Bricklin on podcasting: Give it some time

Had an interesting e-mail exchange of views with Dan Bricklin over my earlier in the day. DanÂ’s as keen an observer of the tech scene as you'll find. And as the co-creator of the VisiCalc spreadsheet, the first PC spreadsheet, he speaks with some authority. Needless to say, he disagreed with my post.

Dan noted that most drive-time DJs could also be qualified as lame. No dispute about that. And with podcasting amateurs experimenting to test out what works, a lot of their work will invariably be viewed as lame by outsiders.

“It seems, though, that there is lots of good content to go around for everybody, but just like normal radio, most isn't of interest to everybody.”

Again, no argument. So letÂ’s clear the air--and no, Dave, IÂ’m not into pandering for links. If history is a guide, podcasts should develop in much the same way as did blogs. And that is all for the good.

This reminds me of the hammering I took last year after turning the spotlight on the bloggers who got invited to the Democratic National Convention. With some exceptions, I found their copy to be forgettable and self-indulgent. A missed opportunity, yes--but still a learning experience that would help them in the future.

I didnÂ’t think that qualified as the equivalent of the "Curse of the Cat People." Still, my words did upset a lot of folks in the blogosphere. Truth be told, that surprised me. Bloggers had done a great service turning up the heat on the mainstream media. When the roles got reversed and their performance was found wanting, they should have had thicker skins. I suppose it depends on whose ox is being gored.

Same goes for podcasting. I don't give a damn whether we're talking about 50-somethings or 20-somethings--you still have to hold the content generators to standards. If not, it's a waste of time. Five years from now--if not before--that won't be an issue.