As Tom has noted (with picture!), we’ve been trying pretty hard to create a good user experience around the podcasting and downloading trials we’ve instigated recently. And I think we’ve done a pretty good job. Until Odeo and the like arrive to hugely simplify the process of subscribing/unsubscribing to podcasts, it’s a messy business currently, and this is one of those areas where the BBC’s traditional mission to explain, demystify and advocate new technology is entirely in line with the need to create useful, usable user experiences. Credit to Jamie Tetlow and Sarah Prag in particular, though as ever, it’s been a team effort.
It’s also worth listening to Radio 4 and Five Live a bit, given that you might catch some of the trails for the downloads and podcasts available there. This is another important component of taking this technology to a new audience, and it’s imperative that we use our ‘traditional’ radio broadcasts to complement and contextualise the work on IP-based platforms. Speaking the language of the network, from the slightly querolous tones of Jim Naughtie to the collaged soundclashes of the Five Live trails, they are increasingly adept, careful explanations of this currently complex tech, for millions of citizens who are not necessarily comfortable with this technology. We have more work to do here, and we’re not as joined up about this kind of thing as we might be, but this side of the BBC’s activities is important too – and it doesn’t just benefit us, either.
In other news, our new Glastonbury 2005 site is live, as reported by one of our mighty client-side developers, Duncan Ponting, who notes that it’s about as CSS as we can get at the moment and that it features an RSS feed for your newsreadin’ pleasure. Tip o’ the hat to designer Kate Rogers, too!
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