A discussion about corporate and business podcasting with tips and guidelines

Here it is folks. Scott Johnson brings us the definitive guide on podcasting effectively.

Scott's focus is on putting out a show with as little production as possible. His aim is to get a show out the door with less than 5% "fuddle" time which includes editing, preparation, and production. A valiant goal, but not one that concerns me.

What I like about Scott's thoughts on how he podcasts is the fact that he uses a cheap-O headset microphone and Audacity just like me. My readers know that I have an entire Snake Oil category dedicated to the shills out there that are trying to convince the world that they need to spend hundreds of dollars on hardware in order to make a podcast. I always find it interesting that many of the real podcasters (yes, those people that actually have shows - and a lot of them) are using $20 headsets and Audacity.

Blogging has taught us that content is King. Nobody cares how nice you sound if you're boring, uninformed about what you're talking about, or just plain old goofy. The correct way to approach podcasting is to get your content and voice patterns down pat. Once you're comfortable behind the mic, THEN you may wish to upgrade your gear. In the beginning - spend nothing.

I read a forum post today about a podcaster who had just produced his first show. That's great, but the sad thing about it was the wasted 6 months of his life "determining the proper gear" he required. Honestly, what an utter waste of 6 months and that waste can be directly attributable to the Snake Oilers out there who are spewing so much FUD into the air about hardware and hosting that it makes it nigh impossible for neophyte podcasters to get solid information.

Just strap on a headset and start talking!