PodBlog #9 - PodBlog Returns
PodBlog is back to celebrate Independent Podcasts and the Creators behind the Pods this November. November is IndyPod Celebration Month! We are grateful for y'all!
#IndyPod #IndyPodCelebration #IndependentPodcastCreators #IPCM
It has been 9 months since we last checked in with our dedicated voters aka our PodBallot casters and Podcast lovers. A whole bunch has happened during that time for Podboard, and mostly for myself and my family. The path forward for Podbaord and this PodBlog was totally derailed by life circumstances - in particular, our baby became a toddler, we moved from California to Massachusetts and we got Covid! There’s so much more to say about everything that has happened within this Podboard family, and more importantly, in the world, and we plan to address all of that in forthcoming PodBlogs and newsletters. But for now, we really just want to reopen the lines of communication with our supporters and with all of you lovers of Podcasts.
As y’all know, Podcasts can be unifying in very special and unique ways. Awaiting the release of a new Podcast episode congeals people in the same way that appointment television shows, like Friends, did during a long-gone-by era, albeit on a much smaller scale (unless it’s season-1 of Serial, remember that???). Podcasts have a manner, unlike any other modern media, of making us feel experientially connected. And that’s really what it’s all about in this day and age!
As we make our return here in the latter quad of 2021, there’s some changes that we’d like to try out with everyone out there in PodLand. The goal is to connect with and help to establish independent Podcasts across a broader listener base. As in, get y’all Indy Pods more listeners! This Podboard thing may not have started as that, but the calling toward Indy Pods and their creators has grown, and grown some more during PodBlog’s hiatus. Before we explain these changes, I feel I want to clarify who “we” at Podboard are. I vacillate back-and-forth between the “I” and “we” voice on social media and PodBlog posts but the truth is that Podboard is mostly just me! An independent producer of this website who loves Podcasts. It’s also my incredibly supportive wife, who cares for our super active 19-month old daughter so that I can continue giving this experiment a whirl, one year plus into the project. “We” is also my amazing coder/developer/entrepreneur at OMG Code, who actually built this site! “We” is also the community of voters and Podcasts listeners in PodLand - YOU ALL MAKE THIS EXPERIMENT A TRUE “WE!” (so I guess Podboard is a legit “we??") and I COULD NOT do this without all of your support. THANK YOU.
The purpose in mentioning the “I” and “we” voice is to highlight the fact that Podboard is, just like the Indy Pods we hope to prop up, very much an Independent endeavor. And I, being the voice you’ll hear from for the foreseeable future, want y’all to better understand the love that is given to this project. It's a whole lotta love! Keep voting, keep visiting the site, keep helping us continue to make Podboard a worldwide “we” community (and Podboard really is worldwide: nearly half of our monthly votes come from outside the USA! Thank you to the dedicated voters in India!!) of Podcast lovers. WE ARE THE Crowdsourced Podcast Database.
#PodLand #PodBallot #CrowdsourcedPodcastDatabase
Now for the brass taxes: This is how Podboard is celebrating the work of Independent Podcasts this November
November’s definitive list of the 100-best shows in Podcasting will feature many independent shows that most of y’all out there in PodLand have never heard of. We are doing this by weighting the votes for Independent shows way, way higher than the votes for the shows/Pods we all know and love so well. Let’s be honest, I love The Daily, but chances are that you know about that show if you’ve ever heard of what a Podcast is! It’s time to spotlight some of the lesser-known Pods that folks cast their PodBallot’s for.
We have received so much support and love from Indy Pods and we have tried to reach out to many of these creators to develop a symbiotic relationship with them and promote the grueling work and art of independent audio and Podcast creators here at Podboard. We truly believe, as I have said before, that we can be the greatest resource to you Indy creators and producers out there. I’m in awe of what y’all do; the passion behind the craft and the audio magic that comes from it. And that is why it’s time to take this step and make November the IndyPod Celebration Month at podboard.org.
Our regularly scheduled programming (and voting system) will return in December, so have no fear if you notice that one of your pedigree shows has dropped from the top-100 because chances are that it'll be back for the holiday season. Lastly, please email us at info@podboard.org with ideas about how to make Podboard more Indy friendly? This month is a workshop to see if this is the best way that we can serve y’all Indy Pods, so, if you like it, let us know? If you don’t like it, let us know? If you have a totally different idea about how Podboard can prop up your favorite Indy Pods, PLEASE let us know?
So, as we search for the best possible way to serve our Indy creators and turn new listeners toward these shows this November, let’s all remember how much love and commitment Indy creators give to their craft of delivering us great audio art in the form of Podcasting. Thank you, WE love y’all.