you must HATE Audible even worse!:dubious:
I can only use Podcasts as a secondary/background item, and then it has to be in a short format, where I won’t feel the need to backtrack if I miss something. I find that “Stuff you Missed in History Class” works well. 15-30 minutes. If I lose track of the narrative, it’s not big deal.
They also work really well for my father. He has Parkinson’s and sometimes mid-term memory isn’t retained well by him, but the podcasts are interesting while they are on, and are academic enough to keep his interest. Basically, it’s like listening to a story teller, with stories based on history.
I also hate webcasts, pretty much for the same reason as the OP.
They are so incredibly slow. Larry Miller used to do occasional “clog” posts on his web site. Wonderful reads. Now he does webcasts only. It is painful to sit thru them. 3 minutes of material stretched out over 20-30 minutes.
Others I’ve tried are the same way. Maron the TV show is funny, Maron the webcast is a bore.
Mrs. FtG has a relative who is a standup comic and has “appeared on TV” and all that. She used to do great posts on her web page. Now it’s just pointless webcasts with friends and a lot of laughing at nothing. The friends aren’t funny. Laughing at something that might (or might not) be happening in the “studio” doesn’t work for the audience.
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Confine it to one person. No other person.
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Write every word down in advance and read it.
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Post the script and toss the recording.
What’s Audible, and do I even want to know?
No, I’m the opposite of you, I love podcasts.
Somewhere about 1995 I had a commute for the first time in my life, which I thought I would hate, but found I loved, largely due to the companionship of NPR.
Around 1997 I started walking for exercise and brought a walkman and listened to NPR, but then discovered the audiobook section of our library (on TAPES, children that’s like MP3s in the olden days) which made me want to walk more.
Soon after that my life incorporated lots more housework and yardwork and tedious stretches where reading was impossible but listening wasn’t (hello children and home ownership) audio to the rescue.
now podcasts are available and finally my neverending need for audio content can be truly fulfilled.
The truth is, when I look back there are hints that I am an auditory learner and, indeed, crave the spoken word. Despite being raised in a home awash in classical music, I never learned to like it and far far prefer songs with words. I would listen to any spoken words albums we had over and over (“The Point” by Harry Nilsson anybody? Anybody?). I learned all the words to Alice’s Restaurant.
It’s probably why I did so well in school (besides that I am just really smart and also love to read). Most instruction involves the teacher talking to the class. Usually if I heard it, I remembered it, any textbook study was just gravy.
so, we’re all different, have different learning styles, different neurological strengths and weaknesses. It makes sense to me that audio content would be as odious to some people as it is beloved by me.
Lordy, don’t ask me to learn something just by picking up the social cues of people who already know how to do it…sports were a mystery to me because that’s how you were supposed to learn them.
Huge fan of podcasts, here:
They’re great because I can just load them on my iPhone, and then when doing work in the lab I can listen away.
I do prefer written text to audio or video at the computer, but for doing routine and rote lab work podcasts are sublime.
Oh my yes!
I used to listen to Podcasts a lot starting in 2010. Mostly I would listen during my long commute to and from work. After a little over a year, I just found myself no longer interested in anything available.
It seemed that late 2009/early 2010 a lot of comedians begin their own podcasting shows. Some added shows during the week, while still others started new shows. It all seemed to become bland.
I also hate Radio Lab and other stuff I’ve heard from NPR because they are over planned and over edited.
Maybe their target audience is slow children stuck in the car with mom and dad. They strip out so much content and stretch the remaining 15 minutes into an hour, with unnecessary dramatic pauses, stupid sounds, and repetitions.
E.g.:
[QUOTE=NPR interviewer 1]
What about her height?
[/QUOTE]
[QUOTE=NPR interviewer 2]
She was a tall girl
[/QUOTE]
[QUOTE=interviewee]
I was taller than most kids my age.
[/QUOTE]
Fortunately, when listening to a podcast, TAL and RL are so devoid of content that it’s easy to listen to them at 2x speed.
I love this podcast, I got really angry when they stopped at 100 or so because all of them were so fascinating. I’d love for them to expand it and do a “History of the World in 500 objects.” Great BBC, great history, great listening. I’m just sad it’s done. (I think? Haven’t checked that podcast in a year or so.)