Hello Everyone!
I found this assignment very interesting because of my limited knowledge of Podcasts. I can see them being very effective for many reasons. One, it allows the audience to just listen, not needing to look around for information or put any puzzle together. Two, it also allows the source of information to communicate emotions in there voice. Three, a podcast can very easily be download to an Ipod which can now being taken anywhere (as opposed to printing out information). The drawback is that it is only audible and not visual.
The two websites that I reviewed were Fitness Rocks (FR) and Nutrition Diva (ND). Because of their names, I thought it would be interesting comparing the two. The women on the ND podcast certainly sounded like a diva and I enjoyed listening to her voice and found myself absorbing much of the information. The FR was a little different than what I expected from the title but their website had some great information to complement the Podcasts (i.e. downloadable print materials and a very cool quiz center). Although this had more information than the ND, the Diva's slogan is "Quick & Dirty Tips" so they don't claim to have more anyway. Regardless, I think both websites provide some great information that will be helpful to many audiences.
What do you think?!
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The concept of podcasting is not that new for me and I think it is an awesome invention. It's just like a magazine subscription-you subscribe once and new issues (or episodes) are delivered to your computer automatically. The best part is that subscriptions to Podcasts are absolutely free!
ReplyDeleteI was rather interested in Health and Medicine podcasts. esp., the Lancet & Mayo Clinic podcasts. I also have a subscription with Health podcasts on iTunes. Watching new episodes, be it audio or video keeps me updated all the time without having trouble to find new information. The Lancet group has been working since ages and have a vast amount of audio podcasts available with special focus on cancer, infectious diseases & neurology. Whereas, the Mayo Clinic podcasts do have a visual version in addition to audio one. They have tried to show even some researches conducted by them and personal interviews of patients pre & post treatment and they also have a popular Mayo Clinic's You Tube channel. Altogether, podcasting is a great way of enhancing one's knowledge about various diseases, especially if one is related to public health sector.
Well, this turned out to be such a fun assignment that I ended up listening to all kinds of different medical podcasts than just the two that were required. The two I initially chose to listen to were the Mayo Clinic and NIH Research Radio. There was so much interesting health information on both of these sites that I found myself just listening to various episodes.
ReplyDeleteI think this is a great resource for accessing information when you want it and from where you are which seems to be one of the golden rules of health communication. Subscribing to an organization’s podcasts is such an easy way to keep abreast of medical news of interest. This is something that I will definitely access in the future now that I know about it.
Podcasts are strange to me. Same with you tube. I think i missed the boat on these. Maybe its because i really don't watch that much tv either. Point being, this assignment stretched the limits of my attention span.
ReplyDeleteI watched the fitness rocks and what i think was the diet detective (the link didn't take me straight to the podcast so i was left to my wandering devices).
With respect to the fitness rocks podcast. Yes, i fully agree that its a problem that so many people sit for so long during the day. I am one of them. I'm actually sitting in my office right now. I've been sitting here since 6:45 am when i arrived. I will sit here until 3 when i leave... to go sit in class for a few hours. Unfortunately, that is the nature of the working beast. I think that getting up and moving about throughout the work day is a great idea. However, i see problems with that. Many people don't have room in their offices/work places to do this type of thing. Also, i dress pretty casually to work, but still, many of the clothes i wear would not permit that type of thing - i would love to see a woman who actually dresses work appropirately do lunges - stilletos and pencil skirts don't lend themselves nicely to exertion. The guy was a cheeseball too. Made it hard to take him seriously.
As for the diet detective. I ended up watching the WE preview for I want to save your life. This is an obvious network take on the biggest loser. I'm a biggest loser addict so this might be bias. I think its a great idea to help people lose weight the healthy way and promote it through this edu-entertainment vein. However, it saddens me when people honestly don't understand that being grossly overweight is a health issue - do they live under a rock? Possibly this mind boggling of mine comes from growing up very athletic and struggling with an eating disorder, but i don't know. I think showcasing the worst cases will serve as a huge wake up call for those that truly don't understand that their condition is life and death.
Bottom line, content of podcasts were good. Podcasts in general struggle to hold my attnetion.
Before this assignment I had never watched a pod cast in my life. I too missed the boat on this type of media. It is simply not something that catches my eye, and I don't get as much out of it as I do other channels I suppose. I thought they were interesting though. I checked out the fitness rocks one and they had a lot of information. Their page was eye catching and I liked the exercise videos. I could see how this would be beneficial for some but it just didn't motivate me. Diet detective was cool because it was a little more interactive but I wasn't attracted to their design, kind of reminded me of advertisements for a cheesy infomercial. I think this type of media can be interesting and reach a large group of people but you definitely need to know your target audience beforehand.
ReplyDeleteLike the few before me, I am also new to podcasts. They were interesting to a point, but I found myself doodling after a while. I chose Fitness Rocks and the Diet Detective. The Fitness Rocks podcast was interesting, and the organization of the site appealed to me although it was a little plain and boring. The Diet Detective was very commercial and mentioned alot of pop culture people, and I am so out of touch I had no idea who the site was talking about! It bothered me that they offered to answer many of lifes problems based on answering a few survey questions, and were trying to sell clothing. Overall, I believe podcasts are probably a great way to reach a large audience, and probably appeal to many.
ReplyDeleteThis was actually my first experience with podcasts. It was interesting to have only audio and no visual. It made me pay closer attention to the information, but I also found myself starting to drift at some points! This would be great if I downloaded it to my iPod and listened to it while doing errands/at the gym. Overall, I could definitely foresee podcasts becoming more popular as people become even more technologically savvy. These are especially great for people who use public transportation and do not get the opportunity to listen to the radio. The first podcast that listened to was the Fitness Rocks podcast, which discussed childhood obesity articles. The speaker of the podcast sounded like he was reading from a script, without much variation in his voice. This detracted from the information that he was delivering. Nonetheless, I was really interested in the information presented.
ReplyDeleteI also checked out Fat2Fit Radio, which was really different from the Fitness Rocks podcast. I enjoyed this podcast a lot more than the Fitness Rocks one. This podcast was more conversational, with an email and comment sections. The email section was my favorite part because it really engages the audience with people’s stories and questions. One of the questions was about the health benefits of fasting. I found this to be really interesting because this is a new and hot issue right now, with all the celebrity hype surrounding the fast weight loss. I thought the speaker did an excellent job of addressing the negative points of fasting.
I like the idea of podcasting so much that I think this is a great way of educating people about different health topics. As compaerd to reading , this media can reach large number of people. The best thing about podcasting is that it can benefit literate as well as the illitrate who can not read or write. I went through almost all the links but in the fitness and nutrition section I really liked the fitness rock and fat2fit radio.There was lot of infirmation that I will apply to my daily life. Since most of my time is spent sitting on my computer or studying books, I personally would apply techniques which were given in one of the videos at fitness rock website.I think the animated videos in the fat2fit are usefull for viewers from all the age groups . In the health & medicine section NIH research radio and mayo clinic podcast are really informative. In one of the episodes on mental health at NIH research radio, they interviewed so many different doctors which provided insight of the real situation. Even we can download some of the intersting episodes to our ipods and can listen to them anytime. So, overall I had fun and a great learning experience of this new way of reaching mass media.
ReplyDeleteBelieve it or not, this assignment actually got me through putting away three loads of laundry, which made me realize the potential effectiveness of podcasts as a communication channel.
ReplyDeleteSo many people are finding it hard to sit down with a newspaper or find a nutritionist or actually read the food labels at the grocery store these days. This is mostly due to lack of time or interest in the subject manner. However, I found myself listening to the podcasts while doing activities that I already would be doing, usually in silence or with music, but this time coming out more educated.
I chose to listen to the NIH radio and the fat2fit podcasts. I found both very interesting and geared toward to completely separate audiences. For people with a bio background like myself, I found the NIH radio podcast interesting and informative. However, I can see when the narrators go on into their genes and proteins babble, that the non-science people might be turn off. Interesting as it was, I found little health information I could actually apply to my day-to-day life.
The fat2fit radio was very interesting and entertaining. I found the approach more of a pop-dieting stance than a scientific one. The fact that the guys conducting the show were dieting themselves put an intriguing personal twist to the show that many people might be able to relate to. Listeners can feel as if they have a dieting buddy that continually feeds them the truth about diets and nutrition along with providing the motivation a listener might need to continue towards a health lifestyle.
All in all, I think there is a podcast out there for everyone. The just need to dig deep enough to find the one that is right for them.
Podcasts are an amazing way to get information and are easy to obtain and free of cost. They are available at variety of websites and you can get tons of them through i tunes. Thet provide a low cost channel of distributing information and are ideal for those who are trying new means of information.
ReplyDeleteThe fitness rock podcast was very informative. It was interesting to listen about the risks of childhood obesity. I iked the point where it was stated that childhood obesity was not just about being overweight and having a negative body image but the risks of chronic diseases that are a result of childhood obesity are the main area of concern. It was interesting to learn about the relative risk of coronary heart disease in obese children.
The other podcast that i found interesting was from fat2fit radio. I was hooked because it dealt with healthy eating and weight loss topics..which is something i am really interested in. The website although was not as appealing as the fittness rocks website but the content of both podcasts was pretty interesting.
I had never heard of podcasts until this assignment. I looked at Fitness Rocks and Nutrition Diva. I like how podcasts can be both audio and video. The videos remind me of YouTube. Podcasts are a great source of information that is available for free and can be downloaded onto your iPod. The fitness rocks podcast was great to watch because they showed you how to properly do lunges. I even did them! Nutrition Diva was great too. I loved all the information she gave on healthy food because I love anything and everything food, but it was kind of hard to pay attention to because there were no visuals. YouTube is very popular so the video podcasts would be a great way to get important information to a large number of people and keep them interested.
ReplyDeleteI watched the podcast on My Pyramid and Mayo Clinic. I found this to be a very useful way of educating yourself on various topics esp when you are on the go(like most of us are). They are easy and free to download to your ipod and a person can get to know about various issues while moving around and doing other stuff. My pyramid had a lot of useful information on topics such as healthy fruits, which vegetables to choose from, energy dense foods etc. It kind of gave me a comprehensive idea of what to look for when i go grocery shopping and i will definitely use the info(esp since i am working to change my dietary behavior).I felt nice that instead of sitting down with an assignment i could move around and do it in a fun way and i guess that is what is different about it. I also liked the information that the Mayo Clinic had and the interviews that they conducted with patients who narrated their experiences. Overall i think it is an interesting and different way to put across health information.
ReplyDeleteI did know much about podcasting either. I had heard of people talk about going to websites and downloading it to their MP3 player or computer. It's a great tool for a student or people who are always on the go because it can be listened to at the convenience of the person. In my case it would be during a break at work or while running.
ReplyDeleteThe two podcast that I compared were Mypyramid.gov and dietdectective.com The most credible of top was Mypyramid.gov because of its abundant registered dieticians who help formulate the website. The podcast was short, but concise. The one I listened gave a tip when going out dinner. It talked about portion regulation. The dietdectective.com was more challenging to navigate and I felt that they were interested in selling thier brand to the client compared to the government website.
I have listened to podcasts before, mostly radio interviews, not health messages. I think they are great though. Like Alana pointed out, people can just listen to them while doing other work. Whenever I am cleaning I like to have something on.
ReplyDeleteI went to the mypyramid one since I see that a lot in my internship with the MOVE project. They're alright--short clips on different subjects, so you don't need a long attention span. I also listened to one on fitness rocks because the name caught my attention, sounded fun. I listened to one about childhood obesity-the hot subject of the day. I like the way he frankly puts that it is because of sedentary lifestyle and poor diet and "that's it". Makes it seem so simple, something he also says, to go and fix! He talks nice and slow so it's easy to get all the information, but if I am not doing housework or something, I do find my mind wander. I think for some people podcasts are probably very helpful and for other the videos-that fitness rocks has also-may be better to keep people's attention with something to watch.
I evaluated two health and medicine podcasts. The NIH research radio podcast from April 3 2009, as well as an podcast episode from NPR On Health. The NIH episode discussed teen drug use, alternative medicine, proteomics and the effect of the ozone on Asthma and other breathing conditions. It was an interesting episode which I believe appealed to both the general public and scientists, although the general public may find of the topics a bit too technical. The NPR On health episode discussed Willpower, and the AIDS epidemic in the U.S. This podcast was geared towards the general public. Both podcasts used participant and key informant interviews. In addition, the NIH podcast reported survey data. The NPR podcast engaged the listener a bit more as the podcasters made a few jokes and the tone of their voices was a bit more lighthearted than that of the NIH podcasts. In all, I think the health podcasts are a very good source in which to get reliable health news.
ReplyDeleteI listened to a podcast on Fat 2 Fit radio and Fitness Rocks. I really like the access that you are afforded to info on the internet via podcasts. They open up a whole world of information that you can select and access both directly on the internet, later on a laptop, or on an MP3 player at any time. I wonder what segment of the population is most likely to access info via pod casts? I assume it is a specific subset of the population; however i think podcasts can be a great way to provide info to a captive audience. For example, a teacher can play a podcast segment to students, stringing podcasts together to play over the speaker system at a community clinic or health center could be a great substitute for radio. As with any info on the internet, it is important to be cautious of the source of podcast and their information.
ReplyDeleteI enjoyed this project because I think podcasts are a new way to engage learners. However, I think that podcasts have a very narrow audience and that this channel will not be very useful for interventions. When I think of the type of person that would sit down and listen to a weekly podcast about health, health care professionals and students who are study health come to mind. Outside of those groups, I am reluctant to think that the general population would take the time to sit and listen to the health message. I do think that listening to a podcast can be a very good learning channel. I think that this tool could be used in school and could provide kids with a new avenue for learning. I do listen to a weekly podcast but the topic is something that is very close to my heart and the speaker is someone who I respect very much. All that to say, I think that podcasts are great but not something that will be utilized by the general public.
ReplyDeleteSeveral of my professors in college used podcasts as a way for us to review certain key concepts from their lectures. I found them incredibly helpful, especially because you can watch them repeatedly, and at your leisure. Other than that, I am not too familiar with them, especially outside of an educational facility. I am aware that you can subscribe to certain podcasts through Itunes (such as clips from television shows, etc), but I've never done that.
ReplyDeleteThe first podcast I tried out was the MyPyramid one. I thought the topic was really interesting, as were the individual podcasts I listened to. I have to say that personally I prefer video podcasts to the text or audio versions here, but the information was interesting nonetheless. I found the site a little cluttered, and it took me a minute to even find the podcasts.
I also looked at the Diet Detective (because that name was just too good to pass up!). At first I was impressed by the appealing visual aspects of the site (when compared to Mypyramid), but I quickly found the site impossible to navigate and very commercialized. All in all the MyPyramid was more appropriate for the subject, I believe, but Diet Detective might be more popular.
I decided to listen to a Nutrition Diva podcast about the differences between chicken and beef. This was a quick and to the point podcast. She basically told the listeners that there is a misconception that chicken is not necessarily more nutritious than beef. There are actually many factors that may make beef more nutritious. Her voice was pleasant and upbeat so it wasn't like sitting through a boring lecture.
ReplyDeleteThe next podcast I listened to was from Fat 2 Fit. At first I thought it would be an informative, easy listen. Then i realized that this podcast was 40 minutes long. I did not listen to the whole podcast (I skipped around), but it seemed very unstructured and as if all of the topics were all over the place and was not relevant to the issue of weight loss and fitness 100% of the time. I did like the fact that there was music and they had listeners who wrote them and helped those listeners with their questions and concerns. It was also nice that there were 2 people so it was like they were having a conversation and provided different viewpoints.
Of the two, I would prefer to listen to the first because it was quick and to the point. The Fat 2 Fit seemed too long and even if I had time to listen to it, I would have grown bored and not get anything out of it anyway.
I guess I am like a lot of you in that it wasn't very effective for me unless I was listening to it while doing something else or I found myself losing interest and my attention span greatly shortened. I am a big radio listener so this isn't much different except that I don't just sit and listen to it.
ReplyDeleteI first listened to Plantar Fasciitis from the Mayo Clinic, something I have struggled with and so I was interested in hearing about. I did like the idea that a physical therapist had this issue as well and was talking about it-made it more creditable to me and probably would to others too.
The other podcast I listened to was from the Lancet on microbicides for HIV prevention and hepatitis E. This was interesting to me as it brought up some good issues-addressing women’s issues with giving them more control over preventing HIV rather than relying on the male using a condom. Unfortunately, it hasn't been perfected yet-just as the female condom really hasn't caught on. Regarding Hep E it was interesting that they mentioned that pig farmers have a high incidence of Hep E-and that men in particular seem to be susceptible to it.
So if I had an ipod it would be nice to load it up with several podcasts and listen to them as I did my house work or traveling to and from school (on the coaster). Likewise, I think that this would be more appealing to young adults for the same reasons.
I believe that podcasts are a new way to educate others on different health issues, however for me it would not be the best method. I believe that in order for podcasts to be effective that person would have to be the kinda of person that can obtain information from a podcast. I would be very distracted by other things that I would completely forget to listen to what it is saying.I listened to the podcast from fat to fit thinking that it would motivate me to exercise more,however after awhile I started daydreaming. The information from the podcast for a listener like me would have to be very creative and amusing in order for me to pay attention to the information. I believe the podcast however is very good for individuals that tend to listen to the radio for obtaining any type of information.
ReplyDeleteI actually had no idea what podcasting was until we started talking about it in class. I makes perfect sense though! I think it has some good and bad issues to it. Firstly, I don't have the attention for something like that. I like music, and I also like to have images (AKA TV). But it is good because you can multitask while listening and can really give some great health advice!
ReplyDeleteI chose to review Fat 2 Fit Radio. I really like that they have various topics, some of which are a little more complicated. They try to, however, make these topics easier to understand. They have listeners ask questions, and the guys offer advice as well as feedback. I often fond myself losing interest though... especially because it's for those people who are wanting to lose weight. Some of the issues people have seem like common sense or opinion related questions. But maybe that's just because I feel like I know a lot about this topic already.
I then reviewed a podcast from mypyramid.gov. They have a huge list you can choose from! Most are short and quick, which is what I really enjoyed. I listened to snack attack and Road trip snacking, since I have issues with both! ☺ They offered some good suggestions to avoid over snacking, and re-evaluating the reasons why you’re snacking in the first place (ie, boredom!). Overall, really interesting stuff!