Podcasting

If anyone has ever told you that podcasting is quick and mindless work, I hate to break it to you, but they LIIEEEEED. Lied to your FACE. They lied so hard that they turned—what color do people turn when they lie? I know people turn green when they’re jealous. Whatever, you get my point.

It obviously depends what one’s role is in a podcast. A host has a lot more on their plate to manage than let’s say, a…hmm. I don’t want to say co-host. Okay, how’s this? A host has a lot more on their plate than a member of the podcast that’s just along for the ride; y’know, someone that just shows up for an hour, gives their two cents and signs off.

Seeing as I’m not the head-honcho host in the n00bketeers podcast, I could have easily said fuck it, I’m going to sit back, relax and ride the wave. But what’s the fun in that? I took it upon myself to be the “news anchor” — aka the chick that keeps an eye on any news, rumors, previews, etc — so we have solid stuff to talk about every week (errr…minus this week’s episode. I kinda failed. I blame my hectic life?) but it’s definitely time consuming, and more than enough to keep me preoccupied during episodes.

That being said…I’ve never had to actually MANAGE a podcast. Like, run it. Know the ins and outs. LIKE EDIT IT.

And that’s where the We’re Not Dead podcast and my title as “the” host shambles in. While in the planning stages for this podcast, my naïve self that thought that being a host would just mean I’d be able to crack the whip once in a while. I mean, come on, Beez (host of n00bketeers) made it look easy.

Can I get a derp-herp?! It’s not that simple. You need to come up with a sensible format for your podcast, and you need know your podcast content frontwards and backwards. You should be available to listeners 24/7, responding to emails and inquiries and think of fun ways to involve them by developing community contests and other methods of interaction.

All of this work totally blindsided me, and it’s extremely time consuming. But guess what?

IT’S SO MUCH FUUUUUUUN.

Guys, I even edited my first podcast EVAR last night. And guess what?!

IT WAS SO MUCH FUUUUUUUN.

(I highly doubt all of this would have been the semi-smooth sailing that it was had it not been for the few folks that have offered me help (Beez, Greg, Kc), cuz honestly, I didn’t know what the hell I was doing.)

So yes, podcasting may be quick and mindless work for some, but I personally don’t see the fun or sense of personal reward in that. Through hard work, podcasting can be extremely rewarding. Example: The n00bketeers podcast awards me media passes to PAX and got me into E3 last year. We’re Not Dead, even though only 3 episodes in, has allowed me to interact and communicate with fans of We’re Alive via a completely different medium.

If you’re thinking about starting up a podcast, I highly recommend it. You never know what doors will open :)