This is a loose continuation of the previous article “The art of podcasting“

If you asked me now what a podcast is I would answer thus:

“An audio or video file placed on a website used to promote the goods and/or services of a corporation or social network based web app.”

Nevermind all that rss stuff or even mention of itunes or ipods, it’s not about that anymore. It’s not even about who actually makes the media - unless they are a name that is a brand itself.

Any half competent website proudly claims “We now even have some podcasts.” Often linking to a page with an embedded wmv file of a semi professionally made advert. You can’t even download the file in order to discover that it doesn’t play on an ipod. Not that you ever needed an ipod - I used to make a video podcats and never once saw what it looked like on an ipod. (Instead I used to use podshow’s mash player - lol)

The great democratisation that the left wingers proudly claimed have already been privatised. They are now called user generated content providers. But lets not forget that the left wingers are also the geeks. In a beautiful example this month’s Podcast User magazine features has a cover story about John Cleese. And whilst it goes into details about how he is using podcasting to promote his brand it closed the article with a list of what microphones he uses!

Now apart the fact John Cleese’s podcast isn’t renowned for it’s stereophonic soundscapes it’s an insult to him to forget that he is John FUCKING Cleece. I want to know what sort of mic he uses about as much as how big his cock is! (Favouring the latter of course.)

But let’s not think this just an attack on a publication that many of us enjoy and whose writers I have an enormous amount of genuine respect for. After all they dedicate most of their publication to discussion actual content in the form of show reviews and interviews.

Let’s instead take a look at their US centric competition. This month’s Blogger and Podcaster dedicates ONE PAGE to content, a generic article by Tee Morris. The remainder is given over to talk of business models, audience metrics, marketing, new gadgets and social networking.

This isn’t just geekery but right wing geekery. And yet it has the balls to declare CONTENT IS KING.

Well your fucking majesty why don’t you take a closer look at the content of your magazine.

Let’s rewind a little bit to how I would have described podcasting two years ago.

“Frustrated audience use mp3s and rss to make shows themselves free of the advertising, marketing and journalistic decay that undermined modern media.”

In short we were sick of all the shit. But the stupidest thinng in the world is that I got that defintion having listened to Adam Curry!

And now I’m doing my best to find a show that doesn’t spend most of it’s time discussing the goods or services of a third party. Nevermind GoDaddy ads - I’m turned off now by talk of podcasting itself. I am sick to death of Keith and Girl emails telling me to vote on podcast alley. I don’t listen to Keith and the Girl - and Podcast Alley is run by podshow. What idiots.

I’m sick of being invited to put a pin in a frappr map or add to friends on myspace.

And I’m assuming you are sick of it too - right?

So now I’m working on what I intend to do about it.

In part three of this article I hope to look at how and why this all happened and hopefully discuss how to learn from this and take preventative measures for my new venture.