Cast of the Week X

CotW IX
You’ll find all the nominees for this week at https://ykyz.com/c/na?faveOf=cotwx

First, some shoutouts:

Shoutout to Astrocast by Diz for dropping her magic number 100. Allow Me to Reintroduce Myself

Shoutout to Music and Peace for giving ykyz its first serenade (and we’re just going to pretend it was for us). Addie’s episode 197. Take 7 – Original Music, Here’s A Serenade showcases her lovely voice and is a must-listen. Twice.

Careful watchers of CotW will have noticed that while many multi-part episodes have been nominated, none have won a grand or second prize. This isn’t for lack of good episodes that were part of a series, it’s more a reflection of the trickiness of selecting a single episode out of a series, or giving an award to a series that may not be done yet, or whose start or finish date may not coincide with the previous week.

All that said, we want to shoutout several well done multi-part series that are either in progress or done. In particular, we send a Shoutout to Just Thinking Aloud for his episode on End of our Universe pt1 – Heat death, which gives a detailed yet friendly introduction to this fascinating topic, a Shoutout to A Brewtiful Mind for his well-researched series on Monks and Beer, and a giant Shoutout to The Broken Down Starship’s fantastic series on the fake moon landing conspiracy theory. This series by James is a perfect example of using the microcast format to give multiple self-contained snippets that build on each other in service of exploring a single, larger, topic.

And now, on to the winners. But first, some honorable mentions:

78. My Father – A Hero and A Villain  by Voluptuous Voyager
This tightly scripted, emotional yet contained, episode by Asi is a lovely gem of personal reflection.


128. Money Vs. Time by SmartMoney
In this smooth and well-paced episode, Becky explores the tradeoffs between working more (or for more) versus having more money by spending less on “all the things”.


103. MSC Cruise ship crashing into the pier by Dancing Bartender
This detail-rich episode gives a (likely) explanation of what happened in a now-infamous video of a cruise ship docking with full force right into a pier, and another ship, in Venice. We recommend watching the video while listening to the episode.


99. ATTENTION – MERCURY IS NOW IN RETROGRADE by Astrocast by Diz
This innovative episode by Diz begins with a bomb siren alert and warns us of the dangers of Mercury’s movement into retrograde. Diz warns us to expect higher levels of ghosting. If only we had a little more context as to why this truly cosmic event means we shouldn’t update iTunes during the retrograde, which IMO has been solid advice for at least the past five years.


120. Manorial Food Rights by SnippetsWithSophia
Sophia delivers yet another fascinating, well-researched microcast episode with this look at “banal” laws, applied to peasants by lords in the middle ages and lingering until the period when heads began to roll, literally.


And now, without further ado, the winners of Cast of the Week X.

Runner up:
38. Stouts and Porters, Are They Different? by A Brewtiful Mind
Micah takes second prize for this insightful episode explaining the history, and difference, between two interrelated types of dark ales. Framed with the perfect short intro and outro music, Micah sticks the landing right at 90 seconds with just the right tidbit of info.  


Grand prize:
152. Bloodbread by ThatbeardedSwede
In this episode, ThatbeardedSwede is truly at the top of his game. In just 70 seconds, Fredrik gives us an informative look at bread made with animal blood as the liquid ingredient. Fredrik packs in a detailed description of the bread, its historical context, an insightful quote by the late, great food critic Anthony Bourdain, and a personal reflection on eating it as part of a meal growing up.

Cast of the Week IX

CotW IX
You’ll find all the nominees for this week at https://ykyz.com/c/na?faveOf=cotwIX

u/mattasher writes:

And now, without further ado, we present the winners of Cast of the Week IX.

But first, some shoutouts:

Shoutout to SnippetsWithSophia for joining the 100 club this week with her fascinating episode Rum And The British Navy

Shoutout to Clare for booting up a second microcast about African Food.

Shoutout to Doctor Irish for adopting an emoji for us on twitter. We wish there were a lovely Ram emoji out there, but sadly that’s not the case.

Another Shoutout to Doctor Irish for his touching and moving series on forgiveness.

Shoutout to @ndrewSteiner for becoming ykyz’s first user to offer Tarot readings, though I suspect his interpretations are mostly fake news.

And now, on to the winners. But first, some honorable mentions:

85. Wishing on a Star by Astrocast By Diz
Making the most of her 90 seconds, Diz takes us on a tour of some of the many cultures that have prayed to the stars and ends with her own heavenly experience wishing on a star.


16. Unreliable Eyewitness Testimony by Crime Research Perch
Sridevi begins a deep dive into why you can’t always believe your eyes in this intriguing episode.


189. Album In Review – Magical Mystery Tour, The Beatles
by Music and Peace
If nothing else, Addie’s album review episode is worth a listen for her two perfectly timed chipmunk interludes.


50. BEST Valentine’s Day date idea by MarassleTassle
Sonic never lets his friends down, and neither does Marassle in this VD recommendation for the pairing of a movie and mozzarella sticks.


140. Movie Myths – Wizard of Oz by The Broken Down Starship
James dissects one of the most persistent movie legends of all time, the hanging midget of oz. This well-researched episode reveals what’s really moving in the background of that infamous scene.


And now, on to the winners:

Second place:
71. Millennium – is Lisbeth Asperger? by Aspie and Proud
Aspie and Proud’s interesting meditation on whether the Girl with the Dragon Tattoo girl is on the spectrum takes the runner-up spot this week. Elsa’s thoughtful episode makes me want to re-read Stieg Larsson’s disturbing thriller.


Grand prize:
7. My Cat Peach by Joanie Reviews Stuff
In this quick-moving and packed episode, Joanie takes on the task of reviewing (drum roll please), her cat. Lively, well-paced, and funny to the point of actual LOL, this episode rates a five out of five, just like Peach. This is the first spin-off microcast episode to win a prize. We also highly recommend you check out Joanie’s other reviews, especially her takes on Metal Straws, Textbooks, and her Boyfriend’s Snoring.

Cast of the Week VIII

We now have a Facebook page:

https://www.facebook.com/ykyzHaveYourSay

Feel free to like or follow or whatever it is one does with, or to, a Facebook page.

u/Mattasher writes:

Before we get to the prizes, we have a number of shoutouts this week to those who made our week:

Shoutout to all those who joined the 100-club this week:

Clare with Brown Skin Pearls
Geraldine with fashionmusings
Janet with SnippetswithSophia
Joanie with CatGuruJoanie
Noah with Doctor Irish
Rebekah with SmartMoney

Shoutout to the two established users who booted up new microcasts this week. Joel kicked-off Wrestling with Football (about the new XFL league) and Noah crossed over into new territory with Imperfect Reviews.   

Shoutout to @ndrewSeiner for finding his groove as the microcast equivalent of dropping a tab. Always be mindful of set and setting before tuning in!

One final Shoutout to SmartMoney for launching up my new favorite channel c/dumbcriminals

And now, on to the winners.

But first, some runner’s up:
92. Chapped by Brown Skin Pearls
Perfect for this time of year, Clare goes through the basics of chapped lips and how to handle them.


52. Biscuit Lashes by Black Girl Baker
Somehow the transition from talking about grating butter to a discussion about fake lashes just… works.


104. Adulting…Easier Than a Spreadsheet by SmartMoney
Becky gives us some basic advice on how to manage money without having to plot out every cent we spend. If you have 68 seconds to spare, I recommend spending it listening to this helpful episode.


104. DO NOT NAME YOUR CAT THESE NAMES – very serious by CatGuruJoanie
This very serious episode introduces us to the many bad cat names Joanie has encountered over the years, and Gary, which is definitely the best name, not the worst.


WINNERS:
Runner up
89. The Blank Page by Life Bites Podcast
Conner’s meditation on staring on a blank page takes the runner-up spot this week. This tightly crafted episode introduces us to the enemy and leads us on to victory over the creative void.


Grand prize
93. MM’s And The U.S. Presidents by SnippetsWithSophia
This week’s grand prize winner is Sophia’s well-paced, well scripted, well-researched episode on the one box of M&Ms that recipients will want to keep around for a long time. This delightful episode alone might have been enough to bag the top prize, but Sophia complimented it with several other well researched and interesting episodes about food and the halls of power. You can find them all here:


https://ykyz.com/f/foodinhighplaces

Cast of the Week VII

CotW VII
u/Mattasher writes:

Before we get to the prizes, we have a number of shoutouts this week to those who made our week:

Shoutout to jen.again for kick-starting my new favorite channel, c/ihateitwhen. Jen’s complaint about tissue boxes may be the most gloriously relatable first world problem I’ve ever heard.

Shoutout to Black Girl Baker who’s finding a great groove with her one-two punch of baking and “tea”.

Shoutout to CatGuruJoanie who has been experimenting with YouTube-style quick edits of her audio. Though not right for everyone, this technique is working well for Joanie’s cast.

Shoutout to ThatBeardedSwede for keeping casting alive on Reddit with a dedicated channel to microcasting.

Before getting to the main event, we hereby recognize a few runners up this week:

76. Thoughts on fake pockets? by fashionmusings
Gem clearly hit a chord with this discussion of fake pockets, an endless source of complaints for my own daughter.


79. Baby Steps by Life Bites Podcast
In this thoughtful meditation on moving forward, Conner reminds us that “You can go for miles, just taking baby steps”


69. Chicken McNuggets vs Vegan Nuggets by SnippetsWithSophia
Sophia’s episode about everyone’s favorite finger snack as a kid makes us wonder how much actual chicken is in McNuggets.


And now, on to the winners!
Runner up
54. What is Chinese Astrology? by Astrocast By Diz
In this timely episode, Diz explains the Chinese system of years and animals, including the nifty trick of asking someone’s zodiac animal as a sly (but not foxy, that one’s missing) way to figure out their age.


Grand Prize
86. Attachment by CatGuruJoanie
Joanie, with a hit tip to Violaceous C, brings the receipts for what many a cat owner has long suspected. Namely, their cats actually do love them, they’re just chill in how they show it. With well researched and tightly delivered episodes, we’re quickly becoming “Securely attached” to Joanie’s excellent microcast.

Helping One Another

Have you ever seen a new microcaster come and go in one day? It is always the same complaint: “I don’t understand how this works.” Maybe together we can come up with “training program” for new comers. We all want the same thing. To be as successful as possible. YKYZ is extremely easy to use…after you learn all the places to go.

I feel the goal is to have new creators find their way to YKYZ the same way they find their way to YouTube. Random creators, or even consumers, may find microcasting interesting yet find the site overwhelming. I’ve seen so many other casters reach out and offer help. This fills me with so much joy, but then I still never see the “newb” again. This leaves me perplexed. The only reasoning I can think of is they’re too afraid to ask for more help. Maybe too afraid of making a mistake for all to see.

I would love to hear from anyone ideas on how to keep retention higher. This is an amazing platform that makes podcasting insanely easy, and everything I have heard so far from content creators here is extremely creative. Please share with me anything that would help retain a userbase.

I would enjoy seeing a mentor type system or a training plan or even walk through for new users. Obviously, some of this is extremely far fetched, but the community here is so creative, I have faith we can do it. What outside of the box ideas do you have? My personal short coming is with helping keep new casters that have a different “type” content from mine excited to come back. I am trying better to reach out to anything “nerdy” and keep the conversation going with newer users.

What ideas do you have? Is there something you would like to see from the rest of the community? For the newer users, what was the hardest part of using YKYZ, and what can be done to help ease that transition? Maybe something beyond just the blog. Something that is more hands on to help one another out. Please feel free to reach out to me if you have ideas or input. I would love to be a part of helping keep retention higher.

Community Ideas on Ways to Promote

There are many different ways to promote yourself and your microcast. What works for one person might not work for another. It’s about trial and error to see what works for your individual brand. We would like to make this post an ongoing, ever-evolving directory of sorts that we as a community can share ideas and/or tips on how we are promoting; what has worked, what has not.

Social Media

One of the greatest tools you have at your disposal when it comes to gaining more exposure is social media platforms. Using places like Twitter, Instagram, Facebook, or even YouTube can help you reach a large audience. If done correctly, this is where you could gain a lot of new followers/listeners. There is a blog post about how to promote on Twitter.

Podcast Directories

Uploading to podcast directories is another huge way to get your microcast out there. There are a ton of different directories. There are blog posts that explain how to upload to several of these directories already. I hope to keep adding to those as time goes on.

A few directories you could try (if there is an issue with uploading to a directory, please let us know):
Itunes
Google Play (U.S. and Canada)
Spotify
Stitcher
Podchaser
TuneIn
Ipodder
Listen Notes

Joining Podcasting Communities

Joining podcasting communities is another great tip. This can help you to not only network but gain insight into how others are promoting their podcasts. There are probably a fair bit of dedicated forums, Facebook groups, or even subreddits that are dedicated to this very thing. Feel free to let us know any of your favorites.

If you have anything you would like to add, feel free to leave a comment.

Cast of the Week VI

CotW VI
You’ll find all the nominees for this week at https://ykyz.com/c/na?faveOf=cotwvi

u/Mattasher writes:
Before we get to the winners of Cast of the Week VI, I’d like to send some shoutouts to folks who made our week this week:

Shoutout to Conner u/lifebitespodcast who brought in Paul Sating, our very first AmA guest. For more information about our AmA program, send us an email.

Shoutout to Joanie, who opened up a second microcast under the name CriminalCreatures, to help answer the age-old question of when should pigs be hanged for their wrongdoings.

Shoutout to Violaceous Curiosity, who took the bait from last week’s edition and seeded the definitively NSFW channel, MFK. A reminder to everyone that you can start new channels anytime you like, on the fly. Just type in the channel name at the end of the URL and go.

And now, on to the winners. But first, the runner’s up.

Ep 44 How a Gemini Takes A Compliment- Skit by Astrocast By Diz
In this fun mini-skit, Diz does her best to peg Gemini’s, and asks that other age-old question, “What grown man wears Sketchers?” I’d also recommend Diz’s other astrological one-act episodes.


EP 62 Drug Smuggling on a cruise by Dancing Bartender
In this episode, the Dancing Bartender tells the story of some Canadians who smuggled more than a little cocaine into an Aussie port of call, wherein their party comes to an abrupt halt.


EP92 IKEA by ThatbeardedSwede
When Fredrik started his microcast, I expected it would take no more than a week to get to the main event, IKEA, and soon after that I expected our favorite Swede to go off-road and leave behind his Nordic Kingdom as a topic. Instead, Fredrik found nearly a hundred fascinating episodes about life in Sweden before hitting his informative IKEA ringer and shows no signs of deviating from a topic that’s proved to be much richer than I ever expected.


And now, on to the winners:
Second Prize
Ep52 Twinings Tea – Drink Like A Royal by SnippetsWithSophia
 In this well researched, perfectly scripted episode, Sophia takes us on a historical journey into the origins of British tea and tells us how to drink like a Royal, so long as we’re willing to part with a few Pounds and put up with the pungent smell of Earl Grey blend.  


Grand Prize
Ep23 Black Tax by Asi Voluptuous Voyager
In this episode, Asi discusses the tricky dynamic when family ties are turned against children who manage to escape from poverty, and now-grown-up kids are morally blackmailed into paying a “tax” of financial gifts to those left behind.

Asi’s episode is wonderfully specific in its details, yet universally understandable in terms of the emotional dynamics it sets up, and, as I know from personal experience, this is a phenomenon that extends well beyond the black communities of South Africa.

The Call To Action

I have heard several creators at YKYZ mention they do not know where to start with marketing their microcasts. That’s right I called you creators. This is the first step in gathering a following. It’s time to stop being humble. It’s time to realize you’re creating content. It’s time to take pride in what you post here because you’re using a creative side that so many say they wish they had. What does this have to do with the “call to action”?

Many people take this important step for granted. I have watched creators on other platforms miss this vital step and disappear. Casters on YKYZ have asked where to share their content when there’s no one they can share it with. I and the blogging team, I am sure, can help with that. The first step, however, is never wasting the individuals you reach out to.

Call To Action – a piece of content intended to induce a viewer, reader, or listener to perform a specific act, typically taking the form of an instruction or directive. Never assume a listener or viewer is going to “like, follow, and subscribe” just because they like your content. Take YouTube for example. How many creators pop up in your recommended feed that you watch semi-regularly? How many of those creators do you actually subscribe to? This is where the CTA comes into play.

Content is everywhere. Creators are everywhere. Every market is saturated with content creators, and consumers have become detached from the need to follow you. Most of the time, your content will pop back up in their feed without the need to even follow you. This is due to the algorithm knowing what to put in front of them. (I can go more in detail with algorithms at a later time. This itself needs a whole article just for it.) Your job as a promoter is to hold the viewer’s hand through the whole process. Do not assume they’re dumb, but assume they’re distracted. There’s too much content around to not be distracted.

“Hey, will you listen to my microcasts? I would really appreciate it.” This triggers a sympathy emotion. Most of the time a person will listen because of that emotion. “That’s really cool!” You did it. You marketed your content a won a view. Unfortunately, you sold a short term goal. We’re all here for the long term goal though. Don’t sell views, sell marketing. You need to look at it as passive income. The income you make without working. It generates on its own. “Hey, will you subscribe to my channel on iTunes? I could really use the help.” This will help put you in the algorithm while also advertise every time you post something. Let the technology that sits in their pocket do all the work for you.

In conclusion, my call to action to you is to change how you look at what you’re offering. You ARE a creator. Take pride in that. Own everything you put in the world no matter how small. You have a gift, do not waste it. YKYZ has given you an outlet that requires little work. Lastly, change your “ask”. The days of asking for views are gone. You’re asking for a commitment. Use their sympathy for a fan, not a one and done. The Call To Action: Your underestimated best friend.

Cast of the Week V

CotW V winners
You can find all of the nominees for this period at: https://ykyz.com/c/na?faveOf=cotwV

u/Mattasher writes:

Before we get to the winners, some shoutouts to people who made our week this week:

Shoutout to Violacious Curiosity for kick-starting my current favorite channel WhichIsWorse. Takes me back to the many hours I spent playing this exact game with friends. Now who’s going to start a channel for that more adult, three option game, let’s just call it MFK? 🙂

Shoutout to Mia for the cool stickers and offer to help others with their custom art.

Shoutout to the Microcasting sub-reddit, founded by our favorite Swede Fredrik.

Shoutout to Joel for the awesome video https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aO_G_t-jSbE&feature=youtu.be


And now, on to the winners. But first, a handful of honorable mentions.

E34- Romantic Movies by Asexual Asa
Asa rolls her eyes and expresses her discontent with the literary shortcuts taken by so many romantic movies.


Ep9 African pride by Asi Voluptuous Voyager
In this fascinating episode, Asi tells us about the African tradition of fattening rooms for female fiancées. Who knew?


Ep.54 – The People You Meet off Craigslist by Life Bites Podcast
In this tightly narrated episode, Conner takes us through the various steps that make up the single serving transaction of buying something from someone on Craigslist.


EP56 Fcat or Fiction – Crossing One’s Path by CatGuruJoanie
How did black cats become the stuff of nightmares? Joanie gives us a brief history lesson, complete with spooky music. This one might have taken the top spot if it had more details about how black cats came to be associated with witches and bad luck.  


And now, on to the winners.

Second Place:
Ep93 Where’s The Drummer? by Music and Peace
Another well researched, info packed, interesting episode from Addie. In this episode, we learn how The Beatles pioneered the drummer as a properly spotlighted member of the band by putting Ringo up on a raised platform, a tradition that continues until today, and, I might add, has been taken up to 11 by modern drummers like Tommy Lee.


Grand Prize:
EP76 The Era of VHS by The Broken Down Starship
This pure nostalgia play about the days of VHS rental touched a nerve with many of us. Packed with details, James brings you right back into the days that inspired Clerks. Careful though. As James puts it himself, Nostalgia is a heck of drug.

Your First Steps

When you first visit YKYZ it may be intimidating. Never be afraid to reach out to fellow bleaters, and ask any questions you may have. The community is here to help one another! Here are a few tips to help ease your transition into microcasting:

  • If you have not already, add an intro at https://ykyz.com/c/intros. Here you can describe what your cast is all about.
  • Take a look around. Listen to other casters, and see what they are offering. Comment on episodes and get a feel of how the system works.
  • Upload your first episode. While recording, if you want to start over, simply click the cancel button next to the Bleat button and start from scratch.
  • When recording onsite, pay attention to the green timer bar under the bleat button. If you run out of time, the bleat will end and autopost.
  • After you have posted your first episode, information on it can be found by clicking the “i”. Your bleats can be marked as explicit, and you can mark other bleats as your favorite.
  • Be sure you are in the correct “room”. If you want an episode to be part of your microcast, make sure you are recording in that area and tag.
  • Feel free to test your mic at https://ykyz.com/c/tmp. Bleats here are deleted regularly, and do not show in the main stream.
  • If your record time seems shorter than others, keep in mind this is only temporary. Keep bleating to build your time.

Most of these items are covered at https://ykyz.com/wtf and the more technical walkthroughs can be found at https://ykyz.com/blog/index.php/how-to/ if you want to learn how to add your cast to iTunes and Google Play. Do not be afraid to ask any questions not covered at https://ykyz.com/c/meta. The community here will be happy to help.