BYOB pen club podcast

[ShugPug]

Incidentally, there's another new pen podcast: https://thenibsection.podbean.com

This one I like - it has a structure and a plan. Thanks for the heads up! A combination of a moderate commute and training for a February half-marathon means I have plenty of time to listen to podcasts

[catbert]

Incidentally, there's another new pen podcast: https://thenibsection.podbean.com

This one I like - it has a structure and a plan. Thanks for the heads up! A combination of a moderate commute and training for a February half-marathon means I have plenty of time to listen to podcasts

Working my way through their back catalogue - impressed so far.

[penwash]

Incidentally, there's another new pen podcast: https://thenibsection.podbean.com

This one I like - it has a structure and a plan. Thanks for the heads up! A combination of a moderate commute and training for a February half-marathon means I have plenty of time to listen to podcasts

It's still way too long for me. And spending a lot of time talking about the stuff that everyone (who is up to date with fountain pen happenings) already know.

And maybe someone can answer this. Why isn't there a single podcast/youtube channel/blog that is dedicated to vintage pens?

It's almost like looking at a long line of cars, jam packed on a crowded freeway,
on the other side, an almost empty, smaller but scenic and interesting road,
and saying to oneself: "You know what, I'll just be another car in the traffic jam, I bet I could make a difference because of my "format" and basically seeing and talking about what everyone else on the freeway is already talking about a hundredth times".

[Jon Szanto]

And maybe someone can answer this. Why isn't there a single podcast/youtube channel/blog that is dedicated to vintage pens?

You can easily answer this yourself: generations.

• Name me a bunch of young people totally into vintage pens, and really know their history, variations, repair techniques and valuation.
• Name me a bunch of older vintage pen collectors who are completely savvy with online life and know how to set up, produce and distribute a podcast.

If you draw a Venn diagram of those two groups, you'll be lucky if the two circles even touch, much less have an overlapping segment.

[catbert]

Grandmia on YouTube is mostly about vintage pens.

[Jon Szanto]

Grandmia on YouTube is mostly about vintage pens.

Yes. I prefer not to watch him nearly fuck up a vintage pen and dole out advice so n00bs can also damage a fine old writing instrument. Some long threads over on FPN involving some well-known repair people trying to get him to understand some of the... lack of support. I've actually seen the damage done on reddit, with people following his advice and messing up a good pen.

[stub]

Anyone listened to the 2 episodes (so far) of this - https://www.byobpen.club/episodes/

I listened to one episode while packing some boxes today. It had a bit of a Chapo Trap House vibe but I must confess the spectacularly shitty sound quality and the awkward interruptions (seemingly due to latency) was frustrating. Half the time I wanted to actually hear the name of a person of pen being discussed I missed it. Not sure what could be done about it, and I don't think you need "penhabit" levels of production but if the sound could be improved it sure would help.

Edited to add: I could see getting into some of the personalities there. Seems like good folks. I Liked that there was the hacker and the (I mean this sincerely as a compliment) the grumpy curmudgeonly grad student (Was it Sarah? a gas).

[sgtstretch]

Anyone listened to the 2 episodes (so far) of this - https://www.byobpen.club/episodes/

I listened to one episode while packing some boxes today. It had a bit of a Chapo Trap House vibe but I must confess the spectacularly shitty sound quality and the awkward interruptions (seemingly due to latency) was frustrating. Half the time I wanted to actually hear the name of a person of pen being discussed I missed it. Not sure what could be done about it, and I don't think you need "penhabit" levels of production but if the sound could be improved it sure would help.

Edited to add: I could see getting into some of the personalities there. Seems like good folks. I Liked that there was the hacker and the (I mean this sincerely as a compliment) the grumpy curmudgeonly grad student (Was it Sarah? a gas).

Episode 0 had rougher audio because everything was recorded and mixed into one track. Episode 1 started with individual audio tracks from each participant, and as a result, the audio quality is much better. We were actually pretty happy with Ep 0, all things considered, but we do have a professional sound control guy on the podcast, and he's mixing all the audio together for us.

[penwash]

And maybe someone can answer this. Why isn't there a single podcast/youtube channel/blog that is dedicated to vintage pens?

You can easily answer this yourself: generations.

• Name me a bunch of young people totally into vintage pens, and really know their history, variations, repair techniques and valuation.
  
• Name me a bunch of older vintage pen collectors who are completely savvy with online life and know how to set up, produce and distribute a podcast.

If you draw a Venn diagram of those two groups, you'll be lucky if the two circles even touch, much less have an overlapping segment.

Jon,

I can actually give you some names on your first query up there (bolded).

Also, it's surprising (at first) to me that almost all of my vintage pen buyers are young professionals.

I can tell that they are young from the correspondence. And almost all of them told me that vintage pens are charming in the ways that modern pens are not.

And by the way, some of them bought multiple pens from me (not at the same time).

So yes, my question stands. Why aren't there podcasts dedicated for vintage pens?

Maybe the answer is: Not yet.

[Jon Szanto]

I can actually give you some names on your first query up there (bolded).

Right, Will. It was *somewhat* rhetorical, but the main point is that any numbers in that bunch completely pale compared to all the younger people into new stuff. And I'd wager that they peeps you speak of have nowhere near the experience of the old dogs of vintage, for obvious reasons. Time will tell, though.

[Sammyo]

Ok, so here are my 10円 worth... I want to give constructive feedback.

I like the idea, and I like what you are trying to do.
I like a Podcast with a more "natural" feel to it. Something that feels organic, interviews that go off on tangents that reveal interesting anecdotes.
I like the idea that you are part of a conversation, that you are sitting with friends.

However...

In most podcasts there are normally only 2-3 hosts.
This is because too many people trying to talk and make their points/comments gets busy and confusing.
It actually takes you out of the "intimate" setting and into trying to listen in at a busy bar, where you can't hear or take in all of the comments and information.
It ultimately takes you out of the conversation.

They usually sit in the same room to record.
If you've ever been in a global teleconference, you know the feeling of people accidentally talking over each other resulting in awkward silences as people try to decide who should talk.
It creates "unnatural" breaks in the rhythm and patter of the discussion. This makes it hard to follow and feels "unprofessional".

It is ok to say you don't like something.
I agree that there are to many "sales" podcasts and YouTube videos out there where everything is perfect.
No, Noodler's ink and pens are not perfect; Yes, Visconti has major issues with their nib QA; Yes, some companies have gone down recently... but maybe it's because they were overcharging for their products in a limited market!
Feel free to say negative things... but! there is a golden rule... 5:1... for every negative thing you say, you should say five positive things... I personally feel that this is to high, but it is statistically proven. But I would at least got for a 2:1 positive rate.

All Podcasts need some form or structure, even if it is light and flexible.
Without some form or structure, the listener gets bored easily. It becomes difficult to follow a meandering, winding road of discussion with no focus.
I would recommend picking a topic for discussion. Maybe a brand of the week, or just inks. It is Ok to go off topic if that is the natural flow, as long as you come back again.

Edit out the pauses, erms and fluffs.
It is ok to feel natural, but even natural Podcasts are cleaned up before release. It would probably cut a good 15-20 mins out of the time just with that (yes, trust me, I've done it and been amazed how much time is taken up with this stuff!).
If you don't have an editor there are some good, free to download ones out there.
I can recommend "Audacity" as a great, easy to use and free start point.

If it doesn't work or fit, remove it.
It is ok to delete whole sections of the conversation.
I know you want it to feel natural, but when you listen back to it (in full) you have to be honest to yourself. Does a listener need/want to hear that?

It is too long.
With all of the issues above, it makes it hard to listen for a long period of time. Your brain gets exhausted trying to keep up with so many people and so many comments.
If it was broken down into smaller edits with an intro it might be better. Something like "today we are joined by X, Y & Z, they have been discussing A,B,C... let's listen in..."


I hope that this helps. I want it to be constructive, I understand, my brother has a Podcast that I contribute to sometimes.
Please take this in a friendly way as it has been learnt over time and I want to share my experiences with you.

[amk]

I find the videos and podcasts that get me listening are those that give a breakdown of salient points, so if I'm short of time I can cut to the chase and say no, not interested in this or that pen show, new Bungbox ink, whatever, but I *do* want to know about the new Pelikan white transparent or about DIY flex nib modifications. I appreciate your pen show is probably more fluid than that but even so, stick some pointers in and I'm going to be more motivated to listen just for that one bit, and I might then spend a bit more time listening to some of the rest.

I do like the very full links section. Fascinating!

[ShugPug]

Ok, so here are my 10円 worth... I want to give constructive feedback.

Much more constructive than what I wrote, but I agree with what you have said.

[ShugPug]

Just listened to Episode 2 (the latest version). Really enjoyed it - thanks for taking the feedback on board!

Now - where to buy some Jentle Rikyu-Cha from...

[ShugPug]

Just listened to Episode 2 (the latest version). Really enjoyed it - thanks for taking the feedback on board!

Now - where to buy some Jentle Rikyu-Cha from...

And now I see why you like it quite so much!

Kaweco Al Sport medium in a Rhodia webbie.

[penwash]

Just listened to Episode 2 (the latest version). Really enjoyed it - thanks for taking the feedback on board!

Now - where to buy some Jentle Rikyu-Cha from...

And now I see why you like it quite so much!

Kaweco Al Sport medium in a Rhodia webbie.

Rikyu Cha is a very popular Sailor Jentle ink.
It's a favorite of a lot of FP users including myself.

[Jon Szanto]

I've never quite gotten any particular "fuss" over an ink, at least not to the level of mania that causes people to buy out an ink or multiple swoon-fests. Nonetheless, I am aware of such mania. Rikyu Cha is nice, but it was never enough to pull me away from a less mentioned ink, Stipula Verde Muschiato, which as the name implies is just a tiny bit more green (and more interesting to my eye). This page (not mine) has them near each other:

[Marsilius]

I've never quite gotten any particular "fuss" over an ink, at least not to the level of mania that causes people to buy out an ink or multiple swoon-fests. Nonetheless, I am aware of such mania. Rikyu Cha is nice, but it was never enough to pull me away from a less mentioned ink, Stipula Verde Muschiato, which as the name implies is just a tiny bit more green (and more interesting to my eye). This page (not mine) has them near each other:

I agree this is a close match. But if you don’t get it about Rikyu-cha, maybe you just don’t get it.
Serliously, Verde Muschiato became my OTHER brown/green ink.

[Jon Szanto]

But if you don’t get it about Rikyu-cha, maybe you just don’t get it.

Either that or I've sussed out the Emperor's new clothes for what they are.

[catbert]

Latest episode is much improved but lost me at 'cake or pie?' What's with OR?
('Cake or death?' is a different matter, of course.)