[ubuntu-florida] Podcasting

[Ropetin Again]

On Wed, May 6, 2009 at 9:15 AM, Mike Feravolo <gnewsense at earthlink.net>wrote:

> Hello All:
>
> I was sitting in on the meeting last night, and didn't want to break the
> flow of your ideas. Of all the things suggested I think that podcast is
> the most realistic project for members of the group.


I too wasn't able to fully participate, having to do that darn work stuff as
well as try to watch the flow of conversation in the channel.  I would
concur that a podcast is the most /immediately/ realistic project for a
group of members to partake in.  However, we shouldn't think we cannot do
any of the other suggestions, and anything else our open-source addled
brains come up with.  We can do anything we set our minds to, with
appropriate project management, realistic time-lines and defined goals.


>
>
> If your objective is to reach people that are not already using Linux or
> Ubuntu and convert them you are going to have to do something that they
> going to want to watch. I am not going to get into what they aren't
> going to watch, since there are many examples out there right now of that.
>
> Forget Audio clips because the Internet is a visual medium and nobody
> wants to hear someone's jive about some computer software and writing a
> radio jingle for Linux might get a few laughs, but isn't going to get
> any Windows user switch to use Linux.
>

Not to argue that the Internet is a primarily visual medium, because that
goes without saying.  On a personal level though, I do most of my online
media viewing while working, so for me to get value from a video-podcast, it
has to be still relevant without the images.  By doing this, you also open
it up to a wider audience, allowing visually impaired users access to the
content.  I'm not sure if a video podcast really has the resolution for a
hearing impaired person be able to lip-read, but subtitling can't be too
hard.

Would 'trying to convert Windows users to Linux' be a worthwhile aim for a
podcast?  My interpretation of podcasts is that a user has to make a
proactive decision to find the podcast and view it, which differs from the
traditional TV media.  I.e. a TV viewer is flipping through the channels on
TV, hits a show that looks interesting on ABC, and watches a few minutes.
If they enjoy it, they will make a mental note and be sure to watch it at
the same time next week.  An Internet/podcast viewer on the other hand, will
usually think, "I want to listen to a podcast on World of Warcraft today,
let me see what Google can find", and then listen to the results.  If they
enjoy something they find, they bookmark it (or RSS etc) and come back to it
when it next gets updated.

The point I'm trying to make is, for a random Windows user to find our
podcast they would have to pro-actively be on the look-out for a Linux based
podcast, which immediately removes them from the Windows user group (if that
makes sense).


>
>
> If you want to get anyone to watch the video on Linux, you are going to
> have to look at how news is presented on television. Which why there is
> an old saying broadcasting "You have a face for radio". If you have been
> around Orlando and heard about Shannon Burke and seen what he looks like
> on the news story about him shooting his wife and dog. You will see a
> fine example of that.
>

I had never heard of Shannon Burke, but I had to check him out after you
mentioned this.   I won't comment on his guilt, but you're right, he
definitely has the right look for a rock/metal DJ.  The fact that he,
apparently, did current affairs/politics, is a (happy) surprise.


>
> So you are going to need someone that looks like a T.V anchor for the
> podcast or it's going nowhere fast. Unless you look at another fine
> example of marketing the "e-insurance" cartoon. They use the girl with
> pink hair to tell you about insurance, during an adventure sequence that
> is right out of the silent movie era and 1930's - 1950's cartoons.
>
> I like the cartoon idea if anyone (not me) in our group has the skills
> and the equipment to make it fly.
>

To paraphrase, and please accept my apologies if I'm misinterpreting, "no
uggos please".  This seems to me to go against the whole Linux ethos, where
people are judged based on their character and input to the community,
rather than their physical appearance.  I have a feeling the majority of our
potential viewership would associate much more with a 'geek in glasses, with
long hair and a stained Iron Maiden shirt', than Julie Durda from Channel 7
news.  Looking up and down the collection of Hackergotchis on Planet Ubuntu,
there are many people who 'have great personalities', but I hope we don't
think anything less of them and their input, based purely on their
appearance.

As an example, there is a show on Speed TV about low rider cars.  It is
obvious that the host, Vida Guerra, has no interest or knowledge of cars,
can barely read a teleprompter, and was only chosen because she looks
generically Mexican-ly attractive and has a big ass.  That's fine in it's
place, but for those people who are actually interested in the subject
matter, it makes it very painful to watch.


>
> Peace
>
> Mike Feravolo
>
>  <https://lists.ubuntu.com/mailman/listinfo/ubuntu-us-fl>


Boy, that came out longer and way more negative than I'd planned it.
Honestly, I'm not being negative, the crux is;

1: A targeted and inclusive podcast is a great idea!

2: Other ideas are good too!

3: Us ugly people can have a worthwhile role in society!


Ropetin Again
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