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How Podcasting is Used
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Although podcasting is new, it is well on its way to becoming a mainstream
communication medium. Podcasting will be more than a passing fad as many
businesses are adopting podcasting and employing it in unusual yet powerful
ways.
by
Sharon Housley
Contributing Author
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Although podcasting is new, it is well on its way to becoming a
mainstream communication medium. Podcasting, simply put, is audio files that
are delivered via RSS. Many people believe that podcasting is solely for the
distribution of music files, but really, nothing could be further from the
truth. This emerging method of audio file distribution has opened an array
of marketing and communication opportunities to businesses.
(article continued below ...)
Currently, most
who are familiar with podcasting are technically savvy, but it is clear that
podcasting will be more than a passing fad as many businesses are adopting
podcasting and employing it in unusual yet powerful ways. Podcasting can be
used for talk shows, tutorials, music demos, educational training, stories,
comedy clips, debates or even foreign language tutorials.
While RSS has had the capacity to include audio files for a few years,
only recently have entrepreneurs made the conceptual leap, taking advantage
of the new power held within this communication medium. In reality,
podcasters cover the gamut; some are professional broadcasters, while others
are obvious amateurs.
Podcasts are usually published with associated meta information that
includes descriptive data about each specific audio file. This allows
listeners to make a determination of which audio items are of interest. If
listeners are using a news aggregator that supports podcasting, they will
automatically receive updates in their feed reader or news aggregation
software when a new podcast exists for a feed that they have subscribed to.
Why is podcasting so beneficial to the subscriber? Unlike traditional
radio, with podcasting the subscriber decides what content he/she receives.
Podcasting is extremely useful to the subscriber because the user can easily
receive information he/she would like, and listen to it when they want. The
material, once downloaded, can be listened to and viewed on wireless
handhelds, allowing subscribers to utilize time on the road.
Topic-specific radio talk shows with commentaries, interviews and debates
can now be heard at a time and place of the listener's choosing. Consider
the benefit of educational tutorials and foreign language instruction;
lessons could be listened to during a work commute. Supplementary class
lectures, step by step tutorials or walking guides are all possible using
podcasting. An unlimited collection of books read aloud for elderly or
visually-impaired listeners only scratch the surface of what is possible in
the future of podcasting.
The fate of podcasting is in the hands of the subscribers. The subscriber
can easily delete podcast feeds that do not satisfy their needs with the
single tap of a button. Ultimately, the subscriber maintains control and
determines what podcasts are deemed successful. This intrinsically builds in
a quality control level and will ensure that the more innovative
instructional and interesting podcast feeds survive.
The technology is fresh and, like the Internet, is opening doors to
entrepreneurs. As podcasting evolves, users will find more creative kinds of
audio content to deliver. The low barrier to entry has forced this new
medium to the forefront, as businesses and individuals have really little to
lose in adding podcasting as a communication channel.
About the Author:
Sharon Housley manages marketing for FeedForAll http://www.feedforall.com
software for creating, editing and publishing RSS feeds and NotePage, Inc.
http://www.notepage.net a wireless messaging software company.
February 28, 2005
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