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I'm Against Podcasts

washingtonpost.com

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Re: I'm Against Podcasts

#101

Post by bovermyer »

smt88 wrote: post #90
bovermyer wrote: post #83

I don't like podcasts. The reason I don't like podcasts, though, is the same reason I don't like talk radio or television. If I want to listen to people, I will talk to people myself. This is not an indictment of podcasts. Rather, it is a personal opinion. And I think the author of this article is confusing his opinion for a general truth.

I agree about unedited podcasts where people just talk to each other, but there are excellent podcasts that are closer to documentaries or audio books (Hardcore History, for example). They're pre-written, heavily edited, and performed well.

And that's just fine, except I don't have any interest in sitting and listening to such things. Other people are totally welcome to enjoy them; I just spend my free time on other things.

Re: I'm Against Podcasts

#102

Post by DoubleGlazing »

Wow, talk about gatekeeping.

I think podcasts are wonderful, a form of media that has very low barriers to entry and where the smaller players can compete with the big boys on a relatively level playing field.

So what if a lot of podcasts are crap? If the podcaster enjoys it and someone listens then good for them.

Beauty is in the eye of the beholder and all that.

Re: I'm Against Podcasts

#103

Post by michaelbuckbee »

ianai wrote: post #75
bunderbunder wrote: post #33

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I, too, dislike the "eavesdropping on other people's tipsy pub conversation" genre of podcasts. I generally don't love the professionalized "least common denominator of an NPR listening audience's tastes, delivered in carefully rehearsed NPR voice" podcasts, either. My solution is to not bother with those podcasts. There are so many others that I find to be more worthy of my time. Admittedly, it's probably a small fr…

When do people take in their podcasts? I’m thinking it’s during he work commute or at work?

I did a bit of a study of this as I was involved with a podcasting related startup at one point.

It's really varied:

- Most podcast consumption is via smartphone

- A big chunk of that is on iOS (because default Podcast app placement is inconsistent across Android flavors)

- Heaviest consumption during commutes

- Significant consumption during the workday: white collar people listening in the background - often from their desktop/web while or blue collar in place of radio and music

- You also have people doing things like playing video games and listening to podcasts regularly.

Re: I'm Against Podcasts

#104

Post by mikece »

The single word that comes to mind when reading this: "Waaaaaaah!!!"

I listen to podcasts because I learn from them or am entertained by specific people with insights and expertise I appreciate. The whole bit about eavesdropping on a conversation is the essence of what makes a good podcast: it's a conversation that if you caught a part of it in real life you would stop and stand at the edge to listen and learn more. And the best podcasts involve listener feedback, sometimes in real-time.

Perhaps the ultimate irony of the assertion that podcasting is killing music is that podcasting was INVENTED by an MTV VJ and former disk jockey, Adam Curry, and that the ORIGINAL podcast -- The Daily Source Code -- was heavily focused on music and ultimately shut down because RIAA lawyers leveled a massive legal threat at Adam even after he had purchased online music licensing to cover his podcast.

What podcasting does is decentralize the exchange of information: it destroys the ability of a powerful few to be the gatekeepers of information or "pick the hits." That's why "they" hate it and why it will only increase as a medium over time.

Re: I'm Against Podcasts

#106

Post by ghaff »

viridian wrote: post #71
fivre wrote: post #23

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Hell, I can deal with shitty microphones, I just wish people would figure out that you need to record all speakers' audio independently and not rely on Skype or Discord or whatever relaying it to a single location. Robovoice is the worst.

You don't need to necessarily have independent audio streams to have good audio, just independent sources. I did a podcast up until January, and as the person doing the editing, I found zero benefit to having one input stream per microphone, and ultimately I eventually just started outputting the multiple inputs as a single dual channel stream. Podcasts that aren't in person are rough to listen to though, for sure. T…

When I was doing a podcast, getting guests in the same room was always the limiting factor. Between lack of body language/other physical cues and technical glitches, I just never liked doing interviews remotely--although people obviously make it work.

Re: I'm Against Podcasts

#107

Post by Tor3 »

Talanes wrote: post #24
jetrink wrote: post #10

I think this whole piece is a pretty bizarre exercise. > I consider [podcasts] an enemy of music. [...] With all of the world’s unheard songs beckoning us with their endless mystery, why would anyone choose to waste their precious listening hours on a podcast? This isn't just comparing apples and oranges, it's arguing that apples are the enemy of oranges. "With so many delicious oranges uneaten, why should anyone was…

The commenters over there are falling into the same trap hard. So many variations of "Why would I listen to this when I could just read the information quicker?" Who are these people who cannot fathom that people may want to listen to something mildly informative while they are otherwise unable to focus on reading? Or just have an easier time absorbing information audibly rather than visually? Or even that someone wo…

It's not about valuable time, it's about the low bandwidth. That's why I also, in general, don't watch Youtube videos that try to explain theoretical concepts. It's like watching paint dry, when I could just read it in a small fraction of the time if the material is available in written form. At least Youtube videos are useful where the visual is important, e.g. repair instructions. Podcasts don't even have that. The only time (in my particular situation) where podcasts could be an alternative is when I'm driving my car, but my commute is very short, so in practice there's never a time where I would want to listen to a podcast. How each of us feel about bandwidth is, of course, completely individual.

Re: I'm Against Podcasts

#108

Post by MisterBastahrd »

randycupertino wrote: post #28

I'm always surprised at the popularity of podcasts vs audiobooks. Seems podcasts have made the jump to "gen pop" but audiobooks, despite the increasing popularity of audible, still tend to be niche. I'm biased because I'm an audiobook hound, but I'd take an audiobook over a podcast any day. Far superior production quality, better content, a beginning, middle and an end, professional narrators, researched analysis and…

It's easier to write a story than it is to write a book. But most topics aren't book worthy, so stories it is.

Re: I'm Against Podcasts

#109

Post by jordanpg »

What an edgy, contrarian critique.

Watch as the author translates his criticisms of some podcasts that he doesn't like into a global criticism of all podcasts.

I wonder if this guy still insists on listening _exclusively_ to LPs and lossless audio formats.

Here are some things about podcasts that I love:

* some podcasts are true gems -- extremely high quality content

* free

* no ads or ads are trivial to avoid

* blather that I (and apparently the author) don't like can be trivially skipped

* rule 34 for podcasts: someone is making podcasts about everything

Did I mention occasionally extremely high quality, free, and no ads?

Re: I'm Against Podcasts

#110

Post by wizzard »

ianai wrote: post #75
bunderbunder wrote: post #33

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I, too, dislike the "eavesdropping on other people's tipsy pub conversation" genre of podcasts. I generally don't love the professionalized "least common denominator of an NPR listening audience's tastes, delivered in carefully rehearsed NPR voice" podcasts, either. My solution is to not bother with those podcasts. There are so many others that I find to be more worthy of my time. Admittedly, it's probably a small fr…

When do people take in their podcasts? I’m thinking it’s during he work commute or at work?

I listen while cleaning, while exercising (mostly running), and while doing yard work.
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