Non Sequitur by Wiley Miller for April 10, 2023

The funniest are the ones that have a podcast, but think it’s the same as having a TV show.

You DO realise that the mike is live, don’t you?

Influenceria: the mutation of the Spanish Flu to that part of the brain that promotes self importance.

He can stop, anytime.

Especially if he responds, “Hey, all questions are mine to ask.”

He’s one of them thar Pod People!

With Apple having discontinued the iPod last year, future etymologists will have some ‘splainin’ to do to future generations wondering why we call these programs “pod”-casts.

I am old enough to remember when pod casting was throwing away the outside of the peas you had just shucked.

Give me something to read, I have no interest in you blabbing for 30 minutes to communicate 60-seconds worth of information.

Given a choice between any podcast and the comics, I choose the comics. The comics and the comments combined make my days much brighter and I enjoy the company of laugh-minded commenters. Keep on keeping on, Friends. It’s the best user-approved medicine on the shelf.

Podcast: a twits social equivalent of a long meeting that could and should have been covered in a 1 or 2 paragraph (at best) memo

It’s not the podcasting he’s addicted to; so much as the large checks he receives for doing so.

As for everybody pooh-poohing the genre? It’s essentially talk radio. Which comes down to content more than format.

Some much work is done online today. Video conferencing and interviews are common. It is important to be able to set up a “home studio.”

Some of the common mistakes are: backlighting (it renders that “witness protection” look), being photobombed by livestock (most notably cats), bad camera angles (a from below angle as when the camera is sitting on the desk gives an “up the nose” look which usually isn’t flattering) and distracting backgrounds.

One distracting background I saw was of a man who was using a laptop. He had the screen angled so that the audience was looking at the ceiling which is not a normal point of view. Behind him was the ceiling fan which made it appear like he had a propeller coming out of his head.

One can use artificial backgrounds and some cameras and systems carry this off very well. Many don’t. If yours doesn’t don’t use it. Having body parts disappear while interviewing can be most distracting. IN this case use a physical, conservative background. Bookcases are ideal for this.

Also consider multiple sources of light to reduce shadows and “soften” your look.

I can read easily 3-4 times faster than somebody else can talk. Furthermore, unless the podcast is among the 0.04% that have been scripted in advance, reading a book, magazine, or website that’s been carefully written and edited doesn’t waste my time with lots of "um"s, "ah"s, “you know”s, “where was I”s, “oh yeah”s, “I guess”es, and similar content-free filler phrases.

If the term podcast includes so-called instructional videos, then there is a wide open business for someone to open a ‘how to _’splain_ repair stuff in a clear, sensible manner.’

While you might want to help folks with repairs, you also want to present yourself as a professional or at least a well-trained individual and your screen presence will either support that or not.

For those who have never done one before, here are some suggestions. A very important point is to have a clear view from the camera/phone. What I see most often is tilting, shaking, and changing the view every few seconds. Too hard to concentrate on the subject. You do the repair/fix and let someone else hold the camera and move to new positions as you progress.

But even before that: plan what you are going to do. Write out the steps for your presentation. Next write the script, and let someone else read it for continuity, Finally, revise it and do a practice run for friends and listen to their comments.

And good luck.

Lots of negativity about podcasts. Here are two I enjoy:

Conan O’Brien Needs a Friend. The former talk show hosts interviews guests and chats with his staff. Frequently hilarious.

Office Ladies. Jenna Fischer and Angela Kinsey go over the episodes of the US version of The Office, with personal insights and guests from the show.

Some podcasts are informative. The Last American Vagabond with Ryan Christian and Unlimited Hangout with Whitney Webb are terrific. Your head will spin.

Just a hunch!

I still don’t know what a podcast is.