Diary of a Podcaster Part 11
Podcasts are becoming an invaluable medium for the analysis and discussion of niche interests and bespoke subjects. Many of the shows that I regularly listen to bring professional quality documentary skills to bear on unique and varied areas of fandom. More and more podcasts are being made by informed and intelligent fans, offering in-depth material rather than just light weight banter. Simply put, I am spoilt for choice. Therefore, it is essential to have a suitable podcast management app to stay on top of such quality entertainment. Something that allows me to curate and organise those shows that I currently enjoy, as well as providing recommendations for comparable material that I may wish to subscribe to. For several years I’ve been using Podcast Addict on my Android devices, although I’ve struggled to find something comparable for my PC.
The most obvious choice is to use the iTunes client itself, as it has all the functionality that I need. However, I find it to be a resource hog and extremely pervasive piece of software, that makes itself the default media player once installed. I don’t like software that insists on trying to do my thinking for me. However, I recently found Grover Podcast in the Windows app store which is a free tool for podcast management. It has a comprehensive search facility that checks in all the right places, allowing you to easily find and subscribe to shows. Alternatively, you can import an OPML file if you have a list elsewhere. You can download automatically as well as cast to other devices if you need. The bottom line is that it has all the functionality you require and a very simple interface that makes managing everything very intuitive.
At present I subscribe to over twenty podcasts. Not all are weekly, which makes keeping up with them all a lot easier. In the past when I was regularly commuting, I use to often listen to these shows while travelling. Now I tend to listen to them more at home at convenient times between chores and social obligations. Hence the change from relying upon an Android device to a PC. I will often stream podcasts to my Amazon Echo, if I am on my own doing housework or preparing food in the kitchen. I often find that the discussions that take place on many of these podcasts provide ideas for my own blog posts. Some shows do require more concentration than others, depending on the nature of the podcast. So, I don’t always multitask while listening. However, all of those that I currently subscribe to are entertaining and informative. Considering that most are free or financed through Patreon, podcasts are great value.
