Thursday, 31 March 2022

Joint Session Bonus Show | Restriction Reports, World Fairs, & Out Of Body Birth

A technical overhaul of the THC archive brings the monthly Joint Session to mobile apps while streamlining the experience for both free and Plus listeners.

By The Higherside Chats Free Show | 7m listen | 3 chapters
Joint Session Bonus Show | Restriction Reports, World Fairs, & Out Of Body Birth cover

About this episode

The Higher Side Chats transitions its monthly Joint Session to a standard podcast feed format to resolve mobile accessibility issues for Plus members. Host Greg Carlwood implements a new RSS feed strategy to manage archive alignment and database integrity. This shift replaces the previous live Zoom room model with a structured audio experience designed for on-the-go listening.

Technical adjustments to the THC website now include a placeholder segment on the free feed to prevent broken audio players for non-subscribers. This organizational change addresses specific challenges with RSS feed restructuring while avoiding the mid-interview cliffhangers common in other subscription models. The update ensures that the Plus version remains distinct without compromising the user experience for the broader audience on platforms like Apple Podcasts and Spotify.

The Joint Session features a community-driven theme song and a heavy focus on listener-submitted voicemails and forum posts. Greg Carlwood reviews trip reports and fringe theories provided by the THC community to drive the narrative of this monthly bonus segment. This specific episode highlights the transition from a live video format to a dedicated audio-first production for the show's most dedicated supporters.


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 dedicated to Plus members. This candid format includes responding to THC forum comments, playing listener voicemails, and sharing behind-the-scenes updates regarding recent interviews. Originally launched as a live Zoom room, the segment transitioned into a standard podcast feed format to accommodate listener preferences for mobile app accessibility.

the 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 Restructuring and Free Listener Placeholder Strategy

Technical challenges regarding archive alignment and RSS feed organization led to a change in how bonus content is distributed. To maintain a clean database and avoid broken audio players for non-subscribers on the website, a placeholder segment now occupies the Joint Session slot on the free feed. This strategy aims to remind listeners of the additional hour of content available in the Plus version while maintaining the show's integrity by avoiding mid-interview cliffhangers.

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

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 Introduction and Listener Contribution Theme Song

The Joint Session officially commences with a theme song highlighting the community-driven nature of the episode. The segment focuses on listener-submitted content, including forum posts, voicemails, trip reports, and theories. This portion of the program relies entirely on audience participation and feedback to drive the discussion.

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

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