Listen?

Let's suppose you never listen to podcasts. Let's suppose it's because you think listening to podcasts is too hard.

Okay, then let's make it simpler.

At the top of my webpage at Grizzly's Growls Dot Com, there's a little yellow button marked "Listen." Click on it. It'll start playing all my shows, starting with my most recent, and working it's way back. Thre's a similar yellow button on the sidebar of the page for this blog, at Blog dot Grizzly's Growls dot Com.

Just a little javascript flash player, or something like that. Even opens up in a new window. so you can continue listening while in your main browser window you're still, um, browsing.

It'd be a shame to miss out, just because it seems too hard.

Listen.

Almost There on PodcastAlley.com

Okay, on Podcastalley.com, my podcast is # 101 under Society & Culture. Almost there! So, all I need is just a little more interest via that venue, and I hit the Podcast Alley Top 100, I become famous and world-renowned, get rich, and can devote all my time to creating yet more podcasts and whatnot. And of course, that's exactly what I'd do -- as compared to becoming an alcohol-soaked blithering idiot. Which I'd never do, because it's my -job- to be a Well-Known Internet Celebrity at that point, and of course I'd never break that covenant with my readers and listeners. No, really. I'd never do that. Never.

Please ignore the maniacal giggling. No really, I'd never do that. You can trust me.

Griz

NaNaPooPoo, or whatever.

So, I signed up the other day for National Podcast Post Month, or NaPodPoMo. The name threw me, at first -- wondered what "NaPooPooMo" might be. (Need new glasses.)

NaPodPoMo is an idea inspired by NaNoWriMo, the National Novel Writing Month, I think that is. Writers pledge to write X thousand words every day for an entire month. Arguably, one could complete a novel in a month that way. And writers support each other in meeting their goals every day, which is rather hard, like anything else you have to decide to do on your own.

National Podcast Post Month requires a podcaster (like me) to produce at least one podcast every day, for all 31 days in November. On the face of it, this seems like a Good Thing. Podcasting is somewhat related to writing, depending on what you're podcasting. Some of it IS writing, of course.

Now I'm having second thoughts, at least on how to do this right.

Do I do much shorter shows, so I can manage to come up with 31 days of worthwhile (cough, cough) content? The case could be made that my shows are too long anyway, so it'd be an improvement, nu?

Would it count if I did 31 episodes of "Stories from the Hiber-Nation?" That would only require recording and editing; I wouldn't need to actually write that many shows. But that's not doing 31 days of my original "Grizzly's Growls" podcast. That would -definitely- require shorter shows, and at least one IDSL tune for each show.

And do I get to count both "Grizzly's Growls" and "Stories from the Hiber-Nation" shows? I'd think so, but I want to abide by the spirit of NaNaPooPoo, or whatever. (I think NaNoWriMo sounds much better and is easier to say. Am I wrong? I think it should be called NaPodWriMo, because podcasting requires writing, too, I think.)

And considering my next Grizzly's Growls will be show 70, I'd be producing Episode 100 some time during NaPodPoMo. Is that a Good Thing, or a Bad Thing?

Given I normally have no idea what I'm going to talk about on GG, doesn't that necessarily reduce the quality of the shows? Is producing 31 days of Mindless Drivel sufficient to the spirit of the event?

Don't ask me, I ave no idea. Anybody have any thoughts?

How I would do a Tech Podcast

I have a minor dilemma. I do a "Personal Journal" sort of podcast. Nothing wrong with that. But of course, the really big, popular podcasts are "Tech Podcasts."

Trouble is, most Tech Podcasts are focused on listeners calling or writing in to ask questions, and the host answering those questions from a wealth of expertise. I don't have a wealth of expertise.

I don't actually know anything. I used to, but they changed it all in the 30 years I've been doing this, and I don't usually understand the new stuff that well. I just kinda fiddle around and muddle through, if what I'm doing is important enough to me. In fact, I have a lot more questions than I have answers.

So, here's my idea.

I ask the questions, my technically savvy audience provides the answers. I assume I have a technically savvy audience; I really have no idea. Never asked 'em. But they at least know how to download podcasts, right?

I certainly have plenty of questions that come to mind. I do try to follow many of the tech podcasts that actually have answers, but they're usually answering some question unrelated to mine -- interesting and educational, but not directly solving my problem.

So, this seems like it might work. Couldn't hurt, nu?

Nominations, Please?

By the way, I put up a link on both websites for nominations for the Fourth Annual People's Choice Podcast Awards. And you're the people. I'd imagine both "Grizzly's Growls" and "Stories from the Hiber-Nation" could be nominated.

I'd appreciate your nomination, in whatever category you think appropriate, if you're willing. Don't cost nuthin', and I'd feel good about it.

Thanks.

Grizzly

Freaking out

Okay, here's the deal. I'd kind of reached a plateau with the "Grizzly's Growls" podcast, pretty consistently 100 downloads per episode, four episodes a month, so 400 downloads a month.

Last month I got almost 600 downloads. So far this month, six days in, almost 100 downloads already.

It's kinda freaking me out.

I am doing a couple things differently, "Hiber-Nation" in particular, but that doesn't cover the massive increase in downloads. Unless some kind soul is trying to cheer me up by downloading a few hundred extra shows ... I have no idea what's going on. If I did, I'd do more. Now I'm a bit scared I'll stop doing something I don't know I'm doing, and lose a bunch of listeners.

Imagine my shagrin, bemusement, and overall confusion.

Overall good, but a bit weird.

Maybe it's my careful and meticulous efforts to select the right music for the show, by playing the next song on a computer-generated list (the "It Doesn't Suck" list)?

Maybe it's the tremendous effort I put into audio quality, by recording in my echoey bedroom, and slapping together bits and pieces of audio I've accumulated?

Inquiring minds want to know. Me, too.

More access for Podiobooks?

Following up on a Twitter post from the other day...

I listen to a whole lot of audio novels from Podiobooks.com. I've gotten a bit spoiled, maybe; with a couple dozen podcasts I follow, and with podcast novels, I rarely sit down with an actual book. Nice thing about this, I never have to figure out what to do with a perfectly good book I'm never going to read again.

Anyway. Podiobooks.com podcasts the parts of the novels. Rather than listening to the whole book at once, their site will create a personalized RSS feed for you, and once a week (or whatever interval) your feed aggregator will grab the next available section. Very convenient.

I prefer to listen to the whole thing at once. This can be done, manually downloading each separate file from the webpage for that novel. Very inconvenient, IMHO. It's time-consuming to download file after file after file. And for the last couple books I've downloaded, I've only gotten partial files in a couple cases -- and had to go back and play the files directly off the website, just to hear the end. Even more inconvenient.

True, if I just Got With The Program and used the feed as intended, it'd probably work fine. But for me, old-timey computer guy that I am, I'd prefer to at least have the option of downloading via FTP (File Transfer Protocol, one of the oldest functions of the Internet).

The site does have an FTP server set up for authors to upload new episodes. Downloads wouldn't be a terribly stressful addition. FTP is specifically designed for transferring files, and works quite effectively. And with an appropriately configured FTP host, I could tell my FTP client to just "grab all the files in this folder," walk away to grab a cup of coffee, and come back when it's done.

It might just be me that would want this ability. But since the server itself is already there, I don't think it'd be an impossible, arduous or expensive process to add this capability.

Comments?

A good idea, a bad explanation

Had part of an idea the other day. A friend came up with the other part.

I usually end up recording my podcast in my bedroom. That's fine, I suppose, it's the space I have available. But when one does audio recording, it's best to have an accoustically "dead" space -- no hard flat walls to bounce sounds around and create a hollow, echo-ey quality. I just don't have such a space to use.

I mentioned to an old friend that it'd be nice if I could use some space down at the Duluth Art Institute. Didn't expect much, just a quieter room than my own. He pointed out that, after all, a decent audio recording space would be good for the DAI, too; they could record their own, arts-related podcasts, as well as hosting the handful of local non-commercial podcasters.

So I brought our idea -- mostly my friend's idea -- to someone I know from way back, who knows more about the DAI than I do, he seemed to have the impression I was talking about something like one of those fancy studios they use for recording albums and what-not, the ones you see on TV with all the big mixing hardware and a 24-track recording system and boom mikes and whatnot, and thought I needed to put together a powerpoint presentation to sell the idea to the DAI.

Well, that ain't happening. Me making a presentation like that is as likely as me skipping naked across the Lift Bridge. I just don't have the visual background to create such a presentation. I don't know diddly about the large-scale recording hardware he was thinking about. And I wasn't even thinking in those terms. I guess I just don't do well explaining things off-the-cuff.

Most podcasts are recorded in whatever room the producer has available. If they have the freedom and the space, they may staple some foam rubber on the walls, to cut down on echo. I heard the other day that Seth Harwood, creator of the Jack Palms audio novels (and now a published author), recorded the first in the series in a room with sleeping bags nailed to the walls to create that dead space.

And most podcasts are recorded with a microphone plugged into a computer, and, well, that's it. Free editing software. No elaborate mixing hardware. I'm pretty much on the bleeding edge of run-of-the-mill podcasters at least, with my Samson Zoom H2 Handy Recorder. For what it is, it's a pretty impressive piece of hardware. And it fits in my pocket and runs off of two AA batteries.

So I apparently explained the idea badly. But I still think the idea is good. For people like me, the space would be valuable. And I think the DAI could use it in the way my friend thought of, producing their own podcasts on arts-related stuff. Even without the expensive hardware. Even if they track down a bunch of used sleeping bags to nail to the walls. They could spend more, sure. But more expensive doesn't always mean better, and isn't always necessary.

If anybody from the Institute ever reads this, maybe they'll consider the idea. If not, I suppose it'll never happen.

Too bad, too.

If only I could explain things better.

OhMiGod, is She podcasting?

Just wanted to let you know, my friend TR Kelley is starting a new podcast, called "Radio Calico." Just put up the very first show. Just based on what I've heard and seen from her before, it ought to be fun and interesting, and just a bit odd. Which is what will make it fun and interesting. Not at all as staid and conservative as myself.

Congrats, TR, and I hope you have as much fun with it as I have!

Another "Guest Spot"

The other night I participated in two upcoming episodes of the "535 York" podcast, connected with the Long Live TechTV Yahoo group. We recorded episodes 97 and 98 on Thursday.

It was fun, and a bit challenging. The other guys on the panel are a lot more technically knowledgeable than I am. But maybe I offer the "regular user" perspective, and I ask some of the right questions. And I do offer my impressions about things, based on the news coverage I've seen. They may be wrong impressions, but they're my impressions.

I like being able to record with other folks. Unfortunately, we weren't able to record my own show at Androy the other night, but these things happen. I'm running through ideas for Episode 57 in my head as I type this.

Plan, what, C, D, Plan 9 from Outer Space?

I just found out today I don't have to put a separate feed on my Changeling Turkey account to handle separate, storytelling podcasts. I set all that up, but now I don't know, again, what to do with that old blog. Maybe nothing.

Under The Weather

Missed another show last weekend, sorry about that. I was pretty worn out, and possibly down with whatever people are coming down with this year who don't actually die. Anyway, wrote the show script this week already, tinkered with recording part of it yesterday, threw out what I had because of too much background noise. I know I'm not the best about having a quiet environment, but I do make some effort.

I've got two reviews in train, one already written and one for the show after next. I have a couple songs from the iDSL waiting. I always try to ask for permission, and sometimes I don't hear back in time, but I've yet to have anyone complain I'd played their songs, so far, so good.

I also think I finished setting up the Changeling Turkey blog to be a podcast for my storytelling. Never tried that with a Blogger blog, but other folks do it all the time. So if you liked the way I read stories on Grizzly's Growls, that's where they'll be posted in future, and the two-and-a-half story shows I did on G.G. now also show up only under C.T.

I have been tinkering a bit more with Twitter, and put these little widgets up on two of the websites, in case someone wonders what I did five minutes ago. (Luckily, Twitter doesn't record audio of toilets flushing, for example.) A grand total of one follower so far, why, I have no idea. Haven't made my mind up about following other people.

And that's about it at the moment. I should finally have 53 up this weekend, and we'll carry on from there. And I'll be figuring out what exactly to do with C.T. as time goes on. Maybe that Audio Drama thing I wanted to do a while back?

See ya around.

Parts is Parts!

So, what did you think of my new format for Episode 50? I had a bunch of
pieces to interject into the program, and I wanted to organize things a
bit better. So I went with "Part 1, Part 2" and so on.

It's a bit Paul Harvey, granted, nothing wrong with Paul Harvey, at least
as a broadcaster. I think, too, it'd make it easier to assemble the
Shownotes -- I'm thinking in future, I should use the Part titles as
dividers for the shownotes. Gives a better indication of how things break
down, and makes sure I remember to give credit where credit is due.

By the way, we've achieved a new high in subscribers. There are now 36
regular listeners! I'm thrilled, and thank you all for listening. Now I
gotta come up with what I'm going to say next.

I'm sorely tempted, on the one hand, to tell more stories. But on the
other hand, the absolute best response I got on the stories was "well, if
you really feel you must do the storytelling thing, go ahead." It'd be,
at worst, good practice for me for recording audiobooks someday. But on
the other hand, if people hate it -- maybe I should stop doing it?

FWIW, each of those shows is tagged as "story," so I'd imagine there's
some way to ignore those particular episodes.

--
Grizzly's Growls
The Life and Times of a Minor Local Celebrity
Podcast: <http://grizzly.libsyn.com>
Blog: <http://grizzlysgrowls.blogspot.com>