Frequently Asked Questions

oyPod
The Jewish Teen Podcast!

Frequently Asked Questions
(and questions people would ask if I didn't post the answers here)

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What is oyPod? oyPod is the first podcast for Jewish teenagers.

What is a podcast? It's like an online radio show that usually gets distributed through RSS feeds. For more information on podcasts, check out Wikipedia.

How can I listen to a podcast? You can download them or subscribe to them. Click here to learn about the different ways you can listen to oyPod.

Do I need an iPod to listen to listen to podcasts? No. You can download podcasts and listen to them on your computer or any MP3 player. If you want to take some podcast episodes on the go, you can burn them to CDs.... or now even your cell phone.

Is it free to listen? Completely.

I'm older than a teen but I want to listen to your show. Is that allowed? I'm not stopping you and I don't think the police will either. As far as I know there are already dozens of adult listeners to the show. Although the show has the "Jewish Teen Podcast" subtitle, the content is suitable for people much older.

I'm younger than a teen and I too wanna listen to your show. Is that allowed? Once again there is no way for me to stop you. However I recommend that if you are not at least of bar mitzvah age (13) then you should not listen to the show. While some segments of the show are great for all ages, there are certain bits that are either inappropriate or too mature for young children.

oyPod? Didn't they have that on Saturday Night Live? From a bit of googling I discovered that there was indeed a Weekend Update that involved something called the oyPod. This has nothing to do with that.

When is oyPod recorded? oyPod is usually recorded on Sundays. At first the goal was to record every week, but this never has nor ever will happen. I promise never to record or publish on Shabbat (Saturdays) or important holidays (Rosh Hashanah, Yom Kippur, Sukkot, Passover, Shavuot). As of fall 2007, a new episode will be recorded at the beginning of every month, will an "oyPod zepto" inbetween.

What is oyPod zepto? That is a short episode that contains only one news story and the parshah of the week.

Where is the studio where you record the episodes? Um... studio? oyPod has only been recorded into locations: the computer in my den, and the laptop in my room. The location varies from episode to episode, but no studio exists.

Why is the sound quality so bad? Hey, nobody's perfect! The microphone (which is actually a webcam) I'm using is not the best in the world but as long as you can understand what I'm saying, bare with it. If you want to hear better audio, feel free to send me a donation so that I can buy a real microphone.

Well it is so bad that I have no idea what you are saying. Lucky for you, I've begun to write out transcripts of each episode.

Is only one person really doing this whole thing? At the moment, yes. However I'll be looking for a crew soon.

So who are you? My name is Danny Zeff. I'm 16 and I live in Sacramento, CA. I'm a Conservative Jew who's proud of his heritage. I think ever since I went to Israel, I've definitely gotten a lot more into Jewish culture. A more detailed profile of me will soon be available on HaMachberet.

Hey, I live near you! Can I stop by your house sometime to co-host an episode with you? It's a strange request but I like the idea. Just make sure you tell me ahead of time. That means you, David Ribnick.

What are the names of the opening music, closing music, and transitions? The opening and closing music for the first thirteen episodes is sampled from HaDag Nachash's "Strawberry Machine." The opening and closing music for episode fourteen and beyond is sampled from Balkan Beat Box's "Sunday Arak." Transitions come from various artists. If I play certain music on the show and you want to know where it's from, feel free to send me an email.

Can you send me MP3 versions of the songs played in the podcast? No, but you can find most of the music at Israel-Music.com and Amazon.com.

Are you planning on making video podcasts? The answer is now yes! For a long time I said I would not do a video podcast because I didn't have a video iPod myself. However now I do and the demand for a video episode has increased. So at some point I will make a video episode, which may strike some resemblance to The Colbert Report.

Are you planning on making any other podcasts? No. Making one is enough work already. Although I do have some ideas I may save for later.

May I syndicate/distribute/use oyPod episodes? Yes, in fact I encourage you. Feel free to use parts of oyPod in your own podcast or in discussions. I'd love it if you told me ahead of time though.

I'm a young Jewish artist who makes Jewish-themed music and/or I have a Jewish-themed website. Would you interview me for your show? That would be great. Please contact me if you'd like to get interviewed for the show and we'll arrange it. Also if you're an artist or band that has recorded any songs, send me some MP3s and I can play them on the show.

I'm a young Jewish person but I have no talent. Is there any way I can be on your show? If you really want to hear you voice on the show, send in an MP3 or a WAV saying "Hi, this is [your name] and you're listening to oyPod!" I will play that at the beginning of an episode. If you don't have a microphone, you can also call in with the oyPod voicemail.

Where can I buy an oyPod? You won't find oyPod in stores, even on eBay. The oyPod doesn't exist. However you can always slap the oyPod logo on top of your MP3 player. Or go here to learn how to turn your iPod into an oyPod.

If the oyPod doesn't exist, how do you explain that picture in the top left? I edited a picture in Photoshop. Enough said.

This is definitely a project worthy of donating money to. Where's your tzedakah box? Thanks for your generosity. I do in fact accept donations through PayPal. Please go to the homepage and click on the button that says "Make a Donation".

My question isn't answered here. What do I do? Calm down. Scroll up a bit and you'll see a link that says "Contact." Click on it and send me an e-mail if you need your question answered. Most likely you will get a reply in the next day.