For as public a medium as podcasting is, a lot of information about specific podcasts is private. But private doesn't necessarily mean secret. How different would podcasting be were we more forthcoming?#podcastingPhoto by Adeolu Eletu on Unsplash https://podcastpontifications.com/episode/the-case-for-making-private-podcasting-data-public    How would the podcast industry change if podcasting better embraced transparency, making currently-private information public?Let's start with the obvious: audience size. Imagine a world where the size of a podcast—every podcast—was a matter of public record. A world where you could size up the competition or see how many other fans are loving a show because audience size data would be attached to each and every show.Social media already does this with pubic follower counts. And any podcast that has advertising representation publishes how many people they reach on a monthly basis. There's nothing special about podcasting that requires us to keep the information about audience size a secret. Other than how we'd count it. That, and pride.Let's go further, maybe to financials? The money-in / money-out of a show? A lot more controversial. But not without precedence. Publicly-traded companies publish their financial information. So do some long-running podcasters like John Lee Dumas and Pat Flynn. It's purely hypothetica for all podcasters to do this. But it would promote a much healthier view of the realities of building a profitable podcast.We can also make crediting people more public. Services like Podchaser and the <podcast:person> tag can be leveraged to show just how connected and interwoven podcasting is, beyond the pretty voice behind the microphone. But remember, this is a thought exercise. There are terrible people in the world who prey on others, so I am in no way suggesting that anyone should drop their guard from any real threat they face every day.But with all deference to that reality, I do think that some data points from podcasting could be made more public for the betterment of all podcasting.-----LinksGetting more than 10K downloads per episode? Talk to Gumball.fm! Giving Your Podcast's Listeners A Public Voice With PodInbox John Lee Dumas' income reportsPat Flynn's income reportsPodchaser <podcast:person> tag from Podcast 2.0 namespaceOver 100K active podcasters trust Buzzsprout.Serious about podcasting? Join the Advancing Podcasting Community today!-----Podcast Pontifications is a production of Simpler Media. New episodes are released four times a week, providing ideas and questions every serious podcaster should be thinking about. It's created and hosted by Evo Terra. Follow him on Twitter for more podcasting insights as they come. Allie Press assists with the production and transcription of the show. If you received value from today's episode of Podcast Pontifications, return some of that! We call it value-for-value and there are many ways to show your support. Mentioned in this episode:Support For Abortion RightsWhile Americans overwhelmingly support the right of an individual to make their own decisions about abortion, unfortunately, that right is no longer protected everywhere in the U.S. The Supreme Court overturned Roe v Wade on June 24th. Abortion is a basic healthcare need for the millions of people who can become pregnant. Everyone should have the freedom to decide what’s best for themselves and their families, including when it comes to ending a pregnancy. This decision has dire consequences for individual health and safety, and could have harsh repercussions for other landmark decisions. Restricting access to comprehensive reproductive care, including abortion, threatens the health and independence of all Americans. Even if you live in a state where abortion rights are upheld, access to safe medical procedures shouldn’t be determined by location, and it shouldn't be the privilege of a small few. You can help by donating to local abortion funds. To find out where to donate for each state, visit donations4abortion.com. If you or someone you know needs help, or if you want to get more involved, here are 5 resources: 1. ShoutYourAbortion.com is a campaign to normalize abortion. 2. DontBanEquality.com is a campaign for companies to take a stand against abortion restrictions. 3. Abortion.cafe has information about where to find clinics. 4. PlanCPills.org provides early at-home abortion pills that you can keep in your medicine cabinet. 5. Choice.CRD.co has a collection of these resources and more. We encourage you to speak up! And spread the word.This podcast uses the following third-party services for analysis: OP3 - https://op3.dev/privacy