Hear, hear! Heck, throw it in once at the beginning, even, just get it done and shut up about it already! Of course, no worries there with FtB, and when FtB name drops or podcast drops it's brief and completely fine to me because the rest of the time isn't bumpers and promos. I can't think of any "dropping" on FtB that has ever even taken me aback, let alone annoyed me. That's not FtBellating, either.



This is the first time I've felt it worth naming names, but this is the reason I can't stand listening to the "Brilliant" Gameologists. I love a bit of sarcasm, cynicism, and bashing, but these folks just can't seem to get enough of it, and rarely seem to be doing it in the good humor and jest that you hear on, say, FtB. And it sucks that I can't listen to their show, because Meg and Josh and crew are a lot of fun to hang out with in person and seem really cool (I say seem only because I've spent very little time with them). But their on-mic attitudes just make my teeth grind. FFS, they have a whole segment called "Douchebag of the Week", and again, that could be humorous, but the way they do it it really isn't, it's just snide and mean-spirited.

But again, lest it seem like I'm trying to be objective, I'm only speaking in terms of my taste. I know that a lot of people like and listen to the BG show. It just isn't for me, and justinbot hit the reason square on.

I experienced something similar that extended beyond the podcast, to their forums. 'nuff, said.

Anyway, that's another "problem" ... FtB forums seem to be a great community and fairly friendly place. The hosts appear to be hosts, as in the "welcome in, take off your shoes, can I get you something to drink?" variety. Other site's forums are much more an insider club house for the hosts and their immediate friends. It feels like that time you walked into the gaming store and didn't know anyone and they were sitting around a table playing Magic: The Gathering and everyone suddenly stopped talking and turned, as one, to stare at you. Yeah, not the most welcoming feeling.

This is interesting, because podcasts do not, technically, need attendant forums. At some point it's sort of become de rigour. I guess if you are going to have them, then do it right! If I remember my FtB history correctly, Dan (et. al.) were reluctant to set-up forums because they did not see much need for them. It was multiple requests from their listeners that prompted the first forum, and because of that pressure from the listeners first - the sudden and ever increasing swell of participants has been amazing. Other podcasts start with a website and forum, before they have any listeners. On one hand, it's good to be prepared. On the other, it feels very much like the cart going before the horse. Nothing is sadder then a forum with a dozen topics, three members, and two threads. Besides, it suggests that the hosts are busy working on peripheral projects, instead of working on the primary mission: content, format, and marketing.

Podcasts seem to be following the same acceptance path as blogs (as predicted by Dan in his Ennie MC'ing Dan'ecture). Which means, everyone and their mothers therapist will have one. But, the quality shows with meaningful listener-ships will be few and far between and stand head-and-shoulders above the riff-raff.

If I've learned anything about "new" marketing, web 2.0, and social networks ... it's that the "how" of content creation and publishing is fast becoming commoditized and the "what" and "why" now rule. Remember when having a web site was both expensive and required specialized knowledge? Now you can have a great website for $5/mo or less, and a free content management system that allows you to update, skin, and publish it with no special knowledge or skills. In this new modal, it's not that you have a website, it's that you have something of value on your website that draws visitors. Well, blogs are the same way, and so are podcasts. if we're not there yet, we soon will be - total commoditization of the podcast hardware / software / hosting. The only thing that will matter is what you say, not the whiz bang that you're in this new medium.

This means that gaming podcasts which do little more then drop a microphone in front of their friends and 'gab' for an hour, or who refuse to edit their episodes or add any polish at all, or regurgitate content heard elsewhere; will all fall into the well of no/low listener-ships, and will probably fade.

The other side of the equation, is that as sites & blogs became commoditized they also became mainstream, and were used as marketing tools of major corporations and celebrities. The total available audience went up, and those that were successful started getting unique visitors in the tens or hundreds of thousands, each month. if (when) this happens to podcasts, you can expect the phenomenon of the vanguard (those few who listen on their iPods or PC based podcatchers) to shift, and masses to begin subscribing in waves; podcasts will become an influential new medium. With adoption comes audiences, and successful shows will have a much larger pie from which to carve their share.

These sure are exciting times! But it means that getting in early (too late, for that!), building a brand (FtB has done an excellent job), and producing quality content will enable a podcast to ride the coming wave. if content and quality matter now, then they will become ever more important as this medium matures.

So says, Karnaq the All Seeing! Prognosticator and Predictor to Sultans, Kings, and Emperors! (Use at your own risk, read the prospectus first, results not typical.)

Yeah. That's pretty much exactly what I meant. There are shows I used to listen to all the time that I now only catch randomly (AGC, SoK) but BG is the only one I've tried to listen to multiple times and just can't make it through an episode.

Before reading through all these posts, I'm going to echo what others have said:

FTB does banter/discussion right, and a lot of podcasts do it wrong. FTB was actually my introduction to podcasts, and after I branched out to others after a long stretch, I was surprised at the low quality and worthlessness of a lot of their "discussion". 'Yo guys I got waaaay too drunk last night oh man how about this jack in the box I'm eating? Great stuff, oh man dresden files.' (In general I like this podcast, but I sometimes find large portions nigh-unlistenable).

This is something I think Atomic Array does well. So many new gaming podcasts have such a free-form structure that there is little useful content. AA has had a (seemingly) well-thought-out structure from day one. It works well, is full of useful and entertaining things, and keeps me coming back. Banter can be good (see our forum's namesake), but AA keeps it to a minimum while still giving you a good idea of the two hosts' personalities through the aforementioned regular segments.

(fixed link)

Thanks, I'll give 'em a listen.

@Runester - Regarding FtB history, you're correct. We had a forum on another site that we used for BSing amongst ourselves before FtB existed, so we didn't need to create a clubhouse for our social circle on here. We didn't think our listeners would really use a forum anyway, so rather than having a sad shell of a community, we never put one up. After repeated fan requests, we reconsidered.

As of today, none of the top 10 posters are in my local group of friends. The first one I hit is Chad at #11 and then skip again to George at #21.

I think there's some advice for new podcasters in there: If you want to avoid embarrassing yourself, let the features you offer follow several steps behind demand. If you deliver before people are really hungry for something, it goes unused. If you never deliver at all, people look elsewhere.

Pointless trivia time! Our first non-host forum member was Jim in Buffalo. I was in the process of setting up the forums (no public link had been given), and in about two hours, he had already URL bashed his way into it and joined. His first post was something to the effect of, "Avast! Ye have been boarded!"

She'll be coming back once the retooling is complete, that's one of the changes.

I personally do not mind being named because it allows me the chance to reply truthfully. So no worries. Thanks for it, actually.

Yay, I really enjoyed that episode myself.