Fishing for podcasts

I've been listening to quite a few podcasts during the past week, especially since Shel Holtz and I started our weekly podcast a week ago.

You do know what podcasts are, right? If not, check this definition at Wikipedia.

Much of my listening has been to gain some further knowledge in how different people do podcasts. Presentation styles, whether they do music or not, topics discussed, etc. I've been visiting various places that have certain categories of podcasts, sorted by topic. The best place I've found so far in this regard is Podcast Alley, which currently has over 670 different podcasts you can listen to, dealing with entirely different topics.

So you have technology, sports, music, business (that's where you'll find the ones from Shel and I), talk, religion, comedy, and so on. 5 minute podcasts, 10 minutes, an hour. Something for everyone's interest. (And maybe the Next Big Thing as this communication medium evolves: video podcasts or, as Podcast Alley calls them, podclips.)

And for technology-related depth discussions, there's no better place than IT Conversations.

In all cases, when you find something you like, sign up for it's RSS feed and get them automatically in your RSS reader. Feed Demon does a terrific job in this regard. If you have an iPod or other digital player, then ipodder is the app for you.

By and large, there is some very good material out there. Equally, there's a great deal of awful stuff (always a subjective view, of course). But that's the great thing about this whole blogosphere thing - if you come across something you don't like, well, just ignore it. It's really simple.

In my fishing for podcasts, I encountered a wholly unexpected category - podcasts by women, a list compiled by writer and editor Amy Gahran and listed in her Contentious blog. It currently lists the podcasts of 26 women podcasters, covering widely-different topics, from serious business to politics, right through to erotic fiction. Plus Amy's own podcasts on writing and editing, which she started a few weeks ago.

Of her list, Amy says: "Here are the ones I know about so far. Some of these I listen to regularly, others I’ve only heard once or twice. But all are the product of women’s efforts. Please check them out."

You got it, Amy. Nice work!

Comments

[Mark Rushton]

Looking for music podcasts? My label has a couple available. Just click the URL link in my name and grab away.

[th0m]

Heya... well, just wanted to say it doesn't take much to create one, either. At "My Own Private Audio" it took less than 10 minutes, but all publishing was done by hand.

Anyway, lots of good stuff out there. http://www.donewaiting.com has a good indie music podcast.

[Neville Hobson]

Thanks, guys. Some good stuff indeed.