podfic feedback: how (when, why) do you do it?

[lomedet]

Amplirecathon is making me think about podfic, feedback, and me. Or, more accurately, about how much I love podfic and how that love is in no way represented by the amount of feedback (read: very, very little) I have left for podfic readers or the authors of stories I have discovered through podfic.

My process for listening to podfic goes something like this: I download a story from the archive or from a link on a podfic community. I close the download tab. I load the story on to my ipod. Then, hours or days later, I listen to the story as I'm riding on or waiting for a bus. Or maybe doing dishes or folding laundry. In any event, I listen to the story when I am far away from my computer, and even if I'm not physically so far away from my computer, I've already clicked away from or closed the page which tells me where I can leave feedback for the author or the reader. And I am lazy, so I don't usually think about going back to look for it when I have the opportunity.

I am contrasting this process with that of reading fanfic, where if I am moved by a story when I finish it, I can click a button and let the author know how I feel right then and there.

So, I want to know: what do y'all do? Have you come up with a successful strategy for leaving feedback that doesn't feel unduly labor-intensive? Have you given up on direct feedback in favor of recs? If you do go back and leave podfic feedback, does it feel strange to do so at a remove from your immediate response? Am I missing something totally obvious that will make my feedback-leaving life ten times easier?

Comments

[inalasahl]

For me it's not the labor intensivity, it's the lack of knowing how to feedback podfic. I don't know the technical side well-enough to comment on that aspect of it, so what am I supposed to say? "I really liked your voice"?

I'm curious as to what kind of feedback are readers interested in?

[anatsuno]

Well, feedback can be anything! I mean, yes, the 'great story' is probably slightly useless, because that's one the podficcer can't take for themselves (and yet, it is already a mark of appreciation, AND the podficcer can bond with the listener over that, so it's never bad either, I wouldn't say), but 'I liked your voice' is certainly nothing to sneeze at!

Without versing into detailed concrit, you can say anything you think of, from 'it made me giggle to listen in the bus' to 'I think this one will be nice on my playlist to fall asleep to because I enjoyed the quiet tone of it' or 'I enjoyed the way you didn't try to do the voices' (or I liked the way you did them!) - anything, seriously, no technical vocabulary is necessary. Listener-response is always VALID, you know? Whatever you felt about your listening experience is interesting to hear about, IMO.

[lomedet]

I don't always use my literary-critical tools when I leave feedback for a story I read - I tend much more toward the 'oh WOW' or 'my heart' side of the Force *g*. So I think that podfic feedback could be similar - 'I had X reaction to your story', without necessarily focusing on the why.

[winkingstar]

Any feedback is valuable! As a reader, I know that most people don't come back to leave feedback because of all the reasons mentioned above--podfic is portable, so by its nature it's listened to away from an easy means of leaving feedback. So when someone does come back to leave a comment after listening, I treasure it, even if it's just "Thanks, I loved this!" I know it takes extra effort to leave feedback for a podfic, so I'm pleased whenever someone takes that effort. :)