Saturday, 27 February 2021

Joint Session Bonus Show | February 2021

A technical overhaul of the THC archive brings the community-driven Joint Session bonus show to mobile apps while introducing a new trial for Plus subscribers.

By The Higherside Chats Free Show | 7m listen | 3 chapters
Joint Session Bonus Show | February 2021 cover

About this episode

The Higher Side Chats host Greg Carlwood transitions the monthly Joint Session bonus show to a dedicated podcast feed to resolve technical hurdles with the website audio player. This community-driven hour, previously a Zoom-based call-in format, now integrates directly into mobile apps for Plus members. The move aims to streamline archive organization while maintaining the candid nature of subscriber-only content.

Listeners on the free RSS feed now encounter a placeholder segment designed to keep the primary and Plus feeds in chronological alignment. This strategy addresses long-standing issues with the THC forum and RSS feed restructuring. Subscribers using the coupon code JOINT receive a one-week trial of the Plus service to access the full second hour of interviews. The program continues to prioritize listener voicemails, forum queries, and behind-the-scenes updates regarding recent guest appearances and controversial theories.

A new musical introduction featuring listener-contributed lyrics signals the start of the subscriber-only portion. This segment highlights the diverse range of trip reports and queries submitted by the community. Greg Carlwood emphasizes that these sessions remain the primary venue for addressing specific feedback from the THC forum.


CHAPTER 01 / 3 Discussion

The Higher Side Chats Joint Session Bonus Show Format

The Higher Side Chats host introduces the monthly Joint Session bonus show, a candid program exclusive to Plus members. This community-driven hour features responses to THC forum comments, listener voicemails, and behind-the-scenes updates regarding recent interviews. Originally launched as a Zoom-based call-in format, the show transitioned into a standard podcast feed to accommodate listeners using mobile apps.

the higher side chats· joint session· plus members· thc forum· voicemail

00:01 Hello, Hireside Chatter! Serenity now. How the hell are ya? You know I hate to do this sort of thing but what i call the monthly joint session bonus show for plus members is a fun little extra where I can talk a little bit more candidly to the inner circle. I can read and respond to questions and comments left in the THC forum. Forum access being a lifetime bonus for plus people by the way even if you cancel your membership And I can play the audio messages people leave for me at TheHigherSideChats.com slash voicemail Always open if you have a cool story or weird experience, or want to sing us a song which oddly has happened a couple of times already

00:43 I also get to talk about THC news and updates that don't really fit on the end of a random interview. I get to talk about the feedback i've gotten for the latest round of shows, which is usually interesting and sometimes pretty surprising based on people's reactions to the guests and topics of the month Sometimes things you wouldn't want just floating around out there if you were in my shoes especially when reading the harsh negative stuff And I also sometimes get to bring up parts of a guest's work that we didn't get into in the actual interview. Or stuff that was maybe sent to me afterwards, that relates to something in a particular episode So it really is just an all-around community driven hour or so of behind-the-scenes stuff

01:26 It's called the Joint Session not only because it is a coming together of me and the THC audience, but it's also actually a triple entendre. And that's sort of what I built the brand on around here and all that We actually started doing the joint sessions as a Zoom room, open line sort of call-in thing. But it wasn't in the RSS feed at all! So many Plus members were like hey man I listen to the show on a podcast app on my phone... ...I don't want to have to go to the website just to get this other thing is there way you can just put it in the feed with the rest of the stuff? so I changed the format for that reason and a couple others and made into another podcast

CHAPTER 02 / 3 Discussion

RSS Feed Restructuring and Free Listener Placeholder Strategy

Technical challenges with archive organization and website audio players led to a restructuring of the podcast's RSS feeds. A placeholder segment now occupies the Joint Session slot on the free feed to maintain alignment and remind listeners of the additional content available in the second hour of interviews. Listeners on the free feed are offered a one-week trial of the Plus service using the coupon code JOINT.

rss feed· podcast archive· coupon code· user experience· monetization

02:06 But after doing a few of them this way, it's become pretty obvious that it throws things off for me on the back end. It disorganizes my archive and throws off the alignment of everything because for so many years I release something and there is a version that goes on each of the podcast feeds That works very well when I'm looking at them side by side for stats or whatever even just my own organization. I want everything clean and easy But putting a monthly show in one feed that doesn't go into the other has thrown some things off for me and I get irked. I don't want to be irked, and it would only get worse as more and more months go by Not only that but the way the site is structured for these types of dual posts It leaves free listeners who visit the site with an audio player box That doesn't play anything! I don't like that either And it's proven difficult to remove

02:59 So now I have this placeholder that you're listening to now. It's not actually a joint session episode, but it goes in place of them on the free RSS feed But it comes with an offer for a free week of plus if you use the coupon code JOINT so it's not exactly nothing! It's another solution I've had mixed feelings about but I gamed out everything else and this seems like the long-term solution that will work out best Five episodes Joint Session Another five episodes Joint Session And free listeners who click on any one of these will then know that they're just to be skipped once you've heard it. But it's also a reminder that you're leaving a lot on the table. Free listeners don't see the bonus content page, and I structure the interviews in a way that is not super noticeable if there isn't extra hour

03:44 I don't tease you with that kind of, and we'll get your answer to that question right after the break sort of stuff that you hear on other shows. So i'm thinking some of this is out-of-sight out-of-mind and it might be easy to forget that as much as you like The First Hour The Second Hour is at least that but usually more because we've already laid the conversational base for whatever the guest is about this week So I guess just know that this would be a joint session show if you were a plus member. I love what i do, but can I really do it forever? Honestly...if you were me wouldn't you feel a little uneasy about the way things are going lately and being a public figure in this kind of space? Look! I made my bed and I'll lay in it but I'd be stupid not to try to insulate myself a bit and take the opportunity to try to turn more people on to the full show while my platform is still fully operational

CHAPTER 03 / 3 Discussion

Joint Session Theme Song and Listener Contribution Intro

A musical introduction marks the transition into the actual Joint Session content, highlighting the role of listener contributions. The lyrics reference the various types of content featured in these episodes, including forum posts, voicemails, theories, queries, and trip reports. This segment serves as the formal opening for the subscriber-only portion of the program.

theme song· listener feedback· trip reports· queries· joint session

06:21 Welcome to the monthly joint session on THC. Yes! Where Greg will find some foreign posts and stuff that he can read And there's that voicemail too. On here to write something this show depends on you More lead message Theories, queries, trip reports Weird thoughts and bad reviews I bought this song out of order Straight stuff Insides you've got scabs that you fall down in the joint cessure. Strange stuff, you see? Insides you've got scabs that you fall down in the joint cessure