Podcasts blow. That's the headline and the basis of a blog by CNET Executive Editor Charles Cooper.
After Dave Winer wrote in his blog that Cooper should check out IT Conversations, the CNET editor changed his tune, following up in a post to say: "OK, Maybe All Podcasts Don't Suck."
His point of his blog, I think, is that like blogging, podcasting will take time to mature. So, I guess as Cooper might say, be ready for a lot of crap. In other words, blow it off.
Well, the TV market has had a lot of time to mature. And there's still a lot of (more sophisticated prose) crap blowing across the airwaves. I blow it off all the time. But I still love to watch Seinfeld reruns on TV. Heh. Notice the Seinfeld banner across the top of Cooper's blog? CNET gets a lot of web traffic. Perhaps, Cooper needs to write inflammatory columns to keep the traffic numbers pumping in so we can continue to see Jerry Seinfeld's smiling face in a banner ad? Hmm...
There will always be lousy content. We'll be assured of that now and always. What Cooper needs is a better way to find the good stuff.
Then maybe he would have found IT Converations and spared us of his blanket, podcast blow off.
Here's my question. Hey, Chuck, did you write that column to draw traffic to your column or did you honestly believe that all podcasts blow?
I only ask because I would think that a journalist like Charles Cooper would have a far more sophisticated perspective on subjects he chooses to cover.
Well, I guess I can only speculate.
And just hope that Cooper doesn't have to follow up the next time with an embarrasing admission that well, perhaps (name topic) doesn't all suck after all.
Because for Cooper, that would really blow.
Alex Williams
Matt May
Nicole Simon
Roland Tanglao
1. dan tynan on May 12, 2005 01:32 PM writes...
Cooper's right. Most podcasts (those that I've found, anyway) are amateurish and inane. The IT Conversations site is an exception, but a rare one. That doesn't mean the genre is worthless, as Cooper notes in his original post. He's just trying to deflate some of the hype, and quite rightly. That's his job. It's also his job to amend earlier posts when he gets fresh information--as he's done. That's not embarrassing, it's a sign of journalistic integrity. Give the man a break.
Permalink to Comment2. Alex Williams on May 12, 2005 07:14 PM writes...
To be a critic and thoughtfully look at an issue is one thing. To generalize and pander is quite another. And that's what I found disappointing in Cook's blog.
Here's what he writes: "OK, I’m a glutton for punishment so here goes: Podcasts blow."
He goes on to say...
"There. I’ve said it. Rest assured the flames will begin wending their way to my e-mail inbox shortly after these words get published on the Web. But somebody’s got to say the Emperor’s not wearing clothes and it might as well be me."
Kind of harsh. Who's he talking about when he refers to the emperor? Podcasters? Are podcasters acting like kings with no clothes who walk through the streets with the masses bowing at their feet? Is he reacting to the hype that the mainstream media is extolling upon the medium? Podcasters are DIY folks, not ego-filled emperors. And when he says, sorry, I get a funny feeling about what he is trying to do. Why apologize if he believes what he is saying?
I accept that the podcast medium is inmature. But saying podcasts generally blow is like telling a bunch of toddlers that they're lousy walkers.
We know that podcasters are just learning about this new medium. They're getting their sea legs. We're talking about DIY folks. Pioneers. To harangue them seems silly. It just seems his blow off is misdirected. And really, have the hype dogs said that podcasts are superb? No.
I don't think Cooper is deflating the hype. More so, he is feeding off it by arguing in the manner that he does.
I'll give the guy a break for continuing the discussion. I guess I am just disappointed in the tenor of what he writes and the blanket statements he makes.
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