Podcast Readings

My podcast writing process, I must say was very involved it required quite an extensive amount of research on my topic, which dealt with Hip-Hop artist Kid Cudi. More specifically how Cudi's sound is so different from other Hip-Hop artists, the scoop on his debut album, and what we can expect from him in the future. Most of the articles I used as references I found through the Music and Performing arts website made available courtesy of the UCSB online data base. Writing a well thought out podcast, I believe requires one to effectively synthesize many sources, reliable ones that is that pertain to ones topic. In this way one can create a coherent podcast that flows properly and contains a mixture of facts that are both accurate and interesting. It is also important, I feel to include your own opinion in your podcast because it adds your own twist and presents the listener with a different perspective. During my readings, one article that caught my attention was titled Kid Cudi: Hip-Hop's Sensitive Soul written by Rolling Stones very own Christian Hoard, it contained all the elements that I hoped my podcast would. It was very descriptive and achieved the perfect balance between interesting facts and discussion. The article dealt with topics like Cudi’s debut album "Man on the Moon: The End of Day," his upbringing in Cleveland and his collaborations with Kanye West. From this article I was able to draw many useful facts that benefitted my podcast. I think that this piece stood out from the rest because of its selection of detail, Hoard did a great job at selecting quotes that I feel are responsible for making the paper a memorable one. One quote, I especially liked was “I get sad at the oddest of times, I need to see a shrink." It was nice to see that Cudi is a really person and Hoard does an excellent job of capturing Cudi’s character in the piece. This article unlike all the others was a fun read that kept my attention the whole way through. I can only hope my podcast will do the same.

Podcasting Video

A podcast is an audio program, like a radio program, stored as an mp3, so that it can be played in an Ipod or computer, whenever a listener wants. This was the definition given in this week “reading” which happened to be the easiest of the quarter considering it was a video! The video, titled “Better World Video on Podcasting”, produced by Peter Osborne and Andrew Bailey was extremely informative in fact at times a little more than I hoped for. I found myself asking when will this be over and why do I need to know this? For example, how will it benefit me to know that I might want “six mini production teams divided into groups of three.” The video went into way more detail than necessary but not to be mistaken, it did in the end prove to be quite helpful. The video I felt explained the podcast making process very clearly, from listing the various formats available to choosing your audience, it covered all the questions one might have, so I suppose it was smart to make such a lengthy video. The part that I found especially useful was the technical aspect of producing a podcast, as I would have probably had no clue where to begin. Now I know that a simple microphone and Audacity are all I need to get my podcast up and running. This week, I learned that a podcast can be a medium of self expression, you can add a variety of elements like sound effects, interviews and links to take your production unique. As I will soon embark on the task of producing my very first podcast, this video could not have come at a better time, as it provides key insights into the world of podcasting.To add, I particularly liked that the video made sure to remind the viewer that podcasting can be fun and more importantly that anyone can do it, now for my sake lets hope I can.