What Is Podcasting?

Podcasting and podcasts have been around since the summer of 2004. In only a few years, this use of Internet and communication technology has revolutionized the way we distribute and receive news, information and other forms of media.

In a nutshell, a podcast is a series of digital media files (audio and/or video, metadata and programming scripts to facilitate the file's distribution) that are distributed via the Internet by means of a syndication feed like RSS (which stands for "Really Simple Syndication"). The term "podcast" is a combination word, taken from the Apple iPod brand name (a very popular portable media player that is often used to store and play podcasts), and the word "broadcast".

What makes a podcast different from streaming media and other forms of broadcasting? The special differences can be summarized like this:

1.   Podcasts can be created by anyone who has something to say, a computer, and access to a minimal amount of software and Internet technology. You don't need a studio, a broadcasting license or a transmitter to be a podcaster.
     
2.   Podcasts are created on an unlimited number and variety of topics - for niche specialties like personal blogs and hobbies, for community interests like training courses and current events, and for mainstream broadcasting audiences, like national news programs.
     
3.   A podcast listener generally subscribes to one or more syndicated podcast feeds, so that whenever they connect to the Internet, their computer automatically seeks out new podcasts from the sources they have subscribed to and downloads them to the hard drive, ready to use. The downloaded content can then be loaded on to (or "synched to") their portable media player (often an iPod or other mp3 player), so that they can listen to the podcast "program" at the time and location of their choice.
     
4.   This means that a podcast is in reality a form of "on demand media" - not only does the user choose the subject and the source of their media content, but they can now listen to that content at any time and wherever they please, and they can archive it for repeated access whenever they wish.


With these choices in content and sources, practical uses, and access convenience now made available through podcasting, it is easy to see how popular this means of media delivery has become - for both the podcasters and their listeners.

If you don't have an iPod or mp3 player, a podcast can also be played as a streaming media file via a link on a Web site too. We invite you to check out the Sound Ideas podcasts available for play and download at our Podcasting page:

http://www.sound-ideas.com/podcasts.html

The Sound Ideas series of podcasts cover an interesting range of topics like:
  • The History of Sound Ideas
  • Sound Effects in Radio & Film
  • Sound Effects and the Golden Years of Hanna-Barbera
  • Selecting Music for Your Podcast
Other popular uses of podcasting technology include:
  • self-guided walking tours in museums and art galleries
  • musical artists' promotional clips and interviews
  • talk shows for business & industry interests, sports, current events & commentaries
  • comedy shows and stand up comic routines
  • story telling for children or the visually-impaired
  • conference meeting alerts and updates
  • public safety message distribution by police departments
Podcasting is also being used more and more by teachers and educators. Students and teachers can share information with anyone at any time, and an absent student can download a podcast of the recorded lesson. Teachers or administrators use podcasts to communicate curriculum, assignments and other information with parents and the community.

In order to access a podcast's syndication features, you will need some software that can receive the RSS feed. The most popular software (or podcatching client) is provided by Apple iTunes. Like other podcatching clients, iTunes will also allow you to sort, add/remove and manage your library of podcasts.

Once you have found places online that host podcasts and/or have directories to help you locate programs of interest, you will find that many podcasts will download right into iTunes.

You can also search for podcasts in the iTunes Store - and most podcasts found there are free. When you find one you like, simply subscribe to it and the podcast will be downloaded right into your music library. From there you can upload it to your iPod, or set your preferences to automatically upload the new content.

If you're ready to make your own podcast, there are lots of places that will host your content - and some of them will do this for free. Do a search for blogging sites on the Internet, and see which ones support podcasting.

If you have your own Web host and want to maintain your podcast at your personal Web site, check with your host to see what kind of support they provide for podcasting, and follow their guidelines to add your podcasts to your Web page. Be sure to find out how much bandwidth your account has, so that you can accommodate the potential popularity of your podcast without incurring extra account charges.

If you need some great music, production elements or sound effects for your own podcasts, we invite you to check out a number of Sound Ideas products that are ideal for this purpose:

Podcasting Production Toolkit 1:
http://www.sound-ideas.com/podcasting-toolkit.html

Podcasting Production Toolkit 2:
http://www.sound-ideas.com/podcasting-toolkit2.html

Other Podcasting & Web Development Products:
http://www.sound-ideas.com/sfxmenu-podcast.html



See Also:What are Production Elements?
What are Musical Elements?
What is Production Music?
What is Stock Music?
What is Royalty Free Music?
What is Metadata?
What is Foley?



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