PAB2007 – Day 2, Topic 2 – Podcasting as a Community

Today’s second presentation also talks about the space podcasting occupies in the modern landscape.

Ted Riecken of IslandPosting.com compares podcasting communities to medieval cities and frontier culture. According to Canadian anarchist George Woodcock, medieval cities were liberatory zones, attracting people who were excluded and who came together to survive. They joined together to avoid servitude : were independent, free thinkers. Riecken states that Libsyn, LibriVox and CFR are contemporary equivalents to these medieval cities. They are free and accessible – open and libratory spaces. Common interests come together through podcasts and they represent authentic, realistic alternatives for learning and sharing. Riecken is excited by the fact that podcasting exists in a mostly unregulated space.

Riecken also draws a parallel between podcasting and frontier culture : both are emergent, transitory, evolving, accessible. Both use limited and alternative forms of commerce. There is a common emphasis on freedom, opportunity and growth. Like the medieval city, frontier culture operates on the periphery. Again, the same can be said for podcasting, which sits outside the mainstream.

Riecken has attemped to categorize the podcasting community present at today’s PAB2007. Most are in the education and learning category of podcasting. Another large group is what he calls regional culture : podcasters talking about life as it is lived in their part of their world. Storytelling and personal blogs also occupy significant space.

Riecken emphasizes the importance of diversity, critical inquiry and thought.

Marshall McLuhan’s ghost is very present in the room this morning. Both speakers have evoked him and his impact on the media landscape, which now permeates podcasting. I wonder what Canada’s favourite media guru would think of the podcaster revolution.

Contributions from PAB2007 participants :

Zoominfo.com – directory to check out

Facebook – ‘a supersaturated solution to crystallize interest around podcasts’


Laisser un commentaire

Votre adresse e-mail ne sera pas publiée. Les champs obligatoires sont indiqués avec *

  • How the Romans invented the Internet: Tom Standage and I

    I may have surprised students in my first Current Trends in Digital Communications class at McGill on Thursday night by talking about the ancient Romans, but I wouldn’t have surprised anyone who knows me. My tribe gets me. And, apparently, Tom Standage is a member of that tribe. Did you know… Romans may have been…


  • Twitter for the small business owner: the why

    When it comes to social media, small business owners tend to start with what they know. With half the Canadian population and 169 million Americans using the platform, it’s not surprising that North American small business owners tend to turn to Facebook when they decide it’s time for their brand to make its first foray into…


  • OQLF : Nouveau guide destiné aux gestionnaires de communauté du Québec

    Il y a un peu plus de deux ans, je vous parlais de ce cas de la propriétaire de boutique à Chelsey qui avait reçu une lettre de l’Office québécoise de la langue française exigeant que sa page sur Facebook présente du contenu en français? L’OQLF vient de publier un guide pratique destiné aux entrepreneurs…


  • Dévoilement d’étude : les journalistes québécois et les réseaux sociaux

      Joignez-vous à moi demain soir, sur place ou en webdiffusion, dans le cadre de la Soirée des grands communicateurs, événement organisé par La Toile des communicateurs. Je dévoilerai les résultats préliminaires d’un sondage effectué auprès de journalistes québécois quant à leur utilisation et l’impact des médias et réseaux sociaux. La conférence a lieu dans les…


  • On ne me fouettera jamais pour avoir écrit ce texte.

    On ne me fouettera jamais pour avoir écrit ce texte. Raif Badawi, lui, a été condamné à 1000 coups de fouet et 10 ans prison pour avoir blogué. Badawi est emprisonné en Arabie saoudite depuis le 17 juin 2012 pour ses propos. Le jour de mon anniversaire. Je suis née libre dans un pays démocratique. Raif Badawi,…