Stream of consciousness

When Sandra Scolnik paints in her studio in Brittany, France, she listens to the ``Manic Mommies" in Ashland hash out how to split time between the boardroom and the classroom.

Scolnik, a 30-year-old mother of two, found the podcast -- Internet-speak for what would be a radio broadcast -- in the online iTunes directory eight months ago and is hooked. Last month, the Ashland working-mothers duo was the number-three downloaded podcast in the iTunes site's family genre, topped only by two from Radio Disney. Last week, it was a Yahoo! podcasts staff ``pick of the week."

Four years ago, individuals posting their personal views on the Web were largely viewed as ranting whiners; today many bloggers are regularly quoted in the mainstream media. Now another Internet innovation offers independent voices a global stage, and Web-savvy folks in the western suburbs have a lot to sound off about.

With a computer and $50 worth of equipment, podcasters are recording audio shows on themes from worldly to wacky, even divine. ``Manic Mommies" speaks to working mothers trying to do it all. Milford's ``Accident Hash" serves up a wild mix of music and talk. The Unitarian Church of Marlborough and Hudson delivers sermons -- ``G odcasting" as it's called in cyberspace.

Technically, podcasts are ``streamed" audio files posted on the Web. While the prefix `` pod" shares the name with Apple Corp.'s ubiquitous digital player, you don't need an iPod to listen to a podcast, just a computer or any of the many portable devices capable of playing MP3 audio files. You just download the file and listen at your convenience.

``There's a higher level of intimacy with a podcast than a blog because you do have a human voice whispering in your ear," said John Wall, who produces a weekly 10-minute news, business, and entertainment podcast out of his Natick home.

Wall said when he began the ``The M Show" last year, which stands for Marketing/Mobile, there may have been about 2,500 podcasts available. ``I was getting a lot of traffic because I was one of the few out there," he said. Now, he puts the number at more like 25,000, but he suspects 80 percent are inactive at any given time.

One of Wall's more popular shows covered spyware, virus-like programs that hijack a user's computer. His guest, Internet consultant Ben Edelman, talked about how to avoid being sabotaged, the latest threats, and how to know when your computer has been compromised. ``There are a lot of kids' games that are being used as Trojan horses," said Wall, viruses and spyware downloaded as part of seemingly harmless software.

One big advantage of podcasts is that websites provide an archive of shows that can be downloaded anytime.

Periodically, Wall takes his show on the road to local bars or to his favorite vacation spots. Wall's wife, ``The lovely Carin," as she's called on the show, is always a good sport about the time and money Wall spends.

C.C. Chapman of Milford has built such a large following that his podcast, ``Accident Hash," carries commercials from Earth Link, an Internet provider, and GoDaddy, a domain registry site. The show -- named after his father's blundered cooking attempt at a Boy Scout retreat -- features music by new artists, interviews, concerts, and Chapman's reflections on life (from his daughter's first day of kindergarten to his grandmother being diagnosed with cancer). He records three shows a week, one of which airs on Sirius Satellite Radio.

After becoming intrigued with the medium in 2004, Chapman founded New England Podcasting, with enthusiasts meeting monthly to learn what's going on in the industry, to network and to socialize.

``I knew there had to be other podcasters out there but couldn't find them," said Chapman, who is digital marketing manager at Babson College in Wellesley.

New England Podcasting, which has 30 active members, grew out of a Yahoo! group that Chapman launched last year.

Chapman also managed the team that started the Podsafe Music Network, a clearinghouse of tracks podcasters can use for free.

In addition to ``Accident Hash," Chapman produces `` U-Turn Cafe," an acoustic coffeehouse music podcast, and his latest show, ``Managing the Gray," a podcast about new media and marketing.

For Chapman, podcasting has grown into a great side business. ``I've been presented with opportunities and contacts that I would never have gotten," he said, adding that he'd like to do corporate consulting on new media and to promote independent musicians.

``I'm a busy guy," said the married father of two.

In a previous life, Erin Martin Kane was communications manager of PBS's hard-hitting documentary series, ``Frontline."

Now, she and fellow Ashland mother Kristin Brandt report from the home front. Next month, they'll celebrate the one-year anniversary of ``Manic Mommies."

``One evening, Erin called, asked if I'd heard about podcasting and suggested we do one on working moms," Brandt said. ``Ten minutes later, I had the domain registered, the next day we had the blog up, and a week after that we recorded and posted our first show."

Kane, who is 37, found a Web host for their podcasts and discovered that iTunes carries podcasts in its music store, most of them free of charge.

The two women know a thing or two about manic momhood. Kane launched her own public relations firm, EMK, after seven years with WGBH. Brandt, 33, is an account executive and project manager for Sundin Associates, a marketing and advertising agency in Natick. Both are married and they each have a pair of children under the age of 4.

``Whether you're motivated by finances or your love for your work, you should be able to work and not feel guilty about it," Kane said, adding that women need to support each other by saying it's OK to have something for yourself.

While their niche is working mothers, they've received favorable responses from fathers who say that they're listening in part so they can understand what their wives are thinking.

``I can relate to trying to keep a bunch of balls up in the air at the same time while pretending to maintain some sort of sanity, and that's what Erin and Kristin talk about," a fan who identified himself as Charley Warady from Israel posted on the Yahoo! site. ``It's totally enjoyable, because it's totally real . . ."

The Manic Moms record the show Thursday evenings in Kane's living room. While they have a basic script and outline, they ad-lib most of the show. The next day, Brandt spends about three hours editing the show to 45 minutes. It's then uploaded to the Internet on Saturday mornings.

``We have to have a structure and add value for the listener, or else they could just call a girlfriend," Brandt said.

Among their guests have been Courtney Lynch, author of ``Leading from the Front," which draws on lessons from the military to advise women about leadership strategies; and Tory Johnson, the CEO of Women for Hire and the workplace correspondent for ABC-TV's ``Good Morning America " who discussed how to negotiate a more flexible work schedule or ask for a raise. Regular guests include parenting coach Kathy Surro of Partners in Parenting in Ashland, and Dr. Robert Lindeman (a.k.a. Dr. Rob) of Natick Pediatrics.

``Kristin and Erin are never preachy or self-righteous, and I've gotten some great advice from them," Sandra Scolnik wrote from France in an e-mail interview. ``They also keep me somewhat connected to current events in the USA. It feels a little bit like hanging out with friends."

After a show on vaccines, a listener from Houston whose child has autism wrote: ``This is the conversation that I wanted to have with my own pediatrician but was afraid he'd think I was stupid. You've given me peace. Thank you so much."

On the lighter side, Brandt believes the funniest shows are the ones during which she and Kane banter on topics such as ``Magazines you'd read if you had six extra hours every day."

Kane said the pair would like to find a corporate sponsor. She said that another weekly podcast, `` MommyCast," signed a deal with Dixie paper products worth more than $100,000.

Meanwhile, the women face the challenge of getting their less techno-savvy relatives to listen to the show.

``I've been telling my mother about our podcast for months," Brandt said, ``and the other day she said to me, `I have to go read your podcast.' I said, `No, Mom, you don't read a podcast. It's something that you listen to."