Podcast Pontifications

NPR's much lauded RAD (Remote Audio Data) has been released to the wild, and the predicted flood of "won't someone think of the privacy!" has begun.

Rather than analyzing the merits of the current offering, I'm taking this short episode to discuss two reasons why business-savvy podcasters should love the idea of RAD.

Specifically, I discuss how enabling non-proprietary tracking and analytics at the device level is exactly what we need to get the $88 billion dollar digital advertising industry interested in podcasting.

Even better, I'll tell you how enabling such tracking will improve the overall listening experience and perhaps even reduce the number of intrusive ads a podcast listener experiences. 

Two very good things, indeed.

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.

Making a great podcast episode isn't easy. But with a little intent, planning, and three key ingredients, you can be confident you're making episodes your target audience will love.

• Character
• Conviction
• Conceit

But I'm probably using a different definition of those words than you are used to.

• I'm not talking about being or playing a character. I'm talking about making sure you, your co-hosts, and/or your guests have it.
• I don't mean prosecution. I mean bring it to the conversation, in both large and small ways.
• Nor am I suggesting you be conceited. I am, however, demanding that you deliver upon one.

Check out this short episode for a podcasting-specific twist on Aristotle's art of persuasion.

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.

If you think you're 100% in control of your podcast; your fooling yourself. Not unlike other digital products, every podcast is reliant on a complex chain of services -- some free, some not -- that each represent a potential fail point.

In this short episode, I run down 10 I though up in just a couple of minutes, including:

• Hosting companies (yes, even if you roll your own)
• Tracking services
• Website hosts (yes, even if you host your own)
• Software
• Computer hardware
• Marketing services
• Social media 
• Saas (Skype, etc.)
• Governmental regulations 
• Podcasting apps and directories

Any one of those going south could cause major problems for your podcast. Perhaps even prohibiting some (or all) of your audience to consume your content.

Are you prepared for when the inevitable happens?

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.

Online video services are fracturing. Thanks to coming-entrants like Disney+, AT&T, and more, fans of well-made TV and movie content (not broadcasted or in the cinema) will no longer assume the must-watch content is on Netflix.

And this new, fractured world for video is a good thing for podcasting.

In this short episode, I'll explain why a changed mindset on how to consume quality content for video will lead to more people discovering audio via podcasting. Or at least have a better time for it. 

Assuming a super-smart entrepreneur or two can ride on the coattails of the inevitable site/app that solves the video's pending discovery problem.

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.

Yes, podcasting has a porn problem. But by "problem", I mean that it's generally absent from the medium. And that makes it very strange compared to other digital formats 

Here are a few reasons porn never gained much of a foothold in podcasting:

• Podcasting is audio-centric - Porn is a visual medium
• Cultivating/sharing content is hard in podcasting - That was central to making sites like Tumblr a huge porn magnet
• Direct money collecting is cumbersome in podcasting -- Not so in porn

Some of these challenges might be addressed in the coming months/years. Will that make podcasting more susceptible to porn infestation? (And, though unasked in this short episode, is that necessarily a bad thing?

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.