Newsletter #12 — Podcasting
June 23, 2021
Newsletter #12 — Podcasting
Podcasts — When I signed into WordPress last month to publish my blog, I received a message that I could turn my blogs into podcasts with the click of a button. The podcasts would be posted on Spotify, Apple, and other such places. So the first thing I did was look up teens and podcasts. Doing so, I learned that 47% of teens aged 13-17 listen to podcasts. Hmmmm, I thought: probably worth my doing.
I talked to my editor and she was very enthusiastic about the whole podcast idea. So, one evening after dinner, I betook myself into my office with a glass of water and the script from my first F Words blog ("Political Protests," back in February). I set up an account with Anchor (so that my blog would be connected to WordPress), logged into Anchor, and chose the blog I wanted to record.
Now, the default position was to have a "voice" read the blog for me. Uh, no. No digitized voices for me, thank you. Second choice was, I could record it myself. Right. I flexed my fingers, took a deep breath and a sip of water, hit the Record button, and read my blog. Rather well, I thought. As I glanced up at the screen, I saw that my 5:01 blog (five minutes and one second long) disappeared. Poof! The time vanished, as did the blog, and what remained was 0.00 seconds. I hit Play, but of course there was nothing there to play.
Try as I might, I couldn't figure out what the problem was. Each time I did a "Testing 1, 2, 3" test, the recording was fine. I saw the time (0.08) and could actually listen to the "Testing" recording. But on two different days I re-recorded my blog, only to have the same thing happen yet again: it disappeared.
After live chats and online sleuthing, what I learned was that Anchor allows anybody using the Safari browser to record for only 5 minutes. Anybody using the Chrome browser can record for 30 minutes. Outrageous discrimination!
However, I had no choice but to download Chrome, and then record. Here's a link to my very first podcast.
Another Testimonial — Barbara Gregorich has given us here a politically admirable story about young people fighting injustice. It is not only inspirational; it is also an entertaining, gripping read. Smoothly and clearly written, lively, clever, believable, and witty – The F Words is a genuine page-turner. — Bruce Levine, author of The Fall of the House of Dixie
Poetry and the Middle— In my June 15 blog I talk about how writing my novel "from the middle" made me think about the "middle" of Cole's poetry assignment.