I first started listening to {en:Podcasts} a couple years back. I started off with BBC 6 Music’s Music Week podcast. It was ok, but nothing special. It didn’t really encourage me to listen to any others. It didn’t help that the BBC don’t have rights to play music in Podcasts, which for a music podcast is a bit of a drawback.

But over time as I read more blogs I started to find podcasts that more than just offered something different to listen to on the way to work. They became things I had to listen to, eventually resulting in me listening to much less music – which is my one negative about Podcasts.

I <3 Podcasts

There are a couple factors to podcasts that make them ideal for someone like me.

• First off they’re convenient. They’re the {en:digital video recorder|PVR} series link of the audio world. Subscribe to an {en:RSS feed}, sync your MP3 player every so often and the podcasts are there for your listening pleasure, where ever you are. Add the fact that the {en:iPhone} has a reasonable speaker and I can stick it into my pocket and listen to an podcast whilst wondering the house (eg. doing the dishes, getting Stan changed for bed etc) without having earphones on.
• Because it’s relatively cheap to produce a podcast, and because anyone can do it, you tend to get very niche shows (similar to the way you can get blogs so niche you wouldn’t dream of an old media company creating a magazine to cover the content the blogs cover). Regardless of the BBC’s public service mandate, they wouldn’t get away with creating the niche content I get to listen to thanks to podcasts.

So what do I listen to?

Here’s what I’m subscribing and listening to right now. I’ll say now, it’s a completely tech orientated list. One day I’ll venture beyond tech, but right now I don’t find the time to listen to all off these each week.

If you want to subscribe to all of these, simply import this OPML file into your Podcatcher.

This list is in a particular order. When I’ve got an episode of each, this is the order in which I’d listen to them:

This Week in Google

Truth is, I prefer the Stack Overflow podcast (see next) but this podcast covers the latest news regarding Google and ‘the cloud’, and as it covers topical events, it’s better to listen to it sooner rather than later. Part of the {en:TWiT.tv (network)|TWiT Network}, and hosted by Leo Laporte, Jeff (“this news is going to change everything!”) Jarvis, Gina Trapani, and some interesting guests, they discuss news items that interest me and usually include some good insights and tips.

The Stack Overflow Podcast

At the time of writing they’re in the process of changing the format to god knows what. I liked it just the way it was, but they may manage to better it. The podcast is intended to cover news regarding the site {en:Stack Overflow} (a Q&A site for programmers) and is hosted by the site owners {en:Jeff Atwood} and {en:Joel Spolsky}. It’s essentially a {en:Skype} conversation between the two. The concept is bad – and I’ve no idea why I even tried the podcast – but truth is, I find it a fascinating listen – my favourite listen in fact. As well as discussing the site (which incidentally is an excellent resource for any developer), they discuss issues concerning development and running a web site. Sounds dull but they somehow manage to make it interesting, amusing and entertaining. I’ve heard other development shows which really are as dull as you’d expect.

Rebooting the News

Another ‘skype conversation’ podcast. This time between the influential {en:Dave Winer} and equally influential {en:Jay Rosen}. Dave Winer is the (co-)creator of {en:RSS}, Podcasting, {en:OPML} files and more besides. He’s an opinionated, paranoid chap, although he’s right more often than not. That said, his views are annoying me more as time passes. Jay Rosen is a “press critic, a writer, and a professor of journalism at New York University” (taken from {en:Jay Rosen|Wikipedia}). Together they discuss the impact technology (and in particularly the net) has had on the world of news and journalism. It can be a bit hit and miss (more hit to be fair), but when it’s great it really is great. Inspiring in fact. The interesting thing about podcasts is you can gauge how much you’re enjoying them based on how soon after their release you listen to them. Sad to say I’m finding this one is slipping down the priority list. That said, the last episode was great. It restored my faith.

This Week in Tech

Where as Rebooting the News is slipping down the list, This Week in Tech is creeping up. Traditionally one I’ll have on in the background (I’ll listen to my favourite podcasts walking to work (where they get the most attention) and the not as good when doing housework etc – in the background), I’m really starting to enjoy TWiT. Just like This Week in Google, TWiT is hosted by Leo Laporte. He’s joined by different guests each week as they discuss the tech news from the week that’s gone. It’s never overly serious but usually entertaining. The TWiT Network must be an inspiration for podcasters. Started by former Tech TV presenter Leo Laporte, he now has an entire network of webcasts and makes a decent profit in the process. To reword a tweet by Jeff Atwood (of Stack Overflow), Leo Laporte stopped working for the man and became the man.

This Week in Startups

Hosted by {en:Jason Calacanis}. He’s quite an easy character to hate, but if you can bare him you can sometimes actually appreciate him too. This show is all about starting up a business, along with startups themselves. Unfortunately I rarely find the time to listen to it, but when I do I wish I listened to it more often.

FLOSS Weekly

I use to listen to this weekly, but again I struggle to find the time. This show is also on the TWiT Network and again hosted by Leo Laporte. Each week it covers a different Open Source project/company, and has a member of that project/company in for an interview. As with Rebooting the News it can be quite inspiring. I tend to pick and choose the episodes I listen to now depending on the project/company they are covering this week.

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There are other shows I dip into, but these are the ones I listen to regularly. Remember that you can import these using this OPML file.

If off the back of that list you know of any podcasts I’d enjoy, please let me know in the comments.