Many non-techie’s are confused when I tell them what a podcast is, or that podcasts offer them anything of interest. People believe that podcasts are too obscure or complicated to use. A few years ago, I shared that skepticism as well. Getting into the music podcasts helped me shed that limiting belief.

The term podcast is unfortunate in some ways because it takes some explanation to tell someone what a podcast is and how it works, although most of the concepts have been used for decades in radio and TV. Podcasts have a reputation for being “techie”, which obfuscates the good, (non-techie) content they offer. Syndicated programs have been produced for many years. Our grandparents may have listened to Fibber McGee and Molly, one of the classic and most recognizable radio syndications of all time. The only substantial difference with podcasts is the way they’re distributed.

So there’s confusion. I’m sure there’s something for everyone available these days. Podcasting is growing at an unprecedented rate. All it takes is a hearty search! For example, my family recently went on a trip to Mexico. Before she left, my cousin wanted to learn some beginner Spanish. Sounds like a job for SpanishPod! For me, it was music that helped me cross the hurdle; I was looking for new ways to listen to obscure independent music. There was the radio of course, but I don’t carry one around with me. Further, the radio has little I want to listen to. Celine Dion? No thanks.

There is the opinion that podcasts are better suited for news, shows, and frequently updated content. Services like news and weather are updated regularly, and previous episodes lose relevance quickly. Who cares about last month’s CBC World At Six, after all. Music, by contrast, doesn’t become obsolete when a new episode is released.

I believe music will be an important catalyst for getting more and more people to adopt podcasts. The drawback is that most of it will be unfamiliar to listeners. People who expect to hear mainstream music from a podcast are going to be disappointed (for now at least). Regardless, there is enough great indie music available to draw in anyone who manages to listen for a few minutes.

I am always looking for ways to familiarize people with podcasts and methods to ease adoption.

By the way, if you are interested in old-timey radio, including Fibber McGee and Molly, check out http://boxcars711.podomatic.com

 

 08-03-31 >> the DailySplice Podcast [7:30m]: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

NPR Second Stage: Read KD - Empty Bottles
Canadian Podcast Buffet: Podcasting Indulgence
careerjoy’s podcast: How Starbucks Saved My Life
CBC Between the Covers: King Leary
Medical Minute: Breathalyzer in your dashboard
comedy4cast: Recession
CNET: Online version of Adobe Photoshop beta

I’ve been noticing a lot of online services popping up that allow you to create a mixtape of your favorite songs. Here’s two posts by Mashable alone just this week:

Muxtape. The Simplest Mixtape Service Yet.
Mixwit’s Simple Mixtape Service
This idea of mixing media content online and forming playlists seem to be a growing trend. DailySplice is also, in a way, a mixtape creator… only we focus on podcasts mixes rather than music.

 

 08-03-28 >> the DailySplice Podcast [7:30m]: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

IndieFeed Indie-Pop AND Alternative Rock: The Presidents of the United States of America: They’re Back!;
TEKDIFF:The Account: A Tale of The Waking World, Chapter 4;
NPR Climate Connections: Antarctic Tourism;
NPR Technology: ScientificMatch.com;
Read/WriteTalk: Semantic Web open for business?;
NPR Your Health: Cursing;
CBC Editors Choice: Are SIN numbers secure?

Remember the days when we referred to any personal portable audio player as a “Walkman.” It didn’t matter if the cassette player was a Sony, or even a cassette player. If someone had headphones on when they were walking around, they were listening to their “Walkman.”

This is because Sony was first to the market with the idea, and they did a really good job of marketing. The term has been a part of our language for 20 years.

But after 20 years a new company has come along that, again, was first to market with an innovation and has even stronger marketing skills. Personal Audio players now are referred to as “iPods.” It doesn’t matter what the brand is, or even if the device is an mp3 player or another portable device that you can listen to music on. If someone has headphones on when they are walking around they are listening to their “iPod.”

It’s hard to imagine that this will ever change again, but clearly Apple has proved it is possible to change people’s language if you’re good enough. Will it ever change again?

 

 08-03-27 >> the DailySplice Podcast [7:30m]: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

Podington Bear: Sparkleton
Business Daily: The Credit Crunch
EDC Weekly Commentary: China’s Kitty
Tech5: Microsoft holds almost all the IP in voice recognition technology
Royal Report: William or Charles?
CBC World at Six: Canadian detainee at Guantanamo Bay going to trial
CBC Hourly: Poor Starving Pine Beatles

Now here’s a podcast a podcast I am very fond of. Podington Bear releases an instrumental track every once in a while. All of the tracks they release are very easy to listen to, have cute or interesting rhythms, and are upbeat. I always get a sense of nostalgia when I listen, remembering the free old days of video games and studying. Love it.

 

 08-03-26 >> the DailySplice Podcast [7:30m]: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

CBC Track of the Day: Creature of the Night by The Creepshow;
The Film Programme: Javier Bardem talks about new film role;
90 Second Naturalist: Grey Wolves are Back;
SpanishPod: Beginner, Intermediate, or Advanced Spanish;
CNET Podcast: Ladybag;
Dialed in from CNET: Maybe a flip iPhone?;
BBC Global News: Bee Colony Collapse;

The c|net News.com Daily Tech News Podcast is an example of a podcast that I think is just about perfect. Here’s why:

• It’s short, daily, and consistent so it’s easily built into the routine
• the content is high quality and trustworthy
• it acheives the company objectives by always referring people to interesting articles on the site

Be sure to check it out, and if you’re a podcaster, make stuff like this!

 

 08-03-25 >> the DailySplice Podcast [7:30m]: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

NPR Second Stage: Needers and Givers: Holy Rollers;
Archers: Easter Quiz;
NPR Science Friday: Scientists discover organic molecules on distant planets;
Morning Prayer from The Episcopal Church in Garrett County;
NPR World Story of the Day;
Podcasting Underground: Podcasting an Industry?;
CNET: hubbub over iPhone SDK;