Category: 4. Connecting the Dots

Tod Maffin is a well-known technology expert in Canada.

In 2004, Maffin was working as the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation’s leading technology reporter.  Despite his ties to terrestrial radio, Maffin immediately recognized podcasting’s potential and he was eager to share his optimism and ideas with the public.

On October 1, 2004, Maffin published an article entitled “How Podcasting Will Save Radio” in Broadcast Magazine.  That was less than a month after Canada’s first podcast hit the web.

Maffin was also interviewed on the subject of podcasting and profiled by the international press for articles in The Globe and Mail, The New York Times, The Age (Melbourne, Australia), Christian Science Monitor, The Independent (London) and The Austrailan.

But Maffin wasn’t just writing and speaking about podcasting.  He was doing it himself and he was making and effort to meet with other Canadians who were testing-out the online airwaves.

Maffin explains:

Many podcasters remember these meet-ups as seminal moments in their podcasting careers.

Canada’s first podcasting meet-up happened in Ottawa at the Chateau Laurier on May 26, 2005.  An open invitation was posted on Maffin’s blog encouraging anyone interested in podcasting to join him for a chat.  Mark Blevis, of Electric Sky, and Maurizio Ortolani, the National Arts Centre’s New Media Producer, met Maffin that night.  Over drinks their discussion ranged from equipment to listening habits to music and beyond.

• Blevis wrote a great blog post and has posted audio from that historic event.
• Ortolani shared his memory of the meet-up with me:
  

It was Tod Maffin’s personal interest in podcasting that compelled him to organize these events.  He wasn’t acting on behalf of the CBC or any other organization.  He simply wanted to connect with others who were as excited about this new medium as he was.

Maffin had no ulterior motives:

Since podcasting was such a new and different medium, there were no road maps telling people how or what to do.  There were no books or websites or how-to kits.  Most Canadian didn’t have a clue what a podcast was.  So who came to these meet-ups?

Maffin explains: 

⇒  NEXT: “3.  Connecting the Dots”  →  CanadaPodcasts.ca

Back in 2004, one of the biggest hurdles for podcasting was distribution.

There were only a few podcast directories available online, and only a few hosting services able to accommodate syndicated audio files.  Interested listeners and potential podcasters had to wade though pages of Google Search results before finding anything remotely related to podcasting.   Then they had to download a podcatcher in order to receive newly released podcasts.  Apple’s iTunes Music Store didn’t start offering podcasts until June 28, 2005.

Looking back at the earliest “how to podcast” guides, you get a sense of how very new, complex and intimidating the process of creating a podcast could be.

At that point in time, there were only two real way to find new podcasts:

1. Through word of mouth
2. By hearing one podcaster mention another podcast on their show

In May, 2005, Tod Maffin launched a website dedicated to Canadian podcasts.  It was appropriately addressed: www.CanadaPodcasts.ca, and it soon became the destination for people listening to and producing podcasts in Canada.

Maffin sets the scene: 

CanadaPodcasts.ca is still the primary directory of Canadian podcasts available on the web.

Maffin maintained the directory until July 18th, 2006, when he passed it on to Bob Goyetche of the ROGIC Podcast Conglomerate.

⇒  NEXT: “4.  Connecting the Dots”  → Inspiration, Perspiration and Proliferation

Podcasting may have been invented by a few individuals, but its evolution relied on the inspiration and encouragement of countless people.

Many Canadian podcasters feel indebted to the the early adopters for forging a path and urging others to follow.

★  Toronto’s “Scarborough Dude,” the voice behind the Dicks’nJanes Podcast, provides an excellent case-in-point:

• The Dicks’nJanes podcast debuted on April 28, 2005.
• WIRED Magazine article: “Adam Curry Wants to Make You an iPod Radio Star”
• The Bob and AJ Show: Episode 22 and Episode 23 include Scarborough Dude’s comment and Bob and AJ’s podcast challenge, respectively.

★ Connie Crosby, of the Community Divas Podcast, remembers Toronto’s first Podcasting Meet-up as one of the most important moments in her podcasting history:

• Kyle Shay, of The Great White North podcast, organized Toronto’s first podcast meet-up
• Ninja’s Hot Fossils and Rebel Matters Podcast
• Mark Blevis’ website

★ Valerie Hunter, of the Description: Valerie in Toronto podcast, remembers the first time she heard about podcasting:

• Jack Kapica’s article “It all about the name,” appeared in The Globe and Mail on February 8, 2005.

Canadian Podcasts have inspired listeners worldwide:

★  Neil Gorman is a professional public speaker and high school history teacher near Chicago, IL.  Here he speaks about one of his most memorable podcasting moments:

• Neil Gorman’s website
• Julien Smith’s In Over Your Head. blog and podcast

⇒  NEXT: “5.  A Niche Medium for a Mass Audience”  →  Signposts of Progress