Livestreaming and Livedreaming
Posted In: Adam's Shard
Aug 13
Wow, it has been awhile since I have used this space on the sidebar, well, chalk it up to a number of factors but I finally I have something I want to highlight other than the promo of the week. So we recently made the jump from Talkshoe, the creaky broadcasting service that served as homebase for 6 seasons. We certainly have talked it up, but is Livestream really the better home, now that we have had a couple of weeks to really get familiar with this service. Oh by god yes, overall it is a godsend with some unfortunate caveats.
Everything is so streamlined and simple when it comes to connecting the Skype apparatus. All of the digital equipment works on consistent basis and we can get started on time rather then faffing about for an embarrassing amount of time. We have embedded the Livestream channel right here on the website so no more indirect access from where we promote the show to where it is actually broadcasted. The audio quality is leagues better, everybody is crisp and crystal clear rather then sounding like we broadcast out of tin can every week.
So what are the downsides that I previously alluded towards? Well, a couple of them are due to the fact that currently we are restricted to using basic version of Livestream, so we can only have 50 people chatting, though this particular issue is soothed by our de facto second broadcasting location, Naka’s Twitch TV Channel. I have also been told that scheduling future events can’t be done with the basic version so there is no good way to see our upcoming shows at the moment an issue I hope has a solution sometime in the near future. Lastly since both Twitch TV and Livestream are video services first and foremost downloading and archiving the sows has actually taken a hit, especially since we lost iTunes syndication in the move, not sure if anything is to be done about that.
At any rate, those are my overall impressions of the new set-up, it is a move that really needed to happen, Talkshoe had gotten to the point where it was being a caustic agent to the show, not just for all of the headaches it offered the staff but also the frustrations it offered to the listeners, I am convinced we lost a lot of people due to the incompetence of Talkshoe, not just for the stuff I mentioned, but I also recall that the Talkshoe chatroom crashed quite frequently for those who used it. Basically I can’t blame anybody for not sticking with us through that mickey mouse bullshit and I for one am eternally thankful for those who have stuck with us through the bad time and are contiuning to listen in the much brighter fields.
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The title… has nothing to do with anything.
This past season, I have been striving to act much more as a director on my own show. One of the biggest problems we’ve had over the years is keeping the show on time and on track. But now, I run a much tighter ship, transitioning from the opening/monologue/news section, into the interview, and ultimately Fragments of Silicon in a vastly more timely fashion. I think this has done some wonders on listener retention, if our weekly “live” count is any indicator. It’s still an interesting beast, though, as we seem to have traded our decent downloads for a fairly significant presence on the live broadcast.
This year also saw some pretty significant changes in the staff and format, as well. We added live music, necessitating the inclusion of a “Music Director” position, which Keith W. has filled quite admirably. We brought in guest and now co-hosts Naka Teleeli and Elemental Ogre, who have added an almost incalculable dynamic shift in how we are presented on-air. All-in-all to the better, I might add. So, we’ve had some bumps and technical snafus. My “favorite” being my “blackout” period when I had no reliable internet. That’s always fun. And of course, TalkShoe deciding it just REFUSES to quit recording some weeks. But in the end, it all works out pretty well. And in spite of guest burps and scheduling conflicts, we have not failed to make a show this year. (Season 5, episode 4? I have no idea what you are talking about.)
A lot of these changes for the better are based on reader and listener input. None of this would be possible without you, and certainly none of it would be possible if some companies out there didn’t think there was money to be made allowing “upstarts” like MSP and our ilk to broadcast for free. It’s like Public Access Radio, only from the convenience of our own homes…
That’s enough rambling for one night. Until next time…
~Mac
::Blows dust off the blogging desk::
Greetings and salutations, it has been awhile since I last posted in this space, and that is because I finally have something new to discuss here. For those of you not in the know, in addition to serving as on-air talent here at MSP, I handle a variety of behind the scenes tasks as well, one of which is scouting and contacting third-party talents for interviews. I use a variety of tools in order to get that job done, but my most well-oiled wrench is my e-mail since so many people have e-mail and it tend to be privatized, unlike some of my contacts on Twitter. Something that has irritated me from the very beginning is when a potential guest lacks clarity in the regard, either hiding the e-mail address in a spindly little corner or forgoes e-mail altogether. I understand the concerns about spam and other malware, but that is why many list their e-mail not at a direct link but something that has to be typed. I have encountered this practice from all sorts of entertainment pockets and it grows ever more annoying the more professional an outfit professes to be, not naming names of course. So basically I come here to say please dear god, stop this idiocy, it irritates me and will make me less likely to peruse you for the show if you hide your contact details like that.