You may have noticed that episode 88 of the Canadian Podcast Buffet is two days late. We’re having database problems on the CPB website and have been unable to publish the show. So, I’ve decided to post it here to limit the show’s delay.

By the way… We’ve also discovered that the CPB on the iTunes Music Store is stuck around episode 83. This means that if you’ve subscribed to the Buffet through the iTunes Music Store, you haven’t picked up anything since November 29. We’re looking into that, too.

NEWS & COMMENTARY

• One week of advanced registration for PAB2008 coming January 27th!
• Now accepting speaking proposals for PAB2008

EVENTS

• PodCamp Toronto
  February 23-24, 2008
  Rogers Communications Centre, Ryerson University

CANADAPODCASTS.CA

• Life Works
• Xtalks
• Fat 2 Fit Radio
• After the Credits (update)

TALK OF THE WEEK

• Dealing with criticism

AUDIO DESSERT

• CBC’s Alan Neal on hosting and planning your podcast
  Ottawa Podcast and New Media Group Meetup, January 24

EXTRO AND CONTACT INFO

• website: www.CanadianPodcastBuffet.ca
• email: canadianpodcastbuffet@gmail.com
• facebook group: Canadian Podcast Buffet
• feedback: +1-267-220-3701
• forums: CPB
• wiki: canadianpodcastbuffet.ca/wiki

 

 CPB-088: The early bird gets the deal, dealing with criticism and tips from a pro [24:41m]: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

A group of ‘veteran’ podcasters are collaborating to deliver a two day workshop called Zero to Podcasting (Z2P) this February as part the PodCamp Toronto program. The sessions will be a mix of campfire/circle discussions and technical presentations aimed at helping everyone, from newcomers to advanced podcasters, start from nothing and then learn and shake up the skills necessary to plan, prepare, produce, publish and promote their podcasts.

Z2P is designed to arm the absolute newcomer with the skills and ideas to start podcasting by the end of day one, and help with additional skills such as portable recording and establishing and owning their Internet presence during day two. Regardless of your level of experience, the program is designed to help establish, strengthen and refresh all of your skills.

The collaborators include Katherine Matthews and Rob Lee (Purl Diving), Sage Tyrtle (Quirky Nomads), Scarborough Dude (DicksNJanes), and Bob Goyetche and Mark Blevis (Canadian Podcast Buffet and many others).

The full Z2P program and schedule will be available on the PodCamp Toronto website. A summary and sequence of the sessions appears here for your information:

DAY ONE: BEGINNER (SATURDAY, FEBRUARY 23, 2008)

• Picking a topic and planning the podcast
• Technology selection
• Recording the show
• Editing, mixing and producing the show (using Audacity)
• Getting started with Libsyn (including uploading and publishing your show)
• Directories and promotion

DAY TWO: ADVANCED (SUNDAY, FEBRUARY 24, 2008)

• Owning your online presence
• YourName.com (with GoDaddy)
• Your own WordPress site with a Libsyn back end
• The Podpress plugin
• Portable recording
• Next steps

Cross posted on CanadianPodcastBuffet.ca

One challenge that many of the PodCamps have been faced with is session concurrence and the inability of the community to organize sessions into logical tracks (note many, not all, PodCamps!). This means that if you attend a PodCamp, chances are good that being part of one session means missing another — or several others — that you want to attend at the same time. Thankfully, all of the PodCamp Toronto sessions were videotaped and are available in the media archive of that event.

I have been slowly working through the archive and this past weekend found a nugget of gold. During his session with Connie Crosbie on What To Podcast, Jim Milles said “If something is worth doing, it’s worth doing badly” — which is very different from what my father told me when I was growing up. What a perfect way to frame that the only true barrier to becoming a podcaster is one’s own conscious mind.

There are many reasons why people start their own podcast(s) and just as many reasons why people delay or refuse to do their own podcast(s). Don’t let fear of “doing badly” be one of them. Every podcaster I know (myself included) cringes at the thought of listening to their first five episodes — possibly more.

In everything, we have to do something “badly” to do something else well.

Photo: rhyndman

This Podcast is a culmination of my series on Blevis-ian editing, and the audio from my Editing Techniques and Decisions presentation at PodCamp Toronto. I highly recommend that you also listen to Bruce Murray’s presentation on Editing (How to make a layer cake with a butterfly and a sledgehammer). Between Bruce’s humourous and philosophical study of editing and my demonstration of editing techniques, you will gain a solid understanding of this area of audio production.

What makes this Podcast different from the video recording of my presentation (available at the Podcamp Toronto website) is that I have spliced in the audio clips that I played during the presentation. In this way, you can better hear what the edits sound like.

Photo: Timothy Pilgrim (Twisted Wrist)

 

 Editing Techniques and Decisions presentation at PodCamp Toronto [39:54m]: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

Bob Goyetche and I arrived at our hotel a short time ago.  It was a great drive filled with planning our PodCamp presentations, editing presentation clips, listening to Podcasts and music, and blocking out the presentation program for Podcasters Across Borders.

We’ll be making the slow hobble (see Bob’s post) to the Imperial Public Library shortly.

I’ve been chatting with Whitney Hoffman for the last hour as we prepare for our PodCamp Toronto discussion called Making a difference: What Return on Influence (ROI) really means.  She just made me crack up by referring to the many Podcast related conferences that we all flock to as Geekstock.  When I wondered aloud if that’s what we should call the music festival portion of Podcasters Across Borders, Whitney suggested that we’d all be waving our thumb drives in the air.

It’s hard to believe that PodCamp Toronto is in less than a month. It looks like it will be a great event with great people.

I’m on the board for three presentations:

• Building a community - Mark Blevis and Bob Goyetche - Branding is an important part of establishing your identity. Podcasting affords opportunities to leverage your brand to build a community of interest with active members and regular correspondence and dialog. This presentation shares ideas and real-life accounts of how a Podcast can be used to build a community.

• Editing Techniques and Decisions - Mark Blevis - Demonstrations and tangible examples to make sense of what Bruce Murray once dubbed “Blevis-ian editing”.

• Making a difference: What Return on Influence (ROI) really means - Whitney Hoffman, Chris Brogan and Mark Blevis discuss how you can use your influence and think beyond revenue models.

If there is anything in particular that you would like to hear about during any one of these sessions, send an email or drop a comment on this post and I will see what I can do. I am planning on Podcasting the audio of my sessions.

Inspired by PodCamp Boston, Leesa Barnes and Jay Moonah are leading the charge on PodCamp Toronto.  There is no specific date or location, yet, other than February 2007 in Toronto.

I’m looking forward to being a part of another great community event.