There seems to be growing number of higher ed podcasts. These are podcasts produced for, by, and about different aspects of higher education. This might be about the life of a faculty member, academic writing, teaching, scholarship or a particular discipline. There are a number of postsecondary podcasts about student affairs, learner support, technology, marketing, admissions, and general things happening at colleges and universities. I know this as I have been analyzing a few of these lately (here: https://higheredpodcasts.wordpress.com/) and I’m preparing to help others create their own podcasts (i.e. students, staff, and faculty).

Confession time: I may have started podcasting with @BreakDrink in 2010; however, I am really learning how to podcast now. In a recent conversation with Jeff on the last episode of BreakDrink, we had a candid conversation about how we tinkered and cobbled together our past and current podcast episodes … and the things we learned along the way.

From live episodes on BlogTalkRadio  and YouTube Live (formerly Google+ ON AIR LIVE hangouts) to thinking about audio, editing, and then some now,  we break down what’s behind our podcasting curtain in episode #30. Jeff and I also reflect about the process of thinking about WHAT you want to talk about and the WHY would you podcast — because recording and EDITING takes some effort to make it sound quality. These are some of the MANY things I have been thinking of for this form of digital storytelling… and there is more to come.

So much has changed in podcasting. There are so many MORE podcasts, different types, and others flooding into the audio market of narratives, interviews, panels, and promotion on the streams. There is SO much available to make a podcast that Podcasting for Dummies is on it’s THIRD edition (I know this, as I am studying and preparing my lessons with this text now!) and ways to share, host, and subscribe. There is NO shortage of “learn how to podcast” blog posts and websites that are a mix of hype, promise, and expensive equipment funded by search engine optimization, click ads, and empty promises to encourage you to buy into the hosts book, materials, etc. Some of this is good, and much of this is crap — as there are easier ways to start a podcast and play with this medium, if you are interested.

So… that being said, I thought I’d reach out to my own community to aggregate information from actual podcasts that I listen to in higher ed. I am doing this to share with campus stakeholders I’ll be working with over the next couple of months to share the work you do, how you do it, and, of course, promote YOUR podcast. My hope is to aggregate resources, promote your pods, and create a cohesive Creative Commons resource to share with my learners and YOU! This effort is to go “behind the podcast” (I miss you VH1) to understand how higher ed friends create and make their podcasts. I hope you can share resources, advice, and ideas for current/future pod producers, hosts, and makers. If you podcast or know someone who does in postsecondary education, please contribute to offer insights to peers about your technical troubleshooting and  audio experiments in the land of the pod here:

http://bit.ly/behindthepodcast

Here is the basic information I am hoping to aggregate in this open doc. It would be great to learn about the how, where, and what you podcast for your own higher ed pod AND feel free to add what you want based on these prompts:

• Podcast (name):
• Host(s):
• Website or Where it Streams:
• Social Media:
• Describe your pod (brief description about the type of podcast/format):
• Hardware (mic, earphones, etc.):
• Software (recording, editing, etc.):
• How do you host/produce your pod (in-person, Skype, etc.):
• Where do you record (describe and/or post a photo) – share your #podcaststudio:
• Hosting Services (Libsyn, Buzzsprout, SoundCloud, etc.):
• Resources, reads and/or advice for podcast hosts/producers (things you’ve learned):

Thanks pod friends! I appreciate your help. #PodSaveHigherEd