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Podcasting a Great Way to Share Media Files
by Kate Smalley
Published on this site: March 31st, 2006 - See
more articles from this month
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.
Kate Smalley Connecticut Secretary Transcription Services
and Secretarial Support http://www.connecticutsecretary.com
mailto: [email protected]
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