GateWorld Podcast Feedback!

[Darren]

Tame, I think you did a great job.

This topic is obviously one that a lot of people are passionate about. And when it comes to individual characters, everyone has their favorites and their opinions about other people's favorites. There's no point in second-guessing what you could or should have said; the show (or at least the recording of it) is "live," and nobody has the benefit of premeditation or self-editing like they do when posting on the forum.

I challenge anyone here to do the same on an hour-long audio program, while sharing the floor with someone else and being pushed along to the next topic by a moderator, and not leave room for criticism after it's over and done.

[dipsofjazz]

Just chiming in to say I totally agree with Melora, Petra and others. Sam Carter continually makes the lists of all-time great female sci-fi characters, but you sure wouldn't know it from this podcast. Very disappointing. I won't bother listening to any future podcasts.

Mike

I must chime in with my agreement with all these posters.

I was very disappointed with this podcast. I was actually looking forward to this interesting topic, and knew I would probably disagree with some of the discussion, especially since this podcast had Louisa back as a guest. I really disliked her previous episode, as I felt she was just spouting soundbites from various books she'd obviously studied, and felt that podcast could have been better if a group of Stargate fanfic authors of different types (gen/ship/slash/etc) had been invited to the show.
Nonetheless, I felt that we would hear differing viewpoints since Tame and David were also there.

Instead, we got a tirade of constant Sam-bashing from Louisa, with either agreement or no comeback from the others. I understand that not everyone likes the Sam character, but at least have a balanced discussion about her rather than just tear her apart.

I also found the conclusion that Vala was the best female character of the Stargate franchise unbelievable. There was no discussion about why many fans have problems with the character.....in fact, there was no real discussion at all.

I hope that there will be another podcast on this topic in the future, but with a more balanced group of guests who will talk about the pros and cons of all the female characters.

[Skydiver]

It is always easier to sit down, the day after, so to speak, and think of all the things you wish you'd have said or points you wish you'd have made.

While I don't agree with some of the sentiments expressed, and haven't been quiet about it , these guys did a decent job considering that it was 'cold', they got on the virtual phone and talked and chatted. To the best of my knowledge, there was no prompting, no scripting, etc, they just talked.

So of course some points did get dropped. It happens. I've watched professional speakers do the same.

I think it's also good to remember that folks are in the conversation, being polite and nice and it's not the time or place for 'what the heck did you say????? i don't think so, and to slam the phone down'

Each of them had an opinion and they expressed it, and while they may not have been polar opposites, it wasn't a 'me too' show.

when I listened to Tame, I feel that she expressed a lot of her own opinion and feelings. Sadly, when I listened to Louisa, I didn't feel the same way.

I think I would challenge anyone to get on a call like that and have a discussion and NOT have a 'darnit, i meant to say.....' moment after it's done.

[Frostfox]

I must chime in with my agreement with all these posters.

I was very disappointed with this podcast. I was actually looking forward to this interesting topic, and knew I would probably disagree with some of the discussion, especially since this podcast had Louisa back as a guest. I really disliked her previous episode, as I felt she was just spouting soundbites from various books she'd obviously studied, and felt that podcast could have been better if a group of Stargate fanfic authors of different types (gen/ship/slash/etc) had been invited to the show.
Nonetheless, I felt that we would hear differing viewpoints since Tame and David were also there.

Instead, we got a tirade of constant Sam-bashing from Louisa, with either agreement or no comeback from the others. I understand that not everyone likes the Sam character, but at least have a balanced discussion about her rather than just tear her apart.

I also found the conclusion that Vala was the best female character of the Stargate franchise unbelievable. There was no discussion about why many fans have problems with the character.....in fact, there was no real discussion at all.

I hope that there will be another podcast on this topic in the future, but with a more balanced group of guests who will talk about the pros and cons of all the female characters.

It is always easier to sit down, the day after, so to speak, and think of all the things you wish you'd have said or points you wish you'd have made.

While I don't agree with some of the sentiments expressed, and haven't been quiet about it , these guys did a decent job considering that it was 'cold', they got on the virtual phone and talked and chatted. To the best of my knowledge, there was no prompting, no scripting, etc, they just talked.

So of course some points did get dropped. It happens. I've watched professional speakers do the same.

I think it's also good to remember that folks are in the conversation, being polite and nice and it's not the time or place for 'what the heck did you say????? i don't think so, and to slam the phone down'

Each of them had an opinion and they expressed it, and while they may not have been polar opposites, it wasn't a 'me too' show.

when I listened to Tame, I feel that she expressed a lot of her own opinion and feelings. Sadly, when I listened to Louisa, I didn't feel the same way.

I think I would challenge anyone to get on a call like that and have a discussion and NOT have a 'darnit, i meant to say.....' moment after it's done.

There was quite a lot I didn't agree with in the podcast, no one is ever going to convince me that Vala is a more rounded, admirable, character than Sam, but I don't feel comfortable discussing Louisa behind her back, or speculating whether her opinions were her own or from books she had read, when she isn't in this thread to defend her thesis.
I know nothing of the woman but she gave up her time to do the podcast, I think we owe her the respect to not speculate on her opinions or cast judgment on her.

FF

[Petra]

Tame, I think you did a great job.

This topic is obviously one that a lot of people are passionate about. And when it comes to individual characters, everyone has their favorites and their opinions about other people's favorites. There's no point in second-guessing what you could or should have said; the show (or at least the recording of it) is "live," and nobody has the benefit of premeditation or self-editing like they do when posting on the forum.

I challenge anyone here to do the same on an hour-long audio program, while sharing the floor with someone else and being pushed along to the next topic by a moderator, and not leave room for criticism after it's over and done.

It is always easier to sit down, the day after, so to speak, and think of all the things you wish you'd have said or points you wish you'd have made.

*snip*

I think I would challenge anyone to get on a call like that and have a discussion and NOT have a 'darnit, i meant to say.....' moment after it's done.

Err..that's not the point. I don't think that anyone here, myself included, wasn't happy with Tame's performance. People - and me obviously - disagree with what was said on the podcast, not how it was said. Of course talking "live" and thinking on your feet, so to speak, is more difficult than sitting in front of the computer and having time to contemplate questions and answers and I believe I said so in my previous post. But that doesn't mean we can't express our disappointment and point out what we feel should have been said, does it? Isn't it what this thread is for?

On that note I have a question: how does the preparation of the podcast look like, exactly? Is it just a chat without any plan? Or do you guys make a list of questions/points that you want to cover?

[dipsofjazz]

There was quite a lot I didn't agree with in the podcast, no one is ever going to convince me that Vala is a more rounded, admirable, character than Sam, but I don't feel comfortable discussing Louisa behind her back, or speculating whether her opinions were her own or from books she had read, when she isn't in this thread to defend her thesis.
I know nothing of the woman but she gave up her time to do the podcast, I think we owe her the respect to not speculate on her opinions or cast judgment on her.

FF

She gave her opinions during two podcasts which anyone with an internet connection can listen to. This thread is to discuss these podcasts, therefore I see no problem giving my view of how I perceive one of the guests. She is, of course, free to come here and discuss or criticise our views, since they are on a public forum.

[Frostfox]

She gave her opinions during two podcasts which anyone with an internet connection can listen to. This thread is to discuss these podcasts, therefore I see no problem giving my view of how I perceive one of the guests. She is, of course, free to come here and discuss or criticise our views, since they are on a public forum.

Discussing her opinions is, to me, fair game.
Taking it further, discussing her, saying they aren't her own opinions, that they are some kind of, what? Party line? That's what doesn't seem right when she isn't here in the thread to dispute or affirm such allegations.

FF

[Jump237]

My favorite episode of SGA season 3 is Sateda. It was like a live-action version of a first-person shooter game. With flashbacks deftly intercut with awesome action scenes, we finally learn more about Ronan's dark past and we feel his rage against the Wraith.

This is possibly my favorite episode of SGA. I remember feeling like I was being rewarded by the producers for sticking with the show, despite episodes like Irresistible.

[Melora]

Discussing her opinions is, to me, fair game.
Taking it further, discussing her, saying they aren't her own opinions, that they are some kind of, what? Party line? That's what doesn't seem right when she isn't here in the thread to dispute or affirm such allegations.

FF

I agree.

I certainly don’t believe Louisa was just spouting a party line or repeating what she read in some online meta or in books. There's absolutely no evidence to think she was lying or that she was brainwashed or indoctrinated. She clearly hates Sam as a character and believes the character had no redeeming qualities. Many of her main points about Sam are not something you would read in SG books or on the majority of SG fansites anyway. The only fans I know of that believe Sam was responsible for Janet's death are all involved in a certain subset of SG fandom and they believe precisely what they say. I don't agree with them and think most of their ideas are rather extreme (to put it nicely), but I do agree they have the right to believe whatever they want and to express those ideas and opinions to their hearts' content.

And although I don't think I agree with a single point made by either Tame or Louisa, they both did what they were asked to do - they offered up their honest opinions and viewpoints. I didn’t expect either one to wax poetic about how great Sam was as a character - that would have been disingenuous given both clearly have major issues with the character. I surely didn’t expect Tame to contradict Louisa just to provide a differing point of view and I didn't expect her to jump to Sam's defense at every turn. That wasn't her responsibility. What I did expect was for GW to invite two commentators who honestly had differing opinions on the characters. I also expected that both of the participating commentators be asked to at least make an effort to analyze each of the female characters objectively and take into account their own biases when discussing the topic.

In other words, I don't see the imbalance in this podcast as being either Tame or Louisa's fault. They were only doing what they were asked to do, which was share their honest opinions about the female characters of Stargate. I see it more as a failure at the planning and organization stage. Apparently, everyone who had listened to the previous podcast with Louisa knew that she hated the character of Sam. If that was the case, it just makes me wonder why anyone thought that she would be able to offer a somewhat balanced and objective opinion on all of the female characters.



I'm sorry if it seems that I and others are overreacting here. I just don't think you (general) can comprehend how jarring and upsetting it was to tune into a podcast that many of us had been looking forward to, only to have to listen to over twenty minutes of Sam bashing and both of the commentators making unfavorable comparisons of the character to Vala. I'm not a huge fan of Vala, but I would also object if almost half of a podcast were spent tearing the Vala character down (or any character for that matter) while blindly praising Sam at her expense.

[TameFarrar]

On that note I have a question: how does the preparation of the podcast look like, exactly? Is it just a chat without any plan? Or do you guys make a list of questions/points that you want to cover?

Darren and David can answer this better since they do a show every week but every time I have been a guest I have gotten a document with a few key points or questions, as it where ahead of time that may or may not be asked or discussed. I have always been told that while there is a topic, it is more "Free-form" so it sounds more natural and the opinions as spontaneous as possible.

Normally I have always guested on a podcast that centered around an Episode, so that does give a bit more direction to just how the topic is going to flow since you are able to use what happened in that hour of TV as the basis for your opinions AND the discussion.

This is the first time I personally have ever done a podcast that is this free-form for the entire main discussion. I have been lucky enough to be on both *Open Mike* podcasts. But those amounted to a 10 - 15 minute impromptu discussion. So I am trying to really take to heart the criticism here and understand the various POVs so if I ever do one of these again I will be better prepared and not so wimpy about voicing and standing up stronger for my thoughts and opinions.

[dipsofjazz]

I certainly don’t believe Louisa was just spouting a party line or repeating what she read in some online meta or in books. There's absolutely no evidence to think she was lying or that she was brainwashed or indoctrinated.

If you read my original post, I was talking about Louisa's views on the fan-fic podcast.

[Melora]

If you read my original post, I was talking about Louisa's views on the fan-fic podcast.

Sorry, dipsofjazz. I didn't read your original post carefully enough. You were talking about the other podcast with Louisa and I have to agree with you on that one. I remember thinking the same thing when I listened to it and wondering why they didn't ask someone who actually writes fanfiction on as a guest. Perhaps Louisa does, but she gave the impression that she merely studies and reads it instead of being an active participant in the writing process.

I do believe that the opinions she shared in this podcast to be her own and I really have no reason to believe otherwise. While some of her comments in the fanfiction podcast seemed to come out of a grad seminar paper on slash fanfiction (perhaps one she herself wrote) or from online fan meta, I think her ideas in this one came directly from her own mind and perhaps from discussions she has had online with other like-minded fans.

[dipsofjazz]

Sorry, dipsofjazz. I didn't read your original post carefully enough. You were talking about the other podcast with Louisa and I have to agree with you on that one. I remember thinking the same thing when I listened to it and wondering why they didn't ask someone who actually writes fanfiction on as a guest. Perhaps Louisa does, but she gave the impression that she merely studies and reads it instead of being an active participant in the writing process.

It's okay, I know how easy it is to misread posts.

There are a plethora of fanfic writers, many of them members here in Gateworld. I wish some of them had been used in that podcast.

I do believe that the opinions she shared in this podcast to be her own and I really have no reason to believe otherwise. While some of her comments in the fanfiction podcast seemed to come out of a grad seminar paper on slash fanfiction (perhaps one she herself wrote) or from online fan meta, I think her ideas in this one came directly from her own mind and perhaps from discussions she has had online with other like-minded fans.

I also believe that what she said in this podcast were her own opinions, and I have no problem with that. I just wish there had been more counterpoint to the discussion.

[Skydiver]

my 'party line' comment, might not have been the best choice of words, but it stemmed from her words like 'sam killed janet' 'sam is perfect' etc, a lot of the phrasology that some groups repeat over and over and over when they talk about the character.

that's what i meant by 'party line', phrases and terms used over and over and over for years.

[Frostfox]

my 'party line' comment, might not have been the best choice of words, but it stemmed from her words like 'sam killed janet' 'sam is perfect' etc, a lot of the phrasology that some groups repeat over and over and over when they talk about the character.

that's what i meant by 'party line', phrases and terms used over and over and over for years.

I completely get that people might want to disagree with what she said in the podcast, but as we don't know the woman, I feel that speculation about her 'fannish' politics, as with real life politics, should be left out of the discussion as it's all pure speculation anyway, 'gossip', for want of a better word.

FF