I see your venture as something like Daniel Boone crossing the Appalachians a couple of centuries ago and exploring the new wilderness, the expansion territory. You are carving out something of a new niche in the new wilderness of today... a.k.a. Podcasting.
We can't tell you what is wrong and right, because who would know the correct answer.
"Conventional Wisdom" says you must not confuse the (potential) customer (listener) with too many choices, too many places to explore in finding your product. Conventional Wisdom also says that you cannot discover new things if you sit still in only one comfortable location.
On another topic you raised previously: I made a test recording last week but with house guests and some illness in the family I have been unable to post it for you and others to hear. Coming soon! I recorded simultaneously with a low-dollar "computer microphone" while at the same time recording on a second computer the same material that arrived through an economy version of a traditional studio audio chain. Virtually no difference in the two recordings when you listen to the dry product. Modest amount of processing still did not reveal much difference.
When I applied compression at what I call the "Take No Prisoners" setting, the difference becomes very noticeable.
In an earlier post you indicated you have already discovered one standard I was about to share with you: DO NOT buy the little desktop computer mic with a stand sitting on the desk. These mics have TWO problem areas: (1) Noise generated when you bump the desk with hands, elbows or feet; noise generated when you move the mic while talking to it; nose generated when you shuffle your notes and scripts. (2) Acoustics. Your voice bouncing off the hard surface of the desk mixes with the sound coming directly from your mouth and creates some bad sounds. And for people who do not have a dedicated "studio space" but are working from a desk in a bedroom or a family room, etc., the back of the desk is often up against a wall. The top of the desk PLUS the hard flat surface of the wall create what can easily be an acoustical nightmare.
The headset mic offers a lot of advantages in these two areas. You can stand up, move around, make hand gestures, and other forms of relaxation and naturalness and the relationship (distance and acoustics) between your mouth and the mic stay constant. I have three different headset mics and I have tried each of them with comparable results... including the USB version that came with Dragon "Naturally Speaking" voice recognition software.
As good as a condenser studio mic? No. But once you save the file as news and sports podcast, who can tell the difference.
There is something to be said for using one of the existing services like Podomatic or Chirbit, but if you begin to feel your style being cramped by all their rules and restrictions of length of a recording, number of active recordings, etc. keep in mind that for under $100 per year you can have your own website using the services of GoDaddy or one of the other vendors of server space. The burden of building some screens and other maintenance becomes your problem... or your opportunity. Think of it as part of your education as you explore this brave new world. You will be better equipped to evaluate some these sites that compete with Podomatic and Chirbit once you know what is going on in the back room.
I hope to post my test recording early next week.
