That the frapp which has been linked here at qPodder for some time also has advertising. It would appear that the commercialism argument is negated due to this. If commercialism were really an issue for the podcast soup link, then it would have come up earlier with the Frapper link.

In my mind, only the question of bias remains and It sounds like Mike has addressed it.

Thoughts?

I RARELY get involved in these types of converstaions, but felt compelled to with this one...

As qpodder is Madge's baby and funded by her alone, she can do whatever she wants to with the site. If she wants to sell dildos and Vagisil through the site to generate income, it's her choice. She could also tell us all to fuck off and turn the server offtomorrow. Again, her choice.

The Soup concept is a great resource for new listeners and I applaud Mike's efforts. I'm happy to see that Madge recognizes it as such and has included it in qpodder.

For what it's worth, personally, I would move the Soup link to a resources or links tab along with links to other such reveiw sites such as Yahoo, Podcast Alley, Podcast Pickle, etc. It seems like this would be a more appropriate home for the Soup.

I'd also add a new tab called "The Q Reveiew" or something of that nature. In this new tab, I would add an OPEN review process that ANYONE can contribute to. Heck, even a rating system would be great. (Fuck you Apple and Podcast Alley with YOUR ratings system!)

I'm MORE than happy to either get the ball rolling on this and admin the new tab if it would be both viable and useful. Anyone up for the challenge and helping out?

Rather than getting your panties all up in a knot over such a trivial issue, how about coming up with a SOLUTION people? Collectively, The time and energy that you've spent bitching about this could easily have been used towards something viable.

-*- Kiko -*-

I have read through the post and comments and thought, 'Ms. Hipps is being burnt by her own success.' PodcastSoup seems to be popular enough to be a desination where podcasters desire to be mentioned. As such, those that are not mentioned may feel the Soup may be elitist or commercial, not worthy of a tab atop the fair pages of qPodder. The problem is that there is only one full time reviewer and a gaggle of queercasters, all wishing attention. In the meantime, people forget the original intention of the Soup, Candles by Phebes promotion. Would you buy a candle from Mike if he did not have a chance to promote your site? Do you think he does not think of that, now that the Soup is popular? [Honestly, do you deserve consideration if you, the podcaster, demand something in return?]
It is a rock/hard_place conundrum. Blessid is the soul who breaches it. I cannot call myself a fan of da Hipps, but I would not wish to be in his position.

Congrats and best wishes... Mista-Mike of the Hipp!
Keep doing what U do mate. It's the boom!
xoxox's - Dag
www.dagomatik.net

Mike set up a directory for a bunch of us qPodders, and seems it seems like he is going out of his way to be as inclusive as possible. I don't think he has ever reviewed/summarized my show, but he did contact me about including me on his site, and continued to host the page he created for me, regardless of the fact that I have done nothing in return.

I have been to his site a number of times, and though I have noticed that he is selling candles, that seems like a small part of the site. I have always taken his side comments about not having time for people who don't mention his candles or whatnot as jokes.

MikeyPod on the Bayou
Texas: It's not just for cow-tipping rednecks anymore!
www.mikeypod.com

Paris

podcastsoup.net is not and has never been a program to listen to. I think Brad's original message may have confused you a bit. Podcastsoup.net started out as a personal blog that talked about the shows I listen to and then moved to it's own domain and now tries to cover as many shows as possible through my work and listener/podcaster contributions...but it was never audio.

we also feature an individual page for most of the shows that we link to (47, soon to be 52) that includes promos, all the relavant linkage... including feeds, sometimes pictures and bios/abouts. I also do artwork for any queercaster that would like me to do so and I give away candles to the shows to promote podcastsoup.net and my candle business.

Feel free to come by and check it out sometime!

mike hipp
www.podcastsoup.net

When I’m trying to figure out what I think about something – I frequently change one of the variables to see if what I believe still holds true --- making the situation bigger or smaller, changing the gender, changing the group affected, or in this case changing the individual or program selected to be placed on the top tab.

If I change the tab from Podcast Soup to another program, I have to agree with Brad. Podcast Soup may be a good program --- but it is only one program. If we put Twinkleboi’s program (which I love btw), or Wanda’s Program (whom I’m addicted to listening to in the shower), or anyone else’s program or website up there we are giving that individual's view more weight than the others.

We are all peers and equals. I view this group like Paris 1921 – writers, artists and fellow denizens who have arrived to share their thoughts and grow as a movement together. A program that reviews us is great but it should be held as equal to the rest of us. Placing one individual as a prominent feature gives him/her more weight than the rest. I personally don’t want to pick just one view to hold as higher.

As an alternative, I like the idea of there being a “Resources

Bonjour, Darlings –

As much as we wish the injustices and exploitation away, we are living under a capitalist economic model until we as a global culture somehow find a solution that provides a modicum of equality and material incentive for all. For now, the best we can do is be responsible capitalists – regulating the abuses but also regulating the regulation such that it is not corrupt or out-of-hand. Simply – a girl's gotta eat, but a girl honestly doesn't need to eat other people to do so.

With the above being said, I propose that super, wonderful, generous, diplomatic Mike create a clearly stated policy for promotion of his business, which I feel is quite valid and I assume is a much needed return on his investment of time and talent in creating Podcast Soup. The policy can be a guideline, not a gospel, and resolves anyone's being offended by making intentions clear and not up to anyone's individual interpretation. If you'd like some help with that, Mike, I'd be very happy to do so.

Bonne Année,

Miz xx

And I Am Unanimous In That! http://mizezslocombe.blogspot.com

Everyone has lots of great ideas here. I look forward to hearing AJ's and Madge's.

Of course I'm biased because Mike writes about Bad Weeds frequently. If he didn't I'd be down to just 1 listener (thanks Twinkleboi.)

PodcastSoup is a resource because of the multitude of banners one can click to get to all the queercasts.

Also, it has an angle on Flickr that is fun (and moist sometimes too!)

I like that this raises the issue of patronage and how shows get free publicity. I'd love some tips on how to grow my audience.

In the meantime, leave PodcastSoup up there on QPodder and buy more candles!

So as not to be taken out of context, I'm not going to talk about this subject here on the blog...rather..I'm going to discuss it on my next show!
Which will be posted Thursday Night/Friday Morning

-AJ-
The Rainbow Podsquad
Rainbow Podsquad

in front of a Drury in hotel somewhere in Atlanta stealing internet so that I can upload my response to this issue in the form of a podcast. It will be YR299 very soon.

Mike is cool and he has always been upfront that his site was mainly to promote his candles which he has and so what?
It says in big red letters on the site...
SUBMIT YOUR PODCAST TO PODCASTSOUP.NET FOR INCLUSION!
He reviews shows he likes and he asks for submitions from others so that no-one feels left out.
I guess we should also not list our shows in, iTunes,Podcastalley,Yahoo or even talk about them as they are a commercial site?
Just my thoughts....

Interesting conversation. Just a few points:

1) I've been following the Soup for just about as long as I've been podcasting. I encourage people to read through Mike's archives. He, like many of us, tends to rotate the shows that he covers. At one time, he was heavy on FatC, Feast of Fools, and Keith and the Girl. Currently, he's into Higher Things Radio, Bad Weeds, and Archer. Many of the shows that he's covered in his run aren't what I consider to be "high profile" productions; some are, but many aren't. I don't think we're dealing with a case of elitism. I think we're looking at a guy who writes synopses of shows that he listens to. Now, whether that should be something that Qpodder promotes is an entirely different question, one that I'll address in #2.

2) I see the Soup as utterly democratic. Obviously, it would be unfair to ask Mike to cover all the queer podcasts. There simply isn't enough time in a day to make that type of investment. Responding to this inability, Mike asks other people to contribute episode reviews. There's nothing that prevents any of us from reviewing our own shows. If he didn't actively push for people to submit reviews, I'd have a problem with Qpodder promoting the site.

3) Do I think some shows over-promote the candles? Yeah, but that's just my opinion. I don't think it makes for the greatest content. Have I promoted Mike's candles on FatC? Yes, and I was happy to do it. There are times I'm reading the soup that I've thought to myself, "God, I need to start talking about the candles more." It's at that moment of reflection that I have to remind myself to check my ego at the door. I think Mike's listening habits are a lot like many of my own. I spend a few months listening to two shows regularly and rotate them out when they begin to grate. Frankly, the only show for which I've been a regular listener is Yeast Radio. In the past six months, I've also listened to many episodes of PNS Explosion, Sex and the Second City, Keith and the Girl, Dawn and Drew, Lucky Bitch Radio, Twinkleboi, Willing Warrior, Feast of Fools, Hitter and Friends, and The Other "O," among others. My point: I don't think anything out of the ordinary or unfair is going on.

4) I checked out Mike's page today and noticed that following:

"Nick has no further use for Ragan Fox since he did not mention them on his Qpodder post."

I haven't listened to the episode in question, but, if the statement wasn't delivered in a joking manner, I'm going to take some issue. First, I contextualized my praise by explaining, "I'm sure I'll do a few of these entries." I'm in the midst of collecting data for and writing a dissertation, a project that documents and makes better sense of the activism that we ALL take part in. Second, I truly hope that we don't fall into a pattern of _expecting_ praise, hype, and promotion, especially when it involves turning a nice thing (i.e., thanking shows for especially informative content) into something icky (i.e., I'm done with the guy who said nice things about four shows and, gasp, my show wasn't one of them). If you're listening to my show or reading my posts to hear or see your own name, I'd say I'm not the issue. If the statement was delivered with a wink, I apologize.

5) At the end of the day, we all support the community in different ways. I'm not a big fan of talking about podcasting on my show. Because of this, I don't make a habit out of promoting other shows on FatC. This isn't to say I've never gone meta on FatC; moreover, I've definitely plugged other shows (i.e., Yeast Radio, Lucky Bitch Radio, Twinkleboi, PNS Explosion, Feast of Fools, Keith and the Girl, Soccer Girl, the Other "O," Mikey Pod, etc.) on my podcast. Additionally, I'm the one who came up with the rotating guest idea for ETHS. We agreed to the concept, because we thought it would be a great way for other people to promote themselves. I just don't want to start a precedent of expectation. It hurts and smells when other people question our integrity or make assumptions about our motivations. From my experience in this community, most people, not all, but most, come to the game with a giving and kind heart. With that said, if it comes to an assumption, it's best to assume the best in people before, as Fiona Apple says, "the image that you burn [them] in tries to teach you a lesson." Oy, not in any way a threat. Just have to throw Fiona in when I can.

P.S. Brad (Willing Warrior), I want you [to be the father of my children]. You've got a great heart. Much love to you.

If Mike wants to pay me to mention soy candles or send me some soy candles, I would mention those fuckers as much as I scream my boyfriends name or as much as Norm mentions MADGE on Yeast Radio.

Commercializm is going to happen as podcasting grows as an influential medium. That is why some of us are already being whored out or have been approached by third parties to be apart of thier website or broadcast. Do you not think they are taking advantage of your talent to push the ratings?

I do agree with the elitist aspect of WW's entry, but I also believe in free speech. In order for me to be able to say what I want to say, I have to let others do the same. To take this off Qpodder would go against our code as Podcasters to censor ourselves.

I do think that Mike and everyone will mention or advertise for his/her friends the most on the show. And Mike trys his hardest to list each and every show oh his "podroll".

If you don't like it, don't click on the tab.

Marshal Click
Gayborhood Radio: Bringing hardcore queerness to your iPod Mon-Fri!
www.gayborhoodradio.com

Hey WW. Thanks for reading the soup! You guys can take me off, I don't want to be the cause of a rift.

mike hipp
http://hippperspective.blogspot.com

*statement removed*