Earlier this year, my manager at work suggested that I find some good tech-y podcasts to subscribe and listen to in hopes of beefing up my awareness of happenings and trends in the tech industry (I manage two Coca-Cola websites at work.) I promptly went down the path of searching for something that met this description in order to complete my capability and development plan. And here’s what happened…
I was just blown away by the intriguing and varied types of content lurking in this strange podcast world. Before I knew what had happened, I had subscribed to not one but MANY different stations. Here are my faves:
Lore is a bi-weekly podcast about true life scary stories. The people, places, and things of our darkest nightmares all have real facts at their core. Each episode of Lore looks into a uniquely scary tale and uncovers the truth behind it. Sometimes the truth is more frightening than fiction.
Criminal is a podcast about crime. Stories of people who’ve done wrong, been wronged, or gotten caught somewhere in the middle.
This American Life is a weekly podcast, with a theme each episode and a variety of stories on that theme. It’s mostly true stories of everyday people, though not always. There’s lots more to the show, but it’s sort of hard to describe.
Mystery Show is a podcast where host Starlee Kine solves mysteries.
I should have started with Serial because it’s MY FAVORITE and is completely engaging and obsessive! Serial tells one story – a true story – over the course of an entire season. Each season, we’ll follow a plot and characters wherever they take us. And we won’t know what happens at the end until we get there, not long before you get there with us. Each week we bring you the next chapter in the story, so it’s important to listen to the episodes in order, starting with Episode 1. The first season is all about Adnan Syed.
Undisclosed is sort of an addendum to Serial and I’m currently in the throes of this one. You would want to finish Serial and then when you are hooked, catch up on this one. The show looks at the evidence that was presented in Serial, and provides new evidence that the hosts have uncovered in their investigation.
Okay, so at this point you are probably scratching your head wondering how in the world any of this relates to managing to Coca-Cola websites. Yeah… I was doing the same thing. Unfortunately, it just gets worse.
Around the same time my girl Disneyfied Ash mentioned some of her favorite Disney shows to me. Well, since I was already in podcast-subscription-mode, ALL of these ended up on my rotation as well. My fellow Disnerds will love these!
WDW Radio is probably my fave because I just want to go through the radio waves and hug Lou around the neck. I think we’d be friends. Hosted and produced by Disney expert, author, speaker Lou Mongello, this family-friendly show covers Walt Disney World news, vacation planning, reviews, trivia, history, contests and features interviews with Disney Imagineers, executives, and celebrities such as Actress Dame Julie Andrews, Richard Sherman, Disney CEO Bob Iger, Iron Chef Cat Cora, Alan Menken, Don Hahn, Travel Channel Host Samantha Brown and more.
DIS Unplugged is a weekly roundtable discussion that covers all aspects of planning a Walt Disney World vacation. Our show is an unbiased and honest look at every aspect of a Disney experience – from dining and theme parks to attractions and hotels.
The DIS Unplugged: Disneyland Edition podcast is a weekly roundtable discussion that covers all aspects of planning a Disneyland vacation. Our show is an unbiased and honest look at every aspect of a Disney experience – from dining and theme parks to attractions and hotels.
Communicore Weekly is totally for Disnerds and I never miss it. The show is a weekly podcast exploring all the geeky things about Disney hosted by full time Dis-Nerds George Taylor and Jeff Heimbuch!
Retro Walt Disney World is another fave for those of us that have been lifelong Disney fans. The show takes you back to the Vacation Kingdom of the World…the way it was…and the way it is in your memories.
WDFM monthly podcast will endeavor to further Walt’s story. From interviews with people who knew or admire him—such as Disney Legends, animators, Imagineers, and more—recaps and clips from special events at the Museum, information about upcoming programs, to tidbits about Walt himself, will comprise just some of the content for this show.
Okay, so now you’re really thinking I’m off track. And, in all honesty, I never really got on track. The closest, most enjoyable show I found that can somewhat be related to work development is Creating Disney Magic with Lee Cockerell. In brief, easy to consume episodes, Lee shares his wisdom and experience from his time as the Executive Vice President of Operations for Walt Disney World. He discusses how you can apply lessons in leadership, management, and customer service to create magic in your organization. So, while it isn’t exactly technology news, it’s SO much more. I love it and find at least one good nugget of inspiration or motivation in every episode.
Now, I’ve blabbed on and on to anyone in real life that will listen to the stories of my podcast obsession. And the most common questions I get are: What are podcasts? How do I listen to them? And WHEN do you do this?
A podcast is a digital audio file that can be downloaded from the internet. Think of it as a prerecorded radio segment about a specific topic. Or a TV show without the video.
You can listen to podcasts in a variety of ways. My iPhone came with a podcast icon (see the purple thing on the next to last row). I clicked on that and was able to search for and subscribe to shows. I have deleted some that didn’t end up interesting and add others as I came across them. They are free. Mother listens to them on her Kindle direct from the website above.
WHEN do I do this? Well, there are two key times that I listen to podcasts. The first is on my morning walk. I usually take a good 45 minute walk each morning and rather than music, I listen to podcasts. The other is in my car. I don’t have bluetooth, so I just crank the speaker up and listen that way. On family road trips I use headphones.
If you’ve not ventured into the world of podcasts, I hope this was useful for you. If you already have some favorites, let me know so I can check them out. Oh, and before I go, if you are a Serial fan… INNOCENT or GUILTY????????? I think innocent.
DIXIE DELIGHTS DELIVERED
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