I few entries ago, I talked about sitting in on one of Shel Holtz's twice weekly podcasts, and did some thinking out loud about possibly doing one myself.

It generated some good comments about podcasting in general . . . and I think I'm going to do one.

But I could never do one like Shel's. I just don't have his zeal and his commitment. The man does an hour and a half show EVERY WEEK. I should say, he and his partner, Neville Hobson, do an hour and a half together every week. But still . . . that is a LOT of time and even more commitment.

It's not just the hour and a half that the show is live. It's the time you need to spend digging up topics, booking guests, fiddling with technology, outlining the show, adding the music, etc. It's got to add up to more than 10 hours a week for Shel and Neville.

And for this particular podcast that I sat in on, Shel was actually on vacation. First at my wedding with his wonderful wife Michele, and then he and Michele were going on to Boston and New York, to celebrate their 30th wedding anniversary.

So think about that. The man in on vacation . . . and still commits to podcasting twice a week while he is gone. And furthermore, Shel wasn't even daunted when he couldn't get online at the hotel he was staying at.

He was going to do his podcast from Starbucks! Instead, he did it from my house, but there were all sorts of problems.

After setting up all his equipment in my living room, his computer didn't agree with my wireless, so he had to take everything down and move all the equipment into the bedroom to do a hard-wire connection into my ethernet box (I am making those terms up, of course; but it was something like that. All I know is, when my wireless stops working on ME, I call it a day and go to El Jardin's for margaritas. I never even knew that doing a hard wire connection into an ethernet box was an option . . .not that I'll ever exercise that option, anyway).

Finally, everything was ready to go, and the podcast went off without a hitch.

But that particular 'cast would never have happened if it was MY Podcast.

I can see four levels of commitment where I would have blown it off:

1. When packing my stuff, I would have looked at the big bag of shit I needed to drag with me to all of the cities---sound boards, microphones, my laptop, etc. . . . and I would have decided right then and there that the podcast needed to take a couple of weeks off.

2. If I did bring the bag, the MINUTE I checked into the hotel and figured out the wireless didn't work, my mind would have screamed with joy!!! No podcast!!! I don't have to spend the time it takes to research the stories, line up the guests, put together the program, set up the equipment, and do the cast. "It's not my fault!!!!" I would have told myself. "I can't get online!!!"

3. Let's say that I had HALF of Shel's commitment, and found a house where I could do it (the thought of doing one from a Starbucks wouldn't even enter my mind, so let's rule that out right now). THe minute I got to the house and the wireless didn't work, that would have been IT. I would have been so satisfied with myself for even trying, I would have started drinking early. And felt good about it. Not Shel.

4. After moving to the bedroom, there were still some problems. Enough to kill my desire to do one. Shel pushed through, and eventually did another one of his good podcasts with Neville.

That is true commitment that I simply don't have.

And remember: Shel isn't making any money off this. At least not yet, anyway. Not directly. He does it because he believes podcasting is a huge part of the future of communications; he does it because he feels that if he is going to preach to corporations that they need to podcast, that he needs to walk the walk himself; and he does it because he feels he has lots to say to the world about the importance of communications.

THAT is commitment.

Now . . . just because I don't have the commitment to do a twice-weekly podcast from the road even when I'm on vacation doesn't mean I can't do a podcast, right?

I'm thinking that if Ragan Communications handles the equipment side of it, that I could plan and do a monthly podcast from the Ragan "studio" (a conference room with equipment) that would be a lot of fun. We could have some guests, some good interplay, make fun of things, and generally have some fun. I can see a Car Talk-style format, but all about communications.

But once a month is enough, no? And if the equipment goes down, we quit. And if the wireless doesn't work, we quit. And if we're on vacation, we take a month off.

I can live with that.