Mac Power Users 463: All Good Things

Arthur · January 2, 2019, 2:55am

@nlippman - Well said, I agree with all of your points.

When mentioning the Fujitsu issue, it is commendable that you included the point about the licensing change as well as the more frequently-cited obsolescence issue that is causing so much consternation in this forum.

Like you, I am a physician and have seen firsthand the conflicts of interest that are difficult to manage, human nature being what it is. I have reached the same conclusion as yours, that David and Katie have shown no intentional bias toward sponsored products or against non-sponsored products. Their recommendations appear to be made in good faith.

Also like you, I am nonetheless surprised that they continue to praise Fujitsu’s products (at one point even describing Fujitsu’s software as “awesome”), while not disclosing the well-known problems for Mac users. David almost broached this subject in this podcast (#463) when he cautiously mentioned VueScan software as a possible alternative for no-longer-supported scanners. Again, however, there was no mention of the serious Fujitsu issues discussed in this forum, including the new licensing restrictions. These omissions have become almost embarrassing, given the level of sophistication and technical expertise of the podcast’s audience.

dchar · January 2, 2019, 4:29pm

Not exactly the farewell thread I had imagine. I always wondered why someone would spend their time on a podcast and a forum only to be criticized and accused. I doubt the sponsorship money is worth it. Anyway, thanks to David and Katie for putting themselves out there and trying to help. Best wishes.

Arthur · January 2, 2019, 5:13pm

Exactly … you never know what’s going to happen when you let in the unwashed masses …
…
Edited to add: Someone complained about the term “unwashed masses”. This was intended as a humorous, self-deprecating term referring to all of us podcast listeners who are now allowed the privilege to access this forum. No insult intended to anyone.
…

Another take on this is that the podcast industry is an exciting, growing, vibrant “happening place” these days. MPU included. Lively discussion is a necessary - and desirable - part of this. For David and Katie there has been overwhelming praise, some criticism, but not much in the way of true “accusation”.

The “good” podcasters (like Katie and David) will thrive as long as they inform and entertain their audience. And, crucially … if they respond to their audience. By monitoring not only the so-called “analytics” of downloaded episodes, but also by monitoring and being responsive to the audience - through forums such as this.

We in the podcast community audience are watching history happen. Podcasts are proliferating, consolidation is occurring, financing models are changing - sponsored ads, subscription models, donation requests. Exciting to watch … let the good times roll.

I’m glad that Katie and David have been part of this, and particularly pleased that they have opened this forum for all of us. Cheers, and Happy New Year!

cornchip · January 2, 2019, 6:14pm

I agree the timing is strange, but my guess is these feelings were bottled up and Katie’s leaving seemed like a communally acceptable transition time to a few people who checked out of the show awhile ago.

memex · January 2, 2019, 10:18pm

the “real” farewell thread is here

Maybe it could be more befitting to take the Fujitsu discussion in an ad hoc thread?

tomalmy · January 2, 2019, 10:31pm

Yes about the farewell thread. But in all fairness to this thread, David did mention ScanSnap in this MPU episode, so it is on topic here. Interesting that the only topics mentioned here are Katie’s leaving and the ScanSnap problems. Was nothing else discussed in that 92 minutes? These two appear to be the really hot topics!

Arthur · January 2, 2019, 10:53pm

Indeed!

This forum is a good adjunct to the MPU podcast. It’s members appear to be genuine listeners, and the feedback to the podcasters is potentially valuable. The message in this thread is that the two topics mentioned by @tomalmy struck a chord with the listeners. Now let’s see how the podcasters deal with it going forward.

The podcast industry is thriving, with MPU along with it. I hope this lively forum will help David and his new partner continue to do well.

vco1 · January 3, 2019, 8:51am

Not at all so far. The absence of @MacSparky in these discussions is remarkable.

Which is probably exactly the reason why there is no single statement from the MPU team. The stakes are (relatively) high. And don’t tell me they’re too busy. I assume the doctors, managers, it pro’s on this forum are quite busy too, and still find time to take part in the discussions.

This whole podcast industry is still in its infancy (at least at networks like Relay, probably less with reputable organizations like NPR). What’s needed is a clear separation between advertisements and ‘editorial’ content.

ptarh · January 3, 2019, 9:33am

I am an occasional listener to MPU and I often have a feeling that David and Katie were too enthusiastic about some software for no good reason. Yes, you can be excited because TextExpander is doing text replacements for you, but you should also have in mind in a podcast for power users that they were neither the first to provide such functionality, nor do they have something special. Interestingly is also, that TE is one of the apps where all predictions about going for subscription model for just a money grab without providing any additional value or increased development speed were true.

It should not mean, that you are forbidden to praise such a software, it just means that it could look suspicious for some listeners especially if Smile is a regular sponsor. Praise of Fujitsu is, I guess, the same story — high-price hardware with poor software support. The part with software problems is never properly addressed. Happens to be also one of the main sponsors of the show. Could be a coincidence, could be not.

I am not offended because I take their advertisements as what it is — advertisement. I would agree with value of some of the advertised products, like OmniFocus, for most of others I would say “nah, it is not worth the money and there are better options anyway”. The problem is: if you make ads look like your personal opinion, people will make you responsible for nor mentioning the dark sides. Especially if you say something like “Fujitsu is a sponsor of this show, but I am recommending them only because they are sooo gooood”. I guess, now it would be time to un-recommend them if it is really about the personal opinion and not about sponsorship.

There is a lot of mediocre software in the internet full with fake customer praise like “I’ve installed this wallpaper changer and my life is not the same since!”. MPU surely does not want to end like this. I was in science for some time and would say this thread is a classic about sponsorship, conflict of interest and credibility. David should be more cautions about such things in future because the ice is very thin. Nobody likes marketing. It is the necessary evil, we all get it, but it should be marked as such.

dfay · January 3, 2019, 11:28am

Just catching up with this thread and I find it kind of sad that Katie’s farewell has been hijacked by people complaining about sponsorship especially when D&K have, by my recollection, always indicated when they were discussing sponsoring products.

I don’t use a Fujitsu scanner or Mojave, so I haven’t followed that discussion closely at all. But I would recommend if you’re looking for scanner software to consider ExactScan ( http://exactscan.com/compatiblescanner.shtml#Fujitsu ) – I used it with my 2002 Xerox Documate 510 from 2005 when I first got a Mac until 2017 when the scanner finally broke down. The developers are quite responsive and will probably add any missing drivers if asked nicely.

nlippman · January 3, 2019, 11:44am

A few more things:

Firstly, I am sorry to see that this thread did get hijacked into a discussion, sometimes critical, regarding Fujitsu. I admit that I did not realize that was happening when I wrote my first posting on this thread, and that was not at all my intent, especially since I still believe that overall David and Katie have done a fantastic job on MPU, and I have been and will remain a dedicated listener.

Secondly, while I had hoped that one of them would weigh in on this topic here on the forum, I am not all that surprised that they have not. Even though this is the MPU forum, I have never assumed that they read, or even monitor, every single thread or post. Yes, we are all busy, but I admit that I pick and choose what to read, do not read everything, and comment on even less. I have seen the forum as a place for us to talk, but never assumed that David and Katie were monitoring, or at all obligated to monitor, everything or anything.

Thirdly, I think that the reason that there is so much criticism of their lack of commentary on this topic is not because we are being hypercritical or disrespectful. Rather, at least in my case anyway, it because we have and hold them in such high regard that we have such high expectations, and as two individuals whose recommendations hold a great deal of weight with me, at least, when I find something they recommend to be lacking, it is more bothersome that with someone else for whom I have less respect. I think we are all feeling that, because their opinions DO matter to us. I have tried, and bought, many utilities and sometimes hardware based on a mention on MPU. WIth great power comes great responsibility…no, wait, that’s Spider-Man. But you get the point.

Finally, another apology to Katie. Your sendoff should not have been hijacked, and you leave MPU with at least this listener’s thanks and respect. For all you have done for the Mac community, thank you!

vco1 · January 3, 2019, 12:56pm

I disagree with this thread being “hijacked”. This is a thread about episode 463 of MPU. Katie’s farewell thread is a separate one. And she got a lot of praise over there.
And both Katie and David being (American) lawyers, I think they’re used to more harsh discussions than this one.

andreasl · January 3, 2019, 2:33pm

Just finished the episode. I’m going to miss Katie, I just realised. It won’t be the same anymore

Arthur · January 3, 2019, 5:33pm

Indeed. For those interested in the exciting podcast industry growth story, I created a post about this. This was placed in another MPU category to avoid hijacking this thread. Link: Podcast Industry Growth thread

OogieM · January 3, 2019, 6:55pm

Finally getting a chance to listen and one minor correction, My name is pronounced OO as in Boot and Gee as in Jeep -)

And thanks MacSparky for the additional info about how you wanted the Apple iCloud to work. That makes more sense, a choice to backup things or not as you wish bundled in does make sense.

On the Doctor Who stuff, I just wish I could get it anywhere, Misssed nearly all of Capaldi and none of the latest Doctor. Not available here as far as I can tell without buying the season. So, where are you finding it? Or is that a subscription you have elected to buy?

The idea of holding the phone up to a face to unlock it just gave me an idea for a scene in my next NaNoWriMo novel. Thanks for the tip. A whole new take on spoofing fingerprints.

WayneG · January 3, 2019, 8:45pm

I agree, it’s probably time to move on.

I would like to say I’ve never heard David or Katie make what I would consider a misleading statement about an advertiser, or anything else.

And I would never expect to hear anyone doing an ad read to say “By the way, this manufacturer doesn’t support their product until the heat death of the universe” any more than I would expect Chrysler to say “We go bankrupt every twenty years or so, but our cars are great”

They frequently, if not always, disclose that this company or that is a previous/current advertiser when it enters the discussion. I expect nothing more.
—-
Katie, congratulations and best wishes. David, looking forward to many more years of MPU.

MacSparky · January 3, 2019, 8:58pm

Gang,

Thanks for the active discussion. That is why this forum exists. There is a lot covered in this thread:

About Katie’s Goodbye
@Aaron_Antcliff was right. I had talking points outlined for my goodbye to Katie at the end and I just started falling apart. I literally couldn’t get words out. I didn’t expect to get so emotional. It really caught me by surprise.

On Fujitsu
I’ve been seeking clarification from the Fujitsu about what their exact plans are. I don’t want to say something on the podcast about this and find out later that I’m wrong and have you all mad at me for giving bad information. I’m definitely going to have opinions about other ways to use older hardware once I sort out what the best options are.

On Advertising in General
Thanks for the ad read feedback. I do generally use most of the stuff our sponsors make. I don’t think we’ve ever disclosed it but we have turned down multiple sponsors in the past because I didn’t feel comfortable recommending it.

I am genuinely enthusiastic about our sponsors. You can disagree with me, but please don’t attack my intentions just because we disagree. We’ve always gone out of our way, when we have a content show that covers an area that a sponsor works in, to cover the other companies as well. PDFExpert was one example but I’ve also talked at length about other PDF apps, including LiquidText, which I think is truly special. I’m currently working on a show about Things (a direct competitor to OmniFocus) with a special guest that is a Things power user.

It would be great if we could do the show without sponsors but it takes a lot of time to produce this show. Between planning, pre-production, recording, and post-production, we spend a lot of time producing the show and I still have to pay for my shoes somehow. There are costs too. I’ve been paying personally for all the server costs for this forum. (I disliked Facebook that much.) Sponsors are here to stay. I’ll do my best to get better at it.

About Forum Participation
I’m sorry I haven’t been as present in the forums lately as I’d like to be. I wasn’t trying to dodge this conversation. We had a very serious injury in the family and I spent a lot of time at the hospital and I’m still digging out. Also, sending Katie off right and getting Stephen started properly all took some time.

About MPU
I don’t mind criticisms at all. Sometimes I listen to a show and think I’m the worst podcaster ever. I’d only ask that you understand I am only trying to make MPU great and everything I do here comes from a place of love. If you are thinking about not listening, I’d encourage you to give Stephen a chance. We’ve done a lot of planning and have some great shows lined up.

Sylvan · January 3, 2019, 9:56pm

Thank you, David, for commenting on the discussion. I too have had the impression in the past that there were several issues with Fujitsu‘s software that were not discussed on the podcast, so I‘m glad to hear you‘re working on this and I look forward to a future discussion on the podcast. An honest communication with the community is key and while I would‘ve hoped for an earlier thematization of the topic, I think it speaks for your commitment to MPU that you want to research properly before adressing it.

And besides that: Family issues always go first.

Arthur · January 4, 2019, 1:36am

Of course it does. You deserve to be paid for your work; sponsors and ads are fine, especially since you and Stephen have already indicated (Podcast Industry thread) your intent to honor your listeners’ privacy. Don’t feel guilty.

Please. Not only about the “obsoleted” scanners, but the new software license restrictions as well.

You’re doing fine. Thanks for your detailed post and for listening to your audience. That will serve you well in the long run and will distinguish you from most other podcasters who are out of touch. Simply providing this forum speaks volumes about your concern for your audience. You can bet that most of us will “give Stephen a chance”.

Keep up the good work!

tomalmy · January 4, 2019, 5:52pm

MacSparky, thank you for responding! But please note that the issues with Fujitsu are more than just old scanner support but also their new licensing restrictions.

Keep up the good work!