Jeffrey Daniel Frey’s Blog

RSVP today for the “The Why and How of Educational Institution Podcasting” webcast to be held on Thursday, November 1, 2007 at 1:30PM CST!!!

I will be using some of the new knowledge that I gained from the conferences I’ve been to and research that I’ve done recently to give a webcast for the Greater Houston Education Collaboration (http://www.ghecgroup.net/Fall2007.html)… look 1/2 way down the page.

The abstract talks about podasting as a relatively new technology that is being implemented and tested by some educational institutions within multiple departments and schools. Through examples of, and research into, what they are doing, I will be show the five main reasons to podcast. Also, podcasting is not a complicated endeavor as most of you know. I will be able to show the steps in the process of podcasting in the time alloted. Lastly, I will discuss the hardware and software needed to podcast with specific recommendations for all budget levels.

RSVP for Live Audience Participation
RSVP for Internet Live Stream

Watch Live Webcast This link will be activated on Thursday, November 1 at 1:25 PM CST. (On day of event, please sign on with your NAME and ORGANIZATION.)

Themes: Distance Learning: Use of podcasting to do so. Classroom Technology: How to record and post lectures. Internet Tools: Podcast providers and directories. Software: Garageband, Audacity, iTunes. Hardware: Portable recorders, mics, boards. Level: All. Audience: All.

Be sure to check out the rest of the webcasts on the page listed above… it looks like a pretty good line-up this fall!

Transcript to “7 – The Format of Your Podcast” (5:26) released January 28, 2007 (click here to listen):

Hi, J.D. Frey here from thewhyandhowofpodcasting.  I’m going to get right into podcast formats today because I think I could write an entire book on this subject alone.

There are several formats I want to talk about surrounding speakers and topics for your podcast.

First, a Single Speaker with One Topic.  A good thing about having a single speaker is that there isn’t anyone else to have to worry about what they say.  The problem is that there’s no one else to cover or critique what YOU say.

Single podcaster or not, always have people screen your podcast.  They can proof-listen to make sure you haven’t missed anything… because we all know that we’ve been too close to a project, or worked with it too long, that sometimes we miss things.

A good thing about having one topic is that there is only one thing to focus on.  The content that you have to gather can be concentrated.  The bad thing about that is that sometimes, when there is only one thing to focus on, you might wear out the content that there is to find about it.

The worst thing about that… not having content… is that people tend to make up things to say about the topic or unintentionally drift off topic because they’ve run out of content.

So, single speaker, single topic… just make sure someone screens your podcast and you have enough content.

What about a single speaker with multiple topics?

Having multiple topics can be a great way to draw multiple people groups to your podcast.  Let’s say you’re podcasting about the overall issue of health news.  If you cover a men’s topic, and a women’s topic… you’ve brought both men and women to your podcast… maybe you can do a podcast on diet, exercise, and work related issues surrounding them.  That way, you pull in a conscientious eater, a gal that goes to the gym, and a guy at work that doesn’t have time to think about either but really wants to.  The lesson there?  Vary your content and direct it at different groups.

If you are going to do multiple topics in your one podcast, be prepared for some listeners to care about some topics, and not about others.  To get around this, spend a short time on each topic, and give a preview of what you’re going to talk about in the whole podcast.  So, even if the thing a listener is interested in doesn’t show up until last, they’ll listen the whole way through.  The lesson there for that one?  Let people know what you’re going to be talking about, and don’t spend too much time on one topic.

So, multiple topics… vary your content, direct it at different groups, preview what you’ll talk about, and don’t spend too much time on just one of the topics.

Now, what about a podcast with multiple speakers?  I’m going to over exaggerate this, but experience tells me that two people usually have two different lives with two different sets of goals.  If you decide on a two person format podcast, be prepared to miss some deadlines when both of you can’t make that recording date you set up.  Think through who will take control when someone decides it’s not going well for them anymore.  Also, make sure you keep your audience informed when one of you decide to move on to something else… get the point?  Though you might not be thinking about this with your hobby podcast that you and your friend are putting together… I suggest having a contract.  Something simple that you both sign to answer some of the questions surrounding ownership and money of the podcast.  Who knows, you could end up being an overnight sensation, not knowing where that leaves your friendship.

When writing your contract, flesh out things about the podcast as well… like frequency, duration, topics, etc.  Also, don’t rely on just one person to know how to do a podcast.  Both of you, unless you have a production crew, should be equally familiar with recording, editing, and posting a podcast.  If the knowledgeable one is out, the other needs to keep the podcast running for the listeners.

Ultimately, the best podcast format is a combination of speakers and topics.  You’ll reach the most people in the least amount of time that way.  Just one warning… I know you’re saying… why does there always have to be a warning… (laugh)… but my warning is… whatever format you use, and whatever combination you use… some listeners don’t like change.  If you watch any late night comedy show… you know that.  Intro, 20 minute dialog, funny skit, interview #1, interview #2, band, interview #3, end.  If you’re going to try something new, ease your listeners into it.  Talk to someone one week, bring someone else on the next.  Talk about two things, then three.  Make the change as seemless as possible.

So, play around with the different formats, watch for gotchas on all of them, and if you need more advice, I’ll be writing a bit more about podcast formats this week on my blog… also feel free to send me an email at jdfrey at rice dot edu… j d f r e y at r i c e dot e d u… so I can answer your question directly.

As always, find more info at thewhyandhowofpodcasting.com and jdfrey.wordpress.com. I’m J.D. Frey… thanks for listening.

My posts have been a little thin lately. I’m actually on vacation and using it to spend a lot of time reviewing scripts for podcasts that I’ll be producing shortly. I continue to get questions and am also so glad that I can help some of you by phone and email personally from time to time. Don’t hesitate to contact me if you have a question or comment about podcasting in an educational setting.

Now, about podcatching… iTunes is the obvious choice for a podcatcher. A podcatcher being a piece of software installed on your computer that downloads and aggregates podcasts for synchronization to a digital music player. So, what if you don’t have/want iTunes? Juice is the answer: http://juicereceiver.sourceforge.net/

But don’t be afraid to try others: http://www.podcatchermatrix.org/

iWhat? I met someone who is testing one of these for the company and they say it’s great. Podcatching without a computer, iTunes, etc. Though over 50% of all people are viewing podcasts directly on their computer, what about those without them? How about those of us who just went out and bought our nice new shiny black 80GB iPod and left the laptop at work, or go on a trip, or… hmmm…

…is this really going to be a useful product? Who has an internet connection without a computer? You still need to log-on to a website to say which podcasts you want to subscribe to. I’m never without my PowerBook, I watch most of my podcasts in iTunes, and sync up the iPod to transfer the really long podcasts so I can listen to them at the gym. Well, I still think the device is cool, but let me know what you think about it.

Plug an internet enabled RJ45 Ethernet cable into the back of this thing, log onto a website and select the podcasts that you’d like to subscribe to, and dock your iPod. Simple. (Why do I want one?) The LED will show you when a new episode is available. (So I don’t have to keep hitting the refresh button in iTunes.)

They could use a better website. Go there and you’ll learn that “With the office in both Silicon Valley and China, the team is well positioned to bring the dreaming concept to true reality.” and “With the true believe in podcasting as the new media platform, iMorphosis is to make podcasting available and easily-adopted by everyone.”

So, go to imorphosis.com and sign up to get one of these. You’ll find that they are responsive to take suggestions on how to make the product better (feedback from the guy I met), but there isn’t much support. They have an FAQ on-line that has topics such as “ Q: Network LED is not turn on” and “ Q: I am about to save an episode in MP3 player, but when I am on line, I can not see it in my MP3 player anymore. What happen?” So… that helps some…?

To the point: Great idea. Good product. Okay delivery. Fair support. Bad marketing (so far).

(I still want one.)