Digital Voices

A. Now I understand podcasting as a release. Many of the subjects that these people talked about are very personal – the death of a loved one, being away from home. Podcasting is a way of releasing these feelings, but at the same time, conveying a message. For the space station podcast, his voice sounded distant and far-off, which led me to believe that he really did record it there. The narration was also interesting. It served as good introductions and conclusions for the podcast – it was the icing on the cake.

B. I listened to Dan Tani’s “An Optimistic View of the World,” and Mary Cook’s “The Hardest Work You Will Every Do.” Truthfully, I selected these because they were the first two I noticed. But, at the same time, I was looking forward to listening, so I wanted to be quick. The label “Featured Essay of the Week” also caught my eye, and helped direct me. The situations in each essay stood out to me most; the events that happened to them caught my attention. Their points were memorable: the optimism and the surrender. They really got to me. The common conclusion of “I believe in…” is very effective – very dramatic.

C. The introductions provided an attention getter. They describe events that catch me, and also put the listener in the speaker’s life. They put the listeners in the speaker’s shoes. They give us an introduction of the person. The introductions also provide background information that makes it more interesting for the listener.