Thoughts on...

Something I think is really strange about podcasting is that it is such a personal thing sometimes for the people that make shows and because of this you end up feeling like you know a person that hosts a show sometimes. It may sound strange but I don't think its to hard to understand. You spend all of these secret little moments in between other parts of your own life and you sneak into this alternate existence that is someone else's podcast, someone else's world. You get used to seeing a new recording come up and having this person ramble on about this or that or you get used to having a chance to be somewhere different from where you are when you listen to someone talk about whatever is around them.

You get to know the host in this strange sort of a way on a personal level because its just you listening to them talk. It's almost like having a conversation if you let yourself look at it this way. From time to time you may remember that this is being shared with potentially hundreds of other people and you feel a little strange thinking that there are all of these other people that are listening in to this conversation but you fall right back into that personal connection you get from listening.

So now put yourself in the podcasters shoes. You take your time, money, and effort to put these recordings together and post them for the whole world to listen to and see. You expose yourself so much by letting the world in on your life and surroundings and through something as simple as a podcast you stand there on top of the world where everyone can see and you speak of your personal opinions and experiences and sometimes your dreams or your struggles and for what? Because of the challenge? Because you are lonely and want an audience to get some things off your chest? Because you want to overcome a fear? Or maybe because you feel as though you have built a family around your ramblings. A family meaning the audience. Maybe you have discovered a way to communicate how you see the world around you to anyone who cares to listen and that gives you some sort of peace of mind. But then again, there may not be anything there at all. The existence of the show may just be there simply to exist. Who knows, only the host.

I know this all sounds a bit over the top and all that but it's true. Podcasting has opened up so many lives and minds in the world and in some sort of subtle way caused people to make friends they may never meet.

Today after reading the news that Rich from Herro Flom Japan had stopped podcasting I felt like I had lost one of my friends but it was strange because in a way he is not my friend at all but merely a voice somewhere in the world speaking into empty space that I just happened upon. So then tell me, why do I feel so strangely attached to it? This is what fascinates me about podcasting and I just wanted to share it with everyone and to use this space to stand up and read my eulogy to a podcast, one of thousands of voices but one that for whatever reason, I connected with and one that I will miss as a voice speaking into the black as well as a voice that I will miss a friend. From what I have learned of Japan and its culture I can see that some of it's tendencies have rubbed off onto Rich over the long amount of time he has lived there. It would seem that as a whole Japanese citizens are very family and self motivated and the business of others is more of an afterthought. They seem to function as a whole by having so much respect for each other. It's amazing really and I can totally understand his viewpoint on podcasting and the reason for his quitting somewhat out of the blue. Ah well. Could be just a big elaborate april fools joke right? Right.

P.S - All of this doesn't come across as creepy or anything does it? It wasn't intended to be, just observations on a cultural phenomenon.

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