Podcast Review

I was fortunate to be able to listen to the "Small Town, Long Streets" podcast last night. (Last night's show was "The Over the Hill Gang") This podcast was created by Craig at MTPolitics.net. Last night's guests were David Sherman from GreaterFalls and Rob Kailey from A Chicken is Not Pillage.

The production quality was so-so, but I am not about to complain when this is something Craig does on his spare time for free. Any reasonably prolific blogger understands the amount of time this goofy hobby consumes and I appreciate Craig's efforts.

David and Rob are truly two of the 'old' guys in the Montana Blogosphere. It was extremely interesting to hear how Montana blogging moved from the old bulletin board days to what is, today, a thriving community.

Rob discussed the sense of community and the fact that even though there are political disagreements among many bloggers, offline many remain friends, or at least friendly. To be honest I was especially interested to hear Rob because anyone familiar with the work of Wulfgar! might have expected a raving lunatic. Actually, no. He comes off as a thoughtful, friendly, funny fellow.

On the other side, it wasn't really fair because I have met David several times. He, too, is a thoughtful, friendly, funny guy. And, for those of us who live in Central Montana, he is a real asset, a perpetual booster for our community. David often reminds me of good things I have forgotten about the place where I live.

If I had to offer a piece of advice to Craig, and I guess I do, it would be this: I highly recommend that you revert to a more typical call in format where a caller calls in, asks a question or makes a comment, and then hangs up. During last night's show, several callers sort of hung around the proceedings. Don't get me wrong, I have nothing against their input, but they often distracted me from, rather than added to, the insight of the guests. And then there were the long goodbyes. Time is limited, and I really wanted to hear what David and Rob had to say. Even a few minutes of off-topic topics were too many. Take this not as an insult to the callers, but as a compliment to the guests. (I enjoyed Moorcat, GiftShoppe Guy and Shane, but let them get in, say their piece, and move on.)

Craig. Good work.

And thank you.