Chapter 1. Podcasting Basics

Wouldn't it be nice to be able to listen to radio programs, audiobooks and magazines, and alternative broadcasting on your own time? Heck, it might even be nice to make your very own broadcasts that others could listen to and enjoy. If you have ever been interested in such a concept, the wait is over. In fact, the wait has been over for a little more than a year now, but the speed at which podcasting is becoming entrenched as a legitimate broadcast medium and the unbelievable rate of its evolution make it seem like podcasting has been around a lot longer than it really has.

The revolution continues, and it's not just gaining steam; it's beginning to steamroll other forms of information delivery, causing large ripples in the ponds of radio, television, and even publishing. Podcasting, as it has become known, is a new and exciting form of Web-based (that's World Wide Webbased) broadcasting. This chapter takes a look at just what podcasting is, where it came from, and what effect it has had on media distribution and the public's listening habits since its creation.