podcasts

jetheriot

Federal Court Confirms: Patent Troll Doesn’t Control The Entire Idea Of “Podcasting”

The idea of recording audio and video shows and then posting them online seems rather common-sense, and thousands of people were doing it around the world long before anyone ever coined the term “podcast.” Yet that didn’t stop one company from demanding payment from broadcasters, claiming it holds the patent on the very concept of podcasting. Hopefully this particular piece of trolling has come to an end, with a federal appeals court affirming a previous decision that this patent was trying to protect an invention that already existed. [More]

Tara Chavez

Podcasters Take Annoyance With Tech Support Scammers Really, Really Far

If you’re looking for something to brighten your Monday, and you’ve always wanted to learn more about the actual people and businesses behind the robocalls that plague your phone, here’s just the thing. It’s a world-spanning epic that began with a tech support robocaller that happened to dial the number of the wrong bored podcast host. [More]

Amazon’s Audible Creating Network Of Subscription-Only Podcasts

Amazon’s Audible Creating Network Of Subscription-Only Podcasts

If you’re a big podcast listener, you may have wondered whether it would be possible to just pay up instead of listening to one more rambling ad spot for Audible, Blue Apron, or Stamps.com. There’s a growing number of options out there, and the newest one happens to be from Audible, the Amazon-owned audiobook services. The company’s new service, Channels, charges a subscription fee for curated ad-free audio content that the company won’t actually call “podcasts.” [More]

Finally, A Personal Finance Podcast For People Who Don't Want To Listen

Finally, A Personal Finance Podcast For People Who Don't Want To Listen

The blog Personal Finance Hour is the home to a weekly live audio show with personal finance bloggers over whatever topics they like. Sometimes the conversation turns inward and focuses on trying to blog for profit, or blogging as a part time job. Sometimes the conversation is about things like remodeling your home or planning for a vacation.

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Here are 5 personal finance podcasts to subscribe to, download, and argue with during your commute or workout. [Automatic Finances] (Photo: uhuru1701)

The Best Personal Finance Podcasts

The Best Personal Finance Podcasts

If you’re a podcast sort of person, Get Rich Slowly has a list of 12 personal finance podcasts that they say are the best of the bunch—informative, entertaining, well-produced, and unique. “Money Girl’s Quick and Dirty Tips for a Richer Life” is their top choice:

Coming Soon To Podcasts, More Advertising!

Coming Soon To Podcasts, More Advertising!

The advertising industry has developed new and innovative ways to generate cash from podcasts. At this early stage, the ideas are nothing more than substance-free buzzwords; there is a promised “multifront initiative” that features “improvements in technology.” We don’t know what that means to the average podcast listener, but wow, doesn’t it sound exciting? The few concrete ideas that have emerged are unimaginative and dated. From the New York Times:

Ms. Bratton, who is an online advertising industry veteran, said she believes she has found at least one good format for running advertisements within podcasts. In addition to placing a sponsor’s advertisements at both ends of a show, she also inserts an advertisement in the middle.

AUDIO: Comcast Easily Tricked Into Giving Your Personal Info To Wiseass Teenagers

Like many companies, Comcast doesn’t train its customer service reps enough in security verification. The result is that anyone can call up, pretend to be a service tech, and get your info. Criminals can pick up pieces from one company and use them to get more information out of another, and so on. They can use the end result to steal your identity, your bank account information, and other fell deeds.

Vincent Ferrari Interviews The Consumerist

Vincent Ferrari Interviews The Consumerist

Vincent Ferrari interviewed us a few weeks ago for his new Side Salad podcast. We talk for 53 minutes about exploding batteries, Mike Krempasky, why blogs are neat, and why companies need to listen to their customers better.

The Consumerist Podcast

The Consumerist Podcast

Hey, now there’s an easy way to keep track of all our audio fun.

Walmart Is Mad At The Consumerist

Walmart Is Mad At The Consumerist

Earlier this summer, we did an interview with the No Respect! podcast. They asked us about The Consumerist in general and Walmart in particular. Especially of interest was our meeting with Mike Krempasksy (above, center, tie), who runs the Walmart blog war team at Edelman PR. After a series of disapariging posts, Mike wanted to meet up with us for drinks. He opened the meeting with, “This is all off the record.” The next thing out of his mouth was, “What can we do to get you to stop writing about our companies?” You can hear more about it in this episode of the No Respect! podcast.

Big Thumbs Up For Audible

Big Thumbs Up For Audible

Here at the Consumerist, we don’t merely like to crush our enemies and hear the lamentation of their women. We also get a thrill at the occasional email when a company does something right.

Pranking Solicitors Into Endless Telemarketing Loop

Creative Bastard blogger set up an extension on his phone line to route telemarketers to. It plays a loop of his voice being “highly interested” in the rep’s offer, with the goal being to keep the t-marketer on the line as long as possible.

UPDATE: Comcast Censors Critical Nightline Story

UPDATE: Comcast Censors Critical Nightline Story

Reader Jason reports that a fishy cut of last Friday’s Nightline was also heard in their podcast of the show. Listen here. Missing on both the internet-over-tv service and the podcast was a segment containing an infamous clip mocking the cable operator.

Consumerist on G4, Small World Podcast

We did a good a whole bunch of media-whoring this week. In addition to CNBC, we also hit up G4’s Attack of the Show to talk about viral marketing.

Call in Your Product Gripes and Loves to Buzzophone

Call in Your Product Gripes and Loves to Buzzophone

If textual bitching doesn’t get your rocks off enough, go auditory with the Buzz-o-Phone. Call 1-800-591-5375 and leave a 2-minute-or-under product/ service/ company gripe or praise. Your message gets automatically uploaded to the Buzz-o-Phone podcast for other’s delight and perusal.

iPod Porn To Turn Children Into Sex-Fiends

iPod Porn To Turn Children Into Sex-Fiends