“Podcasts.” Perhaps you’re a bleeding-edge technophile on your third generation MP3 player. Or maybe you’ve noticed this word in more and more places but you aren’t exactly sure what it is. To celebrate the launch of Mouseplanet’s very own MouseStation podcast, let’s look at podcasts, with a focus on Disney podcasting.
What is a podcast? The New Oxford American Dictionary defines a podcast as “a digital recording of a radio broadcast or similar program, made available on the Internet for downloading to a personal audio player.”
Although the word is derived from “iPod,” the name of a personal audio player from Apple, you are not limited to just downloading podcasts onto an iPod or similar MP3-format player.
Listening to a podcast is as easy as clicking on a podcast link. You can listen to the podcast directly on your computer right then, or download it to your hard drive, burn the recording onto a CD, or copy it onto your iPod or similar MP3 player to listen to at your convenience.
This convenient portability allows people to listen to podcasts while commuting to work, working out in the gym, or maybe the while taking a walk with the family dog. What started out
Podcasts: Where are they?
There are quite a few Disney podcasts on the Internet and it seems there is a new one popping up every week. Some of them just deal with the Disneyland Resort, while others concentrate on Walt Disney World. Others boldly go where no one has gone before and take on just about anything.
Recently Mark Goldhaber and Mike Demopolous took on a huge challenge and launched Mouseplanet’s Mousestation Podcast, which will offer just about anything to feed your Disney fix.
I know better than to start listing all the different Disney podcasts. For one thing, I would overlook some here and there and would not want to do that, especially since many of the podcasters are friends and colleagues of mine. Instead, let me point you to some one-stop sites that provide (links to) Disney podcasts:
- The Disney Podcast Directory
- The official Disney.com podcast
- The Pod Lounge podcasting community’s Disney-related listings
There are only so many hours in the day, so it’s virtually impossible to listen to every Disney podcast. Many people use their iPods to solve this problem by downloading shows and listening to them when they have the time. My suggestion is to try as many as you can and then settle on a few that seem to offer what you are looking for in a Disney podcast.
Podcasts: How do you make one?
What makes podcasts revolutionary is that it makes the producing and distributing of audio programs available to anyone with basic equipment. So just like the Internet and the World Wide Web gave rise to nontraditional media (such as MousePlanet), podcasts are doing the same, providing an alternative to big media conglomerates.
Okay. Let’s say you are interested in becoming a Disney podcaster. What’s the first step?
First, you need to think about the kind of content you intend to provide to your listeners. Are you going to provide content about all things Disney? Are you going to concentrate on Disneyland and Disney’s California Adventure? Are you going to set your sights on Walt Disney World? How about Disney animation? What about other Disney theme parks around the world?
There’s a lot to consider when you jump into the world of podcasting. You need to understand exactly what “slice” of content you want to provide and have enough confidence that you know you can provide the content that your listeners will be looking for when they tune in.
After you decide on exactly what your niche it, you need a title. It needs to be catchy. Not too long and not too short but something that rolls off the tongue and identifies your podcast as being Disney oriented. It also helps if your title is close to what your site URL will be.
Oh, did I forget to mention that you will need a Web site? You will need to create a Web site from which your listeners can download the audio file from your server. The site needs to be user-friendly so that your listeners know where to click to listen to the show.
You will need decent recording equipment that allows you to record your show and also a mixer that helps you dub in some background music or other bits and pieces to your show. Don’t forget that you also want to edit out your verbal utterances (the uhhs and umms) and dead air before you store your show on your server.
Once you have settled on your niche and a name, you have a few more things to consider. These are format and show length, as well as show frequency.
Format is very important. When we talk format, we are talking about the design of your show. Exactly how will your show flow? Format includes segments and how each segment will run. It’s important to remember that your listeners will slowly get used to your format and will expect you to stay true to it. When we talk about format we are also talking whether your show will be fully or partially scripted. Some people feel more comfortable reading than speaking off the top of their heads while others like spontaneity.
I can tell you that one of the most important decisions you will ever make regarding your podcast is the length of your show. There are many reasons why I say this. You will never be able to please all of those listeners who download your show for the first time. One of the reasons why some of them will never come back will be the length of your show.
Some will prefer a short show while others will welcome a long show. So what makes a short show? Think of the time span that a usual Disney theme park show runs which is about 15-20 minutes. That’s a short show. A long show would probably be anything 30 minutes or longer.
It also helps to be consistent with your show lengths so that your listeners know what they’re getting. Don’t go 20 minutes one show and an hour and 15 minutes on the next show. That could reduce your audience. What’s the best length? Easy, whichever one you prefer yourself.
Another thing to consider is your content. If you decide to do an hour-long show for every podcast, will you have enough content to fill that time? Oh and let’s not forget that other add on component, show frequency.
Show frequency ties in very much with show length. If you do one show a week, that means four shows a month. If you are planning on a 60-minute show, then that amounts to four hours of content per month. Will you have enough content for that amount of show?
There’s also the time involved in putting together a show, including post-production to clean up everything, not to mention the adding of background audio and anything else to make the show sound good. Show length and show frequency are all part of this.
As you can see, there are a lot of components and things to consider when jumping into the world of Disney podcasting. So if you are looking to take the leap, make sure you have all your ducks in a row before you turn on that microphone for the very first time.
Disney Podcasts: Good or Bad?
Well, it’s got to be good. For some people, they just can’t get enough of their daily Disney fix and this is just another way to feed that fix.
If you are just getting into listening to these Disney podcasts, you may want to think about what you want to get out of these Internet broadcasts. If you are looking for different components of information, you may not find it with just one podcast.
You really need to invest in some time and effort and give these shows a chance before passing judgment on them. My guess is that you will settle on three or four and they will more than feed your fix.
A year from now I think we’ll see fewer Disney podcasts than we have today. Why? Simply put, some of the podcasters may find that it takes up too much of their time and may just give it up. Others may run out of content. Others may run out of interest. Others may be in it to make money, and may find that their time and server costs just aren’t worth it.
So over the next year or two I think the Disney Podcast community will see some shrinkage, which means there will be far fewer shows to help us…
…Remember the Magic!
Next Time
I want to introduce you to a friend of mine who went above and beyond duty to insure that a lot of people had a great Mousefest.
You will meet her next time.
Until then class dismissed.
For more information on podcasts, visit the following:
- Wikipedia’s page on podcasting
- Information on RSS feeds and how podcasts are distributed
- Listening to podcasts without a personal audio player
