by Brian Baltosiewich
There?s something for all of us to take away from the Facebook Follies this past week. In case you?ve been in a coma, Facebook rolled out a drastic change to their platform and the public backlash was, let?s say, considerable- and overwhelmingly negative. Now personally, I believe they released an interface so wonky and hard to navigate intentionally- so that when they roll out the next version (coming, we?re told, very soon- in fact some ?developers? already have it) that it will be that much more better than this clunker we all feel like we?ve been saddled with and the Facebook folks will be perceived as heroes who really listen to their audience.
Anyway, the lesson in here for us is about comfort. Everyone likes to be comfortable. It?s why we hang on to those old slippers for so long, or that recliner in your living room that?s fraying around the seams but has the groove in the seat you just can?t part with. I?m not suggesting that any of us can compete with what Facebook has accomplished, but what we can take from is this: We love to be comfortable. Facebook, as much as we may complain about it, is comfortable and we?ve become dependent on it. So change as drastic as what they released this time around is jarring.
When you have your own podcast site, you will be immersed in every part of it- from the look, to the content to the format of your show. From day one, you?ll start to dream about it. It will become part of every moment. You?ll think about it in the shower and at red lights. Your spouse will be talking to you and you?ll look at her and nod but you?ll be thinking about your website. And you will want to change it.
Resist that urge. Even if you?re sick of it, your listeners aren?t. They?re not thinking about it 24 hours a day like you are and not spending nearly as much time there as you are. And they?re comfortable with it, warts and all. Not to say you can?t tweak it, but be careful with huge overhauls. At Radio Exiles we?ve been through one major change in nearly three years, from a strictly utilitarian site to what we have now. That one transition was disruptive and challenging, and there was some backlash from some of our listeners.
Take comfort (see what I did there?) in the fact that once you?re sick of it, it?s just beginning to take hold among your audience. Stay consistent, resist that urge to completely change the site or your show and focus on growing your audience and just being a better podcaster. Your comfort matters, too.
Brian Baltosiewich has been a broadcast professional for more than 20 years. His podcast website, www.radioexiles.com features professionally-produced podcasts from radio pro?s who have lost their gigs.
Reach out to him at brian@radioexiles.com or through their twitter account @radioexiles and on Facebook at radioexiles.com
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