MINI Podcasting

Sections: Podcast Jul 20th, 2005 23 Comments

Podcasting has officially spread to the MINI world. Don over at dbmini.us has posted his forth Podcast and it’s well worth checking out:

[ dbmini Podcast #4 ]

Congrats to Don for some solid podcasting work and some quality entertainment for all those who spend way too much time thinking about our cars.

Creating an entertaining Podcast on any topic can be daunting. First off you need to make sure you’re not boring. As someone who spent four years in college radio not too long ago, I can tell you that exciting people don’t always equal exciting programs. I’ve seen some great conversationalists turn into bumbling idiots when the mic goes live. Then there’s the whole issue of bandwidth, an issue that has personally made me think twice about posting a MotoringFile Podcast.

So the question; would you listen to a MotoringFile Podcast? Is it a monthly or even weekly feature that you’d like to see down the road? Or should we just stick to html and jpgs?

Written By: Gabe

http://motoringfile.com Gabe

A few of you might be interested to know that I actually created a couple of solo podcasts last winter to test out the process. While they went fairly well I decided not to post them at that time. Instead I wanted to wait until I could create a proper format and make sure my bandwidth was up to the challenge.
http://www.gbmini.net/ Ian

[old-fashioned at 43?] stick to the screen based stuff ;)

But then I still use DOS sometimes!
Charlie

Hi Gabe….

I strongly think it is a great occasional addition… ie once a month or every two weeks or something… I prefer actual information about driving techniques, tutorials about the physics behind performance mods, over general content normally on your fantastic website. (I liked Don’s podcast number 3 for example about track days)

Thanks for asking and thanks for running a great site
http://www.jwardell.com/mini/ Josh Wardell

I listened to dbmini’s podcast earlier today (automatically subscribed through itunes music store..check it out). I thought was better than most others, and a big reason is because he had todd call in and was more of a conversation between two announcers than just a one-person show.
http://motoringfile.com Gabe

Yeah I agree. That’s a big part of a sucessful podcast.
petsounds

Haven’t had a chance to listen to the podcast yet, but I think an interesting podcast for the MINI community would be a travel journal and the life experiences that happen while travelling in the MINI. I think it would gel well with the motoring spirit.

I don’t think I’d be too excited about an informational podcast. I’d prefer that in text format for the most part, since MINI news tends to be on the technical side.

I suppose if someone did a NPR-esque podcast, that could be interesting. Do a number of “stories”, interview people, et al.

I too spent four years behind the mic at a college radio station. But I think doing a podcast is a bit different than a traditional radio show. Maybe that’s just my bias speaking, but a podcast doesn’t have that “live” spirit to it.
Holly

I listened to Don’s Podcasts and thoroughly enjoyed them. Like I told him, there is nothing like 2 MINI enthusiasts getting together and just talking about any and all things MINI. I was laughing at some of the statements made by both Don and Todd, as I’ve thought (or said) the same things before. Its just fun.
Jimbo

I would love it….
Bing

I think this is great. I just subscribed.
http://dbmini.us db

Thanks for the feedback!

Todd and I worked on this for another couple of hours tonight working out the glitches in recording (trying to get the levels right and all that) and I think you will really enjoy the next one, so far scheduled for Sunday.
Ralph

“So the question; would you listen to a MotoringFile Podcast? Is it a monthly or even weekly feature that you’d like to see down the road? Or should we just stick to html and jpgs?”

Why not do both? Podcast and info via html and jpgs. Some of us (me for one) do not own an I-POD. Don’t have a need for one and won’t be buying one in the near future.
Doug

Nice italian job soundtrack intro.
http://motoringfile.com Gabe

Some of us (me for one) do not own an I-POD. Don’t have a need for one and won’t be buying one in the near future.

A Podcast does not require an iPod or even a digital music player. It’s actually just an MP3 file that can be played on almost any computer.
ChrisW

Ian: “But then I still use DOS sometimes!”

Um, what’s a DOS? :P
Kurt Gillespie

I think a monthly Motoringfile Podcast would be a good start… wouldn’t overrun the bandwith to much but you certainly have enough content to make a monthly version interesting…
Kurt Gillespie

If anyone has ever watched the TV show that car and driver does, I think a podcast built around that type of information delivery would be great for motoringfile…
http://1bystander.blogspot.com/ Radiationman

This isn’t intended to knock db’s podcast, which I haven’t listened to yet.

But I’ve got to say. As with anything else on the web… Just because you can, doesn’t mean you should. It’s that’s philosophy that made me wait so long before I even considered blogging.

I’ve been listening to podcasts for a few months now, and can honestly say that the large majority of them out there are utter crap!

The best podcasts I’ve listened to have good content and present it well, and my favorite podcast is actually just an NPR show that is archived as a podcast and not a truely independent production.

The worst ones either have crappy content that they try to wrap in a flashy package… Or have great content, but their sound quality and presentation suck.
http://www.jwardell.com/mini/ Josh Wardell

How about announcing a time to do it live so various MINI baffoons such as us can call in unexpectedly and ask questions or bring up interesting topics of conversations? There’s nothing like a 6-person screaming match to make thing really interesting. :)
http://www.bluegrassminis.com Jason

I would listen. I think a monthly edition would make sure you had plenty of content (and time to produce a good “show”). Maybe you could go to national events (Minis on the Dragon, etc.) and do interviews, ride-along commentary, and such.
Ralph

“A Podcast does not require an iPod or even a digital music player. It’s actually just an MP3 file that can be played on almost any computer.”

“I think a monthly Motoringfile Podcast would be a good start… wouldn’t overrun the bandwith to much but you certainly have enough content to make a monthly version interesting…”

I’d still perfer to read info and news vs listening via a MP3 podcast. MPS file requires downloading which depending on the file size could take some time, unless you have broadband.- Which I don’t. Only have dialup. Just like building a Mini, web info and news vs podcast it’s about options. For those who perfer to listen to the info, have podcasts available, and for those that want to read, post the info. Choices. Thanks.
Ralph

Sorry about the bold. I dont’ know why it does that. Once again sorry.
http://toddsmods.com/blog Todd Pearson

Gabe – first, thanks for your kind words and the post about the podcast. Second, I agree with a lot of what folks have said about podcasting and the potential for a motoringfile podcast. Content is key and it’s got to be interesting to listen to and not just a re-hash of the news but extended viewpoints, opinions and experiences.

db and I will continue to do this as long as folks are listening and even if they aren’t, we’re having fun doing it.

All I can say is this was our first stab at it and it will only get better. We’ve worked out some technical glitches and I think it will be easier to listen to – technically – from now on.

Like has been stated, podcasts are not for everyone but I’d encourage people to try them out before writing them off completely. I personally have my iPod loaded with a dozen or so regular “shows” and find them a nice alternative to radio.

Once again, thanks to everyone for the kind words and criticisms too. We appreciate the MINI community and just want to do our part to support the enthusiasm.
http://dbmini.us db

Josh Wardell said…

How about announcing a time to do it live so various MINI baffoons such as us can call in unexpectedly and ask questions or bring up interesting topics of conversations? There’s nothing like a 6-person screaming match to make thing really interesting. :)

We have already thought about that. Just keep an eye on dbmini.us and toddsmods.com for details and instructions.

I will tell you that something like that probably will not happen until episode 6. We spent some time dialing in our setup and need to make sure it works with just us before we add to the mix.

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