-simple-back-in-podcast-rss-feeds

    Podcast Pontifications is published by Evo Terra four times a week and is aimed at the working podcaster. The purpose of this show is to make podcasting better, not just easier.

    Follow Evo on Twitter for more podcasting insights as they come.

    And if you need a professional in your podcasting corner, please visit SimplerMedia.pro to see how Simpler Media Productions can help your firm. Podcasting is our only business!

    Mentioned in this episode:

    Support For Abortion Rights

    While Americans overwhelmingly support the right of an individual to make their own decisions about abortion, unfortunately, that right is no longer protected everywhere in the U.S. The Supreme Court overturned Roe v Wade on June 24th.

    Abortion is a basic healthcare need for the millions of people who can become pregnant. Everyone should have the freedom to decide what’s best for themselves and their families, including when it comes to ending a pregnancy. This decision has dire consequences for individual health and safety, and could have harsh repercussions for other landmark decisions.
    Restricting access to comprehensive reproductive care, including abortion, threatens the health and independence of all Americans. Even if you live in a state where abortion rights are upheld, access to safe medical procedures shouldn’t be determined by location, and it shouldn't be the privilege of a small few.
    You can help by donating to local abortion funds. To find out where to donate for each state, visit donations4abortion.com.
    If you or someone you know needs help, or if you want to get more involved, here are 5 resources:
    1. ShoutYourAbortion.com is a campaign to normalize abortion.
    2. DontBanEquality.com is a campaign for companies to take a stand against abortion restrictions.
    3. Abortion.cafe has information about where to find clinics.
    4. PlanCPills.org provides early at-home abortion pills that you can keep in your medicine cabinet.
    5. Choice.CRD.co has a collection of these resources and more.
    We encourage you to speak up! And spread the word.



    This podcast uses the following third-party services for analysis:

    OP3 - https://op3.dev/privacy
    13 min
  • Busting The Myth Of Podcast Exceptionalism [Episode 306]

    It’s getting easier every day to make a podcast. Yet the act is shrouded in a sea of exceptionalism. Not from the general public or a pool of would-be-listeners. No, the shroud of exceptionalism I’m speaking of comes from within the podcasting community.

    Podcasting has always had a strong sense of community among creators. For every podcaster who views other podcasters as competition, I can find a dozen who view other podcasters as comrades in arms. Or pick a less-militaristic metaphor if you like. The point is, we tend to be a supportive bunch.

    So we’re clear: I'm not suggesting that it be made harder to create a podcast. I’m not suggesting that we institute gatekeepers who determine who can and who cannot have a podcast. 

    I'm just saying (and I hate sentences that start with that phrase) that the act of having a podcast is not exceptional. 

    Podcasting isn’t the only creative art where that harsh statement applies. I'm a published author with five books to my credit. I know that it’s often hard, scary, and frustrating to write a book. But writing the book -- the first draft, especially -- wasn't anything exceptional.

    The same goes for photographers, artists, and every other creative person out there. None of those creative pursuits require exceptionalism. 

    Having a community to turn to sure is helpful when you’re just getting started and doubting yourself. A lot. Luckily for those who need it, there are podcast-specific support communities and community-minded people all over the internet.

    But there’s a dark underbelly in all that collective high-fiving. It’s easy to assume that since all these nice people in this community are gushing with praise that every new person who listens to your podcast will also be amazed at your exceptional output.

    They won’t. Because, chances are, your podcast is not exceptional. 

    This big kumbaya hug we’ve developed in the podcasting community -- of which I've been a part of and encouraged -- is vexing. I’m concerned that we’re confusing worthy-of-effort with worthy-of-praise. And I think that even the most community-forward podcaster feels the same way and reacts with dismay when, after getting lavish praise for an early effort, the newbie podcaster wants to move immediately to promotion and monetization. 

    Sturgeon's law applies in all things, and no one likes to discover that their baby is ugly.

    But who’s to say what constitutes a beautiful baby? Again, you decide. If you find podcasting hard, rewarding, and fun for you; keep podcasting. There’s plenty of room.

    Just remember that making a podcast is nothing special. Hundreds of thousands of people have done it.

    I know this article was a little harsh. But sometimes harsh things need to be said. No, I don’t think you should send this episode to a brand new podcaster just because you didn’t like their first episode. That’s just mean. But I do hope that you’ll share Podcast Pontifications with that new person so they can keep the future of podcasting in mind. 

    And if you like the harsh dose of reality I bring from time to time to the program, throw me a little support over at BuyMeACoffee.com/EvoTerra. 

    -----

    Share this with a friend: https://podcastpontifications.com/episode/busting-the-myth-of-podcast-exceptionalism

    Podcast Pontifications is published by Evo Terra four times a week and is aimed at the working podcaster. The purpose of this show is to make podcasting better, not just easier.

    Follow Evo on Twitter for more podcasting insights as they come.

    And if you need a professional in your podcasting corner, please visit SimplerMedia.pro to see how Simpler Media Productions can help your firm. Podcasting is our only business!

    Mentioned in this episode:

    Support For Abortion Rights

    While Americans overwhelmingly support the right of an individual to make their own decisions about abortion, unfortunately, that right is no longer protected everywhere in the U.S. The Supreme Court overturned Roe v Wade on June 24th.

    Abortion is a basic healthcare need for the millions of people who can become pregnant. Everyone should have the freedom to decide what’s best for themselves and their families, including when it comes to ending a pregnancy. This decision has dire consequences for individual health and safety, and could have harsh repercussions for other landmark decisions.
    Restricting access to comprehensive reproductive care, including abortion, threatens the health and independence of all Americans. Even if you live in a state where abortion rights are upheld, access to safe medical procedures shouldn’t be determined by location, and it shouldn't be the privilege of a small few.
    You can help by donating to local abortion funds. To find out where to donate for each state, visit donations4abortion.com.
    If you or someone you know needs help, or if you want to get more involved, here are 5 resources:
    1. ShoutYourAbortion.com is a campaign to normalize abortion.
    2. DontBanEquality.com is a campaign for companies to take a stand against abortion restrictions.
    3. Abortion.cafe has information about where to find clinics.
    4. PlanCPills.org provides early at-home abortion pills that you can keep in your medicine cabinet.
    5. Choice.CRD.co has a collection of these resources and more.
    We encourage you to speak up! And spread the word.



    This podcast uses the following third-party services for analysis:

    OP3 - https://op3.dev/privacy
    13 min
  • Podcast Episode Management For Tomorrow

    Today, podcast subscribers only have two options when it comes to consuming available episodes: start from the most recent episode and work backward, or start from the very first episode and work forward.

    Neither of those is very attractive for a show with 3,700 episodes. At that scale, the limitations of podcasting’s inherited sort-by-date and distributed architecture become glaring. 

    Even if podcast owners use a mix of web analytics, media hosting company downloads, and consumption data to make a rudimentary recommendation engine, those efforts are moot once someone becomes a subscriber. There the experience is controlled by the app developer, and we’re back to date-sorting.

    It’s messy, even if you don’t have a thousand episodes. There are over 300 episodes of this show. Sorry, new subscriber. Your only in-app option is to work your way from the start or from the most recent and go backward. Neither of those seems attractive. 

    Date-sorting works for some podcasts, sure. And the good news is that we’ll probably never see that go away. “By date” is useful enough on every show. But it’s not the most useful way to present listening choices.

    If I went over to your house and I looked at the books on your bookshelf, I would not find your books organized by publication date, right?

    I imagine a future where smart earbuds change the game. Thanks to the growing adoption of smart speakers, we’re becoming more accustomed to using voice assistants during our day. These voice assistants listen to us. Perhaps they can listen to the episodes we’re enjoying, stepping in when one has ended and making a recommendation of what we should listen to next?

    While I can barely remember what my episodes were about last week, AI-powered tech should be able to store contextual information on a much larger scale. That’s the direction we think Google is taking with its integration with Google Search. And Google’s voice search continues to improve. So it doesn’t take a crystal ball or corporate espionage to see where that’s headed. 

    Curmudgeons may disagree and privacy wonks will sound the klaxons, but a future where deciding on what episode to listen to next is truly a hands-off experience guided by a smart device is rather interesting. And a bit obvious.

    Speaking of interesting futures, I’m visualizing you, right now, going to BuyMeACoffee.com/EvoTerra and, you know, buying me a coffee.

    I’m also envisioning you making a phone call or sending an email to one podcaster you know and telling them about Podcast Pontifications. Word-of-mouth efforts are really what spreads an ultra-niche show like this, so thank you in advance.

    -----

    Share this with a friend: https://podcastpontifications.com/episode/podcast-episode-management-for-tomorrow

    Podcast Pontifications is published by Evo Terra four times a week and is aimed at the working podcaster. The purpose of this show is to make podcasting better, not just easier.

    Follow Evo on Twitter for more podcasting insights as they come.

    And if you need a professional in your podcasting corner, please visit SimplerMedia.pro to see how Simpler Media Productions can help your firm. Podcasting is our only business!

    Mentioned in this episode:

    Support For Abortion Rights

    While Americans overwhelmingly support the right of an individual to make their own decisions about abortion, unfortunately, that right is no longer protected everywhere in the U.S. The Supreme Court overturned Roe v Wade on June 24th.

    Abortion is a basic healthcare need for the millions of people who can become pregnant. Everyone should have the freedom to decide what’s best for themselves and their families, including when it comes to ending a pregnancy. This decision has dire consequences for individual health and safety, and could have harsh repercussions for other landmark decisions.
    Restricting access to comprehensive reproductive care, including abortion, threatens the health and independence of all Americans. Even if you live in a state where abortion rights are upheld, access to safe medical procedures shouldn’t be determined by location, and it shouldn't be the privilege of a small few.
    You can help by donating to local abortion funds. To find out where to donate for each state, visit donations4abortion.com.
    If you or someone you know needs help, or if you want to get more involved, here are 5 resources:
    1. ShoutYourAbortion.com is a campaign to normalize abortion.
    2. DontBanEquality.com is a campaign for companies to take a stand against abortion restrictions.
    3. Abortion.cafe has information about where to find clinics.
    4. PlanCPills.org provides early at-home abortion pills that you can keep in your medicine cabinet.
    5. Choice.CRD.co has a collection of these resources and more.
    We encourage you to speak up! And spread the word.



    This podcast uses the following third-party services for analysis:

    OP3 - https://op3.dev/privacy
    13 min
  • Should You Join Or Form A Podcast Network? [Episode 304]

    I’m diving into this topic at the suggestion of a Podcast Pontifications listener, Arnie Chapman. He's the host of The Football History Dude podcast. He responded to my call for lockdown stories (Yes, I want your story too. More info at the end of this article.) from podcasters thusly:

    Oddly enough, the lockdown and stay-at-home orders have been a positive experience for me and my podcast. Because am I one of the many people who are working from home, I'm able to be much more flexible when it comes to scheduling guests. 

    Rather than asking guests to adapt to a limited window of available interview times, I’m able to record whenever they have time. It’s much easier for me to plan my work around their schedule since I’m working from home. 

    I’m also using the additional time working from home gives me to pursue a dream of creating a sports history podcast network. I'm going to collect all sorts of different sports history podcasts under the same domain.

    In the email that accompanied the media file, Arnie asked me to pontificate on podcast networks. So that’s what I'm going to do.

    In general, I’m a fan of podcast networks and I love the concept. Anytime creators with similar ideas, opinions, content, and target audiences can collaborate, something good always tends to come out of the other end. 

    On rare occasions, just being associated with the network is enough. But for the vast majority of situations, you need to get something out of this deal. And almost always, you’ll be asked to give a little too. 

    What sort of promotional boost will your podcast get when you join the network? What are your obligations to promote other shows in the network on your program? 

    What about media file hosting? Will you need to move from your existing podcast hosting company over to their hosting company? Who pays for that?  What about the migration process? Will making the move cause your listeners to have a thousand new downloads of episodes they’ve already listened to? 

    Will the network help you write episode details or articles? Do they have an audio engineer that can do the final polish? Will you be assigned a producer or maybe a production assistant to help with concepts or bookings? 

    How will your current monetization efforts be impacted? Can you keep your paid supporters? Can you keep your current advertisers without sharing a portion of that income? And how much of the action will the network take for all of this?

    There's a lot to think about before joining a network or starting one. At the end of it all, you need to decide if your show is better as a part of a network or as a solo effort. A well-crafted network, whether you're joining one or forming one -- should provide obvious benefits. At every point, it should be clear that life for member shows will be better in the network rather than doing at it alone.

    If you can't say that's the case with the network you want to join or form, then you don't have a good reason to join or form that network. 

    Want your voice shared on Podcast Pontifications like Arnie? I’m interested in hearing what plans you have for your show after the lockdown restrictions are eased. Record a minute or two of audio and send the .wav file to me at [email protected]. 

    One thing I’m looking forward to: visiting my local hipster coffee bar. If you go to BuyMeACoffee.com/EvoTerra, you can ensure I have enough in my wallet to pick up one as soon as they re-open.

    -----

    Share this with a friend: https://podcastpontifications.com/episode/should-you-join-or-form-a-podcast-network

    Podcast Pontifications is published by Evo Terra four times a week and is aimed at the working podcaster. The purpose of this show is to make podcasting better, not just easier.

    Follow Evo on Twitter for more podcasting insights as they come.

    And if you need a professional in your podcasting corner, please visit SimplerMedia.pro to see how Simpler Media Productions can help your firm. Podcasting is our only business!

    Mentioned in this episode:

    Support For Abortion Rights

    While Americans overwhelmingly support the right of an individual to make their own decisions about abortion, unfortunately, that right is no longer protected everywhere in the U.S. The Supreme Court overturned Roe v Wade on June 24th.

    Abortion is a basic healthcare need for the millions of people who can become pregnant. Everyone should have the freedom to decide what’s best for themselves and their families, including when it comes to ending a pregnancy. This decision has dire consequences for individual health and safety, and could have harsh repercussions for other landmark decisions.
    Restricting access to comprehensive reproductive care, including abortion, threatens the health and independence of all Americans. Even if you live in a state where abortion rights are upheld, access to safe medical procedures shouldn’t be determined by location, and it shouldn't be the privilege of a small few.
    You can help by donating to local abortion funds. To find out where to donate for each state, visit donations4abortion.com.
    If you or someone you know needs help, or if you want to get more involved, here are 5 resources:
    1. ShoutYourAbortion.com is a campaign to normalize abortion.
    2. DontBanEquality.com is a campaign for companies to take a stand against abortion restrictions.
    3. Abortion.cafe has information about where to find clinics.
    4. PlanCPills.org provides early at-home abortion pills that you can keep in your medicine cabinet.
    5. Choice.CRD.co has a collection of these resources and more.
    We encourage you to speak up! And spread the word.



    This podcast uses the following third-party services for analysis:

    OP3 - https://op3.dev/privacy
    13 min

About Podcast Pontifications

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