Unlike many podcast listeners, Dpeach listens to 40-ish podcasts a week. I don't know what the average numbers are for listeners, but I'm pretty sure than 40 shows a week is well above the norm. Since he listens to so many, I'm inclined to take his thoughts with a little more weight than I might otherwise.
There are four things that drive Dpeach nuts:
- Episode Creep: Shows that get longer as time goes on. We were guilty of this on our own JaK Attack! at one time, but we now make a conscious effort to keep the show at 30 minutes. We rarely succeed, but we're usually close.
- Volume Levels: This is a recurring trend which seems to indicate that podcasters aren't getting much better at this. I agree that there's nothing more annoying that having to crank up the volume on a show to hear someone talk only to have my ears blown out a few minutes later by a bumper or song.
- Songs: Dpeach doesn't like songs in podcasts. He figures that if he wanted to listen to songs, he would subscribe to an indie podcast. I can see his point, but we play an indie song every episode and while we don't get comments on the song every week, every single comment we do get on the song du semaine is positive. I agree that putting a song in the middle of a business podcast probably isn't appropriate, but it fits in many.
- Profanity: I totally agree.
You see lots of lists like this and they are helpful, speaking as a podcaster - In Latte Veritas and The Rules
But there's a difference between the comments of universal application and those that are particular to a single listener. No one, for instance, is going to like a podcast *because* it has terrible audio levels.
Some of our listeners fast-forward through the music on our show about modern etiquette (The Rules). Others agree with me that it breaks things up nicely and sets a great mood. My point being that one person's opinion on that sort of thing is not much use.
Posted by: Steven Lewis | October 11, 2006 3:35 PM | Permalink to Comment