J-Talk Podcast Survey Results

Happy New Year to all J-Talk Podcast listeners and supporters of Japanese football. Following the conclusion of the 2012 season I created a survey to gauge opinions on the first year of the podcast, and I was pleasantly surprised to receive 34 completed surveys (though with a total of 102 pageviews I wonder whether some people simply forgot to click "Submit" or found the questions too difficult!). Thanks to everyone who helped spread the word about the survey, mostly through retweets on twitter.

I've taken a complete break from Japanese football since the season ended, paying little attention to the Club World Cup, where Hiroshima acquitted themselves well, and the Emperor's Cup, in which Kashiwa defeated Gamba Osaka in the final on New Year's Day, and to the few people who entered their email address in the comments section apologies for not getting back to you yet, but rest assured I will.

Here's a summary of responses, along with comments from me where necessary:

Please enter your country of residence:
Japan (21) / Australia (6) / UK/England (2) / Ukraine / France (cheers Clement!) / Switzerland (cheers Seb!) / Portugal / Canada (cheers Daniel!).
Good to see we have such an international audience, though next season I'd like to increase our listenership and reach into the rest of Asia.

How did you most often listen to, or download J-Talk?
Through the J-Talk blog (21) / Through iTunes (13) / Through archive.org (0).

When did you begin listening to J-Talk?
From the preview episode (15) / From early in the J.League season (9) / From about halfway through the season (7) / Towards the end of the season (3).
Not really surprised by this, as my twitter followers increased steadily throughout the season, I presume as word-of-mouth about the pod spread.

How many episodes of J-Talk did you listen to throughout the season (there were 40 in all)?
All of them (7) / Almost all (6) / Around half (14) / Just a few (7) / One or two (0).

The average length of an episode (with a guest) was 55 minutes. This was...
far too long. (2) / a little too long. (10) / about right. (21) / not long enough. (1).
This was the question I was most interested in, as I know some of the longer podcasts (the last two of the season were 80 minutes each) might have turned some people off. By a 2 to 1 margin respondents said the average length was about right over a little too long, and aligned with responses to the next question I will try to cap episodes next season at 60 minutes.

What is the ideal length for future J-Talk Podcasts?
Under 30 mins (3) / 30 to 45 mins (9) / 45 to 60 mins (21) / Over 60 mins (1).
The one respondent who selected "Over 60 mins" was from Australia... Hello Tony Dee?!

Who was your favourite J-Talk guest in 2012?

I'm withholding the result of this question as I asked it just out of interest, but I can say that of the 12 guests throughout the season a total of eight received votes, with nine respondents selecting "None in particular", a testament, I hope, to the quality of each and every guest who appeared on the podcast.
Before moving on I'd like to publicly thank (in order of appearance) Sean Carroll, Alan Gibson, Brendan Wimsett, Dan Orlowitz, Steve Barme, Barry Valder, Jon Steele, Paul Williams, Dave Phillips, Scott McIntyre, Clement Delestrade and Angus MacLeod for taking the time to appear on the podcast. Each guest brought their own unique insight and opinions, and all contributed to the success of the podcast.

What would you like to hear more of on J-Talk in 2013? (33 responses)
More varied guests (6) / Player/manager interviews (17) / More J2 coverage (6) / More on Japan's national teams (2) / More on Japanese players in Europe (2). Apologies to those of you who would've liked to provide more than one answer to this question.
This was another question I was especially interested in the results of. I should firstly hold my hands up and say I failed to provide enough coverage of Japanese players in Europe throughout the season. This is something I'll have to weigh up when the podcast gets going again, as I may have to knock it on the head completely (apologies to the two respondents who selected that option!). If I can only manage it in a half-arsed manner then its probably best not to do it at all.
I was expecting a majority of responses to be adding interviews to the podcast, and as it turns out I was right, but there are a couple of potential hurdles to clear, the main one being whether or not I can get a press pass for the 2013 season. Along with that is the fact I rarely attend non-FC Tokyo games, so I might find it difficult to provide a wide enough range of interviewees, and that would almost certainly not be a weekly feature of the podcast.
Finally, most of you asking for more J2 coverage are Gamba Osaka supporters...??!!

Please provide comments (positive, constructive or otherwise) on The J-Talk Podcast in 2012, or changes you would like to see in 2013. (22 responses)

Thanks to all who took the time to fill out this section, the majority of comments were very positive. Here are (parts of) some selected comments along with my responses:

   "If the running time could be kept at around 30 minutes, that'd be fantastic. Or, maybe make two episodes of 25 to 30 minutes instead of one at 55 min. That would make it easier for me to listen to it in one sitting." Dividing one podcast into two episodes is a tricky balance, as I would guess that most listeners would prefer to have one audio file per week that they can listen to in parts, but its something I'll consider.

   "All and all it is a well balanced and well rounded podcast and there's not that much I would change. If, in fact, there's a way to have interviews with players or managers it would be great but I reckon it would also be a tiresome undertaking so I'm not really expecting too much on that front." Much appreciated, interviews are something I'd like to add from time to time, but as I said above its very much up in the air whether or not I'll be able to provide them in 2013.

   "All in all very good but far too long. There's no need to cover every game in detail, perhaps just list the scores and choose some games to focus on." I did consider having a 'Game of the Week' (perhaps the game that that week's guest went to) but as the season progressed and with so much happening at both the top and bottom of J1 that idea went out the window. Its a possibility for next season, but though I know I can't please everyone, I try and cover each team each week. Good point though, duly noted.

   "I wonder if you might consider using something like MailChimp to create a newsletter signup form. That way you could just send out an email burst telling all your dedicated fans when each new podcast has been uploaded. Probably a lot easier for us than constantly rechecking Twitter. ... I'd like to see a tad more discussion concerning forecast results for upcoming rounds." Thanks for this, and I've already done something about it! On the left side of the blog there's now a "Follow by Email" box where you can enter your address and feedburner will notify you of new posts. As for upcoming rounds we usually list the fixtures for the next matchday, I'll try and do a better job of pinning guests for their predictions!

   "It was kind of touched on this year, but maybe a regular update on the JFL, especially now that there is promotion/relegation from J2. That would mean there would be an awful lot to cram into one episode, but it is just an idea." This is another area I could do better in, and perhaps a monthly check on the standings in the JFL would be a useful addition to the podcast. Good idea, cheers.

   "I'm glad you got iTunes delivery sorted, coz that was a real hinderance in the first half of the season. To be honest, I never listened to the J2 sections, but that might be about to change (Gamba supporter)." Yeah iTunes was a nightmare early on, but once I got the hang of uploading myself I hope all subscribers were satisfied with how quickly the episodes were delivered there. We'll try and provide a more consistent coverage of J2 from the beginning of 2013, and I'm sure Gamba will be given plenty of attention.

   "Sometimes I feel it is too long because the guests and you tried to cover everything. But it's basically OK. Recording technique is getting better. I'm looking forward to next years episodes."

   "Try making the audio one channel, because my earphones have just gone bust and now I'll only ever hear the guest speaking."

   "i listen while i'm at work most of the time through my computer speakers. When you interview someone, you're voice is on one speaker, and the guest voice is on the other. I'm not sure if it's just my computer or the way you record it, but if both voices are on both speakers, i think it would sound a bit clearer and i wouldn't have to turn it up as loud to hear both voices at an audible level. thanks for your hard work though, great job this year!" I grouped these three comments together as I know audio quality is a huge issue for the podcast. For those of you who don't know, almost all of the podcasts in 2012 were recorded via skype using Tapur, a free recording software that works well enough but has its limitations. I am restricted by the 'bit rate' which means I can't clip in audio recorded via my handheld voice recorder, and also I'm unable to alter the left v right balance. If anyone knows of a better way to record from skype please let me know, as I am quite the tech numpty!

   "Discussions with 2 or 3 punters. Japanese English speakers, more controversy and banter. Good stuff though, keep up the good work"

   "...I did think that sometimes a panel discussion podcast on Japanese footy issues might be good occasionally but as an extra to the matchday pods." Good ideas these, and I hope to get some people together for at least one group podcast before the start of the 2013 season. We could also try and arrange group pods throughout the season, perhaps during international breaks.


And that's about it! Thanks again to all who submitted surveys, and to everyone who listened to the podcast in 2012. As I mentioned in response to the last comments I hope to arrange a preview podcast with at least two guests, and you can probably expect that in mid-February, once most of the winter transfers are out of the way and squad lists begin to look more settled. Until then, enjoy the break, I know Mrs. J-Talk will!