Today, Saturday, September 30, 2017, is International Podcast Day (hashtag #InternationalPodcastDay). It is a day to celebrate the power of podcasting, and I’d certainly say the enjoyment surrounding it.
Much of this day tends to focus on podcast creators, as we share tips and techniques as a community of podcasters (or future podcasters) learning to better their craft. But, it’s also about getting people to become aware of podcasts. While it’s hard for me to believe (as an avid podcast listener), some people are not aware of podcasts – or even if they are – how to subscribe, interact with the hosts of the shows, or join into the community.
I’ve previously written an article about why a business (or organization) should consider getting into podcasting as a method of education, outreach, and marketing. But, in this article, I thought I’d highlight some of my favorite podcasts and encourage you to check one or more of them out. (If there is interest, I’ll write a post about how to subscribe to a podcast. It’s getting easier, but there is some tech involved and/or a number of apps that can be used.)
I’m also going to double-down on my effort to launch my Website Meets World podcast really soon (in fact, I’d hoped to have it ready for today… but a new project had me a bit too busy). I’m just putting this out there, though, as it helps to hold me accountable… and people signing up to the email list provides motivation. 😳
But enough about me, lets get to the recommendations!
I was initially going to recommend just a few of my top choices, but I decided to give you my whole current subscription list. I have arranged some of my favorites in each category near the top.
For keeping up to date with everything related to cgWerks, I’m subscribed to a number of podcasts related to design, business, technology, social media, marketing, podcasting, productivity, and general technology.
Podcasting
Because I’m so interested in podcasting, I started learning more about it… and I just didn’t stop. I think I have most of the experts in the field covered here. 🙂
If you want to learn to podcast and can only pick one, this is it. Listen to the whole library or go pick out your topics of interest. Daniel’s style is to cover a topic in detail and he has a great teaching style.
School of Podcasting (recent winner of the 2017 People’s Choice Podcast Awards in Technology!)
Dave is a veteran in the field of podcasting, and an expert in podcast training. His show covers everything from how-to to industry news, mixing in bits of comedy including the true star, Bernie the Cat. 😉 He also has one of the best courses available to get you up to speed on podcasting if you’d like to start one of your own.
The Feed: The Official Libsyn Podcast
A staple of podcast industry news, stats, wisdom, and tips related to Libsyn podcast hosting. If you’re going to start a podcast, you either want to use Libsyn or Blubrry for media hosting! (There are advantages to either depending on how you want your feed setup/hosted and specific features.)
A variety of topics related to podcasting in a round-table format with regular podcast veterans (Ray Ortega, Dave, and Daniel from above) joined by guest podcasters who submit topics and are relative to the subject under discussion.
Design
Business
Technology
A podcast mostly covering Apple, but I just wanted to note that it features the creator of Overcast podcast app, Marco Arment. I switched from Apple’s Podcast app to this excellent app last year. Watch for an upcoming post highlighting some of the upsides and reasons for the switch (along with a couple of downsides too).
A couple of my favorite Apple industry media people (Mike Wuerthele, Charles Martin) started this podcast after MacNN closed its doors.
Hosted by Libsyn’s Rob Walch
YouTube/Social Media
Marketing
WordPress
WordPress Plug-ins from A to Z
WordPress Resource: Your Website Engineer
Politics / News
This is THE podcast every American (or anyone impacted by America) needs to listen to. The host covers what is going on in Congress and the bills being passed and debated. Trigger warning! You’ll likely be shocked and appalled once you find out. 😡
They don’t call it, ‘The best podcast in the universe‘ for nothing. Former MTV host and podcasting pioneer Adam Curry along with tech industry writer/analyst John C Dvorak use their knowledge of the the media industry to deconstruct the messages. It’s sometimes irreverent, often hilarious, and incredibly produced for a live show, but whether you agree or disagree with every analysis, you’ll certainly come away better informed about what’s really going on in the world.
Personal Development
A few of these are a bit hard to classify, so I didn’t really try. A couple are also pretty good business podcasts, but for me, they fall more into personal development.
As the saying goes, if you don’t have your health… This is another must-listen show, as we’ve all got an awful lot to learn about taking better care of ourselves, especially in terms of diet. Shawn is a nutrition tour-de-force that I’ve yet to hear matched. Especially in the earlier episodes, Shawn goes topic-by-topic related to health and nutrition in a science-educational manner that is genius. What he covers is often the bleeding edge of what we understand about biology and science (as in, I’ll hear Shawn talking about it, and later see it in various science media), applied to our health. Another must-listen podcast!
The Cliff Ravenscraft Show (formerly Podcast Answer Man)
ONE Extraordinary Marriage Show
TilledSoil Christian Apologetics
As some of you know (or maybe discovered if you follow me on social media), I also run a Christian apologetics ministry at TilledSoil.org. I have a seminary education/MA in Theology, and am passionate about teaching/training people in this discipline. To keep up with this expansive field of study, I follow a number of podcasts. While they are relatively unrelated to cgWerks, they are on my listening queue, so I wanted to pass them along.
This is the first podcast I can remember listening to… even well before it was a podcast (we’re talking cassette tapes, here). I was later putting episodes on CD-R discs for my car and other players before Apple made it easy.
This ministry also produces Modern Reformation magazine, and produces some of the best foundational Christian theology content around. They also touch on apologetics from time to time and were responsible for launching me on my Christian apologetics journey. I was introduced via their podcast to several of the Christian apologists below.
If you’re interested in learning about Christian theology (what Christians believe) and apologetics (why we believe it), and can fit in only one podcast, this is it! Greg Koukl hosts this show, often taking live call-in questions in what I can only describe as the most thoughtful, winsome manner you’ll probably ever encounter.
James R White hosts this more in-depth look at Christian apologetics and theology, and is in my opinion, one of the best Christian apologists around today.
A dialog/debate show from the UK pairing up, typically, a Christian and non-Christian opponent on some subject matter. A very unique show and one of the best ways to hear multiple viewpoints.
The Cold-Case Christianity Podcast
Hosted by my friend and fellow apologist, (Jim) J Warner Wallace. I started listening to this guy back when he started his podcast and followed him through his career to being a best-selling author and crazy-in-demand-speaker. He’s a former LA cold-case homicide detective (who never lost a case and has been featured on Dateline, etc.). He’s a former vocal atheist, and one of the sharpest people you’ll run across. He applies his detective prowess to Christian apologetics (which in doing so, led him to Christianity).
You’ve probably heard of ID (intelligent design) or the infamous Dover trial as portrayed by the media and internet. Well, then you need to to be exposed to the real thing. Doing so will probably change your mind real quick… if not to agreement, then at least to respect for the position (rather than the foolish caricature that is portrayed).
Cross Examined with Dr. Frank Turek
cgWerks’ clients (and friends), Andy Steiger, Steve Kim, and others cover a wide range of Christian apologetics subject matter. This is actually how I got *officially* started in professional website design. I’ve watched this ministry/podcast grow (and helped setup the tech!) from the start. They now host multiple annual conferences across Canada that draw thousands of participants and most of the top-name Christian apologists.
Another friend and fellow apologist, Chris Date, takes a deep dive into topics I seldom hear covered elsewhere. A treasure-trove of Christian apologetics and theology.
Irons Sharpens Iron Radio with Chris Arnzen
This podcast no longer seems active, but has an archive of interviews of just about every well-known Christian apologist.
Apologia Podcast by Reasons to Believe
I often disagree with aspects of this podcast, but need to keep up-to-date with the information.
A lot of information and time
So there you have it. That’s my current podcast media list. I can’t possibly listen to every episode of all of them, but I actually do listen to every episode of most of the above. Some are daily podcasts ranging from 30 min to over 3 hours, and I only catch a percentage of those.
How is that even possible? (you might ask) Well, that’s partly where Overcast comes in. It has some special algorithms to compress space and speed up listening, so I’m often listening at an effective rate of 2x – 3x… so an hour episode takes 20-30 minutes. But, it’s still a lot and I might not always be able to pull it off. If I can’t then I can certainly trim down the list and/or skip more episodes of the less important shows or less-relevant particular episodes.
I’ve learned an incredible amount from these podcasters, so I’d like to take this opportunity on International Podcast Day to send out some thanks. Hopefully you’ll find a few from my list that will educate or entertain you as well.