Editing The Pen Addict 316/transcript (section)

== Podcast Topic Selection ==


'''Brad Dowdy:''' It's a high likelihood it was picked for this episode. Because if we're going to cover 45 minutes to an hour of podcasting topics, we need lots of questions. So, I've been hitting everyone up for the last couple of weeks collecting questions for this show. Got a bunch from Twitter. Got a bunch from Slack. Got a bunch from the email. I guarantee we don't get to all of them. Really? Okay. I'll make you that bet. I'll make you that bet. I think we do get to all of them. And these are in no particular order. So, there's not any running themes. We're going to have some hard breaks between questions. You know, switching topics. But that's good. You know, we're answering the questions that you asked. So, we're going to start it off with Evgeny. Which I really liked this question. If you could launch any of your beloved stationary items into space for all time as a testament to our community, what would it be?

'''Brad Dowdy:''' You, I think, took the easy route. I don't think so. I think it's a great answer. But I think everyone goes, oh, I know what Myke's going to say.

'''Myke Hurley:''' Well, I think it makes sense. One of the space theme retro 51s. I feel like, you know, sending a little pen that looks like a space rocket into space. That makes sense to me.

'''Brad Dowdy:''' That's kind of cool. Like, I saw your answer. I was like, yep, that's Myke. And that's also the correct answer. I had a tough time with this, actually. Like, I put some thought into this. And I chose the Notco Brasstown. And it's like a super selfish thing. But it's something I'm super proud of. And I want it to live on. I want the alien colonies to discover this pen case. And, you know, put their needles in that they stick in our human brains and suck out the liquids for later. And this is going to be like their hypodermic needle storage when it gets into the outer space and picked up by the roving spacecraft. I felt a little weird like that. But then I'm like, no, I'm proud of this. And I want that to be, you know, the stationary item that lives in outer space for all time. I want it to be a Brasstown. And, you know, maybe we'll put some pins in it or something. I don't know. Maybe we'll put Myke's retro 51s in there and then launch the whole kit together. What do you think?

'''Myke Hurley:''' Yeah, sure. Let's do that. Maybe I'd even put the Dudek one up, you know, so it's got a little map of space. Anyone finds it and know which way to go.

'''Brad Dowdy:''' We can see if it makes it all the way to Pluto and then Pluto can become a planet again. Or just feel better about themselves. Yeah. Yeah. Just a little special gift to make Pluto feel better and write us a note that we'll see in several hundred thousand years from now. All right. Hard break. All the Hobbies wants to know. Does the stationary, pin, podcast, blog, vlog world have room for more podcasts, blog, vlogs, etc.? What advice do you have to folks thinking about jumping into one of these ventures?

'''Myke Hurley:''' I will start by saying off the top that the internet has no maximum capacity. Right? So, yes, in theory, of course, there's space. Like, no one can stop you. The problem is, the problem is. So, I can come at this from a world where what is happening to the pen kind of community has already happened to the technology community. So, if you are, you know, a person who is interested in, like, commentary on Apple products, that world is full. Like, it is very, very, very difficult in 2018 to get a podcast or a blog or even a technology-focused YouTube channel off the ground today because there is a real saturation of voices that exist right now. And, honestly, if you are kind of somebody in that world, by and large, what you're looking for is diverse voices now, which is a great thing. And there is work going on in kind of that corner of the world. And I hope that it continues. And we're trying what we can at RelayFM to do what we can in that realm as well. So, like, yeah, if you are a person who is considered a minority in a community, whether that's by gender or race or background of other kind, then that will help you, of course. Because if that's what people are looking for, then great. But, by and large, I would say that in the technology community, like, if you wanted to start a podcast about Apple products today, it is very unlikely that that podcast will become popular because there are millions of them, right? Like, there's hundreds and hundreds, if not thousands, definitely thousands of podcasts focused on this topic. So, over the time that I've been involved in the pen community, we went from being, like, the only podcast about stationery that I could find or that ever made it to a point where it was known. And now there are many, right? And that keeps growing. I'm sure you would see the exact same thing with blogs, right? You were, like, one of the reasons that the pen app is as successful as it is is because you started doing something before people started doing it, right? There are other reasons, like in the fact that you are very good at what you do, but you identified a niche and you catered to that niche. But now there are lots of people that want to do the thing Brad Dowdy did. And what that means is it becomes way, way, way, way harder. So, the advice that I will give to all the hobbies is the same advice that I give to people who ask me about starting a technology podcast. Only do it if you... Okay, if you want to be successful, like, very successful in this, you have to find the thing that makes you significantly different to whatever exists right now. If all you want to do is do this thing because it's a thing that you love and you want to have fun and you want to do something with your friends, then go for it. Like, no one's going to stop you. But if your plan is, I would like to make this a successful thing one day, then you need to find the thing that makes you different. If you're going into any of these things with, I want to make money, stop. Just stop and reframe and start again. Because you cannot go into any kind of creative side project like this hoping, like, with the idea of, I'm going to do this so I can make money. That's not how this works. Like, because people that work like that, they tend not to have the right frame of mind when it comes to commitment. Because I will tell you right now, it takes a long time to make any money in basically every case. So expect you're going to be doing it for free. Go out there and do it. And if it's good, people will come to it. And then maybe one day you could turn it into a thing.

'''Brad Dowdy:''' Yeah. So I'll add a couple of things.