I've been noticing a new type of Internet article: Sites making podcast episodes into news stories.
The gimmick's approach: A flashy "news-like" headline, followed by a story about the podcast's content, sprinkled with quotes, which give it the feel of a journalist who conducted an actual interview.
I find it "cringey." I'm not sure that's the correct term, but it's at least the current term. The younger generations love it.
That being said, I've been mulling it over and I think it's a new genre of writing and I like the gimmick's potential.
TDE has always stood on (or tried to stand on) two legs: edification and entertainment. I've always wanted to present materials that are funny and interesting, but too often, TDE pieces have been one or the other. It's not a bad approach but it'd be better if both legs could be combined.
I think this gimmick might be a good approach to providing Internet content that is interesting, humorous, and brief. I suspect it will allow me to incorporate elements of Existence Strikes Back and The Hemisphere Hypothesis, but in an off-hand, casual, manner, which is more appealing than a firm, sermon-like, manner.
I'm going to keep experimenting with it. I'd love to hear your thoughts. ericscheske @ gmail . com .
