Just like many of you, I am a blog-addict. I am waiting for the BA (Bloggers Anonymous) to open a chapter near me, because I find myself irresistibly drawn to read (and write) blogs when I should be doing other things. I thought I had it under control. I was getting away from it when I went running, or got in the car, or took the tube where there is no mobile connection. But, a while ago, I began to fill the gaps when I couldn't read my blogs with the next best thing - podcasts.
Yes, podcasts are old hat nowadays. Everyone knows about them and I am sure that many of the vacant eyed iPod listeners you dodge on the street are actually listening to their favourite podcast rather than ABBA or AC/DC. I am. In the car, on the train, walking anywhere (even up the street to get milk), I will be listening to one of the many podcasts to which I subscribe as I try and catch up with all of the episodes I missed out on because I only started listening in late 1997, or those which freshly download to my iPod every time I open Winamp.
If you haven't started listening to them, here are some reasons why you should:
- 1. You can listen anywhere: This almost goes without saying, but aside from those times you really ought to be concentrating on someone else, you can happily catch up with your favourite show no matter what you are doing. Although I would suggest that listening to them in the bath can be somewhat hazardous for your MP3 player
- 2. You can concentrate on them: Despite being an information addict - if I am not reading something I feel like I am not actually doing anything - it can be quite easy to skim through blogs and not really take them in. I think at last count I had somewhere in the realms of 8000 unread blog posts in my Google Reader, which, if I read them all carefully, would take me a very long time, and by the time I had finished, I would have another 8000 more to catch up on. So I find I don't concentrate as well as I could on each post. Whereas when I am walking somewhere listening to a podcast, I am taking it all in. I don't skim through bits like I do with reading off a screen.
- 3. They go into more depth than a blog: If a blog post exceeds 1000 words, it had better be pretty good to keep the reader's attention. Whereas, I can listen to an hour long podcast, which covers five times as many things, and still be wanting more.
- 4. It's up close and personal: As a distance runner, I like listening to podcasts as I run. My favourite running podcast - Phedippidations - is just me and Steve Runner out on a long run. Although I know he is not talking to me per se, it feels like he is talking just to me. When you are trying to push through mile 12, it is nice to know that someone else is feeling just as exhausted.
- 5. You can get a taste for any areas of interest, even if you didn't know you were interested in them: Because of the ease of subscribing, you can try a bit of everything. If you don't like it - unsubscribe and try something else. I have dug into Philosophy, Skepticism, Science, Books, Internet Marketing, PR, Marketing, Branding, Writing and Running...and that is just currently. I am always looking for things which might pique my interest.
As a result, we are going to start a podcast on Tigertwotiger! The plan is we are going to theme the blog weekly, culminating in a Friday podcast to compliment the week's theme. Even if only one person listens (it will probably be my Mum), it should be a fun way for us to summarise what it is that has been going on in the social media world each week. Watch this space!
Thanks to D'Arcy Norman for the image