Last year we tried something new.  It was inspired by a number of folks I've known over the years who tried to find aquiet space at Cisco Live to record a podcast.  Oddly, it's not that quiet at a conference that hosts 28,000+ people doing all sorts of not-so-quiet things.  I've seen people squeeze into random maintenance closets -with their recording equipment, backpacks, and guests -or try to utilize space in 'whisper suites' where no one whispers. Inviting folks to your hotel room to record a podcast can feel pretty sketchy, too. So last year we created the Podcast Domain.

We wanted to see if there was interest in a community-oriented recording space on the show floor.  The 'booth' was pretty bare-bones with a fishbowl for the podcasters, some foam cubes to sit on outside for those waiting or wanting to watch the excitement, and stickers. You need stickers if you're going to be hanging out with podcasters.  Finally, most importantly, we had audio recording equipment and technicians. Our backpacks are heavy enough without carrying recording equipment.

The experiment turned out great -we created some Cisco Champions Radio episodes, a few CiscoChat podcast episodes, and had a few of our community podcasters utilize the space as well. One thing I'd have done differently is to advertise the space earlier which is the genesis of this post. Huzzah.

This year, we've got our high-quality audio and technicians, the fishbowl, stickers, and possibly a few other fun goodies.  We're opening the space again to the community. Once we know a podcaster is interested we'll work with you to get akick-asterisksguest and find a time in the schedule that works for you.

We'll expect you do your normal podcasting prepwork and work with your guests to plan your show as you normally would.  At Cisco Live we'll ask that you show up 30 minutes ahead of time to get suited up with headphones.  You'll go into the fishbowl with your guests, record, and then receive the audio recording as you leave the booth. Posting to your show will be at your leisure.

We'll prioritize established podcasts and content related to Cisco's core technologies (because that's where our funding comes from) but if you have a fun idea, we're 'all ears'.

If you're interested in utilizing this space, let us know!