Is there a podcast of the SD available? If not, is it being considered? Would it help if we asked nicely and maybe put up a petition? I would love to listen and learn during otherwise terribly boring commutes. In fact I would rather pay for that than the books- I’m sure I am not alone.
This must have been asked, but I tried to search the messages and the board told me I didn’t have sufficient privileges. So, sorry if this has been discussed before. I would appreciate a link to the thread.
The SD is a written medium, how do you plan on listening to it? Am I missing something here?
Things can be read outloud and recorded. Done very frequently indeed.
If this hasn’t been discussed before, which I highly doubt- I just can’t find it, here are my sentiments: SD needs a podcast like slate.com’s explainer podcasts, or various npr short stories published daily, all of which are very popular. While SD already has a strong following, this would increase the number of fans (which may or may not be a valid goal, I realize). It would be another medium in which a fun and useful effort is shared with us, the public. I am sure it would shoot to the top of the podcast listings and be seen by many more people. It would increase demand for the books, etc.
Many popular podcasts are only a few minutes long, and SD could follow that format, publishing one columns material every day. As a fan, I would like to have a half hour or so, perhaps several columns worth of material, perhaps all on a related matter.
As I’m sure Cecil knows well, podcasts are easy to record and publish. I am not sure about bandwith, but this website uses some, so someone around SD will probably have an answer. You just need someone with a decent voice and good reading skills, but again being a fan, I would hope for some production values- a nice intro tune, quality recording so that people who hear for the first time do not think it’s an amateur’s work.
I would like to hear Cecil’s wisdom read in the dulcet tones of TubaDiva. Or perhaps the Science Advisory board could read their contributions. Maybe we could have the teaming millions each read the same column like the Aristocrats movie. That sounds like a lot of fun to me. But I imagine the Reader won’t be up for that.
Making podcasts takes time and money. What’s in it for the Reader?
Would it be legal for volunteers to record the columns on their own and distribute them free? Because if so, [not-so-subtle plug] Librivox.org is a site which is set up for just such a feat. You’d have to check with the people in charge over there and at SD, and it’s actually probably pretty unlikely. Still, just thought I’d throw it out there.
If you’re talking reading Cecil’s columns and the SDSAB reports, it doesn’t take that much time if it’s done right. It would probably take around an hour for me to voice and produce a week’s worth of columns.
They would take additional bandwidth and server space to host and download, so, yes, it would cost money.
At the risk of kicking this into ATMB territory, perhaps free podcasts could be a member benefit, and the Reader could make them available to the general public via iTunes for a nominal charge.
Let’s not forget that the Straight Dope was a TV show at one time, so there is some precedent for the columns as a spoken thing.
As to copyright, anyone wishing to do this on their own would have to get the Reader’s express written permission before distributing any podcast using their material. They do hold the copyright on Cecil’s columns, and we need to respect that.
If the Reader is amenable, I could put a few together as an experiment and see how this goes.
Robin
Personally, listening to the rants in the Pit would be worth the price of admission.
What would the benefits of a podcast be? This is all straightforward stuff, but maybe it needs to be said for discussion.
For Cecil and the copyright owners,
another medium means better access, more people getting into SD
podcast specifically means tapping into a different crowd. the Ipod market includes many young people and many who don’t surf the net, participate in forums or buy books
Podcasts are also good since they are tracked by many groups, including iTunes, and if SD Podcast became popular, people **would **find out through these listings, etc. In other words, free press is available. I myself just found out about SD through a “top sites on the internet” kind of a list. It’s good to get into these lists.
-It can bring people to the website for more.
-Obviously, more people following SD means more potential book customers and forum customers, two ways SD makes money. There’s also the fame and popularity, but let’s concentrate on money.
-if the Reader is involved, they may see an increase in readership, or more papers may buy the column since it is followed by thousands (documented by itunes)
How to make money from it
Sell the podcast: Once it becomes popular, the podcast could be based on subscription. This can be evaluated when the time comes.
Take advertising: Both slate explainer and ESPN podcasts (two that I listen to frequently) take advertisements.
Why not do it? I don’t think there are very good reasons not to do it. The material is there, the channel is there, the audience is there. Barrier to entry is low, cost of failure is low. Reward can be high, since SD is established as a good product, people just need to know about it.
Time commitment: It does take a little time, but not a lot to record podcasts. All the work is already done; you just cue a 10 seconds intro tune, and read the column. As others have said, there are services on the web to help with this (I am not familiar with those, but someone will know).
Cost: Podcasts are done by many many people who have little in the way of equipment, no experience, etc. for very little cost. Bandwith would increase but the podcasts wouldn’t be very large in filesize and various moneymaking schemes outlined above may cover the costs.
I don’t know whose attention this idea must be brought, which is why I wrote here. Can we get Cecil to weigh in on this, or the Reader, if they are in charge of distribution?
There are services such as Odeo where you can record and publish your podcast directly from your browser. Since the script is already there you just need someone to take five minutes to read the column into a cheap mic with a natural voice. There won’t be takes - no one cares if you fumble a word or two in your podcast.
With the exception of the relatively few super-long columns, it’s a 5-10 minute venture.
Which is fine for most personal podcasters. The Reader is a professional outfit and I think it should develop a professional product, especially if it wants to use a podcast as a draw for potentially paying customers to the SDMB.
Robin
What’s the difference between reading a script and reading a script? Hint: there isn’t one. I produced “Navy Europe News Minutes” for AFN for two years. You walk up, you read your lines, and you walk away. And podcasting is a million times simpler! Especially since you can just talk naturally. It’s not a big deal, IMO.
I care, and there are enough other people who do that it would be worth the Reader’s while to have a professional-sounding podcast.
Meh. I’ve heard Ed Zotti on the radio. He could walk up to the mic and nail it in one shot. It’s not a big deal.
Nobody’s saying it’s a big deal. I can probably do a week’s worth of columns in about an hour, start to finish.
Listen to an NPR podcast sometime. That’s what a good podcast should sound like.
Robin
Anything that distributes Straight Dope content in any way requires consent from Reader management.
I can bring this proposal to them – and I will – but don’t go doing something on your own here in the meantime.
TubaDiva
TubaDiva,
Bringing this idea to the attention of the people who can do it would be great. I don’t say “tell cecil please” in case it’s not him who will decide to do it or not. I am just excited by the prospect that this column that I enjoy reading very much, can be something I can listen to as well, since for me it will fill otherwise dull time with something I enjoy. For the SD, I genuinely believe it will be a good move- the column is something that will pique the interest of many, and will be at least tried by the masses since it is so short and easy to get into. It won’t have the cartoons, but there may be a verbal component to replace that humor. I think this has everything a successful podcast needs, and successful podcasts get quite a following, with relatively little effort and cost.
If the people in charge aren’t familiar with similar examples, I would recommend the slate explainer report (the closest thing to SD)- very popular, explains one question, short but sweet, has advertising, calls people to the website.
Please do keep in mind that this is but a tiny part of the Chicago Reader empire (such as it is) and that we are dealing mostly with people who are and always have been print-oriented.
More as this develops.
TubaDiva
Especially in the food court of a shopping mall, with the volume turned up real loud. Yeah, Askia, I’m looking at you, mate.
While this actualy isn’t a bad idea, and I do think it has some potential, it just seems so silly to me. I have no idea why, I just can’t imagine listening to someone reading the dope and subsequently distributing it to the teeming millions.
With that being said, I’d probably listen to it once or twice.