PODthreads -- discussion threads via podcasts

[SkepticGuy]

Some weeks ago, we began an experiment with podcasting on AboveTopSecret.com (http://www.abovetopsecret.com/forum/podcasts.php) (yeah that's right... the tin-foil hatters), and it's quickly evolved from "experiment" to a fully blown feature of our large discussion board community. Adding a podcast to our feed is simple, just upload your mp3.

Hearing the voices of board posters has been a fundamentally transforming experience, and now have PODthreads... where members can respond to a podcast with a podcast, and contain the discussion within a dedicated RSS feed. The PODthreads are on this page:
http://www.abovetopsecret.com/forum/podcasts.php?feed=threads
We have 16 PODthreads (this attribute was enabled only 9 days ago) on a variety of topics including one from a member who's uncle spent time inside Area 51.

In the three weeks that our podcasting service has been running, 28 members have contributed 161 podcasts.

We think this is a potentially very interesting direction for podcasting and online communities.

[docsnavely]

i'm not sure it's a podcast since people aren't subscribing via RSS, or are they?

it does however sound like a very interesting, bandwidth heavy idea!

if i had my own T1, i'd be all over it......

[SkepticGuy]

Each thread has it's own RSS feed, so it's a podcast allright. ;) (The direct MP3 links are for ease-of-use for our members unable to subscribe to a feed as yet.)

For example, this is the thread feed for the discussion about UFO's and Aliens:
http://www.abovetopsecret.com/podcasts/160.xml

Our main feed, http://www.abovetopsecret.com/podcasts/ats.xml , has had over 12,000 hits in the past week alone.

We're on 4 dedicated servers with a total of 8 terrabytes of available bandwidth... so we're okay for now.