Digital Audio & Radio Articles

Cheat Sheet / Updated 04-25-2022

If you’re new to ham radio, these articles contain information that new ham radio operators should keep handy while gathering experience. You’ll find these references to be just what you need while learning to navigate the radio bands and make contacts. Bookmarking the websites in your web browser will help while you’re online, too.

Cheat Sheet / Updated 02-23-2022

When you are podcasting, you have to keep track of a lot of components. Besides ensuring that the hardware is operating properly, that your software is capturing audio without fail, and keeping track of your latest episode’s analytics, you also have to keep straight all the minute details. Ensure that your podcasts are well-received by adhering to technical standards for artwork and audio. Check out some of the podcasting platforms on which you want to ensure your podcasts are listed. If you’re doing a podcast interview, a little prep time can save a lot of embarrassment.

Cheat Sheet / Updated 02-14-2022

Spotify is changing the way the world listens to music. With a Spotify account, you can listen to all kinds of music, create and share playlists, and even join the Spotify online community.

Step by Step / Updated 01-26-2022

iTunes comes preinstalled on every new Mac that's been sold since 2003. But if you have an older Mac, installing iTunes is easy. To manually install iTunes on to a Mac or manually upgrade the version you have, start at the Apple website.

Article / Updated 09-19-2021

One great way to podcast is with guests in-studio or co-hosts when more than one podcaster gets on mic. While there’s something to be said for the single voice doing a monologue or perhaps doing interviews, the show dynamics change quite a bit when you get multiple people gathered together over your favorite topic. For one thing, it’s a lot easier to carry on a conversation! Another bonus is with the right dynamic between hosts, an energy is created that subscribers see and hear in every episode. Here are some specific things to be aware of when doing a show with multiple guests: Have a mixer with enough channels. The mixer becomes a crucial piece of equipment when co-hosts become part of the production. You can try the one mic, two voices approach, but the end result is hard to control and mix in post-production. For the best sound and optimal control, all participants need their own microphones. This means XLR connections, not USB, for microphones. Two hosts and you’ll need two channels. Four hosts, four channels. And don’t forget, you may want a few extra inputs for music, sound effects, and more. So make sure the mixer can handle the in-studio demands. Make sure everyone can hear. You’re wearing headphones when you record. So should your guests, especially if drop-ins are included in your recording. It’s not only fair, it’s practical that everyone hears the same thing. Each guest needs his or her own set of headphones. Before you run out and get a cheap “Y” cable to split the signal, realize that with each split, the audio signal degrades. To keep the investment economical, invest in a stereo headphone amplifier for about $25 that takes the headphone signal and splits (while boosting) it in to four separate channels. You’ll find this investment will serve you and your podcast well. Always do your prep work. Even after a decade of podcasting, there are still gremlins in our audio systems. You can record on Saturday afternoon and come back Sunday night only to find audio levels have been adjusted. Okay, it could be the cats playing with the mixer settings in the middle of the night, but it never hurts to check your audio (and video) settings before each recording. Have one director. This is the person in charge of your show’s flow, timing, and in some cases coming up with clever segues to jump from one topic to the next. Usually this is the person at the mixer, but not always. It may even be someone off mic (or camera) giving hand signals. In some cases, this may be a baton passed from person to person in the cast. You’ll find what works best for your group. The podcaster calling the plays serves as a moderator. It's your job to keep the energy up, the conversation going, and keep the episode on track. Give everyone some air time. As with the previous item, the director may need to make sure everyone gives everyone else a chance to talk. Different people bring different things to your show. Some people may be passionate and outspoken (and some may be considered an unstoppable train), while others don’t want to interrupt and wait their turn. Encourage your guests to play fair and give everyone a share the air time. Discuss this among your co-hosts before it becomes a problem. When guests are in-studio or on the line, give them the majority of air time on that episode. Both Chuck and Tee have seen and heard their fair share of interviews gone bad. It can be something as horrific as the host or hosts not knowing (or caring) to do any research on the guest. Tee recalls one podcast where the co-hosts broke on a tangent between themselves for ten minutes while the guest remained silent on the line, waiting to be asked another question. When guests are on the docket, remember that the episode is no longer yours. It’s theirs. Make sure everyone can see everyone else. It’s been said that as much as 93 percent of our communications is nonverbal. Even if you are doing an audio podcast, you want to be able to see each other during the conversation. Configure your studio to make sure everyone can see everyone else in order to have eye contact, see silent signals to pick up the pace or slow down, and let the director know all have something to say. Being able to read each other’s nonverbal cues is made easier when sightlines are clear and unobstructed — well, most of the time. Be aware that your show will be longer as you include more guests in the conversation. If you want to keep your show length consistent, then include fewer topics than you expect.

Article / Updated 03-17-2021

Slice-of-life podcasts that encourage community among listeners and fans are podcasts that promote. They can promote a show cancelled too soon into production, an issue affecting the well-being of a community, or offer a voice to a cause. The promotion comes from word-of-mouth advertising (buzz) that these podcasters generate from their thoughts, comments, and opinions on their subject — be it traveling across Spain, daily life in New York City, George Lucas’s Star Wars, or Joss Whedon’s Firefly. Slice-of-life podcasts let the world into locations and clue people into possibilities that listeners may be curious about. After a few podcasts, you can even encourage listeners to experience that corner of the world, that idea, or join the community. Do you have a cause you want to give attention to? Do you want to raise awareness in your county or district? Do you want to share the experience of preparing for a wedding or anniversary? Consider sound-seeing tour podcasts in order to build an online community through your podcast. Creating a podcast to encourage testimony Community is synonymous with podcasting. This book talks a lot about community, establishing a connection between you the podcaster and your audience, impatiently waiting for the next episode. Podcasts can also bring an existing community — a group with a shared interest, a community of homeowners, or a group dedicated to a cause — together and keep its members informed. The podcast can reach audiences in and outside of your community, sharing your interests and concerns with others, making your community even stronger in the long run. The WDW Radio Show has been a long-running podcast about planning the best trip to the “House of the Mouse,” Walt Disney World. Hosted by Disney expert, author, speaker, and entrepreneur Lou Mongello, the WDW Radio Show has built an impressive community around his family-friendly podcast, featuring a blog, videos, and live broadcasts as part of his audio travel guide. Travel planning is not the only topic of discussion on the WDW Radio Show. Lou also hosts interviews with representatives from the Walt Disney Company, shares comments from listeners about previous episodes or queries about best travel tips, and many personal anecdotes on everything from a favorite amusement park ride to the best Disney vacation memories. What makes the WDW Radio Show more of a community than just another podcast is in how its podcast works to not only inform listeners on getting the most out of a visit to Walt Disney World, but also encourage listeners to share their own tips, ideas, and stories about the “best” way to experience Disney, Epcot, and other properties. This community, in turn, promotes the Walt Disney image through the best of methods: word-of-mouth. The podosphere takes great pride in its sense of community, but the podcasts showcased here are set apart because the community is encouraged to take a more active role in the issues, concerns, and points of focus the podcast is centered around. In some cases, the producing of the podcast brings the community together, either through listener contributions, listeners directing the course of the show, or listeners coming together for a common cause. Podcasting for fun (while promoting in the process) When it comes to promotion, no one does a better job in promoting your business than your most passionate fans. They work for free, set their own hours, and sing the praises (if you are lucky) of whatever it is you happen to be producing. Many times, these podcasts are nicknamed fancasts, but these are podcasts where consumers independently sit down around mics and talk about your business, be it an entertainment property, a product, or some sort of service. But what, you may ask, is the line between a fancast and a podcast about your business? The Churn is hosted by SyFy Wire and features authors Ty Franck and Daniel Abraham as cohosts, who write collectively as James S.A. Corey, author of The Expanse novels. This makes the podcast an “official” production, and upon listening to it, you know without question that anything appearing on this show is firsthand knowledge of what is happening on the set, coming from the creators of the world, and shared from the actors bringing these characters to life. That does not mean The Churn is the only podcast about this popular SyFy offering. The Expanse Podcast: Tales from the Rocinate is hosted by Solo Talk Media, a graphic designer from Ontario, Canada not affiliated in any way with SyFy or Universal Studios. Solo Talk Media (also known as Mark) is a fan of The Expanse and launched this podcast to share his love for the series. Along with show recaps, Mark reports news on The Expanse cast and crew and offers his own speculation on how things will unfold over upcoming episodes. Other shows like Solo Talk’s include Beltalowda and Crash Couch, two podcasts independently produced from SyFy’s own official podcasts. These are examples of fans who are sharing their appreciation for this science fiction series, serving as an unofficial street team for the production. When it comes to fans podcasting, be it about a specific property or a generic theme, don’t expect all the opinions coming from the podcast to be positive. If fans don’t like a direction or a decision taken in a series, they will share it on their podcast. A fan’s podcast could be considered the highest form of feedback, and should be regarded as such. You might like the podcasts supporting your favorite sports team, show, or organization. You also might hear some opinions radically different from your own. Between fancasts hosted by experienced journalists like Yahoo! Sports’ Greg Wyshynski and Vice Sports’ Dave Lozo (of Puck Soup) and passionate hockey fans (as are the hosts of The OilersYYC) the National Hockey League receives regular promotion and attention free of charge. Irish culture is also given plenty of attention through podcasts like historian Fin Dwyer’s Irish History Podcast and celebrated musician Marc Gunn’s Irish and Celtic Music Podcast, seen in the following figure. What’s terrific about these podcasts is they can actually work to not only promote your passion, but promote your own brand. Marc Gunn, for example, in showcasing Irish and Celtic music, culture, and lore on his podcast, also spreads awareness of his own brand as an accomplished musician. The podcast, blog, and companion app all offer listeners a chance to find his music alongside the music of other independent musicians featured on his podcast. Community-driven podcasts cover a wide range of audiences. However, all communities share a similar mindset, and you can apply these sound production (see what we did there?) principles: You are the host, but it’s not all about you. Community podcasts should be about the community. Yes, there is room for personal thoughts and commentary, but in small doses. The podcast is about the community and how it interacts with the world around you; that is what the content should focus on. Your podcast can feature other members of the community who share the same opinions as yours or even take opposing viewpoints (a spirited debate can up your show). Just remember that the community-based podcast is not about you personally, but about how you see the world, how that connects with the people around you in the community, and how all that comes together in the pursuit of a common interest. Avoid the negative. It would be easy to turn a podcast into a gossip column or a personal rant against the very concept that brought the community into being. While there is no law or ethic barring you from speaking out or voicing concerns, a community is based on support. Whether you consider yourself a fan of Harry Potter, Apple Computers, or your local county, your goal in a community podcast is to remain positive and celebrate the benefits of being part of the cooperative spirit. If there is a matter of concern in your community, then there’s room for debate and action. So, as with a political podcast, offer some possible solutions to these issues. Regardless of the kind of community you’re chronicling, your podcast should work much like glue — helping to keep supporters together in the face of problems (instead of just crying in your collective beer) and celebrating what gives them joy. Reinforce that sense of community and keep your podcast strong.

Article / Updated 03-17-2021

Podcasts are portable by nature, but with your laptop, you're talking about packing up the studio and working on location. So, you want to have a podcast that has that studio quality sound, but you want more than one microphone and to have a bit of control over the levels. This is when you would want to invest in a preamplifier or a pre-amp. To understand what a preamp is, you should learn a few more technical matters around microphones. Microphones, be they condenser or dynamic, record their signals at mic-level. This is the signal created from the internal diaphragm moving back and forth against a magnet in a wire coil, generating an electrical signal. It’s a clean signal, but very weak. The best audio is recorded not at mic-level, but at line-level. You get line-level signals coming out of electric guitars, keyboards, and other instruments. To get a weaker mic-level signal boosted to the line-level signal, you need to give it a swift kick-in-the-pants. The preamp, sometimes a separate unit or built into a mixer board or a USB microphone, provides that kick to bring the mic-level signal to line-level without adding any noise to the original signal. Now that you know what a preamp is, how about a few options for you to consider? Mackie Onyx Blackjack The Mackie Onyx Blackjack offers you all the power and reliability of a mixer in a small, compact design. The best part of working with this preamp is it has zero latency when recording. This means there is no delay for when you speak and when you hear your voice while recording. You can adjust the Blackjack’s buffer settings to maximize your computer’s processing ability as well. Blackjack also offers podcasters: A prepamp bus-powered via USB Two XLR connections delivering 48V phantom power A 25-degree inclination by design, allowing for full view of all controls at all times An all-metal chassis that gives the Blackjack “built-like-a-tank” durability Onboard analog-to-digital conversion, granting your amplified signal with the lowest noise and distortion possible Shure MVi Shure Audio is no stranger to setting the bar for audio engineering and recording on looking at the prevalence and relevance of its audio gear. With the rise of podcasting, Shure set out to create gear that would capture quality sound, and the MVi is a compact, USB-powered preamp ready to power your microphone (or microphones, if you employ a splitter) accordingly. The MVi offers a podcaster-on-the-go: USB connectivity for easy plug-and-play, with optional iOS connectivity with iPhones and iPads Touch-sensetive panel for control over five different DSP presets, headphone volume, and more Built-in headphone jack for real-time monitoring One XLR connection offering 48V phantom power option If you want to record on location, you could use studio condenser mics, which, because of their sensitivity, will pick up a lot of the background, setting a nice ambiance for your podcast. Depending on your environment, though, there might be too much ambiance for your interview. This is why, in most on-location settings, dynamic mics are preferred. You will still get some background noise, but not as pronounced when using studio condenser mics. The Shure MVi can serve as a preamp for up to two microphones, powered by USB, similar to the Onyx Blackjack. With an even more compact design, the MVi makes your portable studio even more so.

Article / Updated 03-17-2021

A big piece of successful podcasting is marketing, and a big part of marketing is branding. Your podcast logo (or show art) is very important to help set you apart. A large percentage of listeners use apps where show art is prominently displayed, both in directories and in playback modes. Apple once was indifferent about show art, but now it’s part of registering your podcast with its directory. So, when getting ready to launch your podcast, you need to have a good look for your production like those featured here. Show artwork, commonly seen in many media players, is a nice option for podcasters who want to brand a podcast with a logo. For example, Mur Lafferty’s Parsec-winning I Should Be Writing logo is a classic broadcast microphone with a sticky note slapped on it and a pencil, sharpened and ready for use. Then you have The Onion Radio News’s trademark onion with a globe ghosted behind it, the stamp of quality journalism at its funniest. These icons are associated with their shows, and this kind of branding is becoming more and more common in podcasting. To get your artwork ready for prime time: Design your show art to the following specifications: Format: JPEG (.jpg) or PNG (.png) format Color Mode: 8-bit channel, RGB mode Resolution: 72 dpi Size: 1400 × 1400 pixels (minimum) or 3000 × 3000 pixels (maximum) Using File Transfer Protocol (FTP) application, upload your art somewhere on to your web server. If you are using a service like LibSyn, you will use its FTP options the same way you would upload an episode. If you are hosting the podcast on your own, you can use Cyberduck or Fetch to upload it somewhere on your server. Pull up the artwork on your browser and then copy its URL. Once you have the URL of the show art copied, have it on a note somewhere on your computer. You will need that URL when registering your show with various directories. When using your podcast plug-in with your blog, enter in your artwork’s URL when asked for it. With the PowerPress podcast plug-in from BluBrry, you simply enter in the URL of your show into the Artwork section. Podcast plug-ins should offer similar options. If you do a makeover of your show art, you can upload a new image to replace the old one. Save your changes in the plug-in. After you have all of the details of your file covered, down to the branding behind your podcast, you have to get everything online so that others can enjoy what your creativity has to offer.

Article / Updated 03-17-2021

Assuming that you have set up your podcasting studio and are ready to record video, this article walks you through setting up a streaming account. The steps are Twitch-centric, but they are easily applied to other platforms like YouTube or Facebook. In a few minutes, you will be up and streaming content on Twitch: Go to Twitch TV and from the top-right corner of your browser window select the Sign Up option. You can still watch Twitch streams without being signed up with the platform. However, if you want to take advantage of the Chat features, you need an account. Come up with a username for yourself on Twitch. Your username is how you will appear in Chat. Your username can be a nickname you go by, a play on words, or your own name. You can approach the username in a lot of different ways. Just make sure that you are not violating any Terms of Service when you create it. Create a password or a passphrase and confirm it. While passwords should be difficult to crack but easy to remember, passphrases are now recommended by cybersecurity experts as upping the difficulty level for being hacked. More characters are involved in passphrases, and if you take something easy like “I am a podcaster” and rework it as “[email protected]” for your password field as seen in the following figure, you have created a very strong password that meets many platforms’ criteria. Enter in your birthday. Again, the date you enter is based on an honor system, but the birthday is there to verify your age, which is within the Terms of Service (TOS) as established by Twitch. Enter a valid email. This email is where all notifications and any news from Twitch are sent. After reviewing the Terms of Service and the Privacy Policy, click on Sign Up to complete the application. Congratulations! Your Twitch account is now active. Technically, from here, you are ready to start streaming. You have a place on Twitch, but presently the state of your Twitch account is a lot like the state of a Twitter account newly launched where the profile and bio is blank. You will want to take some time to complete your profile and set up a channel with all the unique bells and whistles needed to make the best first impressions when people show up. (For details, see Twitch For Dummies.) With a basic account up and running, we recommend taking a tour of Twitch. Pay a visit to live streamers running your favorite video game, hosting an open chat session, or recording a podcast, to get an idea of this new platform.

Article / Updated 03-17-2021

Podcasting has proven to be more than a fad, and over the past decade has become more popular than ever. There are some good reasons to jump into the podosphere and start your own podcast. Here are a few (ten, to be exact) reasons why. You are considered a subject matter expert Guy Kawasaki is a name you should know in social media circles. He spent time with Apple Computers (where his team was responsible for marketing the Macintosh back in 1984); he wrote New York Times bestselling titles (like The Art of Social Media, The Art of the Start 2.0, Reality Check and Rules for the Revolutionaries); and his blogs remain in the Top 100 visited blogs in the world. As if that wasn’t enough, Kawasaki has cemented himself as something of an Oracle when it comes to influencing, both online and in the walking world. Some of his advice? Rock solid. Other bits of it? Worth questioning. However, in one of his most loved/hated of blogposts, “Looking for Mr. Goodtweet”, Kawasaki had this to say: “Establish yourself as a subject expert. One thing is for sure about Twitter: there are some people interested in every subject and every side of every subject. By establishing yourself as a subject expert, you will make yourself interesting to some subset of people.” Yes, Kawasaki is talking about Twitter, but this rule does apply to podcasting quite aptly. When you launch a podcast, you are establishing yourself as a voice in the subject matter of your podcasting. When it comes to writing, Joanna Penn on The Creative Penn brings her experience as a New York Times and USA Today bestseller along with her own experiences promoting her works and her brand to The Creative Penn Podcast. The SpyCast, the official podcast of the International Spy Museum, was started by and hosted for years by ISM’s Executive Directory and 36-year spy veteran Peter Earnest. When Peter decided to step down, he wanted to ensure the expertise remained so he turned the mic over to Dr. Vince Houghton, historian and curator at the museum, his specialty being in intelligence, diplomatic, and military history, with expertise in late World War II and the early Cold War. Pictured in the following figure, the SpyCast continues to be the authoritative podcast on intelligence gathering. When you launch a podcast, you speak with the voice of authority. You speak as an expert in your field, as someone who has a proven track record and an individual that knows a thing or two about the topic of discussion. Speak with confidence. You have a lot to say, and what you have to say makes a lot of sense. You are passionate about the subject You may not be the world’s greatest gamer. You may not be the best at crafting costumes. You may not be the world’s fastest runner. But if you are passionate about a sport, if you are passionate about creative endeavors, if you are passionate about a board, card, or console game, then yes, you should be podcasting about it. It is a reoccurring theme in this book, and it bears repeating as many people want to podcast about something they love but are intimidated by the amount of work that could go into a podcast. Another obstacle is for passionate people who podcast to compare themselves to more polished, professional podcasts that gather the best and the brightest guests in-studio. How do you compete with productions like that? Well, Chuck and Tee have seen professional podcasts come and go, sometimes after eight episodes. Sometimes, after only two. This occurrence is known as podfading. Why do productions podfade so quickly? In many instances, podcasts are regarded as revenue generators. In other words, these hosts are in it for the money. Podcasting can be a money-making venture, but that “overnight success” rarely happens. Eventually, after repeated attempts at producing that magic viral episode, the studio lights are turned off and the equipment is packed away. But while there are plenty of podcasts out there for Bungie’s video game, Destiny, it’s no secret that Tee, Nick, and Brandon love the game. It was their passion that led to Happy Hour from the Tower. With so many podcasts out there about technology, why do Chuck and Kreg continue to podcast Technorama since 2005? Because after hundreds on hundreds of episodes, Technorama continues to nurture that passion. No show ever sounds forced or trite. There’s a genuine joy within every podcast. You can be an expert in your chosen field, or you can just be a huge fan. Passion should be at the core of every podcast. Without that, you can’t really find the drive to sit yourself behind the microphone and record, only then to edit and produce the final work for your audience. So, if you feel the drive to podcast, do so. It will take you far. You’ve got a creative itch to scratch Maybe you never thought of yourself as a creative person, or maybe you were a creative person when you were younger. Maybe there’s been an inspiration working at the back of your mind, and you’ve been wanting to explore it. The weird thing about this idea, this unexpected muse that has grabbed hold, is that you may need to pick up some skills that you don’t know. Podcasting is not only something you can pick up quickly, but it is an affordable venture. Science Fiction-Fantasy author Aly Grauer and game connoisseur Drew Mierzejewski took a few brave steps into podcasting with Dreams to Become, Aly’s website and home to many of their limited series podcasts. Their own podcasting journey began with The Disney Odyssey where Aly, Drew, and special guests joined them in their personal journey through every animated feature film from Walt Disney. Then came The Night’s Rewatch, a step back to the beginning of HBO’s Game of Thrones. But still this wasn’t enough so DND20 Public Radio, a sketch comedy created at the intersection of NPR, Dungeons & Dragons, and Waiting for Guffman launched, all under the DTB feed. It was that drive and creativity that brought Aly and Drew to the One Shot Podcast Network where they were tapped to launch Skyjacks: Courier’s Call, an all-ages actual play podcast spun off from One Shot’s Skyjacks RPG. Courier’s Call, pictured, which follows the three young apprentices in the Swiftwell Courier Service (played by Aly Grauer, Paulomi Pratap, and Aaron Catano-Saez) undertaking adventures in the skies above Spéir. Alongside their own professional pursuits in entertainment, Skyjacks: Courier’s Call serves as another outlet for Aly and Drew, with the podcast as their stage and their imaginations allowed to thrive; the end result is an unforgettable production. Once you have your studio, either a simple audio setup or something more complex, a podcast serves as your blank canvas for whatever creative endeavor you’re about to embark on. This could be a throwback to the days of radio theatre or this could be a personal journey for you accomplishing a life goal like physical fitness, a college degree, or a trip across the country. This podcast is where you share with the world your creation. Regardless of whether your feedback is positive or negative, this is your stage. Make the most of it. Assure your audience what they can expect from your feed, and then allow your creativity to run. This is your creative corner of the internet. Make the most of it. You like playing with tech toys Let’s be honest: The toys a podcaster gets to play with are just so cool. Microphones. Mixer boards. Gadgets for going portable. Software. The tools of the trade, while sometimes coming with steep price tags, are absolutely tempting. Not only do some of these technical gadgets stimulate the creative juices within your brain, but they can also be quite the showstoppers with the company you keep. If there is something to the latest technology that makes you happy and gets your blood pumping, whether it is the MXL Overcast bundle or an all-in-one recording device like the Zoom P4 (pictured in the following figure) that offers you recording options, consider all the wonderful toys you find in podcasting. While this may sound like a frivolous reason to think about launching your own show, consider how your skillset also broadens. Working with gear like condenser and dynamic microphones, portable digital recorders, and software that produces audio productions will only serve to your advantage when called on to create something special for an office demonstration or for a special event at home. It might surprise you, as well, what kind of skills you pick up in producing a podcast in the ways of planning, project management, presentation skills, resource budgeting, and time management. And to think it all starts with the tech toys. Bring your friends together You are putting together your notes for your podcast. It could be your first podcast. It could be a new podcast to add to your portfolio of podcasts. Whatever the case, you decide that instead of your voice being the only voice on the show, you reach out to a few friends in the area or online that you know are just as passionate about the subject you plan to podcast. Maybe this podcast is a RPG session, or perhaps you want some fellow L.A. Kings fans to get around the mics and talk about the last game. Or you invite some friends that all share an interest — writing, period costume productions, movie soundtracks — to come on over and riff about it on pod. With schedules agreed upon and set, you settle in with your friends either in real time or over Discord, Google, or your favorite online conference network of choice and record. Maybe you don’t realize it, but your recording sessions are more than just your chance to herd content and build up a buffer for your show. The podcast is your guaranteed connection with you and your friends. Recording or streaming a podcast is locked-in time when good friends know they are getting together to have a little fun and share some quality time around microphones. Another great thing about this podcast with your friends is that the podcast becomes a journal — a testament — of your friendship. That’s worth the time, especially when you do retrospective episodes. All the cool kids are doing it Kevin Smith. Katie Couric. Neil deGrasse Tyson. And you. It’s a little humbling how many high-profile journalists, celebrities, and industry influencers are turning to what was once a platform for indie artists exclusively. What is most satisfying is, after a decade and some change, podcasting is still a fantastic platform for independent creatives. For the NPR, AMC, and ESPN types, the podcast also serves as a fantastic opportunity to go beyond their time on stage, screen, or sports event. Podcasting is something akin to a great equalizer as, regardless of the production values, we are all doing the same thing here: getting on the mics and sharing what’s on our minds. This is some great company to be in, so why don’t you go on and get your podcast up and running? It’s okay. There’s plenty of room in the podosphere for what you’ve got. Bring your best, put your heart into it, and get your pod on! I can do more With every show produced, podcasters look to do better. We look to improve. We look to grow. Some podcasters, after running a show for a time, love to look back on early shows and see the progress made from those first steps. It is said amongst some podcasters that the first five episodes of any podcast (even those done by experienced hosts) will suck, but they are allowed to suck. Take a look at the following figure, a look at Tee’s years in podcasting since 2005. He’s the first author to podcast a novel from cover to cover. He took what started as a marketing strategy and turned it into a book. Then he goes on and creates a podcast about the business side of writing, launches companion podcasts for his books in social media, and helps establish a website where other podcasters can podcast their own novels and collections. And yet, he wanted to do more. Tales from the Archives is launched, opening up the steampunk universe he created with his wife, to other authors and to wider audiences. The Shared Desk is soon launched after this, offering commentary on the latest news in the publishing industry as well as a behind the scenes look at an author’s life. While delving into the current edition of this book, Tee follows an impulse and launches Happy Hour from the Tower, a loving nod to the Bungie game Destiny. All this, and he still hosts alongside Chuck Podcasting For Dummies: The Companion Podcast in order to keep this book fresh and up to date. This may seem like a lot for Tee to take on, but for Tee this is a real love for the platform and the medium. He challenges himself to do better. He desires to do more. This is the drive behind a podcaster. Bring out the best in you When you sit down to create a podcast, you want the production to rival that of professional broadcasting. No, you don’t have that budget but that doesn’t mean you don’t strive for that level of polish and professionalism. Even with a show like Technorama, which comes across as spontaneous and off the cuff (and for the most part, it is!), Chuck and Kreg work to make their show a production that podcasters and radio show hosts all strive to reach, if not surpass. There is a sense of accomplishment and achievement in producing a podcast that gets people to stop and ask “Wait, hold on—you do this in your home?” Sometimes, we do. Sometimes, we take our act on the road. It all depends on where we can kick up the most trouble! Podcasting encourages, by its artistic and technical nature, producers and show hosts to create the best podcast in whatever subject the producers and hosts pursue. Does that mean it will be regarded by audiences worldwide as the best? It depends on how you measure your success. Most podcasters measure the impact of a podcast on ratings and rankings. Others care more about feedback from its listeners. Some measure their podcast’s success by how long their show runs after the premiere episode drops. This also compels producers and hosts to insist on creating the best podcast they can. This is how podcasting engenders a real desire in those involved to offer a show that is as much fun for audiences to listen to as it is for the podcast’s crew to record, edit, and release. Let podcasting bring out the best in you. Talk to interesting people Some of the people the authors of this Podcasting For Dummies have met over the course of podcasting include authors who have made an impact in their genre (Robert J. Sawyer and Terry Brooks); actors who have plenty of stories from behind the scenes (Richard Hatch and Lani Tupu); other podcasters who have made lasting impressions in and beyond the podcasting community (Grant Baciocco and Dr. Pamela Gay); and even scientists who have changed the world and what we know about it (Dr. Robert Ballard, discovered the Titanic wreckage in 1985). Both Tee and Chuck consider themselves fortunate for meeting a wide range of guests in their years of podcasting. Sometimes, though, you are lucky enough to talk to guests who wind up becoming far more familiar than just guests on your podcasts. A perfect example is Chuck and Tee. In the infancy of podcasting, Tee reached out to Chuck, asking to be on Technorama as a guest. Tee returned for other promotional opportunities, at first, but those return trips led to meetups at conventions which led to friendship, which eventually led to over a decade of Podcasting For Dummies editions. Not all the people you meet will lead to lifelong friendships, but through podcasting you will meet a lot of interesting people that will in some way impact your life. Some of those impacts you will notice straight away. There will be those discussions you have with people that become a more subtle touch on your life, and you might not notice it until years down the road. If you’re really lucky, you could be Patrick G. Holyfield who, after being taken away from the podcasting community by cancer, is remembered fondly at the P.G. Holyfield Meat & Greet, pictured here. At this event, podcasters old and new come together to do what Patrick enjoyed most: Create friendships. Each person you meet, though, is part of a network, and that network — personal or professional — will at the very least broaden your view of the world. Your experiences in podcasting may catch you completely off-guard and will enrich your life for years to come. The ultimate thrill ride There is something scary, humbling, and intimidating about taking something you have created and releasing it to the world. You think it’s good. Good enough to share, even. But once you release your podcast out into the world, it is out there. For everyone to consume. And for everyone to critique, criticize, and dissect. This is a whole new level of fear when your first show goes live. It is, also, an amazing rush of adrenaline, euphoria, and accomplishment. Tee has been podcasting for over a decade. This is nothing new to him, and yet he can attest on launching Happy Hour from the Tower that he was terrified beyond reason. Why? This was a whole new kind of podcast for Tee. He had never podcasted about video games before. This was his first regular show with multiple cohosts. And when it came to a subject matter — Bungie’s award-winning video game, Destiny — Tee was not the best of players, let alone “well known” in the game’s community. Oh, and as the show’s launch date was less than a month out from Bungie revealing details of Destiny 2, it just seemed a bit late to launch a new podcast about a game that had been on the market since 2014. Still, Tee launched the podcast, and he’s been enjoying the ride since that first show dropped. Podcasting, whether on the grand scale or a small, personal stage, is an adventure. The longer you podcast, the bolder you become. The bolder you become, the more you want to test your limits. You find yourself reaching out to experts in the subject matter of your podcast, or maybe you reach out to the hosts of podcasts similar to your own. You invite others to appear on your show. Or you find yourself carrying recording equipment everywhere, much like a photographer does with camera gear. You set up your portable studio, fire up the mic, and begin documenting. You talk. You meet new people. People with stories to tell. Suddenly, you find your own personal network growing. Your network grows closer, and those contacts become friends. Then, if you are lucky, those friends become family. Podcasting is an incredible ride, and it can take you to unexpected places. It isn’t easy. Not by a longshot. It is rewarding, even the podcasts that never seem to take off. They are an education of what to do differently and how to improve. And just when you think you’ve got it all figured out, new technology and new approaches appear, and you find yourself at Square One all over again. Possibilities are endless, and the unexpected — regardless of how much you plan — will happen. This only adds to the fun ahead. Now it’s your turn. You’ve got an idea. The microphones are waiting. Go on and hit record. And hold on. Your adventure is officially underway.