Tag: podcasting

Thinking Religion 168: Tribalism and Identity with Matthew Klippenstein

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Episode Summary

In this episode of “Thinking Religion,” Sam is joined by Matthew Klippenstein to discuss a wide range of topics, including cultural differences, the development of early Christianities, political dynamics in the USA and Canada, and the philosophical and historical context of monotheism.

Topics Discussed

  1. Cultural Differences and Regional Dialects:
    • Sam and Matthew explore regional cultural differences within the United States, particularly focusing on dialects and food traditions.
    • The significance of regional barbecue styles in South Carolina.
    • Comparison to regional differences in Japan, such as variations in soy sauce.
  2. Early Christianities and Monotheism:
    • Discussion on the origins and development of monotheism in ancient Israel and the influence of early Desert Fathers and Mothers.
    • The role of Josiah’s reforms and the discovery of Deuteronomy in shaping Jewish religious practices.
    • Influence of Platonic philosophy on early Christian thought and the transition from henotheism to monotheism.
  3. Political Dynamics in the USA and Canada:
    • Current political climate in the USA, including the pressures within the Democratic Party for President Biden to step down​ (Politico)​.
    • The complexities of the two-party system in the US and the potential for future changes.
    • Comparison with Canadian politics and the challenges of maintaining political coalitions over long periods.
  4. Philosophical and Sociological Reflections:
    • The concept of tribalism in modern politics and social media’s impact on political identities.
    • Dunbar’s number and its implications for social networks and community sizes.
    • Reflections on the interconnectedness of humanity and the natural world.

Relevant Links

Contact Information

Listener Q&A

  • Have questions or comments about this episode? Leave them in the comments section or reach out to Sam and Matthew directly through their social media profiles.

Listen to Your Spotify within Facebook

I’m always annoyed when I open Waze on iOS or Android and there’s a persistent widget asking if I’d like to listen to Spotify within the app while navigating. I’ve never said yes.

Now that experience is coming to … Facebook.

In a way, this makes perfect sense for Facebook (and Spotify). Facebook is looking for more engrossing engagement from younger demographics but current efforts have proven unsuccessful. Having Spotify “built in” to Facebook presumably would encourage more of that while young people doom scroll to Post Malone or Ariana Grande.

This also makes sense for Spotify as it continues to position itself as the ever-present soundtrack of our lives with its own engrossing soundtracks and clever attraction-marketing that engenders constant interaction with the service (whether in a standalone app, website, desktop app, widget, or through other services).

While many of us may turn our nose up to this sort of thing, it will be very successful for both Facebook and Spotify (especially podcasts)… however, I just don’t think it’ll get the young people to spend more time on Facebook these days.

“Facebook announced last week an expanded partnership with streaming music service Spotify that would bring a new way to listen to music or podcasts directly within Facebook’s app, which it called Project Boombox. Today, the companies are rolling out this integration via a new “miniplayer” experience that will allow Facebook users to stream from Spotify through the Facebook app on iOS or Android. The feature will be available to both free Spotify users and Premium subscribers.”

Via TechCrunch

Apple’s Podcasters Program Agreement

Have to say it again… host it on your own. Don’t rely on Spotify or Apple or Google to grow your podcasting audience or business. That path only leads to destruction.

I read through the “Apple Podcasters Program Agreement” and related documentation so you don’t have to. Here’s a thread of 11 things that caught my eye that I hadn’t seen mentioned anywhere else.

Source: The Future of Apple Podcasts

Thinking with Sam Harrelson Episode 167: Thomas Whitley

I was thrilled to be joined again by my long time co-podcaster Thomas Whitley on the most recent Thinking Podcast. We discussed what he’s doing in his capacity as Chief of Staff for the Mayor of Tallahassee, FL to work with (and help) businesses in their city navigate the ongoing Covid crisis and its rippling effects…

Thomas Whitley is the Chief of Staff for Mayor John Dailey’s office in Tallahassee, Florida. In this episode, we discuss what Tallahassee is doing to help citizens and small businesses deal with the economic impacts of Covid as well as marketing efforts that the Mayor’s Office is undertaking to get the word out about those efforts.

Source: Thinking with Sam Harrelson Episode 167: Thomas Whitley

Podcasting’s Big Moment

It’s probably the biggest news in the podcast industry since it began in earnest, because it’s such a huge play from a company with an existing network outside of Apple’s. Plenty of podcast startups have come and gone, but what’s unique here is Spotify could help the format reach millions of new users overnight.

Source: Spotify: podcast giant or giant distraction? – Charged

Learning From the Current Media Revolution

From Jim VandeHei, who was one of the co-founders of Politico…

In coming years, the revolution will likely demolish much of what we read and watch now. State and local newspapers and TV? Gone. Their models are fatally flawed. General interest magazines such as Time and Newsweek? Gone or unrecognizable shells of their former selves. Traditional TV and cable? Shrinking and scrambling. Clickbait machines such as Gawker, or Ozy, or Mashable? Gone or gobbled up by bigger players.

At the same time, the need for content, especially (but not only) video content, will explode. It will be a mad rush that makes the 1980s’ race to create new cable channels seems like a leisurely stroll.

The pipes for distribution of content are mostly set. Facebook, Amazon, Google and Snapchat will be joined by the savviest traditional media companies such as Comcast and new media players, most notably Netflix, Apple, Vimeo and others.

Source: Escaping the Digital Media ‘Crap Trap’ — The Information

At the end of the article, he posits that we are entering a golden age of content creation and that consumers will happily pay for eclectic and efficiently delivered media as mobile destroys desktop paradigms, and streaming destroys cable.

I’d include podcasting in this conversation as well. It’s not hard to fathom that podcasting, or some iteration of it, really does catch on “in the mainstream” as our mobile devices and autos get smarter and more in tune with our own listening preferences as compared to broadcast NPR or radio.

Just this week, I finally convinced my parents to sign up for Netflix and Hulu. They love it. “Why would we pay for cable now?” Dad asked. I’ve been asking the same since I cut the cord back in 2006 in favor of other ways to find and watch the media that most appealed to me and our family.

It’s easier, cheaper, and (I think) more fun than ever. Apple TV, Roku, Plex etc have made the content game enjoyable again.

Businesses, churches, and nonprofits can learn a great many lessons by observing the current revolution / rebirth that journalism and content industries are currently experiencing. Find faith in the ability to embrace the eclectic. Find your voice and your audience. Stop trying to be all things to all people and broadcast messages (especially on Facebook and social media). You’ll be rewarded by your fans.

 

Revenge of the Podcast on iOS6?

I, for one, love the sound of this…

Starting In iOS 6, Apple Might Introduce Paid Podcast Subscriptions | Cult of Mac: “With iOS 6 this may all change. The new Podcasts app that Apple has released today contains a strange ‘Redeem’ button, similar to that found in the iTunes and App Stores, present only on devices running iOS 6. Currently, this makes no sense. All iTunes podcasts are free, and don’t require any sort of payment method. The presence of this button in iOS 6 could, however, point to a paid subscription model for podcasts starting with the release of the operating system in fall.”

I’ve downloaded the app on my test iPhone running the iOS6 beta and I’m very happy to say the least. Fantastic app and if these rumors are true, it could mean very big things for the world of performance marketing podcasts.

Back to Podcasting

I’m so excited to be back into podcasting on my own turf. This episode mentions a number of affiliate marketing related topics, so I don’t mind posting here as well:

ThinkingDaily: I Am a Breathing Time Machine: Thinking.FM

Exciting (for me at least)!

Here’s the mp3 or click above to listen to the stream (and/or subscribe in iTunes).

Now go and make your own affiliate podcast.

Piezo for Podcasting

I frequently use and love Rogue Amoeba’s Audio Hijack Pro app for recording audio from Skype or my Mac to use on my podcasts.

However, Rogue Amoeba has a great new “lightweight” app for folks that don’t need the full power (or cost) of Audio Hijack Pro called Piezo ($10)…

Mac App Store – Piezo: “Piezo now offers full support for recording from VoIP apps like Skype, iChat, and FaceTime. Local audio is recorded to the left channel, while the remote caller is recorded to the right.”

Looks pretty straightforward and sweet to me.

I’ll be giving this a whirl tonight. If you have a Mac and do (or are interested in) podcasting (as you should be), go pick up Piezo.

Geek Dads Weekly 106

I was on this week’s show and had a blast reminiscing with Daniel and Drew and looking ahead to what’s around the corner for affiliate marketing, gaming and social media…

Always Made My Jumps – Geek Dads Weekly #106: “In which Daniel and Drew welcome Sam Harrelson back to the show for our New Year’s Special. Topics include spotty resolutions, video games, social media, Shoemoney, affiliate marketing and more.”

The show runs about an hour and is a fun listen.

Here’s the mp3 or click the link above to hear the stream.