Here is my kick-off video for the Dog Days of Podcasting event. I am going to use this event as a showcase for all the different ways and methods of podcasting available. You’ll see video shot with camcorders, iPhones and more, audio recorded with my iPhone and high-end audio recorders and even some photo montages and slide shows. There will be interviews, environmental videos (showing a particular location) and all my regular podcasts, too.
“Essentially, it is a challenge to do a podcast for 30 days in a row.
In 2012 Kreg Steppe was looking to give himself a little push in regards to recording his own personal podcast since he wasn’t recording it very often. That turned into a challenge for himself to record a show everyday for 30 days believing that after 30 days it would turn into a habit. Once it was mentioned to Chuck Tomasi he took the challenge too and they decided it would be a great idea to record starting 30 days before Dragon*Con, culminating with the last episode where they would record it together when they saw each other there.
Turns out there were some of our friends that also wanted to get in on the action and took the challenge too. So it grew into a challenge 7 of us took.
This year we are inviting more podcasters to get in on the action. Keep in mind, it’s a fun challenge, and you will not be shamed (too much) if you don’t record every 30 day. It is kind of like the way Drew Carey describes “Whose line is it anyway?”. A fun game were we earn points, but the points don’t matter.
What matters is that we all have fun recording and listening to each other.
Start Date: July 30th, 2013
End Date: August 30th, 2013
Rules: Podcast Once a day for 30 days. Show length is up to you. Most vary from 3 – 5 Min.”
Fellow Friends in Tech member, Kreg Steppe started the first Dog Days of Podcasting Challenge in 2012, as a way to kickstart his own podcasting efforts. I missed that announcement, but I am jumping on board for this years challenge and you should too! What a great way to try out new styles, new shows, new ideas and generally get your podcasting feet moving!
Essentially, it is a challenge to do a podcast for 30 days in a row.
In 2012 Kreg Steppe was looking to give himself a little push in regards to recording his own personal podcast since he wasn’t recording it very often. That turned into a challenge for himself to record a show everyday for 30 days believing that after 30 days it would turn into a habit. Once it was mentioned to Chuck Tomasi he took the challenge too and they decided it would be a great idea to record starting 30 days before Dragon*Con, culminating with the last episode where they would record it together when they saw each other there.
Turns out there were some of our friends that also wanted to get in on the action and took the challenge too. So it grew into a challenge 7 of us took.
This year we are inviting more podcasters to get in on the action. Keep in mind, it’s a fun challenge, and you will not be shamed (too much) if you don’t record every 30 day. It is kind of like the way Drew Carey describes “Whose line is it anyway?”. A fun game were we earn points, but the points don’t matter.
What matters is that we all have fun recording and listening to each other.
Start Date: July 30th, 2013
End Date: August 30th, 2013
Rules: Podcast Once a day for 30 days. Show length is up to you. Most vary from 3 – 5 Min.
I’ll be posting my daily shows here during the challenge, but I will also be including my usual podcast selection as part of the 30 days, so you should see podcasts on careers, new media, gardening, technology and more!
Sometimes it can be useful to schedule blog posts to go out on a specific date and time. For example, you might be on vacation or away from your office, but still want that content to go out. Both WordPress and Blogger provide support for scheduled posts and this video shows how to use it.
Here is a quick tip on how to revert to a previous version of a WordPress Post or Page. You won’t need this option very often, but when you need it, it will be critical. This tip works with both WordPress.com and self-hosted installs of WordPress.
This recording from BarCampLA-3 is a great introduction to podcasting, so I wanted to re-release it for those who may have missed it when it first appeared. I talk about recording, web hosting and podcast hosting, RSS feeds and more.
New Media Gear 015: Audio-Technica ATR2100-USB Cardioid Dynamic USB/XLR Microphone
I first heard about this microphone from Richard Cleveland over at Naked Ape Productions during one of his Podcast U panel discussions. I mentioned this microphone to my personal friend, Michael Lawshe, who is an expert in all things audio (and multi-Emmy Award winner) and he happened to drop one by when we met for dinner last night.
The microphone package include the mic itself, a mic clip and small plastic mic stand, an XLR microphone cable and a USB cable. As you might notice from the cables included, the ATR2100-USB, has a special feature which I have not seen in many other microphones. Instead of being a USB-only mic like the Blue Snowball or Rode Podcaster, the ATR2100 includes connections and electronics so it can be used either as a USB microphone connected directly to your computer with out a mixing board or as a standard dynamic microphone connected via XLR to a mixer.
This dual connectivity makes this a great mic for those who are just getting started in podcasting or other audio recording and yet allows them to step up to a mixing board and other equipment while still using the same microphone. Additionally, when recording with USB-only microphones, real time monitoring of your recording can be a problem due to the USB induced processing delay. The ATR2100-USB works around this issue by including a headphone jack directly on the microphone itself, so you can easily monitor in real time even when connected via USB. Other USB microphones have included this much needed feature in the past, such as the Rode Podcaster, and it is great to see other manufacturers alleviating the monitoring issue with their designs. I know for myself that it is very important to be able to monitor myself as I record. It helps me to catch mumbled words, overly fast speech and poor pronunciations which I might not notice otherwise.
As a demonstration, I have recorded this blog post as an audio podcast, too, so you can hear the microphone in a real world situation using both the USB and XLR modes.
Everything up to here has been recored using the USB connection on the ATR2100. Now I will switch to the XLR connection using my small mixing board.
As with any handheld mic, shock isolation js important. You don’t want to pick up any noise from your hand on the microphone itself. This is often where many less expensive microphones and recorders with built-in mic fail greatly. As you can hear, I am moving the microphone around in my hand and while it is picking up a bit of noise, if you hold the mic firmly you might not notice it at all. The included plastic mic clip and tabletop mic stand is enough for most beginners to get started, although most would probably want to move up to a more robust, metal, stand fairly quickly.
Unfortunately, the headphone level form the microphone was at a very low level for my own personal tastes. I would prefer much more volume when recording and playing back what I have recorded. The mic has a headphone volume control, but it did not seem to the effect the output volume much at all. Instead the volume control seemed to be trying to change the overall volume on my Macintosh.
The recording level was quite good even when placed on a desktop at some distance from my mouth. If you want more input level, of course, you can move closer to the mic although then you would want to use a pop filter cut down on the popping sounds of consonants and plosives like P’s and B’s. In this podcast I have used the mic at a fairly close proximity and included the use of a pop filter.
Based on my short time with the microphone, and recommendations from others, I would consider this a great microphone for its price. Amazon currently lists it for around $40 US. I have been impressed with the overall recording quality even here in this rough demonstration. I haven’t taken any time to really adjust the microphone in any way, but simply plugged it in, adjusted the recording level and made this recording using Apple’s GarageBand software.
If you’d like more information on the ATR2100-USB, you can find links not the web site as part of this blog post. Visit DouglasEWelch.com/newmedia/ to find them.
Handheld dynamic microphone with USB digital output and XLR analog output
USB output connects to your computer for digital recording, while the XLR output connects with your sound system conventional microphone input for use in live performance
Smooth, extended frequency response ideally suited for podcasting, home studio recording, field recording, voiceover, and on-stage use
Built-in headphone jack allows you to directly monitor your microphone output without audible delay
Cardioid polar pattern reduces pickup of unwanted sounds from the sides and rear
Dynamic Microphone With Usb Digital Output & Xlr Analog Output
Usb Output Connects To Computer For Digital Recording, While The Xlr Output Connects With Sound System’S Conventional Microphone Input For Use In Live Performance
Built-In Headphone Jack With Volume Control
If you have any questions about Peter’s podcasting equipment, please drop them in the comments or in the Facebook Podcasting Community.
We were happy to visit with Douglas E. Welch today on The Bigg Success Show today. Douglas is an expert on building the career you deserve and spreading the word about your talents using social media. Among other things, he’s the host of two great blogs and podcasts: Career Opportunities and Careers in New Media. Here’s a recap of the conversation:
It looks like I shared lots of Food and Gardening items in the past month. It is interesting to watch how my interests rise and fall over the course of the months.
As always, let me know what types of interesting items you would like to see and I will keep an eye out for them especially. — Douglas
My son, Joseph, introduced me to Vintage Beef (and all the guys on the Mindcrack server) earlier this year. I started watching “Beef’s” Minecraft videos but quickly became interested in his “Let’s Play” series for Skyrim and Red Dead Redemption. Each episode is like watching a little movie that happens to play out within a video game. Daniel’s (his real name) commentary is funny and adds to the gameplay rather than distracting from it. His videos have quickly become daily viewing here in the WelchWrite headquarters.
I met Frieda back in the days of the old Seesmic Video Conferencing service. We were both pretty active and often found ourselves in discussions throughout the day. Frieda is also an avid gardener and regularly posts to here YouTube Channel. As with all the posts i the Subscribed series, I am subscribed to her on YouTube and regularly watch her videos. We are both in the Southern California area and that helps, too, as we are experiencing similar climate and conditions.
Lorilyn Salamanca has been a close friend of ours since she was completing her Master’s Degree at nearby Cal State Northridge (CSUN). She was originally the student and friend of our friends, Helen and Enrique, but quickly became a close friend in her own right.
Lorilyn has heard me preaching the New Media gospel for years now, and I have been coaching, consulting and cajoling her to use her own talents to get the word out about those issues which most concern her. Since moving to Hawaii over 8 years ago, she has worked for the WIC program, helping underprivileged families raise healthy kids.
Just today Lorilyn let me know that she had stepped up her New Media “visibility” — as I have been pushing her for years — and is now the host of “Foundations for Healthy Generations” on the Hawaii Public Access channel, ‘Olelo. Like all good Public Access programs, ‘Olelo also makes all their shows available, on demand, from their web site. They can also be easily shared and embedded in blogs and other web sites.
It is so great seeing Lorilyn extend her influence using a combination of traditional media and new media on the island. I wish her great success! This is exactly the type of Real World Example I would love to see other’s pursuing.
Douglas speaks to Peter Lythgoe from the Zzip & Co Podcast Show based in Weymouth, UK about the special needs and uses of a local podcast. Peter covers news and events in and around Weymouth and also seeks out local authors and musicians to interview and promote.
** This interview was recorded via Skype. The audio is good, but the video is a bit rough due to low frame rate issues.
You can find the Zzip & Co Podcast Show at http://zzipp.podomatic.com where you can listen to their audio shows or subscribe via iTunes. You can also find videos by Peter on his YouTube channel, Zzippster, at http://youtube.com/zzippster.
Douglas speaks to Peter Lythgoe from the Zzip & Co Podcast Show based in Weymouth, UK about the special needs and uses of a local podcast. Peter covers news and events in and around Weymouth and also seeks out local authors and musicians to interview and promote.
** This interview was recorded via Skype. The audio is good, but the video is a bit rough due to low frame rate issues.
You can find the Zzip & Co Podcast Show at http://zzipp.podomatic.com where you can listen to their audio shows or subscribe via iTunes. You can also find videos by Peter on his YouTube channel, Zzippster, at http://youtube.com/zzippster.
While #KitchenParty is mainly about food and foodie things, in this week’s episode we also talk a lot about what makes a successful food blog and, more generically, any successful blog. — Douglas
Watch the recorded video below!
How to publish a successful food blog
Nichelle Stephens from Cupcakes Take the Cake! We’re talking Cupcake Recipes & how to #publish a successful food blog.
And don’t forget… every show we publish a community cookbook based on the topic. This week we’re sharing #cupcake #recipes . To our your favorite recipe to our #community #cookbook upload your favorite recipe here: http://bit.ly/cupcakecookbook
Your Hosts Every Week: Babette Pepaj from BakeSpace.com , +eff Houck from the Tampa Tribune, Rene Lynch (LA Times) & Douglas Welch (pro blogger – a Gardner’s Notebook)
Who doesn’t like some “cool” in their lives? Cool Hunting provides a regular dose of cool through its video series highlighting cool stuff in design, art, engineering and more. Cool Hunting is available both as a YouTube channel and a podcast via their web site. The videos are high-quality and shot with an eye towards the artistic while giving you insight into the people involved in the projects.
I highly recommend Cool Hunting as a refreshing bit of entertainment for your mind. Hopefully it can spur you to some “cool” projects of your own.
I write on a lot of different topics here on WelchWrite.com, some of which you might also be interested in. Infrequently, I like to share events that are happening on the other WelchWrite blogs. I hope you find them interesting — Douglas
I came across this new iPhone app, Chirp, last night in my usual Internet reading and it got me to thinking immediately — couldn’t this app be used to create enhanced podcasts that automatically directed listeners to web sites, photos, notes and more at specific points in the show. This is my short demo on how it might be done.
This certainly wasn’t something that the creators Chirp.io were thinking about when creating the app, but that doesn’t mean we couldn’t use it to our (i.e. podcasters) advantage.
A bit of semi-self-promotion this week on Subscribed. Today’s featured YouTube Channel is from CareerCamp International. CareerCamps are a series of free, career unconferences organized by local communities and sponsored by local businesses. Back in July 2012 we held our 7th CareerCamp in Santa Clarita, California.
The CareerCamp International YouTube Channel is where we post videos recorded at the various CareerCamp events. Currently there are 15 different videos for you to investigate. Check out the titles to see which one’s you might be interested in watching. You’ll find a couple of videos from me in the mix there, too.
Here is a talk from CareerCampLA co-chair, Jennifer Oliver O’Connell. Check out all the videos on the CareerCamp International YouTube Channel.
What are some of your favorite YouTube Subscriptions? Share them here i the comments!
The recording of our Thursday, September 20, 2012 episode of KitchenParty is now online.
I am part of the crew for this new foodie show sponsored by Bakespace.com. We are using Google Hangouts to hold a conversation based around some food topic each Thursday night at 5pm PDT/8pm EDT.
Google Hangouts are one of the newest New Media kids on the block and lots of people are taking advantage of them for both personal and more professional shows. Hangouts integrate directly with YouTube. This means that once your Hangout On Air completes, it is automatically uploaded to your YouTube Channel without any further action from you. For large files, like this one hour show, this cuts out a lot of the traditional editing and rendering required for a traditionally recorded show.
Hangouts give you a simple to use place to record conversations with up to 10 people at once, which is nearly perfect if you are doing a show like KitchenParty. One more tool for your New Media toolbox.
Please give us a “Like” on YouTube and tune in next Thursday at 5pm PDT/8pm EDT for our next show!
Tonight’s Topic: Kids back in school? Looking for good things to feed them? Fed up with junk food?
Join us as we discuss healthier food options for our kids this school year. Joining us will be J.M. Hirsch, the food editor of the Associated Press and Katie Workman, Co-Founder of Cookstr.com and author of Mom 101.
In addition, we’ll also publish our healthy lunch options cookbook. To add your recipe to our cookbook, submit it here: http://bit.ly/QdXNNr
