In this article I'm going to explain what a podcast is and why it's becoming such a popular media. This is going to be an easy to understand podcast definition in everyday terms.
If you prefer "geek-speak" and pride yourself in the use of jargon, click here to see a brief podcasting definition in technical terms.
A podcast is a digital audio file (usually MP3 or AAC) made available for download on the internet through an RSS 2.0 feed. The web address of the media file is contained in the enclosure tag of an item in the XML file. The enclosure tag was added to the RSS 2.0 standard in 2004 making podcasting possible.
A podcast's RSS feed is updated each time a new media file is published. An aggregator for podcasts (such as iTunes or iPodder) is used to subscribe to the RSS feed. The software automatically checks for and downloads new audio files. The file can then be synced to a digital audio player.
It is the convenience of this subscription model that sets podcasting apart from other audio available on the internet such as streaming and audioblogging. Podcasting makes it easy to create and disseminate digital audio content across the web.
The enclosure tag can be used to any type of digital file, but not all aggregators recognize and download all file types. Vidcasts have started to emerge on the internet distributing digital video files.
Podcasting offers a variety of content for listeners to consume how they want, when they want and where they want.
Hopefully this definition contained enough big words to make it a sufficiently techie definition of what is podcasting? Are you impressed?
Continue reading for a more complete explanation of podcasting.
You're about to see how you can find a huge variety of new and interesting content from the internet to fill your MP3 player for free. You can listen to what you want, when you want, and how you want.
Imagine getting new “radio”-style talk and music shows to listen to on your iPod or other MP3 player every day. You wake up and automatically have new shows ready to listen to while you exercise or commute to work. This is the podcast listening experience.
Not only that, but anyone can create his or her own “radio”-style show and broadcast it to the world in very little time and at very little cost. All you need is a computer, a mic and the internet.
When I first heard about podcasting I was blown away. I spent a week reading everything I could about podcasts and finding new podcasts to listen to. I was so excited about the idea of so much free, original and interesting content to listen to. I could also sense that this was going to be an amazing new way to share content across the internet and to millions of mp3 players.
Let’s face it. Broadcast radio is getting old. The same songs get played over and over until you're sick of them. A few large companies have control of the formats and what gets played. There is no variety.
If I listen to the radio while driving, one hand is on the “scan” button and the other is on the wheel. As soon as something loses my interest, I tap the button—and I tap it a lot.
With podcasts you don’t have to wait to hear something that interests you. You choose what you want to listen to. There are now thousands of podcasts and the number is growing rapidly.
Podcasting has leveled the playing field. Anyone with something to say and a desire to say it can create a podcast and publish it to the world.
Podcasters (as they are called) are not restricted by the FCC or traditional broadcast formats and regulations. This allows for numerous subjects and formats.
Podcasting is an escape from the same old, corporate conglomerate, worn-out, Clearchannel controlled, pre-programmed, blah blah blah radio. Podcasting has personality and variety that run-of-the-mill radio does not.
The word podcast is a play on the word broadcast combined with the word iPod (one of the most popular portable MP3 players). Apple did not invent the word podcast, although I'm sure they are enjoying the free marketing they are getting from the popularity of podcasting.
You do not have to have an iPod to listen to a podcast. In fact, I personally believe there are many other MP3 players that are better for listening to podcasts. You can listen to podcasts on anything that plays MP3s. Once the podcast is downloaded, it's just an MP3.