PodMov Daily: Wednesday, October 9

Episode 61: Your Midweek Update

Maron and the Masses: Podcasting and Parasocial Relationships

In a recent interview with BU Today, Boston University’s alumni publication, Marc Maron mentioned an aspect of podcasting we’d like to touch on. When asked if his podcast persona is “authentically” him, a document of his true character, Maron answered,

“By the time I did the podcast […] people were able to get a sense of my entire personality. The liability of that is people know me too well, in the sense that now I do acting roles, and people who know me from the podcast are like, ‘Oh, you’re just really kind of being yourself.’ Whereas if they didn’t know me at all, they wouldn’t be able to say that. I mean, I don’t know that I am being myself. I don’t know.

This sentiment recalls a post by Wil Williams about parasocial relationships around podcasting. “The term ‘parasocial relationships’ describes the relationship an audience member has with a performer who does not know they exist,” Williams explains.

To make a question of one of Williams’ statements: “What happens when parasocial relationships allow strangers to feel educated about, or entitled to, a creator or performer’s life[?]” Podcasting is inherently intimate. Many audio creators have described the uneasy, complex issue of boundaries between their public and private lives.

We’re all podcast fans, and cozying up with the thoughts of a favorite host can bring endless joy. Respecting the difference between audience admirer and personal friend can bring even more.

Welcome Back: The Audacity to Podcast Returns October 22

The Audacity to Podcast, the award-winning podcast about, well, podcasting, will return after a “nearly two-year hiatus.” On October 22, creator Daniel J. Lewis will begin posting new episodes every Tuesday.

Although “the format and production will be a little different from before,” expect more lively lessons on equipment, software, and skills. Lewis writes that he’ll continue to “give you the guts and teach you the tools to start and grow your own podcast for passion or profit.”

The first few episodes will cover the RØDECaster Pro, Captivate’s new podcast hosting, and many more tools. In the meantime, there’s plenty to enjoy: At Podcast Movement 2019, Lewis interviewed 18 exhibitors about podcasting resources. It’s all on video here.

Search Enhancements on MacOS Catalina: Technically Present?

The internet is exploring the newly released MacOS Catalina, assessing the system’s hyped and latent features. Podnews reports on Apple Podcasts’ “browse by hosts and guests” offering, visible on the desktop app in MacOS Catalina and iOS 13 on mobile.

Citing the display of guests on Conan O’Brien Needs A Friend, James Cridland notes that “the guests appear not to include Conan’s latest guest, David Letterman, highlighting that this may be a manual process.”

He points to Apple’s post earlier this year about the search enhancements meant to “allow listeners to discover shows based on audio transcripts, topics, and people.” They’ll “first be available for selected top shows in English,” which is vague, but we’ll be on the lookout.

She Podcasts LIVE: Celebrating the Sold-Out Inaugural Event

Happy Wednesday, readers, and congratulations to She Podcasts. Podcast Business Journal reported that She Podcasts LIVE has sold out — it’s a well-deserved victory all around. Before the party starts this Friday, hear how the organization came to be.

Cheers,

Team PM

Here's what else is going on:

• Second Rode-o: Matthew McLean of The Podcast Host revisits the Rode RØDECaster Pro. The “podcast production studio” tool is a mixer/digital recorder designed entirely for podcasting. After “a number of firmware updates,” McLean provides an up-to-date assessment of features.
• Joint effort: David Bienenstock and Abdullah Saeed, creators of the podcast Great Moments in Weed History, spoke to The Eureka Times Standard about upcoming live shows and how the medium allows them to “delve into underground outlaw histories and celebrate cultural heroes.”
• Quiet exit: The Verge reports that about two months after Luminary’s April 2019 launch, co-founder Joe Purzycki stepped down as chief strategy officer. It’s unclear why, but “he remains close to CEO Matt Sacks, a Luminary spokesperson says, and still holds shares.”
• Local language: Midroll Media has opened Stitcher podcasts to Australian and Canadian advertisers. The Australian podcast tech company Whooshkaa and Canadian podcast ad company TPX (The Podcast Exchange) can now coordinate campaigns inside Stitcher’s hit network.