Less than a year ago, most people had never heard of podcasting.
Yet, the podcasting audience will reach 10 million this year and
50 million by 2010, projects online researcher eMarketer.
So what's all the hype about? And what does podcasting mean
anyway?
Podcasting is simply a way to publish media files online to
enable users to subscribe to a feed and receive files
automatically as they're released. Essentially, podcasting is
about creating content-audio or video-for an audience that wants
to listen when, where and how they want. It involves the
transmission of all types of media-whether it be music, a weather
forecast, a comedy sketch or interviews.
Podcasting is an interesting term comprised of the words "iPod"
and "broadcasting." The name came about simply because of the
popularity of Apple Computer's best-selling portable digital
audio player, the iPod. Despite its name, no over-the-air
broadcasting is required for podcasting. And neither podcasting
nor listening to podcasts requires an iPod or other portable
player. You can listen to podcasts with any MP3 player or your
PC and Ipod application.
How Podcasting Differs from Regular Broadcasting
Subscribing to podcasts allows users to collect programs from a
variety of sources for listening or viewing offline at whatever
time and place is convenient to them. In contrast, conventional
broadcasting provides only one source at a time, and the time is
determined by the broadcaster.
There are two main features that make a podcast different from a
standard audio download. For one, it's not just one audio file,
it's a recurring "show" with new "episodes" posted as time goes
by. Also, it uses continuous RSS technology. So when a new
episode is available, your podcasting program (such as iTunes)
gets notified and either alerts you or downloads the information
automatically if you've subscribed. When you connect your iPod to
your computer, the episodes go onto your iPod and you can listen
to them. Or you can listen to them on your computer using your
music application.
The beauty of podcasts is that you don't have to be limited to
commercial-filled radio. Instead, you can have everything you're
interested in hearing or viewing delivered right to your Ipod.
You could listen to the morning news cast at midnight...hear DJ
mixes from Paris, France or listen to comedy skits on your way to
work-all without a single commercial interruption.
It's easy to locate available podcasts. One easy way to find
podcasts is to use the Podcast Directory in iTunes. These
automatically-updated podcasts can then be easily synchronized to
your iPod for offline listening. There are also many directories
that list available podcasts, and also allow submission of a
podcast feed if you have one. Some of the more popular podcast
directories are www.podcastalley.com, www.podcast.net,
www.openpodcast.org and www.podcastdirectory.com.
Instead of just subscribing to podcasts, you could also create
podcasts to promote your business. You don't have to be a
professional to create podcasts. You simply have to be able to
record and translate a recording into an MP3 file and upload it
to the internet.
If you're a life coach, for example, you could create a podcast
to highlight your area of expertise and help your target audience
solve issues. "Podcoaching" could help you showcase your coaching
skills, build rapport with a broader audience and gain new
clients.
Whether you're interested in being a podcaster or subscriber,
podcasts are a valuable tool for sharing information.
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