Know what you are talking about before the show starts. As also stated here, be ready to change as callers call in and people in chat rooms bring up things. Everyone wants to be included in the show, but also remember that it's your show. I have seen it too many times where the callers or chatters start to write the show for the hosts and it becomes too "inside." It's also important to remember that if you are doing a live show, some people may download and listen back later, so don't focus on the chat room too much.

I like the idea of rebooting machines before going live. I typically run one of the one-click cleaners and reboot about an hour before hand.

Also, I like the comment about consistency. From day 1 we have always recorded our main show on Saturday and it's always been posted at midnight on Sunday. People know when to expect it and go to get it. I hate going back to sites multiple times to try to listen to other podcasts to find that sometimes they don't post for a few days after the fact.

Do a line check before the show starts. Just because it worked yesterday doesn't mean it will work today. Cables go bad, mics go bad, equipment goes bad. Always do a line check before the show to catch those problems. And yes, listen to the show while you are recording it. I know some casters don't like to wear headphones while recording...Things sound differently when you have them on and it's easy to monitor levels. Also, if you can, buy compressors to insert in line...When setup correctly, they will keep you at the same level the entire show. They make a big difference. If you can't buy one, then look into running a multiband compressor post-production. Most DAW recording software comes with a free multiband compressor. You will notice a big difference in the waveform before and after running it. Running it after will balance out all of the levels for you. Compressors make all the difference.