I received a Jerry Maguire-esque email this week from a friend. Well, it wasn’t so much an epiphany written by a successful sports agent but it was an inspired manifesto nonetheless. The subject line set the tone, proclaiming ‘PODcast…lets f*cking do one’. I did edit the expletive. I also omitted a ‘term of endearment’ that he ended the sentence with.

Thinking about doing this for quite sometime now, I recorded a ‘pilot’ podcast several years ago with another one of my colleagues that never did see the light of day. We went into it with good intentions but didn’t realistically think about the logistics of it all. It’s a big commitment. I’m the type of person that when I start a project, whether it is a weekly column for a geek blog or penning lyrics from a new album, I throw myself one hundred percent into it. I not only like to get the job done but I’ am critical about the devil in the details and minutiae.

My friend pointed out what he has noticed from successful podcasts: A consistent release schedule, defined production structure (recurring segments, etc), humor, good insight into the subject matter being covered and great editing/sound. Presenting it in a very professional and polished fashion.

My takeaway: 1) People want you when they want you. We are creatures of routine. It makes sense that if you want to build any type of audience you have to be consistent. Same time every week. 2) Originality. You do you. Create something that is unique, memorable that sets yourself apart from what everyone else does. Find a ‘niche’ and know your audience. And 3) It’s about the quality as well as the numbers. That means A LOT of work and time has to be invested. Recording, editing, marketing, etc.

Despite all of the smart phones and Ipods, I feel this is still an underexploited ‘new’ medium and that consumption bigger than ever.

Being told ‘It’s easy. You’ve got a board, a mac and mics, right?’ doesn’t make it feel any less intimidating. I’m sure there will be growing pains at the beginning. Trial and error. Seeing what works, what sucks and finding a balance. I want amazing. I want it to be interactive. I want to invite commentary (and have a place to accommodate comments, plus a call in number). Moments of honesty. Talk about interesting things. Having guests/panelists with different points of view. Alternating from fun, hilarious to tragic. I want to make a great show and dream bigger. I don’t want to be another brick in the wall.

My question to you, can you make my mind up for me? And if not, can you give me feedback on what you look for in a ‘PODcast’? If you are a person who frequently downloads the latest Geekshow Podcast, WTF or Nerdist. What do you like? What do you hate? What could there be more or less of? Pet peeves and so on.