11
Jan
2012
18

How do you consume digital media?

Sometimes I’m surprised by the “form factor” of digital media. For example, I rarely bother with podcasts that are under 30 minutes long, because I listen to them in the car.  Here’s how I consume digital media:

In the car

At work

  • Music, almost always MP3s on iTunes.
  • Haven’t had time to check out streaming services, like Rdio, yet
  • I can’t focus on work and listen to podcasts at the same time

At the gym

  • If I’m lifting weights, music, on my iPhone (Mp3s).
  • If I’m on the bike, video podcasts (30 minutes to 45 minutes is perfect)

At home, work nights

At home, weekends

  • iPad reading with breakfast: Zite, Flipboard, Edmonton Journal
  • Video podcast: I watch one video podcast on Saturday or Sunday: CBC News “At Issue” political panel

How do you consume digital media? Do you listen to podcasts? When and where? Do have a favorite web show?

Category: Blog
  • Steve White

    Walking to work: Listening to Backhand Shelf and Marek vs. Wyshynski podcasts (both hockey-related), or Q with Gian Ghomeshi.

    Walking home from work: Reading RSS feeds on iPhone Reeder app, Twitter feed.

    Before sleeping: Reeder, Twitter, Zite, and sometimes Flipboard. Main subjects are hockey, accounting, Apple, theology, and local and worldwide general news.

  • jstainer

    On the back end of a podcast hiatus to take time to slowly digest books, but I’ll be switching back to more podcasts again shortly.

    When: Cutting grass, doing dishes, working on the house.  Any time where I am not required to be engaged with people and I am busy doing other things seems to work best.

    What: Audiobooks (had an Audible account for a while and really enjoyed it, but I’m too cheap to keep it). and Podcasts (Skeptic’s Guide to the Universe, NPR’s Radiolab, Hardcore History, and a selection of a few different church podcasts)

  • http://justinjackson.ca/ Justin

    So interesting to see people’s habits. The context of content consumption IS important!

  • http://justinjackson.ca/ Justin

    I had an Audible account for awhile as well! I actually really enjoyed it (for listening in the car), and was thinking about getting a subscription again. The problem is that there are enough good podcasts to keep me occupied.

  • http://twitter.com/stevetsuida Steve Tsuida

    Context is media. I’m always blown away when I see a busy work team asked to watch a 24 minute video of a conversation. Two people talking about abstract things, rather inanimately, but because video is arbitrarily of a “higher order” than audio, the conversation goes out as video.

  • http://twitter.com/karenbdc Karen Douglas

    When: at work almost exclusively. I have a lot of boring, routine work that at this time of year makes up 75% of my day so I have a lot of time.
    I listen to Mitch Joel’s Six Pixels of Separation weekly podcast (communications and marketing focus). I often listen to the good ones (Seth Godin, Avinash Kaushik) multiple times.
    At this time of the year the rest is hockey.
    I never miss Marek vs Wyshynski (general NHL hockey) and I usually catch up on Oilers Now and Inside Sports from the day before (Oilers focus).  
    If that runs out then I listen to other social media podcasts – usually from links on Mitch’s page.
    I don’t work out in a gym. I watch hockey while I do strength training at home and if I am outdoors I prefer to listen to my own thoughts.
    I read a lot of blogs – that happens whenever I have a moment.

  • http://kylefox.ca Kyle Fox

    Podcasts: I listen to a bunch of the 5by5 shows, including 

    - Back To Work with Merlin Mann
    - Build & Analyze with Marco Arment
    - Hypercritical with John Siracusa
    - The Talk Show with John Gruber

    The content is top-notch (all those hosts are pretty well-known & interesting folks) even if some of the shows run long. I also listen to CBC Ideas (depending on the nature of the content), and my personal fave, Radiolab.

    Music: I buy all my music from eMusic and listen with iTunes. I tried Rdio, but it’s not for me. I need to own my music.

    I listen to podcasts & music mainly while working at the computer or at the gym (I rarely drive). Probably 30% of the time I’m working I don’t listen to anything because I find it distracting (even music — I wind up drumming on my desk and staring at the wall).

    I read RSS feeds in the morning (using Reeder), and in the evenings I sometimes catch up on Twitter, Instapaper, or watch some TED talks. Or I’m reading an ebook on my iPad using iBooks or the Kindle app.

    Whew! Sorry for the long comment. I had no idea how much digital content I consume until I started writing this!

  • http://justinjackson.ca/ Justin

    Wow. HOCKEY can really impact your content consumption habits. ;)

  • http://justinjackson.ca/ Justin

    Love it. I’m really doing some market research here: what kind of content do people like, what’s a good length, and where do they watch / listen.

    One day I’ll put this information to use. ;)

  • James Schutz

    I listen to a ton of books via Audible – both fiction and non-fiction. In the car, doing chores at home, walking, before bed. Podcasts as well: Age of Persuasion, Q, MacBreak weekly, WNYC radiolab. I still enjoy a lot of these podcasts, but honestly, I’m trading podcasts for audiobooks more and more because I’m enjoying digging into deeper, well-written and performed content.

    Flipboard on the iphone has gotten me reading blogs and news again for the first time in a while. I’m going to have to get an iPad one of these days as I’m sure that would be a much nicer form factor.

    Music: itunes or Jango or grooveshark for streaming.

  • http://justinjackson.ca/ Justin

    I’m a big fan of Age of Persuasion (now it’s called Under the Influence).

    I really like the richness and depth of Audible books (as compared to podcasts); although a good guest on a podcast can really fire me up.

  • Doug

    I sure do. I listen to a couple of different pastors and authors. But i really like the shower length casts. 8 to 12 minutes.

  • http://justinjackson.ca/ Justin

    You listen in the shower?!?!?!

  • http://justinjackson.ca/ Justin

    True.

  • Ashley Jacobsen

    I listen to the Stuff You Should Know podcast before bed.  If there isn’t one, I default to Stuff You Missed In History Class.  Both are awesome. 

  • Happycamper305

    I listen to padcasts from twit.tv in the car going to and from work. Flip board, twitter and feedly for different feeds as well.

  • http://justinjackson.ca/ Justin

    Same here! I do get frustrated with Twit: the panel guests (especially Dvorak) interrupt and talk over each other constantly. I think 1-2 guests can work, but 3+ guests is a cacophony.

  • http://justinjackson.ca/ Justin

    I hadn’t heard either of those! Do you listen through iTunes?

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