detail1573
Dave Slusher
Amateur Means You Do It For Love
Dave Slusher
Download MP3
[runtime: 00:57:29, 26.3 mb, recorded 2006-09-29]
Rather than asking how to monetize podcasts, podcasters should be asking themselves why they're doing it and what they hope to get out of it. Dave Slusher, one of the first podcasters with his Evil Genius Chronicles, reminds podcasters that there are many rewards that cannot be measured in terms of money.
Slusher asks whether podcasters would continue podcasting if they knew that they would never make any money from their work. He objects to those calling for a business model - it's mostly columnists and analysts who chime that tune. A business model, according to Slusher, is one of the last things you need to have a successful podcast.
Podcasting should be about doing what's fun, because it's pleasurable, and it makes you and your listeners feel good. Slusher warns that the gold rush mentality sweeping podcasting is not good for the emerging media. Don't expect to quit your day job, instead ask yourself what you want to get out of podcasting and what goals you want to achieve. It's the connection with their listeners, and the impact they have on listeners that podcasters should value.
Dave Slusher was the longtime host of the SF-themed radio talk show Reality Break, beginning back in 1992. He is a software consultant who has worked for DRM and ebook companies, online health companies, computer security firms, online travel companies and any number of startups. Most notably, he was on the team that built a secure electronic publishing system for Adobe PDFs.
Slusher was an early podcaster, and the first person to have used his audioblog to get a program on Doug Kaye's IT Conversations. He continues to encourage the use of Bittorrent in podcasting, the independence of podcasters and candor in communication.
Resources:
