The three types of analyses and observer– observed relationships discussed here fall on a theoretical ‘subjective–objective continuum’ (Goetz and LeCompte, 1981: 54) that ranges from an emphasis on external qualities (describing the empirical facts as they really are) to constructive practices (understanding how facts are made meaningful by the people in the field) (Marvasti 2014)

When considering where I want my ethnographic research to go over the course of this subject, I have decided to study in the same field of research but change my specific field to be more suited to my purpose. As my purpose is to better research how podcaster grow their audience and use their platforms in doing so, for the purpose of my own podcast, I have decided to choose a more appropriate field site.

Initially it was interesting to look at Hamish and Andy and how they do their podcast, there are several reasons why this might not be fit for the purpose. I think because they have an established audience from their radio and tv shows the field site is not as focused in the niche of podcasts. Having been an avid listener of their podcast for decades, I think it would be more interesting to look into podcasts that 1) I haven’t looked into and; 2) podcasts that are more within the same topic area and format as the one I have begun. This would be more valuable for myself and also for others who are looking at beginning podcasts without already having a following.

Mapping the new podcast

The new podcast I am going to be looking into is a new Australian podcast, ExtraOrdinary Outback Stories. This is extremely new but has already received media coverage and over 1.5K followers on instagram. I thought this would be an interesting field site as it is two Australian women just starting out with their podcast. Due to the change from the Hamish and Andy podcast, I thought it would be a good idea to map the field site (just quickly!) before getting stuck into how I will conduct my ethnographic research and the research plan.

Production

Although their podcast is yet to go on streaming sites, they have already done profiles and interviews with three people, which has been showcased on their website and social media platforms. This gives the audience a ‘teaser’ into their podcast

Listening Platforms

It will be available on Spotify, iTunes and Google Podcast as well as shown on their website. I noticed they have not specified a date as to when this will be available, which initially caused some confusion.

Social Media

Their instagram as I said previously, has gained a massive following of almost 1.5K considering they only commenced posting on the 27 July 2020. Their posts have to be accessed using a device and the internet, however, you do not need an instagram log in as their page is public. Their posts have been mostly to do with introducing themselves together and as individuals, making sure to tag their individual social media pages to enable the audience to find out more about them.

They have also made sure that they repost media coverage about their podcast and the work they have been doing to increase following and audience support.

The Facebook for their podcast also shows similar content, including the mini videos they have made for the individuals they will be showcasing on their podcast and information regarding their website and contact. Overall their social media shows the build up in momentum for the release of the podcast, sharing all content they have across all their platforms to increase engagement.

Website

Their website as you can see in the above photos has a very clear aesthetic and layout, making it easier to navigate. Once again you do need a device and the internet to connect to this online. On the actual website, there are several tabs where you can see where to find their information. The particular thing I want to focus on is the ‘Contact us’ button, which means their audience is already able to feel involved with the podcast. This was quite clearly laid out with the below descriptions.

Personality

It is clear from the outset they both work together really well to make . In saying that I have noticed in both the social media posts and the website both showcase them as individuals, focusing them in the light of their personalities, humanising them.

I am really excited to start looking into the field site of something new and will build upon this initial mapping over the coming weeks!

A quick (but important!) note before I get started on planning

It is really important to note what is involved with the research before getting started. First, it is necessary to develop a detailed plan of what will occur each week over the four-week period and how this will be recorded. As Merriam & Tisdell note, a record needs to be made of the research absorbed by what they (being the ethnographic researchers) absorb. This enables the research to become meaningful and detailed.

This also means there must be ethical considerations to be aware of before commencing ethnographic research. This includes recording detail, making note of the human factors that implicate research such as biases, balance the right to privacy and the public interest and also have an ethical purpose for conducting studies. In keeping these in mind, ethnographic researchers can maintain an ethical standard.

Problematising

Problematising enables us to connect the potential model of framework in identifying a new trajectory for research. In order to support ethnographic research into podcasting as a niche, the following must be answered:

What are the key issues that you think are crucial to help us better understand this niche?

Audience experience

Why do audiences choose podcasts over others?

How content creators then maintain/grow/obtain their audience?

How will your research help us to better understand the niche?

Understand how podcast audiences work

Understand how podcast audiences choose their genres/podcasts

What attracts podcast audiences? How do they choose their podcast?

How podcast creators attract their audiences?

How podcast creators use other platforms to gain a following?

Who is your audience?

Future podcast creators to enable them to understand audience base and building upon their listener group.

Consider what kinds of new experiences you might explore in your media niche.

New podcasts that want to change the generic field site.

Research Plan

What are you going to do?

Over a four-week period I will be observing the above podcast in order to achieve my research of the media niche. This will include immersing myself in the field site by going through all their platforms and researching and recording observations including descriptions of the setting, people and activities and providing detailed commentary. More specifically I will start off by noting what my experiences were when becoming a member of their audience and joining their following.

How are you going to use observation and auto-ethnography to create new knowledge?

By going to a podcast that I have not listened to but has a growing audience base, I will understand further what exactly works for gaining a following and how they take the audience experience and make it something through their social media, platforms, access to podcasts.

How are you going to record field notes?

Maintain and keep a journal to record observations that have occurred in the field for 20 minutes at the end of each day. This will include both practical details about events, times, dates and places and methodological notes concerning my role, my influence on the encounter and my relationship with the informants (Dawson 2002).

Schedule of research

Week 1 – THE PROCESS

Take detailed notes of what the audience has to go through in accessing and listening to the podcast and content

Observe the processes a NEW person to the podcast has to go through!

Has it changed throughout the week?

What happens when I navigate the various channels? What does it probe me to do? Interact?

Week 2 – SHARING CONTENT

Focus on other social media feeds – Instagram, Facebook, twitter

How is it presented?

How do they engage the community and get more people involved?

Why is it different?

Week 3 – OTHER USERS

How is the audience responding over the platforms?

Consume the content

Week 4 – BROAD APPROACH

Begin to understand the podcast audience as a whole

Draw on experiences from notes from week 1-3

As noted by Leon Anderson (as mentioned in the lecture), analytic auto-ethnography requires the researcher to be fully immersive, draw attention to influence of your own experiences and note changes in their beliefs as they occur. Each of these weeks I will maintain a detailed journal of observation, making sure it is updated each day with screenshots, notes and commentary to ensure the research is as detailed and as involved as possible.

Resources

Anderson, Leon 2006, Analytic Autoethnography, Journal of Contemporary Ethnography, Vol. 35, No. 4, pp. 373-393.

Dawson Catherine (2002) How to Carry Out Participant Observation, in Practical Research Methods A User-Friendly Guide to Mastering Research Techniques and Projects, How To Books: Oxford.

Marvasti, Amir B. (2014) ‘Analysing Observations’, The SAGE Handbook of Qualitative Data Analysis. Uwe Flick editor. Sage: Los Angeles

Merriam, Sharan B.  and Tisdell,  Elizabeth J. (2016) Being a Careful Observer, in Qualitative Research: A Guide to Design and Implementation, Jossey-Bass: San Fransisco.