Well, not really since Luddism is a concept that I'm not really invoking- but I'll be called a Luddite for what I'm about to say anyway.
I hate pod casts, streaming video, and the like exploding upon rpg/greek scene. Yes, I'm looking at you RPG Circus and other similar things. This despite that fact that I find Zachary's blog interesting and fun.
Blogs are easy to quote, the writen word easy to scan. I can read much faster than someone can talk. They can be quickly referenced, and pages searched for a tidbit in but seconds.
In contrast, Pod Casts are slow and I feel like I'm wasting more time than what they are worth. The makers of them have moved too much of their thoughts to this unsearchable and thus in the end forgettable format.
Pod casts are fine for those people (like talk radio or TV personalities) who's primary method of communication is vocal. I wouldn't expect them to step outside their skill set and actually *write*.
But gaming geeks should stick to the written word. These are PnP games- keep to the format.
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The concept of scanning content is also lost with podcasts. The tools that exist don't really facilitate it.
The main upside I see in them is that they can be ported over to a mobile audio format (on an ipod) and listed to when I can't read (in the dark, driving, while walking, exercizing, etc.) There is also the point of nuanced stresses that the written word can lose.
So I guess I'm kind of mixed on them in general. I do like Game Geeks reviews though.
~Adaen of Bridgewater
It was the conversion of reviews to pod casts that really left me cold.
The ipod point is valid, except I typically use for things that I don't have to pay attention to because by nature- I likely should be focusing on what I'm doing at those times. Be it on the road, or in a dark room...
...especially in a dark room.
Maybe there could be a summary of the topics discussed?
I love the podcasts to listen to when I'm at work.
The nuances are also there compared to just printed text.
The convenience of interviewers using voip technology's bring people together is also helpful.
I’d be one of the first to admit podcasts aren’t for everyone. There are a number of them that I can’t listen to, for fear of either falling asleep or making my eardrums bleed. I think they work pretty well for people with long commutes, lots of yard work to do, etc.
I’m a slight bit of a luddite in gaming, personally—I only began to allow laptops at my table in the past year, but I can stomach the idea of podcasts. Don’t get me started on virtual tabletops, though!
Thanks for the kind words about my blog!
Yep, hate'm too. No fan of audio books either.
Have no idea why either of those are popular or why people enjoy them. But they do. So, why complain?
Regarding virtual tabletops. I would prefer face to face gaming but I'm in a area far from a gamers watering hole. And mmo games have begun to not satisfy my itch anymore for gaming. Id even like a hybrid were face to face and virtual tabletops could exist. Then I have gaming again.
This is a tough one. Considering that our podcasts are the most popular item at http://lordsoftyr.com, I'd have to say that your opinion is a bit out numbered.
A podcast is a totally different medium and I think it demands slightly different content. Blogs are OK for somethings, but they will never be as good for holding a conversation about something as a podcast will be.
Earlier this year I started doing topics on our podcast only after there was a post on the website about it. This way people can read the content if they choose too.
The podcast is more commentary and group discussion about those topics. I think it lends itself well to that.
I like to have some audio content besides music for my commute to work and for long trips. Podcasts are great for that.
I like the written word and I do prefer it most of the time, but podcasts can be a beneficial part blogging too. In our case, people are more passionate about the podcast so its in my best interest to keep that going. But the podcast would be no where without our blog articles.
I don't think advocating something as recent as blogging could be considered Luddism. Nevertheless, I don't understand why this is a one or the other argument.
My daily commute to work keeps me in the car for over an hour each way. Podcasts help keep me sane since my other alternative is to listen to radio personalities natter on about Britney Spears. Podcasts are also good for fending off road rage when you are stuck going 5-10 miles per hour on the expressway.
That being said, podcasts are not the ideal medium for all kinds of content. You are right that they are exceptionally hard to index. The TWIT network gets around this by transcribing podcasts, but I doubt many gamers have the time or resources to do this properly. Even if they did, a transcription is a poor substitute for either hearing a conversation or reading a blog.
I guess I would leave by saying I wouldn't discourage gamers from making podcasts if that is what they want to do. I think your comment that gaming geeks should "keep to the written word" is a bit ill-considered. Just because someone plays pen and paper games doesn't mean they are a writer. Heck, since most pen and paper gaming involves people talking to one another, podcasts may be closer to what they are used to.
Besides, right now there may be a forum lurking RPGer arguing that blogging a waste of time and that bloggers should post to forums where "more people can read them". Despite this I know that I wouldn't want to give blogging up.
It seems like the "best of both worlds" approach, though it would require some additional effort, would be to post transcripts so that people could listen or read. That's not uncommon to find for other things.
Hi "A Hero" See you on the podcast tonight!
I guess that is kind of what I am shooting for at the Lords of Tyr. We don't do a transcript, but each podcast's topics are direct links to articles on the site. Its not perfect, but its better than nothing.
I would love to do transcripts of every show. If I was making http://twit.tv money and had a few hundred thousand listeners I probably would too!
Honestly I do the articles to podcast topic thing to make sure there are more articles on the site. I figure that if someone is going to prep something for the podcast they might as well do an article. Its not much extra and it drives content for both things.
In that respect it has worked very well. It ensures a few articles per week on average and I always have enough fodder to choose 3-6 topics for the podcasts.
If they were not mutually beneficial I think sadly the written word would suffer. But in the end I just don't think one would exist well without the other, at least not on the Lords of Tyr.
Thanks for you opinion on the matter. But what you are saying make little sense to me. What are saying is that if I wanted to do a book review Podcast, I should just forget about it because I should only use a written form. What if I wanted to interview the author? Would I still only need to use the written word? I find such logic faulty at best.
Now, if you don't like podcasts, that' fine. I suggest you don't listen to any.
BTW, IMHO you wrote this post to stir up some type of controversy. Which is if I remember from my 31 Days to a better Blog, a great way to get more readers. Congratulations in the short term you have succeeded.
Thanks for the comments everyone.
The most powerful point made was by were those who are using various players to multi-task, thus pod casts allow them to find time to listen where they wouldn't have the time to read.
I must say that while I can understand that PoV, I find it unconvincing in my case. I'd rather listen to music, or something else where I don't have to apply serious thought that may reduce my awareness of what's happening around me.
A transcript would be nice, but I don't see many of these people doing the extra work. After all, labor savings on both sides seems to be the whole point.
As to interviews, they've been done in print for years and still are. They by themselves are no reason for an exception.
Bonemaster:
Chill. Someone doesn't like something you do. Deal with it.
Pods Casts are likely here no matter what my opinion of them are. So you win. At least be gracious in the victory.
With a two-hour commute every day, podcasts have saved my sanity. Finding audio content that is specifically of interest to me has been a godsend.
If the only thing to listen to in the car was music, I would have driven off a cliff long ago.
Music sucks. Everyone knows that.
I can't read and drive. So I like podcasts.
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