PolyCast: Most Preferred Episode Length

[DanQ]

The PolyCast team wants your input! Below is one of a number of polls asking for the Civ community's opinion on a number of elements related to this, the official podcast of Apolyton Civilization Site (ACS) on the occasion of the one-year anniversary of its series announcement and release of its first episode.

This topic is: Most Preferred Episode Length
Your choices are: 30-40 minutes, 41-50 minutes, 51-60 minutes, 60-70 minutes, 70+ minutes

Feedback received on this topic, others and their accompanying time-limited polls will be taken into consideration for further refinement to PolyCast in the weeks and months ahead as those who make it a reality keep on Civin' with you.

[Nugog]

Somewhere near the hour long range - but shorter is fine - it it means that there is less "filler" in it.

TBH - any where between 30 mins and 60 mins is good.

[DanQ]

Originally posted by Nugog
Somewhere near the hour long range - but shorter is fine - it it means that there is less "filler" in it.

How would you define "filler" (with or without examples)?

TBH - any where between 30 mins and 60 mins is good.

'k.

[Grandpa Troll]

I would say just under an hour, kinda like the theory, "dont sell for a Dollar, sell for 99 cents, seems a bit shorter, not too bad to hinder performance

Gramps

[Nugog]

Originally posted by DanQ
How would you define "filler" (with or without examples)?

Some of the long music parts - in some of the shows they haved seemed to be quite long - as if there was a space to be filled.

[DanQ]

Originally posted by Grandpa Troll
I would say just under an hour, kinda like the theory, "dont sell for a Dollar, sell for 99 cents, seems a bit shorter, not too bad to hinder performance

So 51-60 minutes then?

Originally posted by Nugog
Some of the long music parts - in some of the shows they haved seemed to be quite long - as if there was a space to be filled.

In earlier episodes, yes, the intermezzos were longer to serve as a break between segments -- they were never intended to fill space to be used otherwise. I scaled back their length and volume, oh, a couple of months ago prompted by some feedback that made me tinker with the settings.

The intermezzos between topics within segments were also consistently varied until the episodes in the early 20s, but I've shifted away from that in favour of more standardized intermezzos for a more consistent feel. Variation in this respect can and will still come, but it will be an exception rather than the norm to help keep things "fresher".

[Will9]

Just shorter than right now. Maybe 51-55 minutes. Although 55 minutes shouldn't be a limit. Aim to get it below 55 minutes and if it ends up being 30 seconds longer, let us deal with it.

[DanQ]

Originally posted by Will
Just shorter than right now. Maybe 51-55 minutes.

Why would you prefer ~5-10 minutes less than has been the norm for most of the show's history?

I could try to "fill in the blanks" myself, but...

[Will9]

Originally posted by DanQ

Why would you prefer ~5-10 minutes less than has been the norm for most of the show's history?

I feel it is just slightly to long right now, but 15 minutes shorter would be to short.

[Grandpa Troll]

Originally posted by DanQ

So 51-60 minutes then?

Sorry, I thought you were cross referencing out poll-picks, but to clarify, 41-50 minutes

[DanQ]

Originally posted by Grandpa Troll
... to clarify, 41-50 minutes

Ah, 'k.

[Methos]

I went with 51-60 minutes, but in all honesty, I seldom have the chance to listen to the whole thing and if I do, it's never in one sitting. The 'little one' tends to either cause me to cut it short, or "talk" so that I'm unable to hear. Amazingly, she can even drown out DanQ!

I like the timeframe of just under an hour, though I typically listen to it in segments.

[Alexander I]

I think shorter installments are better for me, since I seldom have time to listen to it all in one sitting either.

[DrSpike]

Why is there nothing less than 30 mins?

Only kidding - I think with it being pretty regular now you should probably edit a bit more and make them shorter and punchier.

[DanQ]

Originally posted by Methos from CFC
I went with 51-60 minutes, but in all honesty, I seldom have the chance to listen to the whole thing and if I do, it's never in one sitting.

I like the timeframe of just under an hour, though I typically listen to it in segments.

That's an important dynamic that comes into play here, though I hold that it cannot be adequately served in a poll: it would be too cumbersome just as having a separate or even follow-up poll on it would be. I'm glad you brought this element up and so soon in the discussion.

If an episode length at any time is longer than one prefers to listen to in one sitting, it can be split up. I find that some weeks I'm in the mood to listen to a completed, compiled episode all the way through... even though by that point I have listened to each segment about 1/2 dozen times already. Other weeks, I take in episodes more piecemeal.

The 'little one'... can even drown out DanQ!

Originally posted by DrSpike
I think with it being pretty regular now you should probably edit a bit more and make them shorter and punchier.

To you, does "shorter and punchier" equal 'less' topics but in-depth discussion or 'more' topics and less in-depth discussion? You could choose to help contextualize your answer by pinpinting where you consider the "standard" (~55-60 minute) episode length to fall now, e.g. providing in-depth discussion.