What Is Podcasting . . . ?(my view – pt 2)

So, does podcasting only represent the ability to listen to or watch stuff at a more convenient time?  Of course not.  Podcasting, as everyone is coming to know, is a way for people to be heard and seen.  You don’t have to have any special abilities, (although certain ones do help), you merely need a passion for what you want to talk about or present.  (It also helps to be able to grow and hold an audience).

A simple definition of podcasting is:

The publishing of audio or video programming to be distributed via the internet and listened to, or viewed at the listener’s discretion.

A little fuller, more complete, definition would be:

A method of publishing audio or video broadcasts via the Internet, that allows users to subscribe to regularly updated feed of new files.  Podcasting is unlike most other online media because of its subscription model.  Podcasting usually uses a feed (such as RSS) to deliver an enclosed file, although not all podcasts require subscription. (from “Podcasting Made Easy”)

Am I telling most of you something that you don’t already know?  Probably not, but I am aiming this at people that may be relatively or entirely new to this extremely new and rapidly expanding medium.  The following statistics on the growth of podcasting I also offer from the ebook, “Podcasting Made Easy”.  

• In September of 2004, Google had less than 25 hits for podcasting.  
• One year later, in Septemeber of 2005, Google had more than 61 million hits. 

Wow! does that make a statement about explosive growth.  In fact, the medium is expanding so rapidly, yet so new that it is experiencing growing pains even though it is still in somewhat of an experimental (or experimenting) stage much as radio and television were in their infancy.  That being the case, it is quickly becoming more and more popular while still a blossoming mode of communication.

I was listening to a podcast of Leo Laporte talking about this very subject at the “Podcasting and Portable Media Expo” in September of 2006 at Ontario, CA and I can’t help but add my two cents in agreement.  I also believe it is important to remember that we don’t need to repeat, or even duplicate, what television (or radio for that matter) have become.  It is extremely important that we all take time to consider not only the possibilities, but the ramifications of the direction(s) podcasting can and should take.

See ya next time . . .