Most likely, you've heard of "podcasting." The editors of the New Oxford American Dictionary even chose it as the 2005 Word of the Year. But what is it really?
Podcasting is a simple way to put audio files on the Internet, where they can be automatically downloaded to a computer, iPod, MP3 player, or other portable media player. Podcasting is a great way for people who like to listen to a wide range of audio programmes on the internet but don't always have time to listen to their favourite shows when they're on or to manually download them. It lets you listen to your favourite things whenever you want.
The Diffusion Group's research shows that 11.4 million people will download a podcast this year, and that number will rise to almost 75 million by 2010. Apple's iTunes already has 15,000 podcasts, and more than 7 million people have signed up to listen to them. So why is this happening so quickly? Because podcasts give people more freedom over what they listen to and when, and they can take their shows with them wherever they go.
But podcasting is more than just Internet radio on your TiVo. People are becoming more involved in making their online lives, and as a result, they create most of the content you can find on the Internet. Podcasting is a big change in how we communicate, get information, and find out about new things. This is because people like to get together, share information, and move their own goals forward by talking to other people.
Anyone can make a podcast, and no matter what it's about, there will always be people online who are interested in the same things and will subscribe to the feed, or "show," to get new episodes automatically. But podcasting is more than just getting famous for a short time. Podcasts are a way for teachers to talk to their students. Terrestrial radio uses it to get people to listen again. It's even changing how news and entertainment are covered and spread by the media, how ads are made and how companies make and sell their goods and services.
Podcasting has only been around for less than two years, but it looks like it has a bright future. It has already moved beyond just changing the time of Internet audio to become the new way for people with similar interests to make, find, and share content. In a world where content-on-demand is becoming more popular, podcasting is a way for people to connect with each other.
