Sidepodcast

Most Prolific Contributors for 2009

So '09 came and went, and during the year we had a couple of things to say on a subject or two. We weren't the only ones though, some 444,749 individual comments were posted on Sidepodcast between 1 January and 31 December 2009.

We may be biased, but we truly believe the Sidepodcast community is the very best F1 community on the internet. I'm banned from thanking anyone else, but just as we did last year, we thought we'd take a look and see which individuals contributed the most to the conversation in the past 12 months.

Last year, Lou topped the chart with 10,064 comments. She nearly doubled that figure this year, but still came close to falling out of the top ten. Steven's whopping 32,889 comments sees him way out in front as Sidepodcast's Commenting King of 2009. Mr. Roy we owe you a drink or three.

Over 800 individuals left comments this past year, up considerably from the 200 or so in 2008. We welcome everybody with open arms, but we do have to work on keeping hold of new commenters, as more than 300 people left a single response, never to return again.

As for ourselves, Christine didn't quite make the top ten this year leaving just 14,641 comments, while I somehow managed to hit the return key 44,247 times. I think that might count as an addiction.

We should point out that while we've done our best to validate the figures, all counts were aggregated by email address and if you changed yours during the year, your total may not accurately reflect your true effort. We've also done the obvious things like remove spam and trackbacks to ensure only user generated data is totalled.

Sidepodcast passed the 500,000 published comments mark this year, and with that came numerous scalability challenges that we're still working to overcome. We're hoping that people will continue to contribute to the F1 conversation in 2010, and that those lurkers who read but have yet to join in the fun do so soon.

We look forward to reading your next half a million thoughts.

Must Comment Monday is Back

Every now and then, you might hear us mention Must Comment Monday and wonder what it's all about. It is something we want to keep up all year round, but find difficult to do during the busy F1 season. However, now the off-season is well and truly here, it is time for MCM to make its triumphant return.

What is it all about?

If we learnt anything from the Interview with Bloggers series we did recently, it was that bloggers like comments. In many cases, they are the reason the blog exists in the first place. A comment can make a writer's day. Even if it doesn't agree with the sentiment of the article, some well-placed discussion is why we are on the web in the first place.

Must Comment Monday has been around for years, pre-Sidepodcast even. It's an initiative to turn readers into active participants rather than passive observers. Commenting only needs to take a few seconds, and it can make all the difference.

What does it involve?

It's really quite simple, and there are only a couple of guidelines to make things easier.

1. Comment on any blog post you read on a Monday that was written on that day.
2. If a writer publishes several posts a day (this means you, Joe), you only need to comment on one of them.
3. Try and further the conversation, but if you're really stuck, even a 'keep up the good work' can have the desired effect.
4. You don't need to comment on a blog that requires logins and/or signups. Although if you already have a login for the blog, then you probably should.

What is there to gain from this?

It's been said a few times before but if you're not a blogger, it's hard to explain how much a few words can mean. It can provide the inspiration to keep on going, and it's a great way of connecting with the person behind the words. Plus, we made a pretty badge, and I know you can't resist the badge.

Where's the best place to start?

Well, it's funny you should ask, but there have been a plethora of blogs popping up from Sidepodcast commentors of late. For Sidepodcast, the Must Comment Monday initiative is aimed at F1 blogs only, but there is nothing stopping you from spreading the love and commenting on other blogs as well.

There's an ongoing list of new and existing blogs over on the wiki, but here are some of our favourites to get you started. If you find any more, or if we have missed you out, let us know, and we'll pop you on the list.

• BlogF1
• F1 Tailpipe
• F1 Wolf
• James Allen on F1
• Joe Saward
• Making Up The Numbers
• Natural Born Racers
• Only One Timo Glock
• Pitlane Fanatic
• Racing Eagles
• Sofa F1
• The Blog of an F1 Loonie
• Too Much Racing

We also ask bloggers themselves to take part in, and promote Must Comment Monday too. Feel free to either grab the badge above and post it on your own site, or have fun creating your own. You can link to this explanation, the dedicated page or blog about how comments make a difference to you as a writer and encourage more. By all means Tweet, Facebook or do whatever you can to promote more interaction in your blog.

Finally, come back and let us know your Must Comment Monday experiences - did you find new friends, new blogs, or new ideas? Or is the whole thing a bit of a chore. We want to know.

F1 Debrief - Minus the Baubles

• Length: 42:05 
• Size: 38.7 MB 
• File: debrief121.mp3 
• Transcript: Coming soon 
• Torrent: debrief121.torrent 

On this week's non-race F1 Debrief, we take a look at the FIA elections, the possibility of an even greener F1 in the future, and preview the next Grand Prix at Abu Dhabi.

Intro

It's been so long since we've done a non-race Debrief, we might have forgotten how to do it!

Good Week / Bad Week

It's been a good week for Abu Dhabi as they've sold out, but a bad week for Donington who seem to be running out of time... maybe.

News and Views

We take a look at how the various members of Brawn GP celebrated their championship success, plus a quick glimpse at the future of the FIA now that Jean Todt is in charge. We also preview the upcoming Abu Dhabi Grand Prix.

Feedback

A couple of voicemails and emails, looking back at the Japanese Grand Prix controversy, some issues with downloading shows, and a new blogger joins the ranks.

Housekeeping

Two exciting bits of housekeeping including our first ever Sidepodcompetition, and the fact that Sidepodcast version 3.0 is beginning to take shape.

Linkage

• Jake Humphrey's blog post
• Aside with Joe
• James Allen's blog post
• F1 Wolf Abu Dhabi Preview
• Nippon Drive Blog
• Sidepodcompetition
• Sidepodcast's Drop
• Fantasy Racers
• Sidepodcast Wiki

Live: So That's What the Australian Anthem Sounds Like

All our rehearsing worked out well for the Parade Lap this morning, so now it's time to see what effect it will have on the debrief. We've got an excellent race weekend to discuss, plus much, much more.

It's been a few weeks since we've done a debrief, so there's news to catch up on, plus a Fantasy Racers update and all your feedback.

It's already gone 6pm, so that deadline is out the window, but we'll be live very shortly. Hopefully see you in the comments.

Live: Supporting the F1 Loonies

A bumper show today covering all things Silverstone, as not only did we live comment the race, but we also managed to turn up there on Friday. Listen in for more details.

We've got a whole host of goodies today, including many voicemails, some shoutouts, some Rob and Ted News (Rob needs his own jingle, I say), plus the usual good stuff.

We're starting early, any time now, in order to try and avoid Top Gear. With such a bumper show in store it may or may not happen, but you can't say we didn't try.

F1 Debrief - You Messed It Up, You Deal With It

• Length: 38:48 
• Size: 35.7 MB 
• File: debrief108.mp3 
• Transcript: Coming soon 
• Torrent: debrief108.torrent 

This week we discuss the FOTA and GPDA get-together, run through all the action from Turkey, catch up with the Fantasy Racers competition, and get a heap of excellent feedback.

Intro

We're leaving things to the last minute, because if it's good enough for Jenson...

Good Week / Bad Week

It's been a good week for Donington Park and other European races, but a bad week for the Brabham family as they have an imposter. Also a bad week for Red Bull and their motorhome.

News and Views

More about the 2010 season, more smaller teams signing up, plus Force India getting themselves suspended from FOTA for the time being. The drivers pick sides, and we continue to wait.

The Race

Turkey is actually really good, even if the race left a little to be desired. Vettel screwed it up from the off, but we saw some great KERS/non-KERS battles. Also, Piquet did well.

Fantasy Racers

I am now 82nd in the league, whilst Mr C is falling ever lower, currently in 325th.

Feedback

We get two emails - a couple of blog plugs, and a question about the show - and three voicemails. Scott in Italy has some thoughts on team orders, Lukeh wants to rename Formula 1, and Zoe has some birthday wishes.

Housekeeping

F1 Minute reached 500 shows old this weekend, which is pretty impressive, if I do say so myself. We also discuss our plans, or lack of them, for next weekend. Don't forget Le Mans!

Linkage

• An Aside with Joe
• Making Up the Numbers
• Fly F1
• Backpacker's Guide to F1
• F1 Minute
• Sidepodcast's Drop
• Fantasy Racers
• Sidepodcast Wiki

F1 Debrief - Painting the Sistine Chapel with an Etch-A-Sketch

• Length: 38:43 
• Size: 35.6 MB 
• File: debrief107.mp3 
• Transcript: Coming soon 
• Torrent: debrief107.torrent 

This week, we briefly discuss the politics - a necessary evil - before diving right into the great feedback, including a couple of voicemails, some feed clarification and wiki updates.

Intro

We have to come up with our own intro as there are no shout outs this week!

Good Week / Bad Week

It's been a good and bad week for circuits, with Suzuka winning the Japanese Grand Prix battle, but Hungaroring joining Fuji in the financial troubles category. It's a good week for Button, as he is highly sought after, and a bad week for motorists, who need to keep an eye out for cyclists.

News and Views

Williams submitted their entry, along with many others, and then found themselves suspended from FOTA. The association submitted their entry with a whole host of conditions attached.

Feedback

Masses of feedback this week with emails from RG and Scott Woodwiss, Brian Smith and Trevor. Lukeh's designed a great car, Nikki found a great picture, and we've got a couple of voicemails as well.

Housekeeping

More on the Circuit Cup, a potential new meetup, Sidepodslogans, a new live commenting and the best of Sidepodpanel.

Linkage

• Picture of Danica on Facebook
• Lukeh's Sidepodcar
• Formula Two
• Sidepodcast Feeds
• Live Commenting Live... Thing
• Circuit Cup
• Vezess.hu
• Sidepodslogans on the Wiki
• Best of Sidepodpanel Series 1 and Series 2
• Sidepodcast's Drop
• Fantasy Racers
• Sidepodcast Wiki

Live: Indoors on a Day Like Today?

Actually, we already did the outdoor thing, and it was hot and sunny and all things beautiful. Now it's time to hole up in the Sidepodbunker and prepare ourselves for another live streaming of the Debrief. What could possibly go wrong?

With just a small amount of news to catchup on, including those troublesome 2010 entries, we're hosting a bumper feedback show this week, with emails and voicemails galore. Please keep them coming, as I love every single one.

We're hoping to be ready for 7pm BST, but I think the sun may have fried our brains a little, and we might be running behind schedule. Fingers crossed though. See you soon!

Daily: 31st May 2009

And so we come to the last day in May. At least I think it is. Yesterday, I managed to head up my daily post with the wrong date and confuse everyone in the process. Fingers crossed I am more factually correct today. Here are some of the things we're talking about today:

• It's Debrief day today, and we'll be live streaming a show later in the evening. We're looking for all kinds of feedback for this show, be it voicemails, emails, or just something you want to share with us. The number is 0121 28 87225, or 0121 28 TRACK. Search on Skype for Sidepodcast, or send your emails to christine@sidepodcast.com. You know you want to, and it would make my day.
• Lukeh did some amazing work designing a car for Sidepodcast on Forza 2 on the X-Box. He's got some pictures of the initial design and then some of the car in action. Check them out and praise him because you're looking at hours worth of effort.
• We tuned in to the F2 race yesterday and it wasn't all that bad. We're pretty impressed with the site, though, as the live stream was available right next to the live timing. I had great fun trying to pronounce all the names of the drivers, and decided that Brundle was going to get my support.

We're looking forward to the debrief stream later, but there's plenty of sunshine hours to be enjoyed before that. If we're not out, soaking up some rays, then I'll see you in the comments.

Daily: 12th April 2009

I've been doing this job for all of two days, and already I'm setting new records for daily publishing lateness.

I've had a scout around for Formula 1 news this afternoon, and there isn't any. None at all. Which makes me mighty glad I'm not a news agency promising to deliver between 10 and 20 original F1 stories a day. If I'd have been dumb enough to suggest that, I might be forced to make something up.

Thankfully, there is plenty going on in the community today to keep us occupied.

• The Sidepodaddiction page has scaled new heights, reaching Stage 7.6 which handily covers "denial". I'll likely never make it beyond Stage 6, but if you haven't done so already please do confess your Sidepodhabit to all on the wiki.
• Apparently James Allen didn't get the memo about us appreciating his writing much more than his talking. Yesterday he published an audio slideshow of such pompous arrogance you wonder if he has any real friends, to advise and to guide?
• An early weather report from The Red Bullog has next weekend's Chinese Grand Prix down as a cold by dry affair. Might we finally get to see the relative pace of all the cars, or will Tuesday's FIA ICA hearing muddy those waters yet further?

That pretty much cover's Formula 1's day of no news. Do let us know what you're up to in the comments, and yell if you spot any made up Sunday news. There's bound to be some when you've got to fill those quotas.