Podcasting inSL

When SLCN started out, people could watch at the event or through the video players they distributed for folks who couldn't get into the jam-packed sims.

Then, something magical happened... Wiz Nordberg pointed RSS feeds at their archives and you could subscribe via iTunes.

I rang Wiz up to talk about his podcasting roots, the portability and timeshifting aspects of Second Life video media, and how community is important in finding an active and growing audience for content.

(This is normally where someone will say "FULL DISCLOSURE: My SL Partner has a show on SLCN" but this is a podcast, not 60 Minutes, eh. And at no point do we mention the D-word. Yay!)

Rich DeSoto (Palmer) has been podcasting since before podcasting was known as podcasting, and he's brought his experience in radio and audio editing to the table.

But is that enough to launch and keep a successful podcast going? And what sets an Audio Gumshoe ahead of the many other music podcasts out there?

Rich and I chat about podcasting, Second Life from a musician's standpoint as well as a podcast's take, and the whole Web 2.0 perspective.

And, yes, we followed all relevant safety procedures.

Okay, so Britney Mason was too busy with her attorneys, something about smuggling artifacts out of Bolivia, so she pawned off her assistant Dave on me.

Yeah yeah yeah... I know, but Dave's kinda cute in his own special way, too. He sure does his best to hold his own when Jenn shows up for The Popcast, you know.

Dave and I chatted for a bit about the Golden Age of Podcasting in Second Life, what changed with the community back then, and what the landscape of social networking and Web 2.0 holds for the future.

(Maybe Britney will find some time in the future to talk?)

UPDATE:

An interesting reaction to this interview by Radar Masukami.

Ever had Second Thoughts about Second Life?

When not running Ravenglass Rentals, Prokofy Neva has them all the time. And until the Electric Sheep had a problem with those thoughts, Second Rant (with 57 Miles/Nick Wilson) was a welcome and fresh voice of dissent in the SL podosphere.

So, what happened? Let's go to the source and get a different perspective on Second Life and, also, podcasting's role in it.

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On a side-note, I've bumped this account up from the basic 100mb to the 250mb plan. It was easy to do, just took a few minutes with PayPal, and the increase took effect immediately.

Thanks to Libsyn for putting the time and effort into making this easy to do and reliable without having to muck around with tickets, emails, and phone calls.

She's a podcasting pioneer, starting before even I started podcasting way back in the Golden Age.

From Feeling Doing to Second Life Fridays, now Dr. Fran can be found giving play-by-play calls on the Snail Races of RacerX on SLCN.tv. (Which, I may add, is available in podcast form if you can't make it to the sim or you're allergic to escargot.)

Sometimes, life gets in the way of getting to the microphone on a regular basis, but it's always important to leave aside some quality time for your elf... I mean self.

(And if you don't understand the Tom Snyder reference, well, just ask your parents.)

Living in Nowhereville wasn't easy, so Madison Carnot talked about her Second Life. But then... Bucket... um... kinda... er... kicked the bucket, and the rest is podcasting and Second Life history.

Jenn's now with Britney Mason's Popcast talking about every little thing that Britney Spears does, thinks or... wait, Britney Spears thinks? And she's on Going Broke every so often to lend Daphne and Tam a hand.

She is a virtual neighbor, a friend, and the knows the secret to podcasting, Second Life, and I think Life in general... but I don't want to give away any secrets, now, do I?

One of the controversies that came up with SL5B was a ban on the involvement of the SL Kids Community in the celebrations and building.

Thankfully, the ban was reversed, and I spotted Marianne McCann flying around SL5B the other day. She mentioned that the was an SL Kids podcast called Milk N Kookies Show, which is the archive of a live radio show produced in world to an avatar audience..

Koffeekid Smalls and Yuki Eliot are the hosts of the show, and I got a hold of KoffeeKid for a chat about SL Kids, podcasting, community, cigarettes, and all sorts of other things.

I'm very excited that podcasting is being used to enhance an SL community's distribution of their message, to get the word out, and to help dispel misunderstandings and harmful scare-stories that the Mass Media broadcast.

While you listen, I'm going to get some quality cigarettes for the kids...

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I wanted to add this SLURL to the SL5Kids build that takes you to a fundraiser for DarkX Hax. Koffeekid and Yuki have been helping him raise funds for his medical bills.

Making a difference. Another reason to salute KoffeeKid and Yuki.

You have no choice in growing old, but with New Media, you don't have to grow apart.

I didn't think it was fair to try to decide who would have their name come first in the title. After all, Diva isn't just a Broad from The Broad Cast, but she's also A Beat Chick. Then, Kat's not just a Broad from The Broad Cast, but she's also the token chick of The Green Guy Lounge.

Both are my neighbors and friends on Edloe Island, though, so I guess I could just flip a coin... or say that this segment is an interview with The Broads and be done with it.

And if this segment damages your virginity, well, I'm certainly not to blame for it.

There's more to podcasting than a certain group of podcasters on two clusters of islands, you know. For instance, there's Jenny the Pizzababe, who's broken away from the herd and gone out on her own to explore other communities and... tastes.

Yeah, I know. the SL5B folks don't want you to see, hear, or think about certain things, but Jenny shows that there' people that feel, love, and care - even if they don't care about the numbers... or editing.

Jenny takes a break from packing up for St. Louis to speak with me about some of the history of podcasting in Second Life... but mostly about embracing something more than many: the freedom and independence to express yourself that podcasting gives. (And, when the Lindens don't meddle, Second Life, too.)

When you wander around Podcast and Podcaster Islands, he is the man who has brought these great soaring towers to life and filled them with tasty, delicious content.

He is the right hand man of Gary Leland in-world, the dreamer and sneaky furry force of fun, Itazura Radio.

Once the maximum of naughtiusness, now he's just rezzed and confused? So much to teach, he's podcasting out his thoguhts debunking the myths and misunderstandings of grid-dwellers.

You can learn more from Itazura Radio at Podcast Island as well as his excellent mythbusting podcast Rezzed and Confused.

From the windswept snowy plains of fiercest Alaska, a call cries out to empower women (and men pretending to be women) across the grid!

Cybergrrl Oh of Athena Isle may be new to podcasting, but she's a veteran author and blogger with a lot to say and the street cred to get the word out. (The savvy with the tech helps, too)

You can find her out and about, but when Athena Isle is full, why not give her Living A 2nd Life podcast a listen?

"The time in Israel is logging into Second Life and wandering through Orientation Island with a box on its head..."

Bluesmoke Hextall asks if the world is surreal or not, First or Second, and there's lessons to be learned from how we view each other... and each other's avatars.

He has an entire fleet of podcasts ranging from Night Guy to Night Guy Electronica and The Sixteenth project, a new experimental composition every month posted on the 16th that guarantees that you will never have to listen to boring music.

He's also a regular contributor and driving force on the 100 Word Stories pdocast with his stories and the theme music.

So, Shalom, and have a listen to my friend Bluesmoke!

The man in red? Yellow spiky hair on his head? That can only mean it's... Gomem!

When you're out on the road 10 hours a night and you've heard every MP3 file you've got, what can you do to fill the time? Well, The best way to get more stuff to listen to is dipping into the deep well of podcasts. And if you've got good enough wireless around, why not plug in a modem and hop into SL from a laptop?

You can find out more about Gomem from his excellent music and news roundup Gomem Show as well as Podmafia, when he's hanging with Yxes Delacroix and his henchman Stuart Warf.

Everybody's been so positive and cheerful when it comes to the future of Second Life, so how about a curveball thrown at the cake full of candles?

William Pitre of Smart Bomb Radio has been keeping it real since the day he picked up a microphone for the first time, and through Barfly and Pickle Tales and Traveling Avatar and now 118 Migration he's fighting the good fight.

But is the future so bright for Second Life and Podcasting? Tune in to hear a less-than-rosy forecast on the sculpty-shape of things to come.

Only one man could bring the best of Second Life podcasters together for SLPN, the podcasting network for Second Life podcasters, and that man is Stuart Warf.

The leader of the dreaded Podmafia (with Gomem DeSoto and Yxes Delacroix), he comes out of his motherboard-hobbled existence to speak about how he's seen podcasting progress in Second Life an other matters primmy.

They were the King and Queen of podcasting in Second Life, but they threw it all away?

Did you know that Goddess Yxes Delacroix of the Podmafia and producer of Metanomics and Paisley Beebe's show once had a throne alongside Meta Magic Studios' Banana Stein?

What happened?

Only Crap Mariner could bring these two back together in an exclusive no-holds-barred...

Jeez, I sound like a smarmy tabloid show. How about I just fire up Skype and let them tell the story.

Radar Masukami and Chugabug Goodnight are a one-two punch of podcasting excellence on the grid, despite Radar's constantly putting himself down or missing his self-imposed deadlines for posting SL Under The Radar.

Before than, Radar ran the Audio Gaijin podcast, which only exists in our fondest memories.

They are a vital force in the podcasting community, helping manage Podcast and Podcaster Islands and hosting monthly meetings with outsiders bringing their wisdom and experience to the grid.

Such style, such grace, such madness - this is Caleb Bullen. It's all shaken together and served with an olive at The Black Tie Martini Club every week, a variety show with a rotating cast full of Carol Burnett-style crazies that makes you think and laugh.

He is also a solid member of the 100 Word Stories Weekly Challenges, including my favorite contribution ever - "I Can't Believe It's Not Butter."

Ladies and Gentlemen, your host - Caaaaaaaaaleb Buuuuuuuuullen!

The odds are that if Daphne Abernathy isn't producing a podcast, she's at least appeared on it in some way or form. She's taken both Second Life and Podcasting to new levels with her spunk, dedication, and enthusiasm.

She's been Going Broke with Tamara Kirshner for over a year, setting the styles with The Stylecast, and sharing her Random Thoughts.

(But then, if you're a fan of Hellen Keller, well, you might want to skip her hilarious appearances on The Black Tie Martini Club.)

Nika Dreamscape may be relatively new to Second Life, but she's been a fan of podcasting for a very long time.

What happens when she follows all these podcasts and then enters the world of SL... and then joins the ranks of podcasters?

You can enjoy Nika's adventures with The Keeme on Diamonds and Rust.

How exactly do you describe The Keeme?

His thoughts are lightning-quick, like a storm of hilarity hammering the landscape, and you run from shelter to shelter, laughing all the way. Every moment is to be savored.

You can find him at The Keemecast as well as the new Diamonds and Rust with Nika Dreamscape.

This is a rambling, incoherent introduction to iPodjacker.com, the official podcast of the Podcasting in Second Life exhibit.

Okay, so "official" really doesn't mean much, since I don't think there's going to be a bunch of unofficial podcasts champing at the bit to steal my thunder, as if there's thunder to steal.

Know what? Just listen to the freaking thing, and you'll understand what this is all about.