{image1} Dishing out daily humor as well as rants and raves about everyday life, the Web-broadcast Dawn and Drew Show -- which is available in mp3 format -- has made quite a name for itself on the Net.
Dawn Miceli, an artistic musician and Drew Domkus, a Web designer, poke their arty irons in a collaborative fire and what emerges is a flavorful blend of current events and life stories with a kinky twist. And all from an 1895 Wisconsin farmhouse living room.
In fact, the duo's podcast is the No. 1 show on Podcast Alley's listener ratings. And better yet, they're both from Milwaukee.
The energetic couple -- they're married, too -- has been broadcasting the show since last September and has enjoyed every second of it. "It's a great experience, and we've met people from all over the world," Miceli says.
Their worldwide audience tunes in to the three to four shows they attempt to put out per week that last about 25-30 minutes each, according to Miceli. The disclaimer on their Web site puts it best, stating some things they say are nasty and raunchy, but things they say are just that, things they say. Some are true, some not.
{image2}So, what is podcasting anyway?
It's listening to audio content on an iPod or other media player instead of reading the information on a computer screen or listening to over-the-air radio. Listeners subscribe online for free and download software called an aggregator. The aggregator automatically downloads files to the subscriber's computer or media player, allowing the listener to have access to shows as they are completed.
One example of an aggregator is iPodder. According to ipodder.org, a podcast directory, iPodder is a small program that runs on your computer. Its only purpose is to download audio files, usually mp3s directly to your mp3 device. Any device that can exchange files with Windows Media Player will work with iPodder.
Other aggregators mentioned on Dawn and Drew's Web site are Bloglines, Radio Userland and NetNewsWire.
You don't have to be Bill Gates to master the podcast medium, either.
"It's a great way to broadcast to a mass audience with no FCC regulations. As long as you have a computer, you can create a show," Domkus says.
"We can be pissed off one day and be squirrelly the next," says Miceli. "It's real life."
The Dawn and Drew Show Web site is dawnanddrew.com.
