I am a beautiful person. I think I can do it for the first time.

Just thought I'd share an interesting conversation that is going on in the Yahoo Podcasters Group. Urbanskypodcast writes:

Published my first podcast, 'Geeks and Geek Culture' on libsyn more

than a week ago.


So far, just eight people have listened to it. Two of them are friends

of mine. No comments, but my friends did say (offline) they liked the

podcast. I was hoping for more listeners and more objective feedback.


Two might have subscribed to the RSS feed, but libsyn's stats aren't

detailed enough to let me know if they actually subscribed, or just

simply happened to download the 'cast from the RSS side of my blogpage.


Either my podcast really sucks, or something else is going on here,

like someone's put a hex on it so people don't listen to it. :)

That is the whole email. Start to finish. All valid concerns. Let's dissect this into a valid conversation.

First, congratulations are due. Content creation is a large task when all is said and done. From concept to upload, the amount of work is astronomical when you look at the steps that are taken to share something you create.

Second, and I'll stop counting paragraphs after this, eight people is a great achievement. You've already surpassed obscurity. You, my friend, have made it. Overnight success? Maybe not, but an audience is an audience. No matter the size, you now have 8 people that will tell others about what they have heard.

Comments are hard to come by. People have enough trouble reading. Now you want them to write? This takes encouragement. Let them know that your site is open to comments, and you would appreciate any feedback they can give you. Don't be shy either. If you get any comments, respond to as many of them as possible. People like a host that is accessible. If you could somehow comment about Jay Leno's show, would it not be a good thing if he could respond in kind? Maybe Jay is a poor choice, but you get the picture.

Libsyn stats are decent, but don't look at the numbers for validation. You need to look to your content and audience for that. The numbers will become more important at a later time, if you need to secure sponsors, but that is far into the future. Just worry about the show. By the way, do you listen to it?

As far as your podcast sucking, I really wouldn't know. You don't have a link in your post, and a Google search is not really helpful. This needs to be fixed really soon.

There are a quite a few good posts with great advice. Mike Sharpe comments about the sig. Shawn Thorpe speaks to expectations and audience size. Andy Bilodeau reminds us that a promo is never a bad idea, and socializing is in. Josh encourages more podcast pimping. Have you really told everybody you know?  I like the diverse crowd on the group, and there are a lot of smart people there. Here is my post:

These peoples know what they say.

First, start with your email sig, or lack of one. You need a title and site in every email you send.

Next,
start cruising the social networks. Twitter, Bebo, Facebook, MySpace,
Pownce, LinkedIn, Plaxo, Friendfeed, Brightkite, etc. Claim your name
and podcast in each of these sites before someone else does. Get a
HelloTxt account and then you can update all of them at the same time.

Start talking to others on these sites so they get to know you. No
B.S. about listening to your podcast. Start a real conversation, and
then they will get to know who you are and what you love. Then
everytime you have a new show come out, update your network. Since they
already have had interaction with you, they will be curious and perhaps
check out the show.

Listen to other podcasts with similiar interests. Comment on their voicemail lines and their sites.

Visit
blogs and comment on them. Real genuine comments. If people like what
you have to say, they will follow the link to your site.

Start your own blog. Extend your content and grow it from there.

It's all about the conversation. If it is real, people will listen.

If you need help, or more specifics, just ask. We live for that stuff.

;>)

See. Great conversation, and I realized I know a whole bunch about this stuff. Maybe I should be a content creator.

But seriously. Is there a conversation going on in your group? Your clique? your network? Or is it just noise. Are you doing it to get readers, listeners, donations? Or are you doing it to be a part of something? Don't under estimate the power of a great conversation. The Yahoo Podcaster Group knows this.

Watch this video, and then go here to read the article. Kid wants to wear a little gothish make up, but the school does not allow. Is this discrimination?

EDIT: Video broke the site, so go to CNN to watch it as well. Grrrr.


It's not that I think he should be allowed to wear the make up, but if you are forced to wear a scarlet letter tinged badge that states you should value the uniqueness of others, what double standard is that presenting?

The Dell Mini, or Inspiron 910, is Dells foray into the net book craze which was brought to life by Asus and their Eee PC. A small format computer that can run Windows and Linux. I chose the Dell because of two reasons. The form factor, and the 3G chip that lays dormant inside. I have not heard what can be done with it at this point in time, but I look forward to any announcement that will propel me into the interwebs anywhere crowd.

But enough of that. On to the photos.


In the Box


Bottom



The Box is Open



Almost There



Could That Be?



Teasing You With Its Bottom



Out of the Plastic



There it is!



Open in All its Mini Glory!!



But Wait! There's More!



Restore and Driver Discs.



Compared to my iBook

So the Dell Mini came in today. It is small, under 4 pounds, and I love it. Not the fastest machine I've used, and will take some getting used to, but a wonderful experience so far.

So here are the negatives:

The keyboard is small. Yes, it is easy to type letters and numbers, but some keys are awkwardly placed in order to keep the machines size down. And I have yet to find the damned F11 key! But I'm getting used to it. I was never your standard typist anyway. I am faster with one hand then I am with two.

Although I knew the screen size was 8.9 inches, it is so strange that the it is surrounded by such a large frame. Even the 19 inch LCD screen for my desktop has a smaller framing. So that is a downer.

It came with XP. I would much rather have Vista, but I know it would absolutely kill the performance of this machine. At least I'm not stuck with OSX anymore. And since it did come stock with windows, there was some tweaking that needed to be done befor I could get started. I did the update thing, but it already had service pack 3. So not much there. I had to remove Google Desktop. Although a nice addition, I can't afford to use the resources. I also removed McAfee, as it came with it. Why they would load such a bloated AV software is beyond me. Why not license AVG Free? Would it kill you guys to think smart? Probably getting some kickbacks somewhere in that equation.

I had to disable the webcam software to improve performance, as it was running in the background, and harshing my vibe. I need to find something more lightweight to record video. Perhaps a webcam on a netbook is not such a great idea?

The Good:

The size is just right. Less than 4 pounds. I can hold it in one hand while typing with the other. Makes it a perfect solution for a portable blogging device. On the bed, the sofa, the, ahem, toilet. You name it, I can do it. Can't wait to take it around with me.

It has everything I need. A webcam, a TWO button mousepad, card slot for memory, three usb ports, and a standard VGA connection for a monitor. It even has 3G built in, but Dell has yet to announce what good this feature will do for me.

It runs everything I want it to. Now granted, I was careful to only use software that was cross platform, but I only did that so I could go back and forth between computers in a mixed platform world. Now I don't have to worry about that. I have access to a large variety of paid and free software the world has to offer. One of the benefits of using Windows, is the large community it fosters, and all the developers that create for this platform. A big plus in my book.

I can now properly communicate with all the equipment in my house. I had big issues with the network in my house when I used the Mac. Now I can link this machine with the press of a few buttons. If I decide to install Live One Care, it will do it for me.

Now let me make this clear again. I am not putting down Apple in anyway. I am stating my requirements, and how Apple, as a company, does not suit me, nor my families computing needs. To me, it is a walled garden. Too closed and constricted. I felt powerless as a user. On a PC, I have full control over what my computers does, and I can go beyond. Not so much on a laptop, but on a desktop, there is no comparison.

I wanted to do a head to head comparison against the machine I was leaving, but that would be unfair, as it is over 4 years old. The problem is, there is no Mac to compare this machine to. Which again brings me to a big reason I chose a PC. Choice. I have a wealth of choices in the PC world. On the Mac side, well, I really have zero. I have yet to find a brand new Apple laptop for a little over $500. If you find one, that would be great. But since I am not made of money, I cannot afford to dish out $1100 for a new laptop. And although I feel that the machine is probably correctly priced based on the content and quality, I cannot afford one.

Windows, not walls.

I have a new favorite gadget site to visit. Foolish Gadgets, a site to showcase pointless inventions in technology. They have things like a air freshener dog, Carmen Electra hair iron, and this:



Now, if that is not the coolest thing you have ever seen, then you have not grown up in the 80's. What is it? it's an iPod Boombox. And no, I'm not buying one, but check it out. You will not regret it. Now where did I leave my oversized cardboard square?

The new Microsoft ad is out, and the verdict is in. It's great. I love it. It gets to the point.

Let me first answer a question some people, cough, Mac users, cough, will ask. Isn't Microsoft copying the Apple ads with the whole 'I'm a PC' line? No dumbshit! They are answering to all the crap that has been sludged by Apple in their very well done ad campaign. People have been saying that Microsoft has done a very bad job of promoting itself and Vista. I agree. Not that they need to tell people who they are. Everybody knows. So what they are telling you is that people who use a PC, or Windows machine as Apple has implied, are the rest of the world. They are big people, small people, people who climb on rocks, etc.

So in other words, according to Apple, people who use Macs are skinny white guys who have whiny voices. I'm neither skinny, white, or have a whiny voice. Ergo, I should not use a Mac. At the present time, I do have a Mac, and a machine running Vista. But come next week, when my Dell Mini gets here, you will see an ad for my iBook on Craigslist. And I can't wait. The more I have this thing, the more I feel like throwing it against the wall. I still think it is a great computing platform, but it is the wrong platform for me. Because as the rest of the world says, I am a PC.



I'M A PC Microsoft Commercial - Windows Not Walls