Podcasting is a concept that goes back only a few years, but in this short time, it has grown at an exponential rate.  For amateurs, it is only natural to find a level to aspire to, and many of us find ourselves watching the big guys, wondering if we too could some day rate up there with them.  In my case, I had become a big listener to the TWiT Network – Leo Laporte and his plethora of shows.
Central to the running of the network at that time, was Dane Golden. Â His official title was President and Senior Producer, and listeners would often hear Leo calling for him during shows. Â When I was making preparations to travel to the United States last year, I had this mad idea of emailing Dane and asking – begging – to be allowed to drop by the studio while I was in California. Â I almost hesitated to send it at first – I mean, how audacious? Â Some underling from their huge audience, asking if he can visit? Â They must get thousands of these requests each week.
In the end, I thought that the worst they would say was “Sorry pal, we’re busy” Â So imagine my great surprise when Dane emailed me straight back suggesting times. Â I was thrilled, and the visit was amazing. Â You can read about it on my Ausflier blog if you haven’t already.
Well, Dane has now moved on from TWiT, and is seeking new challenges – a fact I only discovered when he recently emailed me offering advice on podcasting, should I ever need it.  Of course, I’m always looking to learn new things about this field, and the chance to work in some small way with a person who helped build TWiT from a small podcast network to one that now brings in millions of dollars in advertising each year was mind blowing.
Recently, Dane began a new podcast of his own – Hey! with Dane Golden.  It’s a talk show, streamed live on UStream, and comes out later as a podcast.  He talks each night to guests from many different walks of life, with a diverse range of topics and experiences, and it makes for fascinating listening.  Imagine my surprise then, when Dane invite me to come on the show one night to talk about podcasting, and setting up a network.
I’m often amazed at the places my podcast journey has taken me, often from the comfort of my own studio, and this rates right up there at the head of the pack in that regard. Â In this conversation, we discuss everything from bandwidth issues to monetisation of podcasts. Â We also talk about some of the philosophies employed at TWiT that have made them such a success, and compare those with more grass roots networks such as GSPN, TechAU and the Lifestyle Pod Network.
Have a listen for yourself when you get a chance and let us know your thoughts. Â We’ve been giving a lot of thought to expansion here at PCDU, and we want to produce content that is relevant and interesting. Â And as always, we value the ideas that come from our listening community, so please drop us a line and make them known.
Many thanks go to Dane for being so generous with his time. Â I’m confident that the knowledge gained from speaking to him will be of great benefit to everyone in the PCDU community.
Podcasting advice straight from the source!
When we used to have a blog at the Plane Crazy Down Under show’s website, my co-host Steve Visscher posted this article about our friends at the Airplane Geeks Podcast. I’ve posted it here to preserve his words so they weren’t lost when the blog was shut down.
Podcasting is a concept that goes back only a few years, but in this short time, it has grown at an exponential rate.  For amateurs, it is only natural to find a level to aspire to, and many of us find ourselves watching the big guys, wondering if we too could some day rate up there with them.  In my case, I had become a big listener to the TWiT Network – Leo Laporte and his plethora of shows.
Central to the running of the network at that time, was Dane Golden. Â His official title was President and Senior Producer, and listeners would often hear Leo calling for him during shows. Â When I was making preparations to travel to the United States last year, I had this mad idea of emailing Dane and asking – begging – to be allowed to drop by the studio while I was in California. Â I almost hesitated to send it at first – I mean, how audacious? Â Some underling from their huge audience, asking if he can visit? Â They must get thousands of these requests each week.
In the end, I thought that the worst they would say was “Sorry pal, we’re busy” Â So imagine my great surprise when Dane emailed me straight back suggesting times. Â I was thrilled, and the visit was amazing. Â You can read about it on my Ausflier blog if you haven’t already.
Well, Dane has now moved on from TWiT, and is seeking new challenges – a fact I only discovered when he recently emailed me offering advice on podcasting, should I ever need it.  Of course, I’m always looking to learn new things about this field, and the chance to work in some small way with a person who helped build TWiT from a small podcast network to one that now brings in millions of dollars in advertising each year was mind blowing.
Recently, Dane began a new podcast of his own – Hey! with Dane Golden.  It’s a talk show, streamed live on UStream, and comes out later as a podcast.  He talks each night to guests from many different walks of life, with a diverse range of topics and experiences, and it makes for fascinating listening.  Imagine my surprise then, when Dane invite me to come on the show one night to talk about podcasting, and setting up a network.
I’m often amazed at the places my podcast journey has taken me, often from the comfort of my own studio, and this rates right up there at the head of the pack in that regard. Â In this conversation, we discuss everything from bandwidth issues to monetisation of podcasts. Â We also talk about some of the philosophies employed at TWiT that have made them such a success, and compare those with more grass roots networks such as GSPN, TechAU and the Lifestyle Pod Network.
Have a listen for yourself when you get a chance and let us know your thoughts. Â We’ve been giving a lot of thought to expansion here at PCDU, and we want to produce content that is relevant and interesting. Â And as always, we value the ideas that come from our listening community, so please drop us a line and make them known.
Many thanks go to Dane for being so generous with his time. Â I’m confident that the knowledge gained from speaking to him will be of great benefit to everyone in the PCDU community.
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