I can scan 200 blogs in my RSS reader in 20 minutes. They get indexed so I can find them later. I can understand why I might – might – want to listen to a podcast on my portable media player at the gym. But to use this as a way of sharing information? There aren’t enough hours in the day to listen to two podcasts, let alone 200.
I don’t get podcasts, either
Published
Ed Bott 
I concur. I also can’t search podcasts, jump to certain portions, nor (usually) send a link to a certain portion of the podcast (although WMP has this capability for some media).
Video blogs have potential, though, but only if it’s important for the content to be video. Channel 9’s are almost never useful to me, because I’d just as soon get the content in a searchable, scannable text format. I consider crooksandliars.com the only successful video blog I’ve come across.
Although I’ve watched a few podcasts, most suffer from verbosity (my own weakness). I just want to say, “Quit joking and get to the point. Please.” Meanwhile, I don’t see anything being more efficient than RSS.
My thoughts.
Maybe if you spent less time reading 200 blogs, you could spend 30 minutes listening to a podcast. Do you watch T.V? If so, stop watching T.V, and listen to some podcasts. Most people who listen to podcasts also read the podcast blog and the podcast show notes. If a podcaster posts decent show notes, then the podcast is searchable via the blog. However, you still might have to fast forward and listen, but it is possible to find information within the podcast.
The Fellaheen Radio Networks podcasts are artistic creations fueled by anger, alcohol, musicians and writers and published in the fashion of The Beats. CrittendenIV, after uploading the show, writes a prose narrative that, alongside the podcast, helps the listener get a feel for what the podcast was like for the participants. Although, this does not lend itself to the “search” method as well as some other more famous podcasters, like Adam Curry’s podcast, it does help to figure out whats inside the mp3 file.
Maybe podcasters should take a note as to where valid information tidbits are within the podcast, and write down the minute and second and post that in the show notes as well. Would that help?
I used the word podcast 16 times within this comment. Thats a comment note, it is searchable.
CrittendenIV of the Fellaheen Radio Network
Something to consider. For me, in a world where there is nothing on the FM radio band that appeals to me and even less on the AM radio band, Podcasts offer a virtually unlimited choice of entertainment that equals 1000’s of radio stations in an on-demand format. I am a frequent listener to Adam Curry’s “Daily Source Code” ( dailysourcecode.com ) to learn about the music industry, podcasting in general from the father of podcasting and other podcasts that are available on the web.
Also remember that podcasting is a way to enjoy content from people that are no longer available via mainstream broadcasting. This Week In Tech ( twit.tv ) is hosted by Leo Laporte of “The Screen Savers” fame which is no longer available.
Both of these programs help fill the time during my 75 minute commute to and from work.
I do listen to podcasts. Probably two or three a week. Unfortunately, each one requires that I spend 20 or 30 minutes, much of it devoted to banter and chitchat.
And that’s my point. In 60 or 90 minutes a week, I can scan literally hundreds of Web sites for information and make all of it searchable. In the same period of time, I can listen to maybe three podcasts.
So far, I have not found a single podcast that I’ve wanted to make a regular part of my day/week/whatever.
Listen to the Fellaheen Radio Network. If your wasting 60 – 90 minutes anyway, you should waste it with us.
I will refrain from spamming the comments with the URL. You can probably google us.
CrittendenIV
Your link is in your name. You entered it when you filled out the comment form. So no Googling required to find the FRN.
Based on your description, I don’t think I’d be interested. Sorry, nothing personal.
Meanwhile, the 200+ blogs I do follow provide me with information that is professionally essential and/or personally interesting. I’m not willing to “spend less time reading 200 blogs” so I can listen to one or two podcasts. Those that I do listen to generally have a guest who I find compelling and where I feel that hearing a voice and intonation/inflection will add to the information in a way that wouldn’t be possible in a written transcript. There aren’t many people like that.
How can you not like music and literature? I myself am a computer professional, but man, even I need to freak-out and indulge in random song jams and boorish behavior, littered with profane expletives and the occasional beer.
Wanna end this thread?
That’s my point. What I listen to is mostly entertainment-66%, information-33%. (Best way I can describe it) It sounds like you are interested primarily in raw information at your own speed. If that is the case it will take you a while to find a podcast that you enjoy…or you may never find one.
Although, if you never find a podcast that suits your fancy, you could always start one. I’d subscribe. wink nudge
I’ve been enjoying the podcasts that are recorded during lectures/presentations. You don’t get the slides, but then again, it’d be hard to seem them while I’m mowing the lawn/grocery shopping.
Instead of wasting 20-30 minutes listening to one podcast I can read tens of blog posts giving me 50X the information I get in a single podcast. If I need to remember a piece of information I read about a few days I ago, all I have to do is search my aggregator, where would I do that with podcasts? Go through my podcast folder? Do I really want to save all those mp3 files on my hard drive?
I really think that you are comparing apples to oranges. I listen to podcasts during times that I can’t be scanning posts (mowing the lawn, grocery shopping, driving to work). I also treat podcasts differently. I’m much more selective about who and what I’m listening to, so the upfront costs are a bit higher, but the hour spent mowing my lawn while listening to Clayton Christensen or Bruce Schneier is much better :^)