@mike -

> having a list of shows (which are actually user

> names), combined with real usernames who are also

> publishing content under their username, may

> cause some confusion.

I think you get it, but this description is still a bit confused. There are no shows. There are only users. The words show, user, publisher, podcaster, listener, student and teacher are completely interchangeable.

I suspect the reason this invites cognitive dissonance is that we're burying the publishing functions in the profile section to avoid overwhelming or confusing people on their first brush with the site. The reason for this is that I don't want people fleeing in terror because it's their first week of Chinese class and they think we're asking them to start writing eight legged essays.

A more fundamental cause may be that people don't expect to be invited to cross the line from passive listener to active learner when it comes to language learning.

Posting this comment as user "Film Friday" to underscore the point. He (she?) has a profile page just like everyone else. The graphic attached to the podcast is actually the user photo we uploaded. :)

--dave