I put out a Twitter plus Facebook post, telling the world I was looking for a podcast partner. I received quite a few responses, which made me realize that I need to be more specific about what I want to cover in a podcast and the kind of person I’d want to share a Skype connection with.
Here’s what I’m currently thinking about goals and structure.
It’s Still a Work in Progress
I’m still nailing down hosting. I don’t want to use the same host as this blog, as I’ll exceed the bandwidth limits pretty quickly if the subscribers pick up. Right now, I’m looking a libsyn.
Also, I haven’t fully settled in on the technical side of production. I’m going to do a couple of solo one-offs, just to get comfortable. Those may or may not ever see the light of day, however.
Keep It Brief
The old ExtremeTech podcast ran between 30 and 40 minutes. I’d like to keep it at that length. What that means in a practical sense is that not a lot of time is spent talking about the restaurant we ate at last night, how my dogs are doing and the color of the autumn sky. Instead, we’ll have an agenda, and we’ll move through it fairly briskly. Which brings me to my next point.
Agenda
Each week, we’ll have an outline that will be our working agenda. As with most podcasts, there won’t be a script. Also, there’s no fixed time spent on any one topic – we’ll go with the flow. If the conversation is lively, we’ll roll with it. If not, we’ll move on to the next topic.
What It’s About
If you ever listened to the old ET podcast, you’ll know I like to cover a pretty broad range of topics. All of it falls within the general area of “tech.” But one week we might talk solar power, the next week, gaming middleware and the following week cool tech used for fitness workouts. However, I always plan on keeping core PC technology as the anchor for the podcast.
Getting Started
Given the number of people expressing interest, the first few podcasts may rotate among a number of different potential partners. That could evolve into having one or two regulars, or having a rotating cast of characters. I’m pretty flexible, but I am looking for people who will be personable and compatible with my style.
It’s About Fun
This endeavor is about having a good time talking about geeky topics. While I have no idea where this will go, I always want to keep it loose and light, and not too heavy.
Timetable
I’m looking for a launch of around October 1st. Part of that is so I can get all the technical issues (including the hosting) set up. Part of it is to give me some time to experiment.
Still Interested?
Drop me email at loyd@improbableinsights.com and we’ll take the discussion from there.
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9 comments
David Siebert says:
August 6, 2010 at 10:36 am (UTC -7 )
Wish I had the time.
I am a software developer Java, C, C++, Objective C, PHP…
I use Linux, Windows, and OS/X on a regular basis. I am now doing iOS development but I have an Android phone and my wife has a WebOS phone!
And I am a bike, motorcycle, airplane, car, as well as general tech geek. I even read HomePower Magazine.
About the only thing I am not really into is Camera’s that is my wife’s area. She is into digital scrape booking and runs our website and our document management system.
Wow I wish I had the time but I can hardly wait to hear the first cast.
David Johnston says:
August 6, 2010 at 1:02 pm (UTC -7 )
I look forward to hearing you on the “airwaves” again.
P.S. I don’t mind occasionally hearing your opinion on the colour of the autumn sky. You don’t have to be such a stickler for the agenda.
Chris Nahr says:
August 7, 2010 at 5:16 am (UTC -7 )
I hope you’ll succeed in putting together a new podcast! I was a big fan of the old ExtremeTech podcast, and I liked the way you kept the show focused and moving along briskly. Some podcasts work even when everyone’s just rambling (Idle Thumbs comes to mind) but you need a crew of congenial personalities to make that style work. At any rate, it’s probably not a good idea for a podcast focused on “hard” technology topics.
Markeyse says:
August 7, 2010 at 1:22 pm (UTC -7 )
Hmmm. I might have to see how this goes.
Jeff Z says:
August 10, 2010 at 10:11 am (UTC -7 )
I’m looking forward to a replacement to the ET podcast! I miss that show a lot and I never found a good replacement to it. I liked that you stuck to an agenda.
Ale says:
August 14, 2010 at 1:40 pm (UTC -7 )
Happy B-Day Loyd!
Brian Fisher says:
August 16, 2010 at 7:52 am (UTC -7 )
The old ET podcast was great, nothing I found out there comes close to the quality you guys had. I can’t wait to have you back on the “podwaves”.
Chris B says:
November 23, 2010 at 7:25 am (UTC -7 )
Hey Loyd,
Anything ever come of this? Would love to hear about a new podcast
Marc T says:
December 22, 2010 at 6:07 pm (UTC -7 )
I really would like to see this happen. I can’t find a decent hardware podcast ever since you went of the air! Plus you always end up talking about some board game or smallish game and I end up loving it.
-Marc