Is this just a new vehicle for an audio tour? Not exactly there are some pitfalls to that idea.
1. Playlist behavior by default has no pausing between tracks
2. Menuing is multi-tiered and potentially difficult for clumsy fingers
3. Synching is tough
4. Imaging is clumsy
So mapping the old medium onto the new form is not the best fit. Where to go?
San Jose is using the Notes feature to do hyperlinks etc. Unfortunately this solution is based on museums loaning out the hardware, it does not accommodate the user downloading the podcast themselves.
Addressing the issue of outsourcing production:
Are they able to set up a recording studio?
Are the able to “settle for less”? (quality)
How can it fit into workflow? (cut out other projects?)
SFMOMA decided to collaborate with Antenna Audio to try and create a new form for this new medium. The started to move from a standard audio tour toward an “audio zine”.
The audio zine is co-produced with Antenna Audio. It’s 15-20 minutes long with 4-5 NPR-style features. A standout in their list of several interesting features, SFMOMA has invited visitors to submit their own podcasts and they have just published the first of those. There is also a sampling of music inspired by work in the galleries.
We were shown several podcasts and I was particularly blown away by how different and more engaging these image/audio experiences were than standard audio tours. This is really not due to technology but it seems being able to examine the media again liberated them to create new types of content.
They publish content on a 6-week cycle. At the end they posed the question “Does all of this point to a device independent future?”
Also: I’ve added my own notes from this lecture here. -Brent
During Q&A it the SFMOMA folks said the time commitment for podcasting was about 1 half of a full time posistion + the cost of production for Antenna Audio.
Comment by eric — 3/23/2006 @ 1:01 pm