Podcasting rules of thumb
From FrogBody comes "20 Ideas for a Great Podcast."
It's an excellent list, and agree with most of the points. But - snark alert! - if the Frog were to really follow his/her (I don't know which it is; "Carson" is a gender-neutral name) own advice, s/he would've broken this list of 20 things into at least two blog posts, in keeping with rule #4.
Anyway, here are some specific tips worth reiterating (that is, the ones I feel most strongly about):
- Podcasts should be short.
- Don't take yourself seriously.
- Don't ramble, be organized.
- If you're doing interviews, don't be Charlie Rose. In other words, shut your stupid face and let your guest talk.
Try tobe natural.
You should read the full list. (But the comments are boring, you can ignore them.)
I think this part is dead wrong:
It's an interview, not an infomercial. I could read a press release if I wanted canned a canned spiel. The rest of the list is good general advice though.
Posted on May 5, 2006 - 3:59pm
To clarify, I think preparing questions is fine, but giving them to guests ahead of time isn't.
Posted on May 5, 2006 - 4:00pm
Well, also to clarify, I was really only endorsing the part of that tip that I quoted ("Don't ramble, be organized") - 'cause like I said, I agree with most of the list, not all. I wouldn't make a sweeping general statement that it's always inappropriate to provide your guest w/ questions ahead of time, because there are so many different types of shows out there, w/ so many variables - but in most cases I agree that giving the person the questions ahead of time is lame. (Very different from, say, simply telling the person what topics you'd like to discuss).
Posted on May 5, 2006 - 7:15pm