What Is Podcasting?


In a nutshell, podcasting is a World Wide Webbased form of broadcasting that allows anyone with a computer and/or a digital media device to download and listen to content. Formed by the combination of the words iPod and broadcasting, podcasting involves the creation of "radio" shows that are not intended to be broadcast over Marconi's invention. Indeed, these podcasts can be downloaded and enjoyed only through access to the World Wide Web. Podcasts can be enjoyed via a media player on your computer (such as RealPlayer or Windows Media Player), or they can be uploaded directly to your digital media device (such as an iPod) for enjoyment any time and anywhere.

Recently, a new kind of podcast has arisen: video podcasting (or, as it's sometimes called, vodcasting). Video podcasting was around in the early days, but video podcasts could be viewed only on home computers using Windows Media Player or QuickTime (or similar software). With the release of Apple's very popular video iPod, however, as well as Creative's Zen Vision, the floodgates were opened for video podcasts, and as a result, an increasing number of podcasts are being produced as video content. This shift has already altered the podcasting landscape significantly, pushing some podcast creators to make video versions of their podcasts to complement their standard audio content.

Over the past few years, sales of digital music, photo, and digital video devices such as Apple's iPod line, MP3 players, and even cell phones and Palm Pilots have been soaring to new heights. Indeed, these devices have been finding their way into the pockets and purses of a wide cross-section of the North American public. With these gadgets becoming increasingly cosmopolitan, it was perhaps inevitable that a mass movement away from standard media broadcast methods would occur. After all, what's on the radio might not be what the customer wants to hear at any given time, and the majority of digital media devices don't even have built-in radios. Enter the podcast.

The concept is simplicity itself: Allow users to listen to (or watch) exactly what they want, when they want, and where they want. With today's world becoming progressively crammed with tasks ranging from doing the dishes to taking the kids to karate class, the ability to time-shift information is increasingly desirable. On the other side of the coin are the folks who want to produce podcasts. With little more than a computer, a microphone, and some freeware (or shareware), anyone can produce an audio podcast on any topic under the sun. Producing a video podcast requires a little more gumption, but not so much that any Joe Blow can't create one in the confines of his den or office.

It's a new medium, to be sure, and it is still in its formative years, but podcasting and its variants are here to stay. From large corporations looking for new ways to get their programs heard or their ideas across, to home-brewed shows covering diverse topics ranging from sports to wine tasting to marital issues and beyond, podcasting is proving that it has the power and flexibility to reshape the media landscape. As the Web site Podcast Alley (Figure 1.1) says, "Free the Airwaves!"

Figure 1.1. Podcast Alley (www.podcastalley.com) is one of the best places to look for the hottest podcasts of all shapes and sizes.





Secrets of Podcasting, Second Edition. Audio and Video Blogging for the Masses
Secrets of Podcasting, Second Edition: Audio Blogging for the Masses (2nd Edition)
ISBN: 0321438434
EAN: 2147483647
Year: 2004
Pages: 89

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