Continuing with my promise to blog 3 times a week, and seeing that I have nothing much else to talk about, I thought I would take the chance to address where my thoughts are with regards to the My Life For The Code podcast I started last June and abruptly put on hold in October. Other than a momentary bit of inspiration I had around New Years day where I announced to Twitter that the podcast would return, I haven't shared much about it. I think it's about time to figure out where to go with it.

I apologize for dropping the ball on the podcast. While work at the time did make it quite difficult to get anything produced, that is not really a good excuse because there is always a way to do something if you are committed. The truth is that the winter months seemed to take a toll on my mental state. I was so full of energy and willingness to overcome my fears to produce the thing last summer, but a little after fall hit the idea of doing much of anything seemed somewhat painful. I can't really explain it, but there was no joy in it. Fast forward to today and as spring hits I feel the urge to get things going again. So I think that I will.

The My Life For The Code podcast will have more episodes. I'll pick it up in the same place I left off. I am not sure when the first new episode will be released, but mark my words, unless I die between now and the end of May it will in that time frame. I am trying to push myself towards success and I see this as a vital step in that process.

There are some things I would like to consider doing with the podcast. I would welcome your thoughts and suggestions. Here are mine...

First, I would like to have guest hosts. These hosts would record an episode as either the sole host or as a co-host with me. The format of the podcast isn't one that requires my voice to be successful, and I think it would be interesting to hear other people contribute their voice as a host. If you are interested in doing this please reach out to me. I also hope to have guest posts on the blog one day...

Secondly, I would like to focus on finding people who are either dark matter developers or are trying to build themselves up as an authority or thought leader but have not made it there yet. Most of the major voices in our industry have already been on a number of podcasts that cover many of the same things I do. If you combine Dave Rael's Developer On Fire and Shawn Wildermuth's Hello World Podcast most of what I ask is pretty well covered. I'd like to talk to people you don't already know. That is not to say I would not interview someone just because they are already well-known, but I want to focus on interviewing those who are not. I think I have already done this to some extent with my existing episodes, and I'd like to keep going down that path. If you want to be a guest please contact me!

Third, I am not going to spend as much time editing the episodes. Every episode ended up being about a 3 to 4 hour commitment for me. Recording generally took an hour, and editing took 2 to 3 hours. I would spend time removing silences and trying to take out every "umm" I could get my hands on. I think I'll just add the intro/outro, fix any egregious issues with the audio, remove any disruptions, bleep and swearwords, and call it good. If I one day find a way to fund the podcast I'll probably pay to have someone else edit it, but until then there may be a bit more crudeness to things.

Fourth, I want to add occasional variety episodes. I think it would be fun to occasionally break the format of the podcast and just talk about random things. Maybe record a monologue, or have a show with another developer discussing something I find interesting. Shake things up from time to time, and provide and out if I just can't line up a guest.

If you have a suggestion feel free to leave it in the comments below. Barring any unforeseen tragedies, in posting this I fully expect public shaming if I do not deliver on my promise of new episodes by the end of May. Thanks for reading.

Here's to being a producer again!