Dennis BooneApr 29, 2024
Dan Gillmor

On a multi-person video call this morning, we were asked what podcasts we listen to.

I didn't get a chance to chime in but here's my answer:

None regularly. I don't have the time, even at fast playback, to listen to something linear that I could scan much more quickly if it was text.

Podcasters, please post transcripts.

Apr 29, 2024 at 7:50pmWeb
Show threadDan GillmorApr 30, 2024
(Blocked someone who was acting like a classic troll in this thread...)
Show threadDJApr 30, 2024
@dangillmor wouldn't let you cross the bridge eh?
Show threadMarthaApr 30, 2024
@dangillmor
As well you should. Mastodon is not the twitchy bird site. Here we are not required to tolerate idiots or trolls
Show threadDarren du NordMay 2, 2024
@dangillmor Another day, another block. We are the algorithm.
Show threadTroed SångbergApr 29, 2024
@dangillmor This might not be for you, but it's what I used in the same situation: https://github.com/troed/summarize.sh
GitHub - troed/summarize.sh: A bit of glue between components that is able to textually summarize videos and podcasts

A bit of glue between components that is able to textually summarize videos and podcasts - troed/summarize.sh

GitHub
Show threadJoel PomalesApr 29, 2024

@dangillmor I make time for podcasts. I take an hour each morning to walk. That's my podcast time. And once you get in the "zone" when walking, the podcasts help a lot.

My cap for a podcast duration is 2 hours, though. Anything longer, I will not listen to.

Show threadafxApr 29, 2024
@dangillmor So you are lucky to have no commute?
Show threadDan GillmorApr 30, 2024
@afx Yes.
Show threadottawasteph 🕊️Apr 29, 2024
@dangillmor Many podcasters are also on Substack, where they write the gist of their episodes. Also, podcasts can be listened to while you putter around your home, go for a walk or ride, sit in a waiting room, etc.
Show threadDanie van der MerweApr 29, 2024
@dangillmor true I can also read quicker, but I have lots of gaps in the day which are filled with podcasts at 1.5x speed e.g. while showering shaving, shopping, driving, etc. Those are times I can't read and filling them with curated news etc really makes podcasts worthwhile for me.
Show threadKosApr 29, 2024
@danie10
That's also my take. I use podcasts as background noise while doing things that I'd rather not do in silence. Similar to music
Show threadKnittingMittens (She/Her)Apr 30, 2024
@danie10 @dangillmor Same. Podcasts help me get through tedious things, like doing the dishes, preparing meals, etc.
Show threadMarkRDavidApr 29, 2024

@dangillmor

I'm with you. Reading is fast - people talking, slow (and usually too chatty.)

Show threadKalle KniiviläApr 29, 2024
@dangillmor I listen to podcasts when I'm riding my bike, running, mowing the lawn, vacuuming, filling or emptying the dishwasher... I hardly ever read when doing any if these things.
Show threadCaoilte O'ConnorApr 29, 2024

@dangillmor this reeks (potentially accidentally) of privilege.

podcasts are for cleaning, or for waiting in line, or for driving in traffic, or for walking to the subway.

Show threadjwzApr 29, 2024
@dangillmor A podcast is an audiobook of a blog post, where they then delete the blog post. This meeting could have been an email.
Show threadAndrew CondonApr 29, 2024
@jwz @dangillmor you people don't walk dogs, wash dishes, commute by bike or any of those things then?
Show threadjwzApr 29, 2024
@heresiarch @dangillmor I don't wear headphones when I bike because I don't have a death wish. But you hit on the target audience for podcasts: commuters. If I had to spend 10% of my life driving, I'd probably like them.
Show threadAriaflameApr 30, 2024
@jwz @heresiarch @dangillmor Something like the aftershokz bone induction might work. Though I can't remember it it works well with helmets. I listen while walking, while doing housework etc.
Show threadJohn GordonApr 29, 2024
@jwz @dangillmor Why is (was) there money in podcasts? (They make sense for commuting … but …)
Show threadMagnus AhltorpApr 29, 2024

@jwz @dangillmor A *bad* podcast is an audiobook of a blog post. The podcasts I listen to are conversations. Real, not scripted. You know, what podcasts were in the beginning.

Someone doing a podcast because they feel forced to, or to “cash in” probably shouldn’t do podcasts. But if someone wants to listen to those podcasts, why not. Just don’t criticise podcasts in general because of them.

Show threadLukeApr 29, 2024
@dangillmor as someone with a hearing problem I hate podcasts but love text.
Show threadWendy M. GrossmanApr 29, 2024
@dangillmor A lot of times I prefer transcripts, too, but I have a number of occasions every week where I want to listen because my eyes and hands are otherwise occupied.
Show threadJonathan GulbrandsenApr 29, 2024
@dangillmor @lisamelton if you’re on iPhone, that’s automatic for vast majority of podcast these days: https://www.apple.com/newsroom/2024/03/apple-introduces-transcripts-for-apple-podcasts/
Apple introduces transcripts for Apple Podcasts

Apple Podcasts now offers transcripts of podcast episodes, making podcasts more accessible and easier to navigate.

Apple Newsroom
Show threadelmussolApr 29, 2024
@@hpr have a Whisper script to do this. Podcasters may be amenable if you can point to a solution. I think it's the baby of @@ken_fallon .
Show threadKen Fallon (PA7KEN, G5KEN)Apr 30, 2024

@elmussol For example todays show on @hpr has whisper transcripts available.

https://hackerpublicradio.org/eps/hpr4107/index.html

Would it be an idea to include these in a RSS feed ? If so should it be the main feed or an additional one ?

Hacker Public Radio ~ The Technology Community Podcast

Hacker Public Radio is a podcast that releases shows every weekday Monday through Friday. Our shows are produced by the community (you) and can be on any topic that is of interest to hackers and hobbyists.

Show threadferricoxideApr 29, 2024
@dangillmor

Or, why I hate video tutorials and the like when a well-written document is much quicker to read and skim/scan to refresh knowledge.

Video and audio content are to learning what reel tapes are to computer storage.
Show threadTimo JApr 29, 2024
@dangillmor Even better? tl;dl summaries in the episode guide.
Show threadVickieGrayApr 29, 2024
@dangillmor Same. I will not wait for the payoff.
Show threadMark CrockerApr 29, 2024
@dangillmor most of my podcast listening happens when I'm driving or walking. Occasionally, I do I listen to my podcast on soft topics, or, ones with long rambling content or ads during routine household chores, like ironing or taking out the garbage. I never just sit down and listen to podcasts.
Show threadPachacutiApr 29, 2024
@dangillmor As someone who used to drive for a living while in college and who's eyesight is worse than it was before, I feel so, so strongly the exact opposite.
Show threadEsther #antifaApr 29, 2024
@dangillmor You're a man, aren't you? One of those who does nothing in housekeeping and prefers to sit at a desk or on the sofa. Listening to a podcast while doing physical work makes that job a lot less mind-numbing. I am very happy with podcasts when I am working in the garden, cleaning gutters, folding laundry, vacuuming, cooking, logging, etc.
Show threadMagnus AhltorpApr 29, 2024

@src_esther @dangillmor Podcasts are so good for this. In addition to household work, I use it when I ride the train to work, or walk a long distance in the city. Just, as you say, to make it less mind-numbing.

Also, I would not want to read the podcasts I listen to. They would be like reading the subtitles for a movie without seeing the pictures or hearing the sound. Podcasts are podcasts, and blog posts are blog posts. Different mediums.

Show threadLudwig VielfrassApr 30, 2024

@src_esther @dangillmor wow, that's a lot to unpack. "I dislike podcasts therefore I don't do housework." I dislike podcasts. I'll let my partner know I can't do housework any more.

Or, maybe, just maybe I prefer to use my ears for something my eyes can never do, which is listening to music. Some people prefer reading their words. That's all.

Show threadEsther #antifaApr 30, 2024

@lerxst @dangillmor @peachfront

When I listen to music, I don't want to do anything else. Listening to music requires much more attention from me than listening to words.
When listening to a podcast, why shouldn't you be able to hear ambient sounds?

Show threadRochelleApr 29, 2024

@dangillmor are transcripts not automated on non-iOS devices?

I listen to podcasts bc I can no longer read long screeds of text. But I’m aware that transcripts exist & are easily accessible for every podcast I listen to.

Show threadBill LambApr 29, 2024

@dangillmor

I don't listen to podcasts for much the same reason.

Point: A transcript is basically an article without editing. And editing always required.

Show threadMark EichinApr 30, 2024
@zachvat
And so many podcasts are unedited to begin with. Once you have more than half a dozen listeners, that feels irresponsible, or at least self-indulgent...
@dangillmor
Show threadPaul HubbardApr 29, 2024
@dangillmor I wrote some open source code to transcribe podcasts if anyone needs it. https://github.com/phubbard/tgn-whisperer
GitHub - phubbard/tgn-whisperer: Automate transcription of entire podcasts using WhisperX

Automate transcription of entire podcasts using WhisperX - phubbard/tgn-whisperer

GitHub
Show threadVulcanTourist [MOVED]Apr 29, 2024

@dangillmor

This is why I religiously avoid "talking heads" on YouTube. I avoid any videos that only impart information through the spoken word that would be far more effective for me in written form. Who exactly is benefiting from that linearity? It's not us.

Show threadJessie Nabein Apr 29, 2024
@dangillmor generally the main benefit coming from listening to the podcast is personality, emotion, sound effects, etc.
Show threadShaula WalkoApr 29, 2024
@dangillmor
I only read transcripts too.
Show threadyour auntifa liza 🇵🇷 🦛 🦦Apr 30, 2024

"I don't have the time, even at fast playback, to listen to something linear that I could scan much more quickly if it was text."

🗣️ 📣 THANK YOU!!!

@dangillmor

Show threadahimsaApr 30, 2024

@dangillmor
Podcasters need to post transcripts so that episodes are accessible for people who can't hear the audio. And for folks who may have cognitive issues with processing audio.

But yes, transcripts are also nice for people who prefer to read. 😊

#Accessible #Disabled #Deaf #Podcast

Show threadThe Febrile MuseApr 30, 2024
@dangillmor Same.
Show threadSpaceHistory, etcApr 30, 2024
@dangillmor When I worked in public radio, I had a fundraising pitch that listed all the times an audience member listened, because reading wasn’t possible. I remember saying: driving, cooking, ironing, running, walking the dog, changing a diaper, making breakfast. Do you not do any of these things?
Show threadPatrick Morris MillerApr 30, 2024
@dangillmor God, the reply guys in this thread.
Show threadMike (no not that one)Apr 30, 2024
@dangillmor Funny. I find myself in the opposite position. I am tending towards consuming more audio media, as I can do that while working on other things, while I'm having to confine my written word consumption to short form like news articles and short papers for lack of time.
Show threadDippyApr 30, 2024
@dangillmor David Roberts posts transcripts for Volts on Volts.wtf !
Show threadMichael B. JohnsonApr 30, 2024

@dangillmor my two cents: I do a fair amount of things (drive, walk) an hour or two a day where I can listen but not read, which is where I consume podcasts.

Also, Apple Podcasts has transcripts of all podcasts.

Show threadRuss SharekApr 30, 2024

@dangillmor

While it is a tremendous amount of effort, I'm incredibly proud of the fact that every episode of the #2ClownsInACloset podcast has transcriptions and show notes available on our website.

Show threadJustin ⏚Apr 30, 2024
@dangillmor Funny, I kind of hate scanning and only really enjoy media if I'm able to consume it fully! I read/listen to fewer things but feel like I actually absorb them.
Show threadpcbeardApr 30, 2024
@dangillmor lucky you don’t have a commute eh? I like to listen to podcasts while I drive. I find it mostly relaxing (depending on topic of course).
Show threadDavid J. AtkinsonApr 30, 2024
@dangillmor I don’t listen to podcasts much at all. My experience with podcasts is that they have very low information density compared to the (well-written) word. Also, it might take me 20 to 30 seconds to read a page of text, more if it is highly technical. How long to read it out loud? Way too long. But that’s not what podcasters do; they just talk. I don’t have the patience. But that’s just me.
Show threadPaddyApr 30, 2024

@meltedcheese @dangillmor

Same here, after a long day at work, I don't have the time or capacity for listening to long-winded chats.

In my experience, podcasts by journalists can offer a lot of information in a short time, with a clear structure and less babble. And often a good link list, a summary and even transcripts. I like that...

P.S.: I totally get why some people like listening to hours of two people talking about stuff (even if they aren't experts). But others don't/can't...

Show threadDrFriendless 🇵🇸Apr 30, 2024

@dangillmor Totally agree. There's one podcast I listen to in the car, but I rarely drive. The content of the podcast isn't 100% information, it's more the vibe and gossip of a gaming community.

Even almost all videos are not worth the time, but sadly some of the best theorycrafters only communicate by video. Maybe it's a monetisation thing.

Show threadAnders von Hadern 🐦‍🔥Apr 30, 2024
@dangillmor I'd love to but my podcast is a passion project. I barely find the time to maintain it. Trying to do transcripts would kill it.
Show threadheavybootsApr 30, 2024
@dangillmor This. And also why YouTube tutorials are my weapon of last resort too.
Show threadBruce D PorterApr 30, 2024
@dangillmor I feel the same about videos offering guidance.
Just post the photos and a few words, much more useful than watching someone else unscrew the item you are trying to locate.