When Is a Podcast Not a Podcast?

Posted by: Rob Hof on May 26

When you can’t actually download it, as Stowe Boyd points out in a critique of our first podcast. However, in this case, you can do just that. We just didn’t point out exactly how; our bad. Instead of just clicking on the link, which opens up a stream (and no, that doesn’t constitute a podcast), right-click on it and save it as an MP3 file, which you can then load onto an MP3 player. That’s a podcast, right? We also do have an RSS feed you can set up; instructions are here. Not too obvious either; our second bad.

Stowe has another criticism: "Shouldn't there be a thunderclap when Ira Sager asked Steve about podcasting being coopted by big media or corporations? I mean, it's BusinessWeek (a brand of McGraw-Hill) trying to break into podcasting here, after all, not two guys in a garage arguing about open source, their wives, or the NBA playoffs. They are a media giant. They are talking about themselves in the third person."

Well, yes, but surely our readers and listeners understand BusinessWeek is a big media brand and any comments we make should be read in that context. And since we're not the sum total of all big media by any stretch, it doesn't seem unreasonable to talk about big media in the third person.

All that said, Stowe, I appreciate the critique, since it suggests ways for us to do better. We'll be trying, so jump in with your own comments.

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