Podfic Feedback

Podfic feedback is a topic of much discussion in podfic fandom. 
==Discussion==
* Day 5 Round Up - Feedback at Pod Aware (2011)
* Auralphonic Episode 004: Feedback (2014)
===What's Unique About Podfic Feedback===
Giving or receiving feedback on a podfic can be a particularly sensitive issue. Podficcers have highlighted specific reasons why in meta pieces, for example: 
* Commenting on a podfic can mean commenting on a podficcer's body: 
* Comments on a podficcer's accent can be fraught:
* Editing is a (mostly) invisible skill: 
===How Rare is Podfic Feedback?===
For a variety of reasons, podfic has a much smaller audience than fic does. 
On AO3, as of Oct 2021: 
* The 20th page when sorted by kudos listed fanfiction with well over 16,000 kudos. When filtering to works using the "podfic" tag (not excluding posts containing both text and podfic) the 20th page ended with a work that had 254 kudos. 
* The podfic with the most kudos (excluding posts which included both text and podfic) was PODFIC of: This Dangerous Game By MissDisoriental by Aleandri. It had just over 15,000 hits and 800 kudos. The fic it was inspired by had 309,500 hits and 16,361 kudos. 
Lack of feedback, a widely-shared sentiment in fandom by no means unique to the podfic community, is nevertheless a frequent topic of discussion -- and disappointment -- among podficcers: 
This feedback scarcity makes the relatively frequent off-topic comments ("Where is the text?", comments which only mention the plot of the fic), backhanded compliments ("I usually think explicit podfic is creepy, but...", "I initially found your voice grating/your accent distracting, but...") or unsollicited concrit all the more annoying or discouraging: 
When a new fan shows interest in podfic, experienced podficcers will frequently include a warning that podfic should not be done for external validation: 
To balance out this relative lack of feedback from the wider audience, some podficcers put a premium on feedback they get from their beta or from the author of the story they are recording: 
It has also been pointed out that, while podfic feedback might not be as frequent, it is sometimes more in-depth or more rewarding than feedback on other mediums: 
===Why Is Podfic Feedback Rare===
* Lack of vocabulary for the audio medium/fear of saying the wrong thing: 
* Technical/logistical issues: 
 
This might have been especially true before streaming audio was widely available, and many listeners had to download podfic files and upload them to their listening devices (which weren't connected to the internet, such as early mp3 players.) This meant that the listening experience happened largely offline, requiring extra steps to go back to the podfic post and leave feedback after the fact. 
==Encouraging Podfic Feedback==
===Resources===
* Podfic Feedback Toolbox: 5 ways to give great podfic feedback by klb, posted to amplificathon June 2011: 
* Podfic Ecards by argentum-lupine (August 2012)
* Pod-Aware meta: story love, body love, performance love by greedy_dancer, posted to Dreamwidth November 2012, revised version on AO3 (2020): 
* Commenting on Podfic: vocabulary by yue_ix, posted to podfic_tips in November 2014: 
* Podfic Feedback Graphics Of Fun And Puns And Baby Animals by reena_jenkins (date?)
===Fests and Challenges===
* Podfic Critical Feedback Exchange by paraka, 2010
* Podfic reccing community Podfic Love ran a "Podfic Feedback Day" on the 15th of every month, between 2014 and 2018, aimed at encouraging listeners to leave feedback on "(at least) one podfic".Podfic Feedback Challenge tag at podfic love
* Podfic Appreciation Fest was created in 2021 "to encourage you to leave feedback on amazing podfics. Encourage you...with points!" Participating and non-participating podficcers could submit up to 5 podfics they would like to receive feedback on, which earned particiants bonus points. Podficcers were also able to opt out of receiving feedback as part of the fest.Podfic Appreciation Fest 2021 by kitsuneheart, posted to amplificathon in March 2021
* The Voiceteam event regularly included challenges to leave feedback on podfics, particularly podfics with no comments on AO3. 
==References==
Category:Podfic FandomCategory:Discussion