'The remorseless working of things.'
Feb. 20th, 2006 02:00 pmAs I've mentioned before, I've recently discovered podcasts and have fallen in love with them. They remind me of old radio shows from the 30's and 40's, and I have fond memories of listening to recordings of those when I was a kid. There are some really great fiber art related podcasts out there, and I listen to one in particular - Cast-On religiously. In her latest episode, Ms. Dayne discusses her need to make a living, combined with her love of podcasting, which is leading her to seek out advertising, so she may keep body and soul together, while providing free entertainment to her listeners. Much of the show was taken up by her description of what she would require out of an advertiser. (The 'Green" in the show title refers to her choice to only consider those advertisers whose business practices conform to her ethical positions on the environment and human rights, a position which I applaud.)
I read the comments to this show, and found myself profoundly disappointed. This show is *free* and will remain so. Ms. Dayne makes no money off her audience and has decided against anya rrangement in which she would, such as a 'tip jar', in order to maintain the relationship she has with her audience as it is now. Considering that, the podcast is a service to the community, and if one doesn't like it, well, it's worth what you paid for it. Considering there is a small amount of effort required to listen to a podcast or subscribe one only has to hit the 'stop' or 'unsubscribe' button to walk away. No great loss to either side. Instead of this respectful, well-mannered option, however, I have seen comments phrased in an incredibly rude manner, taking Ms. Dayne to task for trying to 'make money off her audience', complaining about the fact that there was a certain percentage of non-knitting content in the latest show and threatening to stop listening because of that, in a very "Well, I'll just take my ball and go home!" tone. While I feel that constructive critique is all well and good, and can even be a service to the podcaster, ones tone is an intergral part of how constructive ones commentary is.
This phenomena seems to be an epidemic. I've seen it happen in plenty of forums, from the free online knitting magazines, to LJ communities. Some people liken it to The Tragedy of the Commons, and while I'm not personally sure it's entirely applicable, I do see some connections. It's a frustrating and hurtful thing to see, when someone is trying to provide something to the community, and the community avails themselves freely of the largesse, yet treats the provider ill. How damaging to society at large is that?!
I read the comments to this show, and found myself profoundly disappointed. This show is *free* and will remain so. Ms. Dayne makes no money off her audience and has decided against anya rrangement in which she would, such as a 'tip jar', in order to maintain the relationship she has with her audience as it is now. Considering that, the podcast is a service to the community, and if one doesn't like it, well, it's worth what you paid for it. Considering there is a small amount of effort required to listen to a podcast or subscribe one only has to hit the 'stop' or 'unsubscribe' button to walk away. No great loss to either side. Instead of this respectful, well-mannered option, however, I have seen comments phrased in an incredibly rude manner, taking Ms. Dayne to task for trying to 'make money off her audience', complaining about the fact that there was a certain percentage of non-knitting content in the latest show and threatening to stop listening because of that, in a very "Well, I'll just take my ball and go home!" tone. While I feel that constructive critique is all well and good, and can even be a service to the podcaster, ones tone is an intergral part of how constructive ones commentary is.
This phenomena seems to be an epidemic. I've seen it happen in plenty of forums, from the free online knitting magazines, to LJ communities. Some people liken it to The Tragedy of the Commons, and while I'm not personally sure it's entirely applicable, I do see some connections. It's a frustrating and hurtful thing to see, when someone is trying to provide something to the community, and the community avails themselves freely of the largesse, yet treats the provider ill. How damaging to society at large is that?!