Well, I'll offer my two cents since I feel as though I am going to somewhat represent the voice of dissent.
I think the issues raised in the article are VERY valid, as are some of the issues raised in these responses. I'm glad we have a space to hash through them like the mailing list. Going back to the original article, I would in no way be opposed to changing to a less than five days a week schedule. We've seemed to have issues filling slots for a while, and the article is 100% accurate in saying that a lot of the "old-timers" are the superheroes filling those slots. If the stress being created by the policy of five days a week is primarily affecting the most consistent contributors, maybe their voices on the matter should have the most weight. That being said I am a less than regular contributor these days, so maybe my opinion shouldn't matter on this front. The concern raised in the responses that I do have a strong opinion on is the question of audio quality. I have never agreed with the sentiment that audio quality doesn't matter. Anyone who listens to either of the podcasts that I produce can attest, despite my background in pro-audio, I'm not looking for perfection. Simple things like consistent audio levels, normalizing the audio to standard levels, matching the intro and outro levels to the levels of the rest of the show, and awareness of how to properly use a microphone (whether that be on a phone or a stand alone one), are all simple 5 minutes fixes with cross-platform, Free software that can DRASTICALLY improve audio quality. Of course, I have the benefit of knowing this and can't complain unless there is a component of this that is educating others. I've started a series (first one recorded and should be uploaded today, another being scripted) to talk through these things. While those that prefer the convenience of just being able to do everything from their phone will have little use for the information, maybe it'll help someone. I'd echo the sentiment that I don't want HPR to become a "polished" production, and I definitely appreciate the "weird" vibe of the place, but having some intentionality about the quality would create a demonstrably better product. Ken mentioned the purpose of the five days a week rule was to create subscribers. I'd argue that it only takes one person's first episode of HPR being barely intelligible to turn them off from the whole project, which is a damn shame. I'll finish by saying that over the course of the last couple of years I find myself listening to fewer and fewer episodes of HPR for various reasons (audio quality, disinterest in the topic, bait and switch episodes where the topic is barely discussed and turns into a bizarre political rant, etc). Of course the solution is being more engaged and contributing more myself, which I plan on doing. As always, big props to the janitorial staff. Y'all do more than most know, and it is very appreciated (at least by this guy). ~ Thaj
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