I concur that my podcasts at the moment often don’t have a lot of structure. This is mainly because I generally sit down and talk off the top of my head and funnily enough, this two part series on taking payments was the first audio I have done where I had a list of things written down that I wanted to talk about. Albeit it was just a list to make sure I didn’t forget anything so it wasn’t exactly a structure.

It’s hard to know whether people like the personal banter in podcasts or if they would like the cut-to-the-chase information. Some like a little personal waffle, some like a lot. That’s why I appreciate your feedback so much because at least I know what one person wants…

Anyway, your comments have been taken on board.

At the moment I’m working behind the scenes to put together some educational materials which will include podcasts – podcasts that focus purely on the practical side of things which I think you will find helpful. Unfortunately I probably won’t have them ready until next year.

I was very excited to see this post because I’m in the process of planning an online business (which will, if I launch it, be my first) and just starting to look at the possible methods of accepting payments.

I just listened to this first instalment but I’ll listen to the second at a later date. Before I do that I have a few comments.

At the beginning you talk about cutting down the waffle. I like to hear the personal stuff (like having a crack at this in the park but being unsuccessful), but the first 5 minutes or so could easily (IMO) have been cut down to about 1 minute and it would have been just as interesting and much more snappy.

I also feel it could have benefited from a more clearly defined structure. You seemed to jump around between the payment methods a lot, I would have found it easier to follow if you had kept each method quite separate with a summary/comparison at the end.

Having said that, I found the information you have taken the time to provide incredibly useful. For me it has been an excellent introduction to the options available and gives me enough information to more confidently and successfully (I hope) go and investigate the options for myself.

I hope you take this for what it is, which is constructive criticism. Again, I appreciate the time you take to provide the great information and insight that you do.

Cheers,
Simon