Today I experimented with Talkshoe. I had tried doing a show in Spanish the other night, but downloading and installing the client took longer than I thought, so I missed the scheduled time. This time, I got everything running before tying out the platform and I successfully did a show.
What Blog Talk Radio offers in simplicity, Talkshoe is the opposite. I like simplicity, but I can see how some podcasters could be wooed by all the features of TalkShoe. For instance, one feature that Talkshoe offers is the ability to host multiple shows with one login. The beauty of this login is that you don’t have to juggle multiple accounts to create shows on different topics. You simply title your shows differently and Talkshoe creates different episodes.
Another feature that can be appealing is the introduction of the Shoephone. This feature allows you to host the show through your client rather than calling in to the host line. Of course, the drawback is that if your talkshoe client craps out, your voice connection is gone too. There is an advantage to having your voice connection separate from your dashboard. I did try the shoephone. It worked well except for instances in which there were pauses in my speech. It may be my microphone or the shoephone, but the ambient noise in between pauses was clipped out. So, there are distracting breaks in the smoothness of my speech. I suppose this is fairly acceptable considering that Skype and other VOIP clients have their own issues as well. Calling in on a landline or may not yield the best host voices either. So, it evens out.
The chat client is also a neato mosquito factor that may attract people to Talkshoe. It’s pretty cool to follow conversations grouped by caller and thread. I think it may also be distracting while doing a show. What do I know? I’m new at this.
I suppose that Talkshoe does have a lot to offer even if it requires the installation of software on your computer. I prefer the simplicity of BlogTalkRadio, but I can see where some might enjoy all the features built into Talkshoe. If there is any draw for me, it’s the ability to use Talkshoe to host a conference call, which they call an Unlisted Group Call. This feature could prove to be handy for recording online meetings. In any case, based on your preferences, needs, and faith in your ability to connect, I could see how a podcaster could go with Talkshoe over BlogTalkRadio. In the end it will come down to personal preference.
Shaine 