Podcasting – The Long And Short Of It

There seems to be an ongoing debate about just how long a Podcast should be. I’ve heard everything from a handful of minutes to as long as the Podcaster wants, to as long as a standard commute (about thirty minutes).
Truth is, prior to PodCamp Boston, this issue had never even crossed my mind. I tend to guide my life by two governing principles: One, don’t say anything in two words that you can say in one word and, two, have more respect for the person’s time in front of you then you have for your own.
In retrospect, it’s clear that those two rules we’re engrained in me as I got my legs in music journalism. I just had a hunkering feeling that anyone who would step up to a microphone would know that.
Isn’t that the glory of social media? Anyone can record a Podcast. You don’t have to have any background in journalism, broadcasting or recording experience. The barrier to entry is practically zero.
With such a low barrier to entry comes people who think they can record a Podcast like it’s a Ramones rant and those that think they have to speak like they are the Podcasting equivalent to Pink Floyd‘s Dark Side Of The Moon.
And that’s the glory of Podcasting. Size has nothing to do with it (only a guy can say that). The true glory of Podcasting is that it’s about us, the listeners. If we don’t like it, we can skip, fast forward or unsubscribe. If your commute is shorter than a Podcast, you can pause it and resume the show on your way home.
Podcasting = content.
The question is not how long or how short should a Podcast be. The real question is, if you are a Podcaster: do you have anything worth saying? If you do, I don’t care how long it takes to say it… bring it on. If you’ve got the dime, I’ve got the time.