By Kati Neville
Continuous improvement and professional development are vital for writers. With enhanced skills and fresh ideas, we're more confident and better equipped to take advantage of additional opportunities. And people around us, like editors and agents, find us easier to work with too.
Apply your professional improvement standards to your podcast as well. I'm not suggesting that you give your podcast the same level of attention you give your writing, research, or business practices. Rather, make your efforts proportional to your podcast's relative importance to your career. This is art, not science. But when you've established a good metric, consider the following resources.
Attend podcasting or new media events. Expos and conferences provide strategic and technical tips. Podcamps are popular with podcasters because they aren't showy or pretentious. These "unConferences" are primarily local endeavors, sometimes in small venues such as libraries, where everyone is a "rockstar."
Large new media conferences, which cover podcasts in addition to blogs and social networking tools, are another avenue. It's always hard to generalize. But a more diverse audience may mean you're sacrificing breadth for depth.
Whichever opportunity you choose, take time to connect with fellow attendees. Yes, it's exhilarating to rub elbows with professional presenters. But don't neglect to meet others too. You never know when you'll meet the next new media guru!
Seek out books, blogs, and online articles about podcasting. My favorite podcasting books are The Business Podcasting Book and Podcasting Hacks: Tips and Tools for Blogging Out Loud. Periodically, I'll cruise the online booksellers and search for new titles. Turn to blogs and online articles after you learn industry and software terminology. You'll be able to evaluate the results of a quick Internet search more effectively.
Listen to other podcasts frequently. Podcasting is no longer a realm dominated solely by techies and teenagers. Small business owners, universities, multi-national corporations, churches, and libraries are podcasting. By listening to a variety of other shows, you will glean new ideas.
For example, while planning my vacation to New York City last summer, I discovered the podcasts for the Metropolitan Museum of Art and the Museum of Modern Art. I eagerly subscribed and began listening to episodes about special exhibits, historical restoration challenges, and other subjects completely unrelated to my show. And yet, I still found several technical production and style ideas to try.
Don't be afraid to look for help or challenge yourself to become a better podcaster. Even small improvements will payoff.
Happy podcasting!
Apply your professional improvement standards to your podcast as well. I'm not suggesting that you give your podcast the same level of attention you give your writing, research, or business practices. Rather, make your efforts proportional to your podcast's relative importance to your career. This is art, not science. But when you've established a good metric, consider the following resources.
Attend podcasting or new media events. Expos and conferences provide strategic and technical tips. Podcamps are popular with podcasters because they aren't showy or pretentious. These "unConferences" are primarily local endeavors, sometimes in small venues such as libraries, where everyone is a "rockstar."
Large new media conferences, which cover podcasts in addition to blogs and social networking tools, are another avenue. It's always hard to generalize. But a more diverse audience may mean you're sacrificing breadth for depth.
Whichever opportunity you choose, take time to connect with fellow attendees. Yes, it's exhilarating to rub elbows with professional presenters. But don't neglect to meet others too. You never know when you'll meet the next new media guru!
Seek out books, blogs, and online articles about podcasting. My favorite podcasting books are The Business Podcasting Book and Podcasting Hacks: Tips and Tools for Blogging Out Loud. Periodically, I'll cruise the online booksellers and search for new titles. Turn to blogs and online articles after you learn industry and software terminology. You'll be able to evaluate the results of a quick Internet search more effectively.
Listen to other podcasts frequently. Podcasting is no longer a realm dominated solely by techies and teenagers. Small business owners, universities, multi-national corporations, churches, and libraries are podcasting. By listening to a variety of other shows, you will glean new ideas.
For example, while planning my vacation to New York City last summer, I discovered the podcasts for the Metropolitan Museum of Art and the Museum of Modern Art. I eagerly subscribed and began listening to episodes about special exhibits, historical restoration challenges, and other subjects completely unrelated to my show. And yet, I still found several technical production and style ideas to try.
Don't be afraid to look for help or challenge yourself to become a better podcaster. Even small improvements will payoff.
Happy podcasting!
Kati Neville is coauthor of the best selling cookbook, Fix, Freeze, Feast. She is a contributing editor for The Saver's Kitchen podcast and regularly blogs on The Forklift. Kati teaches cooking classes in the Portland, Oregon metropolitan area. When not online or teaching, Kati enjoys writing and tasting new recipes in her kitchen.
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