A while ago I wrote about the podcasts I think you must listen to. Out of that came a question:

What about WordPress podcasts?

Yes, I do listen to WordPress podcasts, just not very many of them. I actually subscribe to every consistent one out there. They simply are rarely worth the time spent listening.

The problem with WordPress podcasts is that they just aren’t that useful. They end up with the hosts reminiscing about escapades at a previous WordCamp or talking about drinking. Then they recap the news (which I’ve already read about via WP Tavern or Post Status or WP Mail). Then they talk about the planned drinking and escapades at the next WordCamp.

They remind me of a high school day where we talked about the party last weekend. Gossiped about the week, then planned the party next weekend.

I left high school a long time ago and have no desire to converse at that level again. Massaging my beard sounds like a more productive thing to do.

Now there are at least 2 exceptions that I do listen to, because they are great and 1 promising new show.

Matt Report

I didn’t include the Matt Report in my initial list because I don’t listen to every episode. If I had to guess I’d say I listen to about 70% of them. Some of the guests just don’t resonate with me so I skip them.

Overall Matt has a great show and he is a good interviewer. He asks great questions about the business that the guest is running and how they got there.

I’d say put this in your list and skip the ones that just don’t hit the mark for you.

Apply Filters

I skipped Apply Filters last time, because it’s a developer show and the context of the original question was ‘business’ podcasts, not developer shows.

This covers some WordPress news as well, but it’s all code focused. Pippin and Brad are awesome developers and I love to hear about the new stuff they find interesting, since I also find it interesting and may not have heard about it.

Made with WP

This is a brand new one for me and it shows promise. It missed the first list because I hadn’t heard about it yet.

So far I’m through the first 4 episodes and it’s been decent. It follows a familiar format of news, favorite stuff in the week and a guest. The reason I like this, so far, more than other WordPress shows is that they don’t spend 15 minutes talking about drinking and the future of drinking.

There is some good discussion about the guests and how they came in to WordPress and what they see as the future of WordPress.

At this point I’d say try it out and see if it fits with your listening preferences. So far it does with mine.

photo credit: Mechanekton via photopin cc

4 responses to “What about good WordPress podcasts”

  1. Matt Avatar

    This means a lot to me, Curtis.

    I value your opinion and I’m glad someone of your caliber is willing to tune into my show. You were my second guest and I still cringe that I opened up with the line, “So I’ve been stalking you on Twitter…” — because it was true!

    I’ll keep working on the show and fine tuning so that I can be on this list next year. 🙂

    1. Curtis McHale Avatar
      Curtis McHale

      Ha, I totally forgot about the opening line.

      Matt I’m not sure that I’m ever going to listen to every show. I have never listened to every episode of any ‘interview’ show. Some of the guests just don’t resonate with me so I move on to something else.

      You keep doing what most of your audience wants because it’s brought you a lot of success.

  2. Jeffro Avatar

    Thanks for the post. You’re right, if you’re listening to WordPress Weekly, you’re not gaining anything of value if you’ve already read the news on WPTavern that week. The show is geared towards those who don’t read WP Tavern or other sites on a weekly basis. We get them caught up on things we think they should know, and then dive into the interview. The interviews are hit and miss. Sometimes they’re great and we cover a lot of great information, other times not so much. The nature of the beast. I like you’re critique of shows but it’s clear you’re not the listener I’m trying to attract 🙂

    1. Curtis McHale Avatar
      Curtis McHale

      All interview shows are hit and miss. Some of the guests just won’t be great, or won’t be what a specific listener does.

      I used to listen to WordPress Weekly all the time and loved it. You’re part of the reason why I learned so much in the community.