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Sunday, July 29, 2007

Podcamp City Online Wrap-up

Thursday I told you all about Podcamp City Online, and Saturday was the day. 12 hours of campy goodness!

Beginning at .... 6:30 in the morning. Yikes. But I did it. I got my ass up, wandered downstairs, started some major coffee brewing, and logged on. Unfortunately the program wouldn't work on the main computer in the studio, so I logged on through the lap top. I say unfortunately because I could only text chat vs. participating with my microphone. Such is life, so I got comfy on the sofa, coffee in hand, and began listening.

My overall view of Podcamp City, is that it definitely has potential. It was really, really good, and full of information. Of course, there was general podcasting information presented: What is a podcast, how do you do it, what equipment do you need, etc. etc. I actually found that one of the most interesting sessions, because most of those who attended were podcasters. Everyone interacted and presented information on what equipment they used and why. I think out of everything, that is where I personally got the most useful information for my own show. (I'm a big fan of interacting and gathering information from peers).

I loved Sean McMinn's session on podcasting and education, simply because it was neat to hear how podcasting is working with educating those who are learning English as a second language. Seeing proof of how innovating podcasting truly is always something I enjoy geeking out on. :-)

Another session that I felt everyone could relate to was the session on podfading. It was the last session, and I had to leave before it was finished, but I plan on listening to it again when the audio becomes available. My internet also caved on me the exact hour that Bruce, one of the camp organizers, was speaking about rss feeds and using them to attract more subscribers.

The sessions on making money with your podcast were the biggest turn off for me. I am certainly all for those who want to make money with their podcasts, but other than little bits about advertisers and such, I really wasn't all that interested. It also seemed to take up too much of the day's sessions, how to profit. Next time I will probably skip those sessions. (I stuck it out this first time because I wanted to blog about the overall experience of an online podcamp.)

I was also disappointed that the session by Jack Ward on audio cinema didn't work out. That's unfortunately one of the downsides of an online meetup- you are bound to have technical difficulties. It would have added to balancing out the topics of the day. As well as introducing audio cinema to quite a few people who I think have no idea about the power of this medium as it relates to podcasting.

Fortunately, it is the same session that was given at this year's Podcasters Across Borders. Since the Canadian Podcast Buffet is posting audio from PAB, there is a good chance Jack's presentation will be added to the feed. I will definitely let you all know when/if it becomes available!

The online podcamp is a great way to bring people from all over the world together to learn and chat about the one thing we all have in common: podcasting. It's also very helpful for the "financially challenged". Sure, Podcamps are free events, but if you want to attend one that is not year you (which plenty of podcasters do), you have to have air and hotel fare. What you don't get out of an online podcamp is face-to-face interaction with people. I think that is probably 3/4 of the fun when attending a podcamp- interacting with those whose voices you have only heard previously.

Will I attend the next Podcamp City Online? Probably. However, I will probably sleep in a little bit longer, and be more selective in the sessions I tune in for.

Friday, July 27, 2007

New Fantasy Short Fiction Podcast Coming Soon

Ripping it off from Evo at Podiobooker, because I'm even more lazy than he is!

I’m ripping this off verbatim from Jesse Willis of SFF Audio, partly because I’m lazy and partly because he wrote it so well:

From the people who brought you “Escape Pod: The Science Fiction Podcast Magazine” and “Psuedopod: The World’s Premier Horror Fiction Podcast” now comes…

PodCastle: The Fantasy Fiction Podcast
“PodCastle is the world’s first fantasy audio magazine. Each week we’ll bring you short stories across the spectrum of fantasy from leading authors and new discoveries. Like our sister podcasts, Escape Pod and Pseudopod, PodCastle is entirely free to listen and share.”

The new podcast is still in development, but the main website for it can be found at PodCastle.org. On the site you’ll find a notation saying that the podcast will launch in August (though it may actually be in September).

Like Escape Pod and PseudoPod this will be a paying market for authors and a free podcast for listeners. Flash fiction (short short little stories) will net authors just $20. But $100.00 will be paid for full fledged short stories. If you, like us plan on subscribing to PodCastle, we urge you to send them a few bucks as a show of support. SFFaudio has dug deep into its coffers and made a donation of exactly $100.00 USD through PayPal - so we’re buying the whole world and you that first fantasy tale.

Oh and one last thing. Hey you Fantasy fiction authors, take note, the submission guidelines are already up on the site. So get submitting. The future is sounding FANTASTIC!



Exciting stuff! Writers, get writing!

Thursday, July 26, 2007

Thoughts on Billibub Baddings, from one of Billi's Babes

WARNING: Definite spoiler alert! (very minor in the first part- I'll warn you when they become major)

I just finished listening to the podiobook Billibub Baddings and the Case of the Singing Sword, written by sci-fi/fantasy author Tee Morris. Billibub is a Dwarf from another world who was sucked through a time warp into 1920's Chicago. After settling in and making ends meet with odd jobs (I'll need to go watch "The Wizard of Oz" again now), Billi settles into his own business as a private detective. When the beautiful and very rich Julia Lessinger enters his office, what starts off as a simple case of "who killed my boyfriend", quickly turns into a search for something much deeper and definitely more valuable. An ancient and very powerful sword we find is the object of a lot of people's affections.

Billi is led into the dark world of prohibition and mobsters- including a meeting with Al Capone himself- and definitely gets more than he bargained for in this case. Was it worth the grundlemolking? Well, I guess you'll have to ask him...

Another big draw to this book is not only the entertaining story, but it's presentation. Although still a straight reading by the author, it has a definite audio cinema feeling to it. A full-cast, sound effects, and background music turn this book into an audiophile's true delight.

For me, it was the first time hearing a book done this way. However, I hear it has been done before, and by the same author. Another of Tee Morris' books, Morevi: The Chronicles of Rafe and Askana, was also done in this format. (I've not listened yet- but I hear a remastered version is in the works. Maybe I'll hold out!) What is exciting for me is seeing the bridge connect the podiobook and audio cinema worlds. There are so many things available to the podcaster now (voices, sounds, and the like), authors truly can let their creative juices flow, and bring something even more entertaining to the listeners' ear. I feel it also lets you see more into the mind of the author, and exactly what they were envisioning while writing, yet because it's entirely done through sounds, there is still enough room left for your own mind to envision on its own (unlike TV and movies).

I had the huge honor of being cast as a BB Player (No, this is not why I am speaking so highly of this book- I certainly could have simply recorded my lines and hated the story. After listening to only a bit of ONE of the three listener feedback shows, I know I'm not alone in my thoughts about how good it really is). As someone who is a definite newbie to the voice acting world, I found it fun to take on a character who I know looked great, but sounded awful. I was also very anxious to see exactly how the whole book would be put together. Really, I was thinking it would still be straight reading, with the actors lines thrown in, and no extra frills. I was certainly wrong about that!

(**Here's the MAJOR spoiler alert!)
I was most excited about Chapter 15. It was the climax of the whole story- all secrets revealed. The best part? I die! When I read the chapter before recording, I was like "Daaaamn, it all sure hits the fan here!" Daphne was maimed badly, so had to slowly deteriorate before the end came. I had a great time recording- and couldn't wait for the chapter to premiere.

As all "the snitches" know, it was completely worth the wait. Even knowing what was going to happen, I was still sucked into the entire chapter, so when that final shot went off- yeah, I jumped. I died brilliantly! Though I find thinking back that I can't take as much credit as the one who put the chapter together. Podcasting really brings forth talent that would otherwise be hidden, not only in acting, but in editing and producing as well. Tee Morris is well-rounded in all three.

Don't believe me? Well, then you will just have to hear it for yourself. The link below will take you to the podcast site. Each chapter is set up in "show form", so you get "Billi Banter" from Tee at the beginning and end of each one. If you'd like to only hear the book, you can do so from Podiobooks, right here at this link.

Podcamp City Online is Saturday

What does it take for this addict to get her ass out of bed at 6:30 in the morning on a Saturday? A PodCamp! Podcamp City online is an all-day online event. (Those east-coasters get a break, it will be 9:30 there... yah I've all ready got a suggestion for the next one, hehe).
However, early rising aside, it looks to be a neat event! Thanks to technology, allowing podcasters from all over the country and the world to participate without leaving their homes. Which for a lot of us who are "financially challenged", is really quite helpful. Here's the agenda (times are eastern):

9:30-10:00 AM
Official Welcome and Launch of event

10:00 - 11:00 AM
Podcasting and Education

11:00 AM - 12:00 PM
Podcasting on a Budget for Everyone

12:00 - 12:30 PM
Web 2.0 & A Look At How To Be Successful By using Emerging Trends to Create Wealth Online All While Loving What You Do

12:30 - 1:00 PM
Podcasting by Phone, Access more listeners;
brand your expertise more easily.

1:00 - 1:30 PM - 30 Second Podcast Introductions

1:30 - 2:30 PM
How To Upgrade Your Podcast to a Podcast Network

2.30 to 3.30 PM
Trends and Thoughts on the Future of Podcasting.

3:30 - 4:30 PM
Audio Cinema/Radio Drama. It just might Save Your Life!

4:30 - 5:00 PM
Making money with your Podcast

5:00 - 5:30 PM
Getting People to Interview

6:00- 6:30 PM
The Power of the RSS Feed and using it to get more subscribers

6:30- 7:00 PM
How to get noticed with your Podcast

7:00 - 8:00 PM
The Power of Podcasting

8:00 till 8:30 PM EST - Let's Not All Podcast At Once!!

8:30 - 9:30 PM
How to Avoid burnout & Prevent Podfading

Heehee... it's a good thing I'm probably not going to listen to every one of these sessions, since I'm sure I'll want to eat or get and and stretch my legs at some point during the day! Still, I am excited and curious about how it will all go. I'll have the post-camp wrap up coming your way, with my thoughts (duh!).

It will be a long day of podcast-goodness for me- from there I jet across town to the Arizona Podcasters meetup! I think by then I will need to interact with human beings! :-)

There are still spaces available for PodCamp City Online, head to the link for all the information you need!

Tuesday, July 24, 2007

2007 Podcast Award Nominations Open

Another "it's that time of year again" post- the Podcast Award nominations open today. These are the awards given out at the yearly Podcast and New Media Expo.

They are only accepting one show nomination per category per person- so choose wisely!

UPDATE: The voting has ended and the nominees have been chosen! I'm actually quite please this year. Last year I hardly recognized any shows. This could mean two things: either I've expanded my podcast-listening, or so have others! Hey- maybe both! I was very happy to see Comedy4Cast, Bucket and Escape Pod receive nominations. AND, once again those awesome Canucks Decoder Ring Theatre also are nominated in the Cultural/Arts category.

They really need to add two more categories: Pod-novels and Audio Cinema! There really has been a break out of audio cinema in the past year that is available as a podcast. Definitely worthy of it's own category.

Voting begins at 12:01 on Saturday the 28th. Hit the link to get the details, and see all the nominees!

Friday, July 20, 2007

Fan Fic Goodness for the Joss Whedon Addict

A few weeks ago I told you about auditions for a new Buffy the Vampire Slayer audio drama. While you are waiting for that audio goodness to hit your ear buds, there is something that could help keep the Joss Whedon fan sane in the meantime.

Strangely Literal is hosted by the ultimate Whedon fangirl Tabz, and she brings you the most fanTABZulous fan fiction in the Whedonverse. Many are written by her, but several are also written by other Whedon fans (see the site for info on how you can submit your stories).

Now, my only Whedon outlet so far has been Firefly (yes, I'm slow- I even saw Serenity before watching Firefly!). It was this podcast and catching up on past episodes that really has made me want to go and check out other shows like Buffy! That Tabz, creating fan people wherever she goes!

The most recent episode? One of the best, if I do say so myself... heheheeeeeee... ;-)

Check out Strangely Literal, and tell Tabz her BTF sent you!

Thursday, July 19, 2007

Texas Radio is at you in a Flash!

The latest episode of Sonic Society's summertime series features a Flash Gordon play written by Texas Radio Theatre's Richard Frohlich, and performed by the One Act Players. After doing a little more hunting over to Texas Radio's podcast site, I noticed they have an Episode 2!

I also noticed that the podcast site hasn't been updated in almost a year... hmmm... paging Mr. Frohlich! ;-)

No matter- radio drama is truly timeless, and if you've never heard any of Texas Radio's awesome work before, this is the perfect way to introduce yourself. Then head to the link below and see all the live performances that Texas Radio gives in the Arlington, Fort Worth and Dallas areas!

I also just subscribed to the One Act Players podcast as well! The Radio Nostalgia Network really does the radio drama/audio cinema world quite a service bringing us all this wonderful talent and entertainment!

Monday, July 16, 2007

Podcasters, what are your favorite shows?

The finalists in the third round of Podcast Peer Awards have been announced.

What? You've never heard of the PPA's? Well, allow me to tell you, via their website:

"There are over 50,000 audio and video podcasts available. Most of them are lousy. How can you find the ones worth listening to?

Top Ten or Top Twenty-five lists are little more than popularity contests. You'll find some great shows there, shows that deserve their popularity. But you'll also find quite a few that are, well, let's just say that more people listen to Brittany Spears than Miles Davis. If you rely on popularity based lists and awards you'll be missing some of the best shows out there."

  • The Podcast Peer Awards are given out twice a year. Each category is only awarded once per year.

  • Award categories are selected by PPA members.

  • Members and non-members of the PPA are eligible to receive awards.

  • After categories are selected, members nominate podcasts. Any member may nominate any show for any category.

  • Members vote for or against nominated shows. A show's score is the number of yes votes minus the number of no votes. A score of +5 is necessary for a show to qualify as a finalist.

  • At the end of the nomination period the top five qualifying shows in each category will become finalists. Categories that do not have at least three qualifying shows will be retired for the current round.

  • PPA members vote for the winner!


It's a rather neat idea, considering podcasters really are in it together. I'm a big fan of supporting those underdog shows that do tend to be overshadowed by the popular ones. You don't have to have thousands of listeners to have a great show! You can, however, have thousands of listeners and have a not-so-great show. ;-)

So head over to the link and see all the finalists! If you are a podcaster, you just need to do a quick registration process to the forum in order to vote for your favorite shows!

Sunday, July 15, 2007

If you are getting lazy in the summer months..

...and haven't checked the Sonic Society feed in awhile, there have been neat things happening. Every other week they have been bringing you the very best in fan fiction with their "Society in the Summertime" series. They have also thrown in some other goodies- strictly chatty sessions with the hosts, and even going WAY back into the Shadowlands' vault to bring you past presentations of the show that started it all.

You know you're an addict when you recognize the Shadowlands show, and remember that it's still on your iPod from before the podcast began. (Oh yeah, I pulled the episodes off the CKDU archives and kept them. Sometimes the good ol' days are hard to let go of.)

Head over to the link and catch up on Society happenings today!

Wednesday, July 11, 2007

Another Podiobook To Be Made Into Movie

Recently I cross-posted awesome news about a podiobook author getting a shot at the silver screen. Well now we have two. Matt Wallace's Failed Cities Monologues was just acquired by Australia's Precision Pictures Pty Ltd., along with another short story written by Wallace.

From Podiobooker:

“It ain’t Rogue Pictures,” Matt says, referring to fellow Podiobooks author Scott Sigler, whose novel Infested was recently optioned by the Universal Studios subsidiary, “but I’m definitely excited. Mostly because it excuses me from getting that job at Kinko’s for another couple of months, at least.”

Congratulations, Matt!

Tuesday, July 10, 2007

Canadian Podcast Buffet podcasting PAB audio all summer

If you weren't able to make it to Kingston, Ontario this year for Podcasters Across Borders you are in luck. The co-hosts of the Canadian Podcast Buffet (as well as the organizers of PAB) have just finished up their second season of regular podcasting, and over the summer they are going to podcast the audio taken during PAB weekend.

The Kick Off to the weekend is all ready in the feed, and you can find a detailed event list right here. I'm looking forward to hearing quite a few of the speakers. Not quite as good as being there and networking, but for lazy Americans like me who don't even have a passport, it works perfectly.

Speaking of being there, PAB 2008 has been scheduled for June 20-22nd. Guess it's time to start getting my papers together, eh?

Head to the link to listen, or for subscription information.

Sunday, July 01, 2007

Canada Day treat: a review of The Red Panda Season 2

A Canadian posting a review of an awesome Canadian audio cinema series on Canada Day- can you get any more Canadian than that?

Nah, I don't think so.

Radio Drama Revived in Maine

On the airwaves and in podcast! Frederick Greenhalgh brings modern audio cinema to your ears every Thursday afternoon. He also brings you interviews with the fabulous producers of this art that truly is never going to die off (and thank goodness for that!).

Currently Frederick is looking for content- and he wants YOUR work. Usually his format is the featured production, then an interview with the producer, writer, director or other person(s) best acquainted with the behind the scenes. It's a great way to get your work showcased and out there for all ears to hear.

You can get all the information you need at the link! His blog is also a great one to stick on your reading list too, very enjoyable!