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Enemies ......ehh ??

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Goggs Mackay said:
It's kinda like when people complain about violent or sexual images on TV. Jeez, everyone and his dog has umpteen (great underused word) channels, so bloody change the channel instead of trying to dictate what everyone should be able to watch.

Those of us from the UK who are old enough will remember a woman named Mary Whitehouse, who took it upon herself to 'clean up' TV. She constantly complained and campaigned against this and that on TV, trying to force her morality on the UK. She really genuinely believed that her idea of what is acceptable is what our idea should be. The thing is, with people like her, she isn't even interested in the fact that no-one forces anyone to watch anything. She was just a frigid bossy, nosey woman who could not keep herself out of other people's business. Funny thing is, I often suspect such people - the ones who campaign vociferously against nudity etc - are probably 'quite interesting' behind closed doors, a bit like men who are rabidly anti-homosexual in public because in private they actually were homosexual, or wished to be able to be.
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I 100% agree, Goggs. But there is a bit of a different mentality in some regions, at least here in the States. It frustrates me to no end. The fact that sexual/violent content and foul language is on TV or radio is just too much for some people here. Forget about the fact that there are these nifty little buttons and dials or whatever that you can use to CHANGE THE CHANNEL or STATION. No no no, if they can't hear it or their kids can't hear it then YOU can't either. I can't speak for other countries, but at least I see a lot of that here. It's sad coming from the country that views itself as the "freest." Maybe once upon a time, but not so much these days. We're very worried about enforcing our morals on others.

Mention of this issue (and Whitehouse) makes me think of:


Ok, /End Rant :p

If you ask me, the Paracast offers something I haven't seen elsewhere. There is so much to learn and explore and the dialogue is some of the best from my experience. It is WELL worth it to deal with a few commercials here and there. Ya, sometimes they cut in kind of abruptly but I always thought that it felt like you were getting more of the good stuff since they were going right up against a break instead of padding it out. It's not always graceful, but it doesn't even come close to nullifying the value of the Paracast. What's even better is that along with an excellent show (that is available to listen to for FREE) the forum is also an interesting place with great supplemental resources and knowledgeable members.

Nothing comes free these days, and no one should expect Gene and Chris to spend so much time doing this for free, either. They have expenses to cover just to keep the show running and they deserve to make a living for the work they do. It's easy to sit in an arm chair and criticize for commercials, format, etc. when the person dishing out the criticism isn't actually stepping up and helping to support the show or create their own. This is the first place I go for my online radio (which is all I listen to most days aside from some music on Pandora Radio - which I happily pay for to get better access).

You can't go anywhere on the internet without seeing ads, so it shouldn't be surprising. Most free services are backed by advertiser revenue. I think that if someone writes off the Paracast for that reason then they must really be missing something when listening to the show.
 
Just so we're clear: We only get paid for our own ads, not the ones the network runs. However, being on a real network, even if the ads are sometimes over-the-top, gives the show much wider distribution and credibility to potential advertisers. Compared to 2010, before we joined GCN, our traffic at the site has grown two to three times over what it was before. I'm not counting what the network receives, or the audience who listens to us on the few stations on which we're broadcast. So from that score, it's a win for us, even though lots of people don't like survivalist-style ads.
 
Gene Steinberg said:
We don't have a say in what ads the network inserts. But usually the first minute of an ad break belongs to us (nine minutes out of the total episode). We'd love to talk about products that you listeners would want to buy -- it helps us pay the rent and such. So if anyone can suggest an advertiser who might sign up, let me know. We can also use a little sales help. :)
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I havent actually listened to a podcast yet but if you made a deal where you actually plugged the ads rather then having them cut in, the show would retain continuity and the ad would gain credibility as you would become the source.

Just a thought.
 
Most podcast apps have buttons that allow your to advance by 30 seconds or 2 minutes. Most of the commercials just need 2 presses of the 2 minute button and one of the 30 second button, and I'm good to go.
 
I think to silence these critics there should be a pay version of the Paracast thats ad free. If you dont like the ads and you want something for nothing....you have to put up with this, its grating at first i admit, and the adverts are repetitive and free from any entertainment value but if you listen on a good player you can jog through them pretty easily. they could make funnier ads tho.
 
Why not just do a kickstarter for an ad free version of the show? It would be cool to see what kind of funding goals G@C could come up with too.
 
The network won't allow the ad-free version of the show. It doesn't matter if we have independent funding for it. If you mean go it alone with a kickstarter fund to fuel distribution, yes there are other avenues, but they'd be expensive (pay for play with a network for example).
 
Maybe I am out of place on my second post. But this one gets my goat. Why?

Because I have run a few websites. I have never run a podcast nor would I.

Let's begin with the statement that podcasts rarely make real money! A few people eke out a living on them. Please don't begrudge them for it. If you don't believe me, believe the patent trolls, who gave up suing Adam Carolla (and his top rated podcast). Why? You can only sue for profits, and the patent trolls realized that there was no money in podcasting then gave up.

Patent troll drops suit against Adam Carolla after discovering podcasts don't make any money | The Verge

Do you hear pepsi, toyota, or geico ads on any podcasts? No, because the big money ads are not in ads people fast forward.

Web content is sorted out by three main categories when it comes to advertising, in my experience.

1. Main Stream - pablum : Kim Kardasian (celeb sites), gamer reviews, fantasy football, Facebook, Youtube. You know what the morons look at.

2. Porn/Naughty : No description needed

3. Other - not mainstream (includes anything thought provoking) : Everything else

If you are in category 1, you can pick your advertiser. Good luck standing out in the pack and getting volume.

If you are in category 2, you don't get as much selection, but the commissions are GREAT (25% to 100%). Your advertisers do the work for you in targeting you audience.

If you are in category 3, your screwed. It's tough to get the advertisers you want because they avoid controversy. This site has that curse.

Just the policing of a forum takes a lot of time, OMG and a podcast! An unbelievable amount of effort can be caused by one nutcase, when you run an online operation. All I asked, in my personal experience was for people to take a second or two to review an ad that may have interested you. You don't have to buy anything. Only buy something you feel good about buying. The simple effort of clicking an ad or looking up a podcast advertiser makes a difference too.
 
Chris Talbert said:
Maybe I am out of place on my second post. But this one gets my goat. Why?

Because I have run a few websites. I have never run a podcast nor would I.

Let's begin with the statement that podcasts rarely make real money! A few people eke out a living on them. Please don't begrudge them for it. If you don't believe me, believe the patent trolls, who gave up suing Adam Carolla (and his top rated podcast). Why? You can only sue for profits, and the patent trolls realized that there was no money in podcasting then gave up.

Patent troll drops suit against Adam Carolla after discovering podcasts don't make any money | The Verge

Do you hear pepsi, toyota, or geico ads on any podcasts? No, because the big money ads are not in ads people fast forward.

Web content is sorted out by three main categories when it comes to advertising, in my experience.

1. Main Stream - pablum : Kim Kardasian (celeb sites), gamer reviews, fantasy football, Facebook, Youtube. You know what the morons look at.

2. Porn/Naughty : No description needed

3. Other - not mainstream (includes anything thought provoking) : Everything else

If you are in category 1, you can pick your advertiser. Good luck standing out in the pack and getting volume.

If you are in category 2, you don't get as much selection, but the commissions are GREAT (25% to 100%). Your advertisers do the work for you in targeting you audience.

If you are in category 3, your screwed. It's tough to get the advertisers you want because they avoid controversy. This site has that curse.

Just the policing of a forum takes a lot of time, OMG and a podcast! An unbelievable amount of effort can be caused by one nutcase, when you run an online operation. All I asked, in my personal experience was for people to take a second or two to review an ad that may have interested you. You don't have to buy anything. Only buy something you feel good about buying. The simple effort of clicking an ad or looking up a podcast advertiser makes a difference too.
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Welcome to the forum! Hope you have many enjoyable, if not informative and rewarding discussions and/or debates :) !
 
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