Each of you mentioned how the dominant media continually either ignore or deride “podcasts” and “podcasters.” For a moment while listening to you, it occurred to me that perhaps they are scared. Perhaps they see the jig is up – they can continue to peddle their B.S.; the huddled masses will continue to consume it – so long as there’s beer in the fridge and the narrative arc titillates.

But in a real sense, I think they’ve come to realize that they no longer have TOTAL DOMINATION, which they’d seemed to had enjoyed since Lindbergh crossed the Atlantic.

It is through the efforts of guys like you and hundreds of other “plain joes & janes” that a meaningful alternative storyline is percolating.

Sure, the Greed Merchants will continue to attempt to co-opt, ignore, or deride personal media publishing. The game is long, I don’t have the wits to predict the outcome. But I do think it’s getting interesting.

Thankfully, as Richard alluded to, at least there will alternative records available to future students trying to figure WTF was up with this age.

And then I thought, maybe not. Maybe the rain I feel is all of the podcasters pissing into the wind.

Keep up the great work, Mark and Richard!

To search for originality when actually to be original is to be yourself, your bias (or not), your interests, your views, your research, your questions…seems pointless.

And yes it’s a popularity game, a lot of people don’t start because unlike X-Factor singers or video bloggers they think ‘what have I got to add?’ ‘can I be original?’ ‘who wants to watch me?’ without realising that it’s not about being a star or instantly thoroughly original; it’s about the conversation with other people – and then it will quickly go someplace original because each conversation is different.

It’s like asking for the end destination before even starting the journey…that kind of mindset is very prevalent (I have friends who won’t even START something unless they are brilliant at it – and funnily enough they never do because you are never great – or that original – at something til you start – it’s all part of learning. But the idea of worrying about that at the start – pre-branding yourself, running before you walk – well it’s not going to be productive at all, because you won’t even begin to learn or make mistakes).

Not to say that the “stay true to yourself”, “do what you love/must do” advices don’t hold true – although you gotta admit, it sounds somewhat cliché – but I think any starting “internet-reporter” (for lack of a better description) feels slightly dwarfed by their competition/colleagues..

Looking at what is popular is a very teenage and student mindset; it comes from school and ‘high school’ type groupings; but it’s not a value judgement you can apply to most things, or should do…the best things are not done because they are popular, they are different, and then become popular. It seems people confuse that (it’s like the ‘overnight genius’ thing in music, when such genius took 5-10 years of hard hard work, it’s a silly question/assumption).

It’s a mindset shift; it’s not insulting to say that it really isn’t the sort of question to ask with podcasting – if you ask it then it probably isn’t for you. Asking ‘how can I make money from this?’ might be more profitable, if maybe just as unanswerable.

This I seriously doubt. But of course you know everything about Mark, Richard, and everyone reading this thread (depending on where ‘you’ is directed).

As regarding contracts, you should know about the social contract, but I don’t pretend to know Ancient texts (nor throw them around in blog comments like confetti) on it I know your beloved Aristotle, Socrates and others had some interesting things to say about contracts, society and whether they bind.

I’d especially include all your Insane Films stuff as I would guess the viral online video specialists would love your experience.

I don’t think it is OK for people to breach contracts. When anyone, whether a corporation OR an individual journalist does so, it is up to our courts and our government to protect interested parties from damages caused by such a breach. Obviously, due to the irrational and totalitarian/socialistic/fascistic tendencies of our culture, we have reached a point where we are not protected from breaches of contract. If a law doesn’t specifically say something’s illegal, people seem to think they can get away with it, even if they’re violating the fundamental principles embedded in the constitution. Furthermore, free speech is constantly being attacked –successfully!– but people don’t seem to care. I’m not an ignorant podcast audience member. I probably understand the issues better than you, and I’m not even a journalist.

All that is really besides the point. The real point is that it seems you think you will change our culture by advocating the ideas and values you currently espouse. You are blithely unaware, or perhaps you only seem so, that your ideas and values will only lead the culture further down the same path. And you have the gall to complain about the state we’re in?

In reality, it’s a pity, but I think it’s somewhat comical.

I don’t know what gave you the idea that I break out in laughter when Madge does the news or shares her views.

You can make anything you want to make out of Yeast Radio. I don’t deal in subjectivity. If you want to understand what I mean when I call Richard’s whole Madge comedy shtick destructive, all you have to do is read Aristotle’s Poetics, particularly the section on comedy.

Academic research as well as investigative journalism, not to mention insiders working for corporate media have for many decades given us examples of how sponsors claim in contracts they wont influence the work of a journalist or media outlet, but then later try (and succeed) in getting a story pulled or edited or a program taken off the air, etc. It is beyond opinion at this point, do some searching, there is extensive documentation on this issue.

Ps. Nice to hear the both of you in one show, an important one, imho, a breath of fresh air.

If you’re a gay Republican who’s voting for McCain/Palin this election, I don’t know how you can have to balls to call ANYONE retarded.