As we mentioned a moment ago, there's one other key benefit to using Gmail: The fact that Gmail provides you with an enormous amount of storage capacity. If you were simply a regular user, that would still be important since it means you can leave all your email on the Gmail server and access it from any computer that's connected to the Internet. As a podcaster, though, the amount of storage Gmail provides has a special significance. That storage allows you to conveniently use Gmail to receive audio feedback. What's audio feedback? It's when, instead of writing down his or her feedback, a listener records it and then sends it to you as an audio file. For other types of online content providers, audio feedback doesn't comprise a significant amount of the total feedback they receive. It's different for you as a podcaster, though. You are far more likely than, say, a blogger to get feedback in the form of an audio file. There's nothing surprising about this, when you think about it. Podcast listeners are savvy when it comes to digital media and are often aspiring podcasters themselves. It's only natural that they would be inclined to send you audio files. Feedback from audio files is highly desirable for a few reasons:
By all means, encourage your listeners to send you their audio feedback. And if you're using a Gmail account, you'll have more than enough storage to save and conveniently access all the files you receive. By the way, in addition to show feedback, there are a few other types of audio files your listeners might occasionally send in, depending on the kind of show you produce:
Your Gmail account is a great place to receive and store all of these. |