Really Specific Stories:
Introducing Really Specific Stories
Duration: 00:09:52
SPEAKERS
Martin Feld

Martin Feld  00:21
Hello, and welcome to Really Specific Stories; I’m your host, Martin Feld. Thank you so much for joining me. In this series, I delve into the stories of RSS-based tech-podcast production and fandom, featuring conversations with producers and their listeners. I am using this episode as an introduction to the podcast series and to provide context for the research project that inspired it and to which it contributes.

Martin Feld  00:46
...but first of all, who am I and why should you bother listening to me? Well, I’m a tech podcast fan and PhD student studying at the University of Wollongong in Australia. Three years ago, I started my PhD research project part-time, with the intention of uncovering the creative practice behind shows in my fandom. Early in my research, my supervisors, Dr. Kate Bowles and Dr. Christopher Moore, encouraged me to try podcasting myself, so that I could have a better understanding of the effort that is involved in such production. I started with two personal podcasting side projects attached to my own blogs, titled Lounge Ruminator and Feld Notes. Through this podcasting and interaction with others online, I came to launch a new tech podcast with my now co-hosts, Andrew Canion and Jason Burk, which we called Hemispheric Views. That podcast has inadvertently become the very thing that I have been researching: a fan-made podcast about technology that is delivered through RSS and which brings producers and listeners together.

Martin Feld  01:50
What is RSS though and why does it matter? RSS is an initialism that stands for ‘Really Simple Syndication’; it's a technology that not only allows publishers to deliver content succinctly, but one that users can easily add to various desktop and mobile apps to view, collect and receive updates from their favourite websites. If you've ever followed a blog or subscribed to a podcast, then the underlying RSS feed has delivered the text or audio to your chosen app. Most importantly, RSS is an open technology that makes the podcasting industry and its creative practice possible, which is being fragmented by an increasing number of exclusive audio hosts—pushed by companies like Spotify. Nowadays, it's still common to say, 'Listen and subscribe wherever you get your podcasts'—that may not be the case in the future.

Martin Feld  02:42
Naturally, tech podcasters aren't the only people who use RSS, but many champion and discuss it reflexively quite often on their own shows. Really Specific Stories uses in-depth interviewing to find out what makes RSS-based podcasting, particularly about technology, such an engaging activity and why producers and listeners value it. Down the line, responses from each interview episode will be included in my final PhD thesis, hopefully achieving the following: I want to determine what it means to participate in the tech-podcasting community; explain how and why it acts as a form of creative resistance against big tech, news media and broadcasters, based on that open technology of RSS; and contribute to the academic field of podcast studies. This show will function both as creative input and output: the narratives offered by podcast producers and listeners will go into academic research, while also being put out as a publicly available resource and archive for the benefit or the tech-podcasting community.

Martin Feld  03:47
So, what you’re hearing right now is not what any of the episodes to follow will sound like. Each instalment will feature a specific producer or listener of a tech podcast case study that I have identified. Participants are ultimately the focus, as I use the qualitative approach of narrative enquiry to uncover their personal stories through unstructured questioning. This means that in every case, participants are fully in control of their story and they get to determine where the discussion goes. I will certainly be speaking a lot less than I am right now. All episodes will start with the same basic question, as I ask each participant how their experience with podcasts began, but from there, the conversation and my questions will be influenced purely by the responses of each participant. I have no predetermined list of questions. We may hear about their motivations as producers and listeners, what they love about technology, how they feel when interacting with the medium of podcasting, the relationships they’ve made along the way—virtually anything. And while I may have certain things that I would like to personally discover, in truth, I have no idea how and where each conversation will go.

Martin Feld  04:59
To ensure the most ethical approach possible and to acknowledge that participants are sharing their experiences publicly, I am engaging in a collaborative podcasting process, pioneered by researchers Day et al., who used this method to publish stories and viewpoints from Indigenous peoples in Canada. Quite simply, this means that episodes are only published in the RSS feed for Really Specific Stories once each participant has given formal, written consent following the opportunity to review the podcast audio and transcript. Other than the addition of podcast theme music, which has been generously composed as an original track by the talented Alex Canion, I aim to preserve the integrity of every single conversation. Extreme cross-talk and any ‘ums’ or extended pauses that may affect clarity or the listening experience are removed, but otherwise everything else is kept in the episode (unless explicitly requested by the participant). If you ever hear an audio transition mid-conversation, it means that something was removed by request. Furthermore, should a participant wish to have their episode deleted from the show entirely, I will also respect this wish and subsequently insert an explanatory piece of audio in its place. In-depth, qualitative research such as this should prioritise care for each and every participant—before, during and following publication.

Martin Feld  06:24
Once published, each participant’s experience will contribute to a broader narrative in the eventual PhD thesis. I will be looking for what are called ‘narrative epiphanies’ to include as vignettes in the text, which were conceptualised by researcher Norman Denzin. These epiphanies, which are labelled as ‘cumulative’, ‘illuminative’, ‘major’ or ‘relived’ constitute turning points or moments of realisation in a participant’s narrative. They will act as research signposts for me to discuss and appreciate the value of tech podcasting as a creative community. While I won’t be calling these out during the podcast, you can think of what they may be as you listen to each conversation. Also, I should acknowledge that the tech podcasting community stereotypically consists of caucasian males in the United States, but where possible, I will aim for a diversity of voices within this English-speaking cross-section of the genre. This also depends on the willingness of participants to join the show. You will hear commonalities but there will also be notable differences in experience and opinion.

Martin Feld  07:30
With all of this in mind, the first several interviews on Really Specific Stories will focus on the case study of Hemispheric Views. You’ll hear dedicated conversations with my co-hosts Jason and Andrew in episodes one and two, to be followed by three interviews with identified listeners of our podcast. Even within the somewhat niche genre (or format) of tech podcasting, there are many shows and people who could serve as appropriate examples. I would love to interview everyone but am limited both by time and the scope of this project. Difficult decisions have to be made. What I want to achieve, however, is equal representation of podcast producers and listeners. For every podcast host who features on this show, there will be a listener. This is all about attributing equal value to the roles of production and listening. Those who form the audience still play an integral role in determining podcast content, creating fan works, posing questions and feedback and interacting with fellow enthusiasts online through various social channels. Following Hemispheric Views as a case study, I hope to include more tech podcast examples. It may be difficult to adhere to a regular schedule, which can make it unappealing for subscribers, but I thank you in advance for your patience. At the end of the series, I will wrap things up and reflect on what we’ve learnt together.


Martin Feld  08:50
Making the most of the affordances of RSS-based podcasting, I am offering detailed links and show notes, transcripts and chapter markers for every episode. These resources are important for accessibility and in facilitating a searchable archive for academic researchers and podcast fans alike. Along the way, I welcome your feedback about Really Specific Stories. If you’d like to get in touch, you can contact me @martinfeld on Micro.blog or on Twitter, follow @rsspod_net on Twitter or send an email to martin@loungeruminator.net. I hope that you’ll enjoy the conversations to come. Thank you again for joining me and I look forward to having you as we meet various members of the tech-podcasting community on Really Specific Stories. Until next time!