An Eclectic Mind

I make audio blog entries available for some posts.

As some of you might know, last year I started a podcast called Maria Speaks. For a while, I was releasing podcast episodes quite frequently. Topics included everything from Mac OS basics to observations about the writing profession to audio blog entries about the things going on in my life. But then — I guess when the novelty wore off — I simply stopped recording episodes.

I offer the following as an explanation: I can’t just talk into a microphone. I felt a need to script my podcasts. That means I needed to write up what I wanted to say. And since I was already writing enough — articles for Informit, book chapters, and blog entries — I just wasn’t motivated. I didn’t think that turning some of my more interesting blog entries into podcasts would cut it with listeners. So I just let things drop.

The other day, I got an e-mail message from a podcast listener looking for more entries. So yesterday, after spending most of the day at the airport cleaning my helicopter and my car and doing the paperwork I need to do for the FAA, I came home and created a podcast from my Big Sandy Shoot blog entry. I thought it might be interesting enough for listeners to enjoy. I put it on Maria Speaks, where subscribers would get it automatically.

This morning, I tracked down a WordPress plugin to add the recording to the blog entry as a podcast. The plugin is called PodPress and I may include it in the WordPress book Miraz and I are working on. It offers a pretty easy interface for adding podcasts to a WordPress blog. You can try it out for yourself by using the links and controls at the top of the Big Sandy Shoot entry.

So now I’m going to make a conscious effort to put out a new podcast episode at least once a week. Sometimes it’ll be an audio blog entry. Sometimes it’ll be some of the same kind of content Maria Speaks has always had — an emphasis on Macintosh how-to stuff.

If you’re interested in subscribing to Maria Speaks, visit this page and use the links you’ll find there to subscribe with your podcatcher of choice.

Questions? Comments? Use the Comments link below.