Subscribe
Sign in
Have you ever wanted to start a podcast to stay in touch with friends?
I thought I wanted to start a podcast with my friends, turns out I just wanted to use the format to stay in touch.
I travel quite a bit so I have friends in many timezones. Some of us attempted to start a podcast by each recording an audio clips and stitching them together into an episode. We quickly realized we didn't want the discussions to be fully public, however, the format of communicating through these audio podcast-like messages was a game changer.
This is what lead to the development of Roads Audio.
So have you ever wanted to start a podcast? What was that experience like?
24
Replies
Best
@rajiv_ayyangar Yes I think there is some overlap in the app's you mentioned. Do you have any theories why they didn't take off?
Some feedback I'm getting is people don't want to record their own voice or don't know what to talk about. I'm working on a few ways to handle both of those soon!
@rajiv_ayyangar Not the end of the world but I did share the post on X and since you edited the title the link is now broken. Would be nice if the old link redirected maybe that's a small bug?
This reminds me a little bit of the concept of Clubhouse when there was COVID and we started with Clubhouse audio rooms with the Slovak and Czech community – some members even shared recorded podcasts on YouTube after that and some turned into video casters when COVID left and Clubhouse bubble had shrunk.
And the second case of "audio platform" was AirChat or audio messages.
The thing you are describing is new to me but I think you can do the same with YouTube videos that are private but can be shared with someone who has a link. :)
@busmark_w_nika Roads could be thought of as a private, audio only, group message with the ability to record comments at timestamped locations while listening. This helps with organization of responses and keeping discussions context aware, compared to typical messaging apps.
The goal is to have collaborative discussions, where as typical podcasts or private YouTube videos would be more one way.
There is some overlap with Clubhouse & AirChat and even WhatsApp audio messaging
@davefaliskie I still cannot handle it. Is it something like discussion oriented or purely a podcast? Because when there is an intention for discussion, it cannot be convenient for everybody – e.g. when I need to hear a voice message, it can be more time consuming than reading + sometimes you do not have an option to record an audio message when you are in the public transport or so.
@busmark_w_nika It's more like an on going discussion you can have with a group of friends. To me it feels like a podcast but that word might be causing confusion.
It's also not intended to be a replacement to text messaging but something where you can discuss topics or stories deeper - more similar to a phone call. Except unlike a phone call you don't need to have everyone on the call live.
I think of it as a more personal "podcast" with specific groups. So maybe I share an idea for a video I want to make and then my friends can collaborate on the idea/ give me feedback when they have time. Or maybe I'm traveling and giving them an update on something I experienced or learned, but the expectation is they will listen when they have time and respond later.
But thank you for the feedback, I need to work more on my messaging and also there is room to make it more convenient in situations like public transport!
I've been using the @Cappuccino app to stay in touch with family and friends for a few years now. It's great!
@nathandofrango Nice, I discovered this app recently when looking for similar apps to Roads. If you could do anything to improve Cappuccino what would you change?
@davefaliskie mmm, I guess the main thing is that there's not really any support I could find except a defunct twitter handle. Seems like the creator is MIA. Otherwise a couple of small technical issues, like it's not clear which mic is being used. So my wife and I have both several times recorded and send garbage recordings because we didn't know that it was using the bluetooth connection or the phone or whatever. Oh, another important feature request is notifications. In Cappuccino you never know if someone actually listened to your recordings unless they respond or comment and you have to actually go into the app to figure that out.
@nathandofrango Great to know, I have the same mic situation with Roads - it's on my list to update. If you ever feel like testing out the app it's still actively developed and also has notifications for new messages. If you do decide to try it I'd love to hear any feedback/ suggestions!
Never started a podcast myself but seems like @Riverside.fm is the defacto podcast recording solution now. Is that relevant for Roads Audio? Seems like your product is more around how to connect busy people with threaded voice notes, is that right? Like how Marco Polo was doing this for video for a while?
@steveb That's exactly right. It's less of a podcast and more of a shared voice note. I have heard from some people that even using the term "podcast" when talking about Roads leads to confusion. Because yes it's not really podcasts.
@ash_grover Thank you, let me know if you have any questions/ ideas/ feedback on how it can be better!
Yesterday I had a 30 min call with a new acquaintance. Time just flew by, typically a sign that there is a lot to talk about (or bad time management if you will). I wasn't ready for what happened next. He asked me if we could continue the conversation on his podcast. He said he'd done almost 300 episodes and it'd be a 60 minute conversation. Until I read the topic of this thread, I'd never considered the idea of running a podcast to stay in touch with friends, but I actually don't think it's such a bad idea.
@per_clingweld I don't have an actual podcast myself but I suspect that it allows people to have a dedicated conversation either on a specific topic or just to catch up.
Are you going to do his show? Have you been a guest on a podcast before? Sounds like a fun experience!
Yes! I totally get that, live streaming conversations, or having a podcast definitely can bring you closer to your friends (and help you make new ones). Although it does get a bit tiring after a while, so scheduling video chats (or "coffee chats") can be another good way to stay in touch.
Other than that I think spaces on X can be a good alternative, you could chat with a bunch of friends at the same time.
Very interesting idea.
It's actually something I plan to kick off this year. As a venture capitalist and tech entrepreneur, I'm surrounded by interesting friends who are developing interesting products or participating in the development wave. We organize meetups and tiny communication from time to time, and a lot of interesting product ideas and technical concepts come from that. We plan to open source this part of our thinking. Don't we? Technology can be open-sourced, why not ideas and knowledge?
You can follow my x-account for further podcast updates.(https://x.com/AMiaoMomo)
Launching soon!
Great idea! I also have a few close friends across time zones, and this sounds way more engaging than emails. If there were some templates, that’d be awesome—I can imagine having prompts or examples to guide conversations. Then I’d just lie on the grass and pour my thoughts into the mic. Love this concept!
Product Hunt
Interesting concept...I do think a side benefit of podcasts (I have a rock-climbing podcast and an intermittent startup--related podcast with @kwindla ) is that it's an excuse to talk with your friends.
Did you try @Airchat or the 2nd iteration of @Clubhouse ? Both explored an async podcast format - vaguely adjacent to @Marco Polo. Neither managed to really take off, but both were compelling initially.