In an article titled “Podcasting Is Not the Next Mass Medium,” David Coursey (Publish.com) poo-poo’s the idea of podcasting (and blogging, for that matter):
“Personal Podcasting, like personal blogs, is a fad and will fade. Just like personal sites were a fad in the early days of the Web. People experiment because content creation can be fun, sort of like finger-painting was back in preschool, but people also run out of creative energy, and the maintenance of a site, blog or Podcast becomes a chore. And the content gets boring, and the audience goes away.
I’ve been in the media all my professional life and have spent years trying to understand audience behavior. I can’t always tell what the masses will like, but I am pretty good at calling losers. And as a mass medium, Podcasting will be one of them. “
Three comments: First, that Mr. Coursey has “been in the media all my professional life,” might be more liability than asset in understanding what’s happening in the world of new media. Second, I’m not sure there will be such a thing as a “mass medium” in the future. We’ve been part of the masses. Now we want to be individuals. Third, the photo posted with his column makes me want to bitch-slap him real hard.