Month: September 2014

Make Sure Your Podcast Is Ready For iOS 8

~ shawn ~ 2 Comments

iOS 8 LogoiOS 8, the latest version of Apple’s mobile operating system, the software that powers all iPod Touches, iPhones and iPads will be released today. Apple’s proprietary Podcasts app will be automatically bundled with iOS 8. (Previously, users had to manually add the Podcasts app to their devices.) This means a whole new crop of users will be exposed to the app, and potentially exposed to podcasting for the first time. Make sure your show is easy to find and subscribe to within Apple’s podcasting ecosystem with these tips.

Ensure your podcast is discoverable in the iTunes directory: In order for your podcast to be listed in the iTunes Store (and in turn the Podcasts app), the iTunes-specific tags in your RSS feed must be properly configured. It’s likely that they were correct when you first submitted your show to iTunes. But sometimes, moving web hosts, changing publishing platforms or just random, unexplainable things can alter your RSS feed. And while your feed is still technically working with iTunes, details such as keywords or episode descriptions may have been lost. If your show is currently listed in the iTunes Store, take a look at its listing. Is the show album art up to date (current recommended spec is 1400×1400 pixels)? Is your show’s description still accurate? Are your show titles displaying correctly? If anything looks incorrect, check the iTunes tags in your RSS feed and make the necessary fixes.

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Women in Podcasting: Interview with Anne Stickney

~ jen ~ 1 Comment

The WoW Insider Show LogoAnne Stickney is a name that many people in the World of Warcraft community would easily recognize. She is also known as “Shade”, and has been on several podcasts. I am in awe of how much she knows about the lore of World of Warcraft and entertained by her “tin foil hat” ideas regarding it.

What made you decide to start podcasting? When did you get started? Can you give us a brief history of your experiences in podcasting?

I honestly didn’t make a conscious decision to start podcasting at all! I was asked to guest on a show called All Things Azeroth and talk about Warcraft. It went over really well, and I was asked back a few more times and then I was asked if I’d like to co-host. In the meantime, I also began working for WoW Insider. While I didn’t do the show every week, they had me on every now and again. When one of the hosts left the show, I was brought in to replace him. I can’t say that podcasting was something I ever saw myself doing, but I like to talk just as much as I like to write, and for pretty much the same reasons — just to get ideas out there and get people thinking and sharing their own thoughts and opinions. It’s a lot easier than you’d think, when you’re talking about Warcraft — the game already has a pretty passionate audience!

Your current podcast is the WoW Insider Show. What topics does it cover? Who hosts the show with you?

The show basically covers news about World of Warcraft — we also spend a lot of the show answering reader emails and addressing questions regarding the game. It’s been running for a very long time, with a multitude of different hosts. Currently, Matt Rossi is the main host of the show and I co-host with him. We also bring in either Adam Holisky or Alex Ziebart on a rotating schedule. We’ve found that three people seems to be the magic number for stirring up plenty of conversation and multiple points of view!

How long have you been playing World of Warcraft? What makes the game interesting for you? What other games do you play?

I’ve actually been playing World of Warcraft since the original beta back in 2004. Ten years! But it hasn’t gotten old yet, and that’s mostly because of the great story Blizzard has put together — it’s one of the more expansive fantasy universes out there. The Warcraft universe didn’t even start with World of Warcraft, it started all the way back in 1994 with Warcraft:Orcs and Humans, an RTS game. So there’s twenty years worth of history, lore, and development to keep me occupied. Currently I’m not playing a lot of other games, but I generally stick to RPGs or games with a lot of story when I’m playing — games like Skyrim, Zelda: A Link Between Worlds, Mass Effect – I even picked up Wildstar briefly when it came out. As long as it’s got an entertaining story behind it, I’m all in.

What words of wisdom would you share with women who are thinking about doing a podcast?

Make sure you’re discussing something you’re knowledgeable and passionate about. If you don’t know enough about a subject, look it up — uncertainty carries through your voice and speech patterns more than you’d think. Dead air is the enemy — but even worse is talking over or interrupting people. Let people have their say, and jump in when there’s a natural break in the conversation. Listen to yourself after you’re done recording. It might sound weird to hear your own voice, but you’ll also pick up on any nervous habits you might have when you speak, filler words and phrases you use far too often, and you can work on cutting those out.

Podcast Awards Acquired by New Media Expo

~ admin

As Founder of the Podcast Awards, I want to announce some exciting news. After some thought, I’ve made the decision to sell The Podcast Awards to New Media Expo and their team. I made this decision as Rick and his team have been so involved with us over the past few years.

It has been my absolute pleasure to create and run the awards for the past 9 years, giving podcasters a platform to be recognized. All of this would not have been possible without the support of the podcasting community, and the podcasters that supported the show financially. I will be forever grateful for their participation.

Over the past couple of years, New Media Expo has been instrumental in our Awards Ceremony’s success. I feel certain that the NMX team is ready to take The Podcast Awards to the next level.

Of course, I am not disappearing. I will have a founders’ role and will advise the NMX team in the development and production of the 10th annual event, April 14th in Las Vegas, NV. While Rick and his team will likely make some changes along the way, the spirit of the Peoples Choice Awards will still remain, with the nominees and winners being selected by the listeners, fans and podcasters.

See you at the 10th Annual Podcast Awards

Todd

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Women in Podcasting: Interview With Elsie Escobar

~ jen ~ 2 Comments

Elsie EscobarElsie Escobar started out as a passionate listener of podcasts. She has gone on to be involved in a variety of different kinds of podcasts, including She Podcasts that is for women in podcasting. She is also the producer and co-host of The Feed: The Official Libsyn Podcast.

Can you give us a brief history of your experiences in podcasting? When did you get started? What have you done in podcasting from then to now?

Oh brief experiences…;) 

I started podcasting in July 2006 after developing a pretty massive addiction to listening to podcasts and podcasts as a whole, which has in no way subsided by the way 😀 

My first podcast was Elsie’s Yoga Class, which was basically me, recording my yoga classes and putting them out as a podcast. I thought that was the easiest way for me to start a podcast, since I was already doing it (teaching), and I felt I didn’t have the time to develop something else. 

From then, I started a couple of other podcasts that pretty quickly podfaded, because you know, it’s easy to start, but not so easy to sustain it!

I waited many years before attempting to launch something again, because I wanted to be 100% behind what I put out and I’m happy to say that I’m still at it with my new endeavors!

I produce and co-host The Feed: The Official Libsyn Podcast, which is all about keeping people podcasting, with podcasting news, information, and commentary, plus providing tons of community support for podcasters. 

I also produce and co-host She Podcasts which is a podcast about podcasting for women by women. It’s my love at this moment. The community for that podcast is off the hook! We currently have over 500 members to the She Podcasts Facebook group. All women. All podcasters and wanna be podcasters. 

Every day I am so blown away by their brilliance: podcasters that have been at it since 2005 to newbies that are considering diving into the abyss.

What was it that inspired you to become a podcaster?

I simply adore the medium. Once I discovered it when I got my iPod 5th Generation in December 2005 I was obsessed. 

I am obsessed. I am first and foremost a podcast listener, then I am a podcaster groupie and finally I am a podcasting advocate. 

Podcasting has 100% changed my life. Now I have the privilege of working in podcasting all day every day. It’s crazy pants!

I’ve noticed that your podcast website includes online yoga classes. Could you explain how you take yoga, which as a visual aspect to it, and translate that into an audio podcast? How does that work?

People always ask me how that works, it’s so funny how it seems as if yoga wouldn’t work in an audio format. 

When you practice yoga, part of the depth of the practice is to step into yourself and most especially to become more adept at listening to your body.

The listening part of going to yoga is a skill that is often overlooked. People are more triggered by the visual. We make so many decisions based on what we see, instead of a deep listening. 

My classes force you to listen. To choose to truly step inside of you and to trust that you are doing it “right.” I’m also a skilled teacher so I break the steps down very specifically and offer classes that range from beginners to advanced. 

I wouldn’t advice to start a yoga practice with me, simply because it does help to get the initial vocabulary in your body and your brain, but that said I have had students start with me, never having done yoga before and ending up being quite skilled once they went to their first class.  

What words of wisdom would you share with women who are thinking of starting their own podcast?

The women’s voice is powerful. I am most passionate about having women step into the medium not only to have their voices heard but also to become more comfortable as a woman speaking out. 

This article on Slate about men interrupting women in the tech industry is one reason I adore the medium of podcasting so much and this quote by Coco Chanel “The most courageous act is still to think for yourself. Aloud.”

Podcasting give women the ability to lead with their voices, which if aligned reflect the clarity of their heart – and a woman’s heart is a massive catalyst for change.

Great Inexpensive Podcast Album Art

~ admin

If you have not heard of Fiverr.com before and your a podcaster you need to listen up. In the graphics department I have no skills, so I am always outsourcing new album art. Well Fiverr.com is a website where you can get album art, banners and a whole bunch of other cool stuff done for a Fiverr $5.00.  I want to show you the album art series that have been delivered to me over the past few. If you shop around you can get designers to make you multiple designs in a single order.

I am going to post a few here but you can visit this link to see the full series.

new_media_show_1bGNCgadget_Professor_2

Money Changes Everything – The Other Carolla Lawsuit

~ dave

Adam Carolla LawsuitDepending on how old you are ask yourself, “Who do I know more than 10 years?” How about 20 years? If you’re 50, do you still talk to people who you’ve known for 30 years? Good friends are hard to come by, and should be embraced.

Many times these good friends are the people we want to start a podcast with. You have built in chemistry that has been created over years. If you start a podcast with a friend, I would advise you to put in writing all expectations. You need to define the responsibilities of each person. Answer the question, “What happens if someone wants to quit?” After all, if it is the Ernie and Bert show and Bert quits, what happens?

The other thing you need to make sure of is if there is ANY money involved you write down how it will be divided. You may or may not need to get a lawyer involved, but you need to get everyone on the same piece of paper. Then have everyone sign off on it it (so you are all on the same page). You need to do this before money is involved.

Why?

Because money changes everything. 

According to an article by ABC channel 12, Donny Misraje is someone who has been a friend of Adam Carolla for 30 YEARS. This friendship is going up in flames. Why?

Misraje claims he pushed his friend into podcasting when CBS canceled Carolla’s morning radio show in February 2009. The podcast was an instant hit. Within a month, he says, Carolla agreed to make him a partner and promised him a 30% stake in his company, Ace Broadcasting Network. Misraje’s 30% payday never came. He contends Carolla cut him, his wife and cousin loose as soon as the cash started rolling in. He even changed the name of the company, Ace Broadcasting Network, to Carolla Digital. (full details)

In a recent interview Misraje stated, “We’re definitely not friends. It’s, it’s wrenching,” he said. “We were like brothers for 30 years. The relationship was extremely close and tight, and it came to an abrupt end.” This is not the first (or last) time people will argue over a podcast partnership. Cali Lewis once hosted geekbrief.tv with her now ex-husband (which is why her show is now geekbeat.tv). If we go back to the early days of podcasting, Rocketboom fired their original host as she found out she owned 49% of the podcast.

By putting together a document that states who is responsible for the name, the podcast, etc you can map out what happens under all the “Worst case scenarios.” By knowing what is expected moving forward, you can put all the uncomfortable discussions behind you and get back to creating great content that will impact your audience.

Dave Jackson is the founder of the School of Podcasting and produces The School of Podcasting’s Morning Announcements podcast and is the author of the Book More Podcast Money.

Women in Podcasting: Interview with Sarah Reeson – PCN Show 003

~ jen

pcn003 artworkEpisode 3 of the Podcaster News Show was hosted by me (Jen Thorpe).  In this episode, I bring you more news about women in podcasting.  This episode features Sarah Reeson, whom World of Warcraft players may know as “The Godmother”.  She is putting together a huge podcasting project that involves asking players of World of Warcraft 10 questions about their experiences in the game during the past 10 years.

Links mentioned during this episode:
Alternative Chat blog
10 Years: 10 Questions
Note: The deadline for participation in the 10 Years: 10 Questions project has been extended to September 8, 2014.
@PodcastingNews

Podcast: Play in new window | Download

Voicemeeter Is A Powerful Software Mixer For Windows

~ shawn ~ 1 Comment

Voicemeeter AppDeveloper VB-Audio Software has recently updated its audio production app Voicemeeter. Voicemeeter is a powerful software mixer for Windows that allows users to mix multiple hardware and virtual inputs. There are many possibilities for using Voicemeeter with podcasting. For example, Voicemeeter could be used to mix different sound sources such as USB headsets along with computer-based audio sources like software soundboards or media players. It could also be used for creating a mix-minus setup for recording Skype calls.

Voicemeeter has an extensive set of audio I/O for configuring signal paths. A list of possible uses from the Voicemeeter website (Note: VB-Audio Software is a French developer, so their English is a bit wonky.):

  • *To mix your voice with your music on Skype or Google Voice as well as for broadcasting and make your own radio.
  • *To use 2x USB Headset on a computer, for example for online educational program.
  • *To Play Video Game in 5.1 and keep the MIC for communication with your team.
  • *To make tutorial with your preferred audio software and pro quality.
  • *To Record Conference or Interview in multichannel for post production.
  • *To use different Audio Application together and record the performance in live with your preferred DAW.
  • *Finally to manage simply whatever sound sources on your computer in an easy way.

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