Tuesday, 8 December 2020

Joint Session Bonus Show | November 2020

A technical overhaul of the podcast feed meets a community-driven bonus hour as the inner circle gathers for the latest monthly dispatch of listener theories.

By The Higherside Chats Free Show | 7m listen | 3 chapters
Joint Session Bonus Show | November 2020 cover

About this episode

The Higher Side Chats host Greg Carlwood launches the November 2020 Joint Session, a monthly bonus program designed to bridge the gap between the show and its Plus members. This specific installment addresses a major backend reorganization of the RSS feed intended to fix broken audio players and archive alignment issues on the public website. The transition ensures that the community-driven hour remains a dedicated space for candid connections and behind-the-scenes updates.

Technical adjustments now include a placeholder segment in the free RSS feed to maintain a consistent 1:1 ratio with the subscriber-only content. This structural change targets internal statistics and file organization while serving as a persistent reminder of the additional hour of content available to the inner circle. The program integrates listener voicemails, THC forum comments, and detailed trip reports into a format that evolved from an original Zoom-based call-in show into a mobile-friendly podcast stream.

A musical montage featuring lyrics about weird theories and listener contributions signals the shift into the subscriber-only portion of the broadcast. Greg Carlwood emphasizes the importance of these monthly sessions for fostering a unique community atmosphere that standard interviews cannot replicate. The segment concludes with a transition into the member-specific discussion where forum posts and direct listener feedback take center stage.


CHAPTER 01 / 3 Discussion

The Higher Side Chats Joint Session Bonus Show Overview

The Higher Side Chats host introduces the Joint Session, a monthly bonus show designed specifically for Plus members to foster a candid connection with the inner circle. This community-driven hour includes reading THC forum comments, responding to listener voicemails, and sharing behind-the-scenes updates that do not fit into standard interviews. The format originally began as a Zoom-based open line call-in show before transitioning into a dedicated podcast feed for better accessibility on mobile apps.

higher side chats· joint session· plus members· thc forum· community feedback

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 Reorganization and Free Listener Experience

A change in the podcast's backend organization addresses issues with archive alignment and broken audio players on the public website. To maintain a clean 1:1 ratio between free and Plus feeds, a placeholder segment now occupies the Joint Session slot in the free RSS feed. This strategy aims to remind free listeners of the additional hour of content they miss each week while ensuring the host's internal statistics and file structures remain organized.

rss feed· podcast archive· user experience· subscription model· digital organization

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 Musical Intro and Listener Contribution Theme

A musical montage introduces the start of the Joint Session, highlighting the various types of listener contributions that drive the program. The lyrics reference forum posts, trip reports, weird theories, and voicemail messages that form the core of the subscriber-only content. This transition marks the end of the public announcement and the beginning of the member-specific discussion.

theme song· listener voicemails· trip reports· paranormal stories· community content

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