I agree with chloran I think the podcast length is good as it is (although listening to the chipmunks this week was a challenge). I enjoy the mixture of hints, tips and news with a bit of general chat about other stuff.

This isthe only mac related podcast that I listen to as soon as it is downloaded.

I also agree that those of us who enjoy the forum should participate more by asking questions, providing other tips etc. As a Mac user for only 9 months now I seem to have more questions that anything else but will try to think of things to contribute (hopefully without feeling too dumb)

Keep up the great work guys.

OK, my two cents.

I have been catching up with a slew of different podcasts over the last few months, and I have retained subscriptions to three Mac-oriented ones. MacOSG (naturally), MacBreak Weekly and Mac Geek Gab. If I try to (over) analyze why I have retained these three it seems that I like a multi-handed approach (at lease two presenters), I like the rapport and banter between the co-hosts, a gentle style and the ability to get waaaay off the main topic occasionally (the proverbial rat-hole).

I'm an ex-pat Brit, now resident in the US... one of the things I miss about the UK (apart from good sausages etc) is the UK style of talk radio. US radio is absolutely useless. It's either formula driven music with very restrictive playlists or shock-jocks (NPR can be OK of course). The internet allows me to listen to the BBC on-line to keep up with the news and current British comedy scene... but podcasting has become my "talk radio"... especially for late night listening.

Just to sit down and listen to a few old farts* chewing the fat and having a few laughs as they weave around the main subject is (to me) very enjoyable. If I want hard news with strident editorial I can hit any number of Mac sites or news-based podcasts.

I'm happy with the length... around an hour or less is good for me, and it seems to work for the crew as well. Longer would be difficult to fill while maintaining quality, shorter would seem too rushed... especially if the guys developed an unattractive sense of urgency!

Well done, and keep it up!

*old farts = a quaint Olde English term of endearment...

Thanks for the input Chris.

At the risk of sounding defensive I would like to offer a different perspective as a listener, not a podcaster.

There are times when I like headlines USA Today style and there are times when I like more detail and a more relaxed experience.

Sometimes I read USA Today but other-times I prefer to spend some relaxing time with the NYT or WSJ.

I consistently hope that we can keep it under 30-35 minutes but usually that just doesn't fit.

As far as 5 or 10 minute shows that certainly won't fit my personal routine for listening.

When I get on the road for a 45 minute commute I like to turn on a good podcast and enjoy it for most, if not all the commute without switching from one to the next.

I know that Cory will bellow but I very much enjoy being able to listen to a single TWIT podcast that covers my commute (you may have noticed the subtle hints that he is not a Leo fan..)

BTW, have you listened to the Mac OS Ken podcasts, the "preferred" podcast of our sister site Macsimum News. Sounds like that is the focused type of coverage that you would enjoy. For me it is too frantic.

Different strokes and all that...

I guess we are doing a different type of Podcast than you are looking for. Sort of looking for Headline news and finding the Prairie Home Companion.

You know, if you look back to the beginning of the podcasts, you will see they started out at around 20-30 minutes, but as a few more things--like the "rap session" for example--were added, it kind of pushed the podcast to 40-60 minutes.

I think, when you get 4 people in a "round table" type discussion, it's going to eat up more time. I think the crew is doing it right by doing the "newsworthy" stuff first, and leaving the rap session until the end. This way, you could stop listening to it at that point if you didn't want to listen to the whole podcast.

If I don't have time to listen to a whole podcast, I will just stop it, and come back to it at a later date. Recently, I bought a cheap used 1st gen. iPod Shuffle, loaded podcasts on there, and now listen to them in bed at night. Works out great.

Anyway, I like the idea of chapter markers, but I think that would be more work for Cory producing it. Isn't that considered an enhanced podcast Cory?

Yeah B...that's an enhanced podcast, and would require a move to AAC from MP3. We have discussed it in the past, and I am sure will in the near future.

An an interesting note: We are currently testing some new equipment out that will give the show a little more variety.

C

P.S. It's hard to keep us windbags under an hour!

Rick: You didn't come across that way but you have ever right to feel defensive since you were willing to put yourself out there for comments on the podcasts. That's never easy and I respect that, and I also appreciate you (and everyone else) not ripping me a new one for my comments...

Your last example of Headline News v. PHC is an excellent one, by the way, because those two shows exemplify two very different styles. Neither is better than the other; just different. (And, as you'd expect, I never got into PHC ) I'll check out the Macsimum podcast, too.

Another thought that comes to mind is perhaps mixing up the podcasts - perhaps PHC-style one week and HN-style the next - and checking response.

But after reading the comments on this thread, I go back to a question I'd posted on the other thread that triggered this one: Is there really a "problem" at all? Is it because there are so few O'Reilly winners that people think too few are listening to the podcast? Does anyone know the number of podcast downloads each week to determine the membership percentage potentially listening? Is that number growing? Is it just a matter of promoting the podcast more, as I'm trying to do in the newsletter?

I think talking about this is healthy, but I totally concede that at the end of the day, my info-getting style might be the minority.

I'm a fairly regular listener (though an episode may linger on my iTunes for several days before I finally get around to it.) The MacOSG podcast is one of about 3 or 4 other podcasts I regularly listen to.

I think the current length (approx. 50 min) is as long as it (or any other podcast) should be. Any longer and I just lose interest in any podcast. For instance, Leo Laporte's "TWiT" podcast recently went close to two hours. That was a painful episode of what is usually one of the more enjoyable podcasts going.

Not sure how to build listenership, though. I'm sure you guys have links to it scattered all over the place. I'm thinking of adding a "Favorites" column on my website, so I'll certainly add a link there. I tell the Mac-users in my circle about both the website and podcast all the time. But, most of them don't even listen to podcasts. Interstingly, I almost never listen to podcasts on my iPod. I do my listening while working at my Mac. Go figure.

Yes, thanks for all the productive discussion everyone.

We are listed on just about every podcast directory out there. We have several podcasts we are "friendly" with, in which we get regular mention on. The MacOSG has even been listed in Mac Addict.

As a podcast listener myself, I believe that our show's format is fresh and different than the rest of the Mac news and how-to shows. Having a little variety helps set us apart from the others. At times we stray quite far from the bank of the river, but in a good way that's enjoyable to listen to.

As for the O'Reilly winners, I think our record is pretty good. Almost every Frappr! name drawn has claimed their book. Those that are simply MacOSG members haven't...because they don't listen to the show. You have to listen to win, so that was part of the enticement to attract new listeners.

We will be doing more Member Spotlights, interviews with industry folks, and have a few other surprises up our sleeves. Should make us grow.

Keep the discussion alive and the suggestions/comments coming,

C

Maybe if we added a banner ad for the podcast across the top of the page here in the forums themselves, more people might become aware of it? Incorporate it in with the main MacOSG logo?

If most people are like me, they never actually visit much of the rest of the site, other than the forums (sorry).

A better link to the Frappr map might be in order, too. Maybe right on the podcast home page?

There is a banner for the podcast on the main page of the forums...look at the right...above where you click to see posts since last visit.

The Frappr! map used to be on the podcast page...I don't know how it got deleted. I will put it back.

C

A very good question!

I don't think we have a "problem" but are instead working to increase an already respectable listenership.

Scot regularly supplies the download numbers and they are not only a bit surprising in the size of the numbers but growing.

I think maybe the two questions that you brought up on the other thread that prompted this thread were, how do we determine the metrics of the audience (for us and for your proposed podcast) and how do we promote a podcast to increase the numbers no matter what they currently are.

Inherent in the second question is what suggestions would listeners have to make it more enjoyable for them and what could be done to make it more attractive to others without reducing what they like.

Your suggestion of "cross-pollination" between the Newsletter and the Podcast that you mention here and have before is, of course, an excellent one and good for both.

Rick:
Do the podcast download figures parallel the steady rise in MacOSG's membership or does it grow more steeply versus the latter? In the former case, we should expect to pick up a few more listeners each week and it doesn't therefore really reflect any effectiveness in promoting the podcast or delivering such in the manner that members want. If the download numbers are growing more steeply versus new members, however, then you guys and this Website are on the right track and should ignore my earlier comments!

I guess you would have to have Scot try to correlate this but I think it is important to consider a couple of facts.

Not all podcast listeners are members of MacOSG and not all MacOSG members are interested in listening to podcasts.

I can only go back to Jan. 2006 for the stats of downloads. I started hosting the files in late Dec. 2005.

For the month of Jan. 2006 we had approx. 2600 downloads of the podcast. Last month we had approx. 6300 downloads. That's about a 142% increase in downloads.

In the beginning of Feb. 2006 MacOSG had around 2353 users registered and currently has 3881 registered users for an increase of about 65%.

Hope this helps...

True. We'd like all MacOSG members to be listeners and all listeners to be MacOSG members.

Or does that go:

If all Zips are Zoodles, and all Zoodles are Zonkers, then all Zips are Zonkers?