As a podcaster, assuming I can call myself one, I have developed a specific ear for what I like and don’t like in a podcast. Now that I know what goes on behind the scenes, I have a better appreciation for the higher quality podcasts available. One such podcast that I highly recommend is Talkingship. I have been fortunate enough to have appeared on a few of their Game Club episodes and this week I brought on one of the hosts, Aaron (aka Jitterbug) to wax poetic for an hour and some change.
When I describe the American Dream 2.0, naturally it revolves around something involving the Internet. In one specific case, my former fake boss at Talking About Games, Jay Van Beveren took his experience as Editor in Chief and turned it into a job opportunity within the video game industry. Making the rare but coveted transition from outsider to made man, there was a lot to talk about this week when Jay came on my podcast. An episode like this is a particular joy because I know that finding 10 minute tangents are expected and we can just as easily find our way back on topic without missing a beat.
Every week I grace this small slice of the Internet with a rather lengthy post about a random video game topic of my choosing. What you don’t see along with the blood, sweat and tears is the man behind the proper grammar. Spoiler Alert – It’s not me. Each one of my submissions is analyzed with a fine tooth comb by my fake boss at Talking About Games, Larry. Larry is the Editor in Chief of Talking About Games. He makes sure the text you read on that site has all kinds of sentence structure and other kinds of grammatical goodness. It’s not easy, but I’m glad he’s around to keep all of the writing staff in check…and in good standing with the MLA.
A while back I had written about my fun with cupcakes and monuments in our Nation’s Capital. Despite my inherent social awkwardness, eventually I managed to hold a conversation with someone that lasted longer than a two-word response and somehow brought up the fact that I had a podcast of my own. This was particularly interesting to one of the people I had met, David Hale (@lostonroute66). A couple months and a few dropped skype calls later, David came on for this week’s Just Talking to play Buzzword Bingo with me. For the record, David had nothing to do with the show title, but after listening to this podcast you will agree with my choice. We talk about a number of ways social media plays an impact with how the US Government does what they do, particularly the National Library of Medicine. After recording and editing this podcast, I have a new appreciation for the potential of the role social media will play in our future, hopefully you will to.
Wri-log-caster’s Note: The views expressed by David on this podcast do not reflect that of the Department of Health and Human Services or any other government agency.
During a test-run of Uncle Gamer Live Parris had commented that he was enjoying my podcast, but was waiting for me to start talking to people outside of my comfort zones. To this point I’ve brought on people with Diabetes or members of the Talking About Games Community. For the most part, I have interacted with my prior guests in one form or another so there was an initial comfort level there, even if only at 140 characters at a time. The real fun would begin when someone completely new came on for an hour of fun. As if the podcasting gods were looking down upon me, the next day I received an email from Lorin of Furious Gamer Radio asking me if I had any interest in having him on my podcast in the future. Needless to say, I was excited at the opportunity. We talk about how the Post Game Report is associated with Furious Gamer and also discuss his application, his website, his vision for the future of Furious Gamer at length. Believe me, this is a good one.
Simply put, JVB is the man. He’s been around forever, but he’s humble enough to not rub it in. He’s a veteran of podcasting but he has taught me to treat every podcast like it’s your first. I’ve also learned how to imitate his laugh to a level of accuracy that I am quite proud of. Granted, that has nothing to do with podcasting, but I’m sure I’ll be able to win a contest or something in the future with that skill. JVB is well known within the video game community, but if you do not know who he is I think this episode of Just Talking does a fantastic job of introducing him to you. /self promotion
It’s Wednesday, can I offer you another episode of Just Talking? This week I caught up with Allison Blass. You might recognize her from http://lemonade-life.com. If you’re lucky, you might recognize her as the kind person giving you directions if you’re lost in New York City. As you will hear, Allison has been blogging for nearly 5 years. Remember Live Journal? Yea, she was there. Considering our common links and her (new) job, we spent some time talking about Social Media and other Web 2.0 buzzwords. I’d bet Santa’s milk and cookies that you’ll enjoy this one.
There have been plenty of occasions when a scheduled guest has an issue that prevents them from coming on a podcast any given week. Sometimes a co-host will get sick and will be unable to make it to the next recording. It happens. Life always comes first. But the show must go on. Thankfully I have a number of people I can call up when I’m in a tight spot to fill the void. This week, in one such instance of a “pinch” I called up RobbieJo, host of the Talking About Gamers podcast to join me for an hour of back-and-forth. If you haven’t listened to that podcast, you should. It’s good stuff, and he’s good people.
As you have noticed, I talk a lot about Talking About Games. It’s a great community. I wouldn’t be podcasting if it weren’t for that community. Seriously, it’s awesome. In a small act of giving back, I brought on a member of this community on my podcast to talk about whatever it is two gamers talk about. Enjoy.
December might be in full swing, but I still think another visit to November is in order. As most of you know, November was American Diabetes Month. Everyone had their methods of participating and advocating and from what I can tell, people were pretty successful in achieving their goals. I decided to put a voice to the twitter names that everyone has come to know and love and brought on members of the Diabetes Online Community the entire month.
