015 – The Podcasting Gear Show – An Alternative to Skype and Hangouts – Cristopher Jones from The Ready Room Podcast Discusses Co-hosting and Recording Interviews Via GoToMeeting

Podcasters are a varied breed.  There are those who don't mind talking for a half an hour or an hour by themselves on a show.  They do it week after week, show after show, and think nothing of it. I laud them.  I don't think I could ever do it.

I love the Dune Saga Podcast and the SciFi Diner Podcast because I have co-hosts and do not have to rely on just myself to carry the conversation.  And one of the many reasons I love this show, the Podcasting Gear Show, is because I get to connect with many of you, and the interviews help carry the conversation.  Plus, my gear experience is limited to what I know and what I have encountered on my podcasting journey.  I learn so much for all of you and feel more connected to the podcasting community as a whole.

I have always recorded my interviews and co-hosts using Skype.  In the past year, I experimented with live streaming my podcasts using Google Hangouts.  For us, that worked as good as, perhaps better than Skype at times. But Christopher Jones from Trek.fm provides an alternate solution with way more functionally.

He uses GoToMeeting from Citrix to record his podcasts and loves the ease of use factor as well as its awesome capabilities. As the Citrix site states: "Citrix GoToMeeting makes it simple and cost-effective to meet online with colleagues and customers. Best of all, meeting participants can share their webcams in high definition, so you can enjoy more personal interactions – without needing a complicated setup. You can meet from anywhere on any device – no training needed. Start a meeting and share your screen, video and audio with just a click. Show your screen, share your webcam and speak your mind. GoToMeeting integrates everything – VoIP, telephone, HD video – for a clear and professional web conference. It’s the next best thing to sitting at the same table. Your online meetings are always a tap away with GoToMeeting for iPhone, iPad, Android and Windows Phone. Join or start sessions easily on the go and see the presenter’s desktop right on your mobile device."

Clearly it is a viable, perhaps underused alternative, when podcasting. Are you using GoToMeeting to record your podcasts? Have you used it before and then decided not to? I would love to hear your thoughts. Please e-mail me at podcastingguru@gmail.com.