"This is for my homies..." - a farewell to podburnees
<<< ...Moment of silence... >>>
It's a damn shame I don't drink anymore. If I did, perhaps I'd dramatically tip a bottle in remembrance of those podcasters we've lost due to podburn - the process of becoming tired/bored/lost/overwhelmed/unprofitable with the art of podcasting, and who then stop doing it altogether.
Let's face it: podcasting is loads of fun and I truly believe is one of several new forms of of communication that's going to change the way people get information and really shakeup/shakedown mainstream media. I've even used it to denigrate some of the broadcasting work of my own company just to prove the point that MSM radio is in terrible shape. But it can be a lot of work and there isn't a widely-applicable revenue model in place, so it's DIY in more than one sense. It's pro bono broadcasting, and the honeymoon ends eventually.
Having just wrapped up production on one my own podcasts, The Digital Pontification, in order to move onto producing other new media and podcasting projects, I'm reflecting on those who gave the medium a shot, and for whatever reason are no longer with us in the podosphere. To remind myself of how many such friends are no longer distributing time-shifted digital audio as MP3s via RSS feeds, I cleaned out iPodder subscription list this morning, deleting the inactive feeds and genuinely missing the creative work of many people I've come to respect and call friends.
I'll miss ya, folks.