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podcasting timeline

Top 10 Voiceover Blogs to Follow – Kim Handysides

blogs

Blogs can be some of the best sources of free information in the Googlesphere. But there are a lot of them out there. In fact, Google says 600 million blogs now out of 1.7 billion active sites. That’s a lot of info. But within that astonishing figure, voice over blogs are a sliver-sized narrow niche. For voice over seekers some blog posts answer questions about our industry. For voice artists, blogs are an opportune way to learn about the craft, business, marketing and tech aspects of our industry. Blogs rich in content can save you time and money.

I’ve recently posted my Top 10 list of the best voiceover blogs that I follow. I’m picky. I’ve been in the voiceover industry for a long time. I already know a heck of a lot. But, I regularly browse the content of some of my industry colleagues. To find out what’s new. What’s hot. To join in on great conversations.  Voiceover veterans, understand the importance of staying current in the industry and taking part in discussions about issues of import. My top 10 list includes J. Michael Collins, Dave Courvoisier, Bill deWees, Anne Ganguzza, Debbie Grattan, Laura Schreiber, Marc Scott, Paul Strikwerda and David Tyler. Whether you’re deep in or on the fringes of the industry, treat yourself. Pick one or two, or all ten and dive into their back blogs. I am also going to put myself on this list of Top 10s. If you’re curious about my audacity, read on.

 

Voice Over Artist Kim Handysides

 

Voiceover Artist Kim Handysides

Why do I blog about voice over?

I blog because I’ve been writing “full time voice over artist” on my tax forms since 1991 and I’ve got stuff to say about our industry. And I want to be helpful to clients and the community. Also, I love writing. Not because I’ve been at it since writing the winning submission for the school Christmas play in grade 3, or because of a decade as a journalist writing for television, radio stations, mags and newspapers but because writing has always led a strong supporting role in my career as a professional storyteller. As I’ve learned more about it, I’ve incorporated SEO principles into my posts, but primarily, I write because the linear expression of cogent thought is one of my favorite communication forms.

 

Do I have a theme to your blogs or do I wait for inspiration to strike?

If I have a theme, I guess it’s become searching for honesty in my art form. Or at least that’s the goal I strive toward, whether the subject appeals more to voice actors or voice talent seekers, other small business owners in the arts. Occasionally, inspiration strikes from a recent project, conversation or situation, but more often I (attempt to) plan a few blogs at once and then work on them over time.

 

What are my favorite kinds of blogs to write about?

Performance oriented blogs are completely delicious. I’ve been coaching a lot lately and it’s helped me analyze why some things work and others don’t and suss out practical advice to help voice actors find truth in their performances. Marketing and managing your voiceover business are other key themes that I delight in sharing. Cool topics that have saved me time or money or have helped solidify relationships in an increasing physically-disconnected, electronically-hyperconnected world.

 

What kinds of blogs get the most attention or feedback?

My blogs with the highest interaction (comments) are one on rates in voiceover. I found there were already templates of what to charge out there in the web world, but not much had been written about why voice actors charge the rates they do or what accounts for the range in voiceover pricing from one vo actor to another. Performance tips and advice always do well, like my three-part blog series on how to direct voice actors (which ends in how to self-direct). One kind of complain-y blog got a lot of attention. Why profs narrating their own online courses is often a big mistake. There is an ocean of difference between being a subject matter expert and being able to engage listeners and transmit that info. Time to hire a great professional voiceover narrator.

 

What else would I like people to know about your blog in particular or my philosophy and approach to the industry?

Nothing make me happier than when someone reaches out and says, “hey, I really liked what you said about xyz,” or “I never thought about it in that way before. Thanks!” This past week I received an email from a college student thanking me for my well-researched post on the Timeline of Podcasting. They’d cited it in their term paper for a communication studies class. That was cool. Makes me want to do more of those.

 

Filed Under: blogs Tagged With: how to direct voice actors, podcasting, podcasting timeline, professional storyteller, voice actors, voice artists, voice talent seekers, voiceover, voiceover artist, voiceover blogs, voiceover business, voiceover industry, voiceover narrator, voiceover pricing, voiceover rates

Timeline on the Birth and Growth of Podcasting

Voiceover Business, Voiceovers Completed

 

Podcasting Timeline Kim Handysides Voiceover
©iStockphoto.com/stocknshares

For a medium that is still a teenager, podcasting seems to have appeared out of nowhere and has grown like Jack’s mythical beanstalk. Audio is genius in its ability to convey intimacy, emotion and story. The rewards of the current Golden Age of Podcasting are now being reaped.

This timeline is curated with with material sourced from Columbia’s Tow Center for Journalism and Ramona Rice, Community Manager at Podcast Websites, bullet points the speedy growth of this burgeoning mobile audio platform. Enjoy!

Podcasting: In the Beginning 1999-2005

1999 – Netscape developers thought of aggregating content to make it simpler for readers to check updates from multiple sites in one place (launched RDF Site Summary)

2000 – Dave Winer & Adam Curry adapt RDF – which would become known as RSS (Real Simple Syndication) for audio

2003 – Radio Open Source – first podcast (then called audioblog) launched by journalist Christopher Lydon – updates made to audio capabilities by Winer to accommodate Lydon who had been inserting audio interviews into his blog posts. ROS still podcasts today

2004 – term “podcast” is coined by Ben Hammersley, reporter for The Guardian, who wrote about RSS feeds allowing audio to be downloaded onto iTunes and and transferred to an iPod.

2004 – Libsyn – first audio hosting platform

2005 – PRI (Public Radio International) hosts first daily podcast

2005 – iTunes launches first podcast directory

2005 – New Oxford American Dictionary, “podcast” becomes the word of the year

2006 – The Ricky Gervais Show becomes the most downloaded podcast & This American Life, hosted by Ira Glass, launches its show freely available in podcast form

 

Podcasting: Growth years 2006-2014

Podcasting slowly and steadily grows, splintering into more specified content arenas

2014 – 1 billion podcast subscribers on Apple

2014 – This American Life launches a spin-off show “Serial” which is released weekly in installments – reaching 1 million downloads in just 4 weeks.

2015 – Apple’s IOS 9 allows streaming, Meerkat & Periscope introduced technology to reduce the steps to access podcasts, further increasing accessibility

 

Podcasting: Golden Age 2015 to present

2015 – changes in technology usher in the “Golden Age of Podcasting”; consumer awareness of podcasts increases; those who listen to podcasts, listen to more of them downloading an average of 6 per week.

2017 – mobile marketing grows to 65% of American marketplace (eMarketer)

2017 – The social phenomenon/habit of binge watching created by streaming video networks, transfers to binge listening – as such, Excellence Expected podcast experiments with making episodes available in bulk to attract binge listening.

Podcasting Timeline Kim Handysides Voiceover
Mic Love @shureblog

I’m a voiceover artist, often called upon to intro/extro, or read narration for podcasts and have an affordable team in place for editing them as well. These mobile shows are audio jewels. Please contact me if you need voice or podcasting editing services.

 

Filed Under: Voiceover Business, Voiceovers Completed Tagged With: Ben Hammersley, binge listening, Christopher Lydon, Meerkat & Periscope, mobile marketing, podcast directory, podcast subscribers, podcasting, podcasting timeline, RSS, timeline

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