Sometimes just hearing another mom’s voice can help you feel connected even when you’re schlepping the kids to-and-fro school, camp, after-school activities, and sports leagues. For busy moms who never seem to leave their car, or for those who spend a lot of time at home and their local radio stations just aren’t cutting it, podcasts are worth a try. All you need is a computer and mp3 player and you are good to go! Not sure where to start?
I was lucky enough to get the lowdown on podcasting from podcaster Sharon at New Urban Mom and podcaster Dori at More Hip than Hippie podcast:
Jessica Knows: How did you get involved with podcasting?
Sharon: I was introduced to it by Kelly McCausey. After listening to her podcast, reading her resources on podcasting, and discussing my questions personally with her, I made the decision that this was an amazing way to communicate and share the issues I felt were important to share with moms and the wider community.
Dori: I was a radio morning show DJ when some friends approached me about developing a podcast to help market their business. I didn’t know what a podcast was! But I said yes, and we approached it like a radio show, with segments of information separated by music, plus lots of humor and bad taste!
Jessica Knows: What was your most memorable podcast?
Sharon: An interview with national builder and new urbanism visionary, David Pace of New Broad Street Companies in Florida.
Dori: Probably the most memorable shows featured big-name guests like Ed Begley Jr., Danny Seo, Julia Butterfly Hill, and Bruce Littlefield. For our listeners, the most unforgettable moments just might be our attempts at singing our own parody songs, notably, the Christmas ditty “Grandpa Got Run over by a Hybrid”.
Jessica Knows: How does podcasting help moms connect with each other?
Sharon: It’s one thing to read someone’s thoughts and ideas in a blog, magazine article, etc., but it’s another thing to listen to them speak to you on a regular basis via podcast. I think podcasts enhance our communications; it makes it more human. We feel we understand the person sharing the messages when we can listen to them speak, laugh, and share their emotions through an audio broadcast like podcasting. Once the audience feels that connection to the mom podcaster they are more likely to interact with that podcaster by responding to questions and joining and participating in the communities that she recommends or invites listeners to join.
