Ever think about how podcasts have changed over time? Even though podcasting is a fairly new technology, it has a pretty interesting, if short, history. The history of the word "podcast" is very interesting and shows how the Internet community is always changing.
The word "podcasting" was made up in 2004 by putting together the words "iPod" and "broadcasting." In a funny way, this definition is a bit of a misnomer because neither part is entirely true. You don't need an iPod or other portable player to make or listen to podcasts. In fact, you can listen to podcasts on any device that can play mp3, including a desktop computer. When podcasting started, Apple Computer's iPod was the most popular portable digital audio player. This is where the name "podcast" came from. Also, there is no need for broadcasting over the air.
Even the editors of the New Oxford American Dictionary decided that "podcasting" was the word of the year for 2005. The definition of the word was "a digital recording of a radio broadcast or similar programme that can be downloaded to a personal audio player from the Internet." When the online version of the dictionary is next updated, the word will be added.
Ben Hammersley, a journalist, came up with the word "podcasting." Adam Curry, a former MTV VJ and media entrepreneur, made the word "podcasting" more well-known. Mr. Curry made an Applescript app that makes downloading and syncing music files to iPods easier.
People came up with other names or ways to look at the letters "P-O-D," with "Personal On Demand" being the most popular. In September of 2004, tech writer Doc Searls came up with this phrase. People have also used terms like "audio-blogging," "audio magazines," and "web-casting" to describe this unique way of getting the news out.
"Podcasters" are people who make podcasts, and "podcatchers" are special RSS aggregators that automatically check for new content and download it when they find it. Users can copy podcasts to portable music and video players with software called "podcatching."
Podcasts are becoming more and more popular because MP3 players are becoming more and more common and people want to hear new things. Podcasting has become popular because it gives people more freedom over what they listen to and lets them take their shows with them.
Not since blogging has a technology come out of nowhere and been used so quickly and by so many people. This new industry is expected to grow quickly because the radio broadcasting industry quickly adopted the technology in 2005 and Apple started selling iTunes. The growing popularity of podcasts is putting pressure on the way traditional radio stations broadcast.
iTunes has been around for less than two years, but in 2005, about 4.8 million people downloaded a podcast, compared to just over 800,000 in 2004. And this year, research from The Diffusion Group says that there will be 11,4 million listeners. The Apple iTunes service already has 15,000 podcasts, and more than 7 million people have signed up to listen to them.
In November 2005, Bridge Ratings surveyed radio listeners in ten national markets. The results showed that about 20% of people who have ever downloaded and listened to a podcast do so once a week. This group downloads an average of six podcasts per week and spends about four hours a month listening to the podcasts they downloaded.
This study said that the industry would grow even more quickly in the future. Bridge Ratings says that by 2010, a conservative estimate of 45 million people will have listened to a podcast at least once. Estimates that are more optimistic say that this number will be closer to 75 million by this date.
What does it mean for you?
Podcasts are a very powerful way to promote your products or services because more and more people are listening to them. Podcasts are great because they are easy to make and don't cost a lot of money. Podcasting can help you get closer to your target audience by giving them frequent updates that are interesting, informative, and about what's going on in your industry. If you have a website, there's no reason why you shouldn't have a podcast. It's easy to set up and can bring a lot more people to your website. So, podcasting should be an important part of any online marketing plan.
