Sunday Musings: From Voice to Podcast to Legacy

For a few years now I've been recording mostly daily audio recordings on Twitter/X as I walk out my door and greet the day. I talk about the weather and whatever is on my mind. It can be things happening that day or things that inspire me or some other sort of randomness.

You can see the archive of Voice posts over the course of time:
https://x.com/epodcaster/media

Here is an example of one of the Voice posts:

Happy Thursday!

Rain jugs are full and plants are happy. pic.twitter.com/uB3uH8m8KJ

— 🟣 Jennifer Navarrete (@epodcaster) September 5, 2024

These are short audio nuggets that when I look back, tell a story as the seasons change and as my own life has changed.

We all know building on "rented land" is a fast track to creator heartache. At any moment my account could be deleted or an app may cease to exist. So, I download my content on a pretty regular basis. That way I have my own copy of the 17 years I have spent tweeting/posting. In the download all the audio files are within one folder. Which has given me an idea.

RSS = Freedom...and Ownership

Why not turn those audio recordings into a sort of podcast archive? As RSS = freedom, this would be a way to ensure those moments in time are available online for years to come. In a way I am managing my own audio legacy.

Figuring Out The Process

Right now creating a Voice is easy.

1. Open the X app on my phone
2. Click on the create post button
3. Click on the sound waves icon (see screenshot below for reference)
4. Record
5. Write a short summary
6. Post

That's it.

Now to turn these recordings into micro-podcast episodes, I would need to add a new list of tasks. Such as:

1. Download the audio
2. Create a post on my blog (featured image, tags, keyword, meta description, etc)
3. Upload the audio
4. Hit Publish

Not a long additional list of tasks, but those four tasks are more time consuming than creating the original audio is. And on a daily basis that does add up. However, even with that additional work load, I do like the idea of these little audio nuggets going beyond one platform. After all, unless you follow me on X, you'd never know about these audio moments in time. I especially like the idea of ownership and being in control of my audio legacy. So for those two reasons alone, I am diving into turning this idea into a reality. It will take time and there is no rush to get this done, but it will be something I am doing behind the scenes. Stay tuned

But Who Will Listen?

Currently only a handful of people listen to my Voice recordings as it is. Believe me when I say I don't do them because I have a massive listenership. Although I have gotten positive feedback from those handful of listeners. Which has been a nice bonus. So who do I do these recordings for? I do them for myself and in some ways I am doing it as part of my family legacy. It's nice to think that at some future time long after I'm gone a family member would be able to know me from these recordings. Don't we all want to leave our mark in a positive way with our immediate and future family? It's nice to think about that sort of future impact.

What About Your Legacy?

Have you thought about creating your own audio/written/video legacy? If for no other reason except to ensure that you own your content. So that your family can know you from the content you created. Think about diaries from long ago. We read them today and have a glimpse into the life of the person who wrote them. In that way they never die because they live on in every person who reads and is impacted by their words. To have an impact long after you're gone is a powerful thing and one I think is worth thinking about and more importantly doing something about. What do you think? I'm interesting in your thoughts.