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Podcasts

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Brewbear

NewBee
Registered Member
May 10, 2005
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Hi all,
Just had a chance to listen to a few podcasts about brewing...well, mostly beer talk but they had 2 shows about mead.
Has anyone else checked them out?
Could gotmead start one???? Vicky is too busy but have Oskaar, Wrath, and the other experienced folks seen this? Maybe they could start one?????
Ooops, almost forgot lostnbronx, a show about the 2 week "flash meads" would be cool.
Ted
 

Brewbear

NewBee
Registered Member
May 10, 2005
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You have to install iTunes, they have the Mac and Win versions.
Click on podcasts and search for brew. there are several "shows",I'm sorry i do not have their names readely, one of them was "advertised" by B3.
I'll check the names and put them on the board.
Even tho you download them in iTunes, they are saved in your MyMusic folder as mp3's

Ted
 

Brewbear

NewBee
Registered Member
May 10, 2005
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OK,
The two shows I downloaded are Basic Brewing Radio and Craft Beer Radio

Keep tuning in,
Ted
 

lostnbronx

Senior Member
Lifetime GotMead Patron
Dec 8, 2004
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Brewbear said:
Could gotmead start one???? Vicky is too busy but have Oskaar, Wrath, and the other experienced folks seen this? Maybe they could start one?????
Ooops, almost forgot lostnbronx, a show about the 2 week "flash meads" would be cool.

I got to listen to a couple of these over the weekend -- great reference, Bbear!

This would be a great thing to add to GM, I think. If anybody had the tech skills AND time, this would be an awesome thing to pursue. I don't think there's a mead-only podcast out there yet, and even if there is, a GM-centered show would kick posterior! This way we could all get interviewed and then pretend we're famous!

-David
 

Brewbear

NewBee
Registered Member
May 10, 2005
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Yeah, I'll be a legend in my own mind :-\
As far as i could tell, there is no mead specific show. The guy from Basic Brewing Radio www.basicbrewingradio.com had 2 shows on mead and a few people asked him where they could find more about mead. He posted on his site a few links and asked the listeners for more suggestions. I, of course, e-mailed him yesterday with gotmead's address ;D I hope he will mention it in one of his shows, I also told him to try the Ancient Orange. That'll be a kick!!!
The good thing about the podcasts is that you can download them as mp3 and listen to them on anything that plays mp3.

Ted
 

pain

GotMead Owner
Staff member
Administrator
Moderator
Apr 5, 1996
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North Carolina
gotmead.com
OK, so lets look into it. I'm all for putting a podcast on GM. We have a RSS feed, so why not?

Vicky - back home tired and happy from a skirmish (pistol team medal!)
 

memento

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Aug 3, 2005
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I understand that it's not hard to have your podcast listed on iTunes. If one is created it should also go there for a much broader audience!
 

pain

GotMead Owner
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So, you techie types out there. How hard *is* it to set up a Podcast?

And, while we're on the subject:

1. What do we talk about?
2. Who will do the actual 'cast?
3. Where do we get it linked?


I think we need to work out how we'd like to do it, a schedule, topics, and who will do the voice work. I've done radio DJ stuff, and like to talk, so I'll get on board to host it, and if you want, be the 'Larry King' of the podcast, but I suspect we've quite a few others that would like to get on the bandwagon....

Likewise, who wants to talk, and about what? If we do interviews, any suggestions for questions? I'm thinking that podcasts of interviews with meaderies might be fun, and a live 'cast from the MeadFest, maybe one with Nomacorc (who is headquartered about 5 miles from here).....

That's my initial input, lets see where we can take this, y'all!

Vicky
 

lostnbronx

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Dec 8, 2004
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I think a lot of us would love to get involved, but whoever does should realize up front that a quality program of any kind takes dedication and commitment. As the best source for mead info out there, I think it's important that a podcast from GM be as slick and professional-sounding as possible. A show doesn't need a lot of bells and whistles for this by any means, but it does need a good recording ability, good behind-the-scenes people who can line up good guests, and a good host with a gift for asking good questions.

Actually the questions will just about ask themselves in an interview, if you have the right guests, and a decent rapport with them. And phone interviews allow you to get almost anybody on a show like this. My point is, the on-air stuff is actually the easiest part to do. Finding the time and energy for a really quality product is the hard part. Who lines up the guests, and makes sure they know the whens and wheres? Who does the technical work of recording, editing, and polishing a show (intro music, credits, etc.)? Who posts it? Who maintains that archive? Okay, this last would be Vicky -- but in addition to doing GM as a full-time gig, would she also be stuck putting on a regular show all by herself? It's a nightmare that could happen, believe me.

A GM podcast would need to be a regular, or, at least semi-regular, feature. People who become fans of the show would want to know that it'll be available for download every Sunday night (or whatever), and they'll troll GM regularly for it. I mean why do this at all if not to open up a new avenue for meadly information to get out there, and, not insignificantly, to help build GM up? The people involved need to be commited to it. It doesn't have to become a crusade or anything, but they would simply have to be reliable. And enthusiasm ain't reliability, charming as it is. Enthusiasm evaporates as soon as things start to look like work. What's left over had better include integrity and commitment to a goal, or the work load piles up fast. Like with any successful project, the folks involved in a good GM podcast would have to make it a priority in their lives -- again, not a top one, not above family, jobs, or making mead (!), but if they commit themselves to working on it, they have to keep those commitments or the troubles begin.

Yeah, I'm talking from experience: a couple of crummy cable-access t.v. shows many years ago. A good podcast would have things in common with that experience...everyone wants in because it sounds like fun; those who are the most reliable end up doing most of the work; and nobody is getting paid. I'm very much for this idea. It's certainly doable, because tons of people are doing it. But a few cautionary words now might save lots of head and heartaches later.

-David
 

memento

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David - that's a great "reality check" on this.

As to the creation of a podcast, I can do this easily. Anyone can, actually. All you need is Quicktime 7 Pro. $30. A podcast is just an MPEG4 audio file. Someone would record the audio. CD. AIFF. some high bitrate standard format (not WMA). Then someone would simply open it in QT and save as mpeg-4.

To host a podcast, you can set it up as an RSS feed on GM's website or you can have it hosted through iTunes and post a link from GM. That way you don't suffer the massive bandwidth that our huge audience will consume and you don't even have to host the file.

http://www.apple.com/quicktime/tutorials/podcasting.html
http://www.apple.com/podcasting/
 

pain

GotMead Owner
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OK, now we're getting somewhere. I'm hopefully going to be launching Redstone's new site today (barring any more delays from their host), and will be out of town Thurs-Sun this week.

When I get back Monday, I'd like to start roughing out our approach to this. We need a plan, so we don't get a nightmare like David said could happen. I'm willing to commit to trying to get a semiregular show out, especially since I'll be going full-time 'Gotmead' after this week. But I've not really followed the podcast technology, so I'll need your input to ensure we're not creating crap. Oh, and it occurs to me that it could be put on Audible.com too.

Vicky - rubbing her hands together in gleeful anticipation of becoming a full-time Meadwench
 

scout

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Sep 4, 2005
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I would love to volunteer, but I'm afraid that I might become one of the problems mentioned by David (fantastic reality check, I agree). However, are you going to need some extra donations for this project, Vicky? For equipment, software, what have you? Once we are no longer in a state of financial flux due to closing on our house, I was planning on making some purchases from the GM store, but if you need more than a couple of bucks, I can prolly go ahead and just send money to you. That way I can help, without the possibility of messing stuff up, because life gets weird on me again *grins*.

I think this is a great project, and I am looking forward to subscribing.
 

Angus

Lifetime Patron
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Aug 19, 2005
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Vicky,

First of all, I would love to volunteer. Let me know how I can help.

Second, do we have a member of GM who has had experience in radio? I know from the minimal fiddlings with making CD mixes that creating a professional sounding audio file with music tracks, voice overlay etc. is very time sonsuming, particularly without the right programs. If we have someone who is already experienced, he/she would be a tremendous asset to the podcast initiative.

Third, I am sure we are all willing to provide soundbytes for the show. If the only thing we need is a quality digital sound recorder, then you can have reporters from all over the world visit sites or people to provide interviews. This does get tricky since some people do not have the funding to buy a recorder. Perhaps the production team can purchase a recorder and send it to members to obtain the sound file for the show. All that is spent then is the cost of mailing the small business recorder.

Finally, a suggestion for topic submission. Maybe you can create a suggestion box that is not a topic format where others can reply. This way, you can get single suggestions without the string meandering away from the original idea. It will also make it easy for other people to see the topics that have already been suggested before they post their own. Interviews with meaderies, apiarists, yeast manufacturers, and very experienced GM members are at the top of my list.

Hope this helps.

Angus

P.S. Perhaps Oskaar could do one report in Latin. I am sure the Roman GM members would be very grateful ;)
 

Brewbear

NewBee
Registered Member
May 10, 2005
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Hey all,
I'm glad to see the idea is taking a hold. Thanks David for the *reality check*, I wish someone would have given me one years ago on career choices :'(
I would like to help as time permits, sending sound bytes shouldn't be too difficult. Have like a focal point, a place where the material is collected and edited.
My understanding is that iTunes hosts podcasts for free and you link them to your web site.
As for ideas....one show is all about tasting beers *live*so those with delicate palates ( Oskaar & Co.) can do that, review the commercial meads ;D Something like *Have corkscrew, will travel*, talk to some of the brewmasters( mead and beer),Ken Schramm ;D, interview the yeast folks, methods of making mead (pros and cons), the big internationa *Mead Fest*, ask Vicky what got her started in meads and then the web site....
Most podcasters ask the audience to send in ideas for upcoming shows.

That's just a start
Ted
 

Norskersword

NewBee
Registered Member
May 19, 2004
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What a great idea. I'm not sure how I could help, but count me in as a future audience member!

Here is an idea. How about a featured commercial mead of the week or something. This would also help out all those meaderies having a hard time out there. And helping meaderies means helping mead get to the masses.

By the way, the online radio More Beer was advertising was http://thebrewingnetwork.com.
 

memento

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Aug 3, 2005
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Ted - that was part of my point (but I didn't explain it well). iTunes will host it for free and the millions of people who have downloaded iTunes will have instant access to it. Either via the link to it in iTunes from GM or directly through iTunes podcasts.

I was training at my college radio station, but graduated before I could get 6 months in, which is a requirement for FCC certification - so I never made it on the air.

We would need to divide up the tasks. I am much better behind the scenes and would likely be willing to dedicate to the tech end. Converting the recordings to the right format and making them available as podcasts. First I want to look at EXACTLY is required to do and how long it will take me. Having broadband and a dual processor Mac will help a lot. :D
 
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