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Podcasts are a remarkable invention that allows you to directly receive audio broadcasts from anywhere in the world! Think of keeping a ham radio in your pocket with the easy to use aspects of Tivo. Wherever you are, you’re never too far away for your personal mp3 player or computer to pick up your favorite podcast. This new form of broadcast combines the portability and popularity of Apple’s famous iPod or any other mp3 play with the traditions of a traditional radio broadcast. Instead of attaching a radio scanner to pick up tired stations that play more commercials than songs, sign up for a podcast subscription. Similar to satellite radio, podcasts feature little to no commercials and programming that varies from music to talk to simulcasts, but also have a unique feature that satellite radio cannot compete. Just like a Tivo, you can pause, fast forward, or rewind the podcast to best fit around your schedule. If you want to catch your favorite show, simply pause the podcast until you decide to listen.

If you currently own an Apple iPod, or any other type of personal mp3 player, or a personal computer with podcasting capabilities, you can quickly and easily find and subscribe to podcasts. Before you can listen to a podcast, you must first have the correct RSS reading software. This software will enable the device to decode the files so they can be played correctly. Programs such as iPodderX are a popular choice for Apple users, as it is compatible with the interface. For PC users, iPodder.net is a great way to receive podcasts on your iPod or mp3 player. By simply connecting the device and subscribing to RSS feeds, this software will automatically download and adapt the podcast so you can listen at your leisure.

If you decide to create your own podcast, do not fear…the process is not nearly as difficult as it sounds. Use your computer, either a PC or a Mac, headphones, microphone, and some source of sound, whether it is a favorite cd, your personal band, or a great conversation, to create an audio file. Two useful programs many individuals choose to use are SoundFlower and SoundBed, both of which are free. Also, Line In is a great program that allows sound coming in from a microphone to be played. These programs allow you to quickly and easily convert your sound files into a podcast that can be played by you or anyone else who chooses to subscribe.

Copyright 2005 by D. L. Randolph. All rights reserved.

Looking for information about podcasting? Go to http://www.apodcasting.com. About Podcasting is a Podcast Information Directory and Resource Site which provides a consolidated listing of the best Podcasting sites in one easy to navigate location.

Tags: broadcasting, internet radio, PodCasting, podcasts, radio, rss, technologybroadcasting, internet radio, PodCasting, podcasts, radio, rss, technology

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Ever wonder about the evolution of the podcast? While podcasting is a comparatively young technology it still has a rather fascinating albeit brief history.

The background of the word, “podcast” is quite fascinating and is reflective of the dynamic nature of the Internet community. Podcasting is a term that was only coined in 2004, combining two words: iPod and broadcasting. Ironically, this definition is somewhat of a misnomer since neither component is completely accurate. Neither podcasting nor listening to podcasts requires an iPod or other portable player. In fact, podcasts can be listened to on any mp3 enabled device including a desktop computer. The name association came about simply because Apple Computer’s iPod was the best-selling portable digital audio player when podcasting began. What’s more, no over-the-air broadcasting is required either. Even the editors of the New Oxford American Dictionary jumped on the podcasting bandwagon by declaring “podcasting” word of the year for 2005. The term was defined as “a digital recording of a radio broadcast or similar program, made available on the Internet for downloading to a personal audio player.” The word will be added to the online version of the dictionary during their next update.

The term, podcasting was coined by journalist, Ben Hammersley, and then popularized by former MTV VJ and media entrepreneur, Adam Curry. Mr. Curry created an Applescript application that automated the process of downloading and syncing audio files to iPods. Other names or alternative interpretations of the letters, “P-O-D” were proposed, the most popular of which was “Personal On Demand”. Technology writer, Doc Searls came up with this phrase back in September, 2004. Terms such as “audio-blogging”, audio magazines” and “web-casting” have also been offered to describe this unique form of media distribution. Other “pod”-derived phrases include “podcasters” (those who create podcasts) and “podcatchers” - the special RSS aggregators which periodically check for and download new content automatically. Podcatching software enables the user to copy podcasts to portable music & video players. The popularity of podcasting is spreading like wildfire because of the rapid adoption of MP3 players and the desire of consumers to have fresh content.

Podcasting has flourished because it gives people more control over what they listen to, and the freedom to take their programs with them with them. Not since blogging has a technology seemed so unexpected and been so quickly and widely adopted as podcasting. Growth in this nascent industry is expected to accelerate quickly due to the rapid acceptance of the technology by the radio broadcast industry in 2005 and Apple’s iTunes distribution. The rising popularity of podcasts is challenging conventional radio’s broadcasting model. While iTunes is less than two years old, roughly 4.8 million people downloaded a podcast in 2005, as compared with just over 800,000 in 2004. And 11.4 million listeners are expected this year, according to research from The Diffusion Group. Already the Apple iTunes service offers 15,000 podcasts and listeners have signed up for more than 7 million subscriptions. A study by Bridge Ratings in November 2005 with radio listeners in ten national markets showed that approximately 20% of users who have ever downloaded and listened to a podcast do soon a weekly basis. This group downloads an average of six podcasts per week and spends approximately four hours a month listening to the podcasts they download. This study projected even more dramatic growth in the industry in the future. According to Bridge Ratings, by 2010, podcast audience growth is expected to reach a conservative 45 million users who will have ever listened to a podcast. Aggressive estimates place this number closer to 75 million by this date.

How does this affect you? With podcast listening rising exponentially, podcasts offer you a very powerful tool for promoting your products or services. The great thing about podcasts is that they are relatively easy and inexpensive to create. Podcasting can help ensure a closer relationship with your target audiences by providing them with engaging, informative and frequent updates about the goings on in your industry. If you have a website then there’s no reason you shouldn’t have a podcast available as it’s not difficult to set up and can bring a significant increase in traffic to your site. So in short podcasting should be a vital component of any online marketing campaign.

Jennifer Kothe is the talented marketing coordinator at Internet Traffic Solutions (http://www.itsontarget.com) which is a full service marketing agency that offers clients a profitable way to get the attention of their target audience online.

Tags: PodCast, podcast help, podcast history, podcast info, PodCasting, podcasts, successful podcastPodCast, podcast help, podcast history, podcast info, PodCasting, podcasts, successful podcast

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Business Podcast Marketing Case Study Shows How Podcasting Delivers Dramatic Results for Client. Podcasting has significant business marketing potential. If the business podcast strategy and online visibility plan is properly executed; podcasting has the potential to be a marketing tool that delivers great marketing results.

The professional business marketers over at marketingsherpa.com have just released a new case study titled “How to Use a Podcast to Promote a White Paper That Generates New Business Sales Leads”.
This case study is about how Bearing Point used podcasting to promote a white paper and saw sign up rates of over 30% versus a traditional 10%. This is a 200% increase over traditional marketing techniques.

Here is a short excerpt: “Dunay wasn’t sure if the podcasts would be a hit or not, especially as his key prospects tend to be fairly conservative. So he didn’t roll out trumpets and strobe lights for the launch.

Instead, the team posted the podcasts and announcements at several related sites including http://www.Podblaze.com, http://www.FreshPodcasts.com, and iTunes (all of which currently promote podcasts for free.) They also rolled out a press release and an email announcement to the house list. Their first podcast launched quietly July 29, 2005.

RESULTS

Joy and exultation! Hundreds of executives downloaded the podcasts. Dunay had hoped that 10% of podcast listeners would respond to the white paper download offer. Instead, 30% did…”

This is a great example of how marketing professionals should and could be using podcasting to help their business. This is the future of podcasting, Podcasting is going to become a marketing tool that communicates, educates and drives listeners to action. In this case the action was to download a white paper and effectively generate leads.

I have been trying to inform the business markets of this trend for the past 9 months. I discussed this very scenario in a Podcasting White Paper that was released a few months back. Read the full case study at http://www.MarketingSherpa.com

Experienced online marketing professionals that have expertise in the areas of podcast production, strategy, and visibility such as http://www.LeveragedPromotion.com can help your business achieve these same levels of results. Just creating a podcast in a vacuum of space is the wrong strategy. Make sure that you achieve maximum exposure for your podcasts so that they can deliver measurable marketing results.

Copyright 2005 Rodney Rumford

Rodney Rumford has over 18 years of experience in the technology field. He has held management positions in Marketing, Business Dev, Enterprise Consulting, Sales and Engineering.

He does corporate consulting in the areas of RSS & Podcasting strategy, execution and marketing. He has developed software solutions in the areas of RSS Feeds, Podcasting and PPC Advertising. He is the CEO of The Info Guru LLC., which operates several web properties that include: http://www.podblaze.com

Tags: business, marketing, online marketing, PodCasting, podcasts, website pormotionbusiness, marketing, online marketing, PodCasting, podcasts, website pormotion

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