Rob Blatt blogs about podcasting, technology, audio, and life with three dogs

How did you get started online?

In 1994 my parents bought a Hayes modem and signed the family up for AOL 2.5. It was when AOL was a totally walled garden and you couldn’t access the internet. While I couldn’t get on the internet, I managed to find my way to the newsgroups and have my mind blown by what was available by the computer and a phone line. When AOL upgraded their software to version 3.0, the door to the internet was opened for me and there’s been no turning back ever since.

What’s your passion in life?

What’s most important to me is telling stories that are memorable and entertain people. It was something that was passed down from my grandfather to me. He was an interesting guy.

How would you describe your show Create Consume Delete?

It’s a show about making media easier to make from the point of view of two media professionals. The longer version is that Create Consume Delete is a podcast that attempts to look at the media that we’re creating on a regular basis from a slightly scientific point of view. There are a lot of people out there that contend that if you have compelling content, then you don’t need to worry about the quality of the media. Each time you hear someone say that, I would bet you money that they aren’t the people who are doing the real work. Making quality media, whether it be audio, video or text, is a learned skill. Only once you’ve mastered those skills can you really start to focus your efforts on your content. We’re trying to help people get to the point where the media that they use on a regular basis is an extension of their creative process instead of hindering it. I’m your audio guide and Chris Cavs is your visual guide to getting there.

The idea of the show start at Social Media Camp NYC. Chris and I did a session about how quality was queen in the media hierarchy, and occasionally the queen was more important than the king (content). It was a reaction to a video by Gary Vaynerchuk, and we eventually decided to get together once a week to expand on that initial conversation.

What turned you onto Disqus?

I thought that the comment moderation in WordPress could have been easier, so I went looking for an alternative. This was also when people started talking about the merits of threaded comment system. There are a few companies that provide the technology to do so, but I liked how involved Disqus seemed to be in pushing the boundaries of what the normal conventions of a commenting system could be.

If there was one thing you could change about Disqus? What would it be?

I’d like Disqus to take the lead in blog comment ownership. Last time I checked my personal blog, whenever anyone leaves a comment on my personal blog at robblatt.com, there are five different entities that can claim to have a license to do with those comments as they please. Me, the commenter, Disqus, BackType and there’s a Creative Commons license on everything on my blog. That could get confusing to some people. If people were given the option to license their comments with a Creative Commons license, they could rest a little easier that while they might be quoted somewhere, they would be given proper attribution other people couldn’t sell their comments without first getting permission. But then again, I’m one of those extremist “Creative Commons the World” kinda guys.

I know you’re an audio guy, how would you implement audio into Disqus?

A click to record an audio comment would be a pretty rockin’ addition to Disqus. I know plenty of people who won’t use their built in cameras when they don’t feel like they are prettied up, so what better way to accommodate them than removing the video side of things and leaving the audio? As a podcaster, I see a lot of merit in this because it can finally remove the arcane system we’re using now to solicit audio feedback, which is through the phone system. I’d gladly replace that with direct sound.

Anything else you would like to add?

Yeah. I get caught up in the technology behind my sites quite a bit. I’m always looking for different ways to innovate on the WordPress platform. Something I try to never lose sight of is that everything I do is about entertaining the audience and trying to be just a little more memorable than I was the last time they looked me up. It’s important to remember that the tools that we use are just tools. It’s the people and relationships that make the longest lasting positive impressions. And that everyone should check out blattcave.com to see all the other podcasts that I’m producing or hosting.

Cheers,