Podcasting 101

Tuesday, March 21, 2006 | Tagged as podcasting

Over the past year Podcasting has exploded into a technology that everyone wants to be apart of. However it is rumored that less than 35% of the population really know what Podcasting is all about.

Wikipedia (http://www.wikipedia.org), an online encyclopedia defines podcasting as:

Podcasting is the distribution of audio or video files, such as radio programs or music videos, over the Internet using either RSS or Atom syndication for listening on mobile devices and personal computers.

Your first thoughts may be, “WHAT IS THAT?” Well, let’s take a few minutes and break down what Podcasting is in human terms.

“Podcasting is the distribution of audio or video files...”

Basically put, podcasting is the ability for you to listen to music, lectures, news, or just about anything that is in audio format. With podcasting you can also watch TV shows, demos, movies, and other video programming.

“...over the Internet using either RSS or Atom syndication...”

All of these files are downloaded over the Internet. Unfortunately podcasting is not throwing a DVD into your DVD player and sitting back on the couch. Podcasting is also not just putting a MP3 file or other audio file on your Web site, there�s more!

The key to podcasting is that your business or organization is distributing the audio/video files out to the public. RSS or Atom is the ability to distribute your Web site�s content to other sites without users visiting your Web site. Basically put, I can open a program on my computer and it automatically downloads the latest news from my favorite Web sites without having to go visit each and every one.

“...for listening on mobile devices and personal computers.”

There are special programs that allow you to read, listen, or watch RSS or Atom syndications or feeds. Here is a short list of my favorite RSS or Atom syndication programs:

  • NewsGator (http://www.newsgator.com)
    NewsGator allows you to get RSS or Atom feeds for free or for a paid add-on to Outlook. I personally prefer the add-on to Outlook. It allows you to open up Outlook and there are all of the news from your favorite Web sites.
  • iTunes (http://www.itunes.com)

Most people think that you have to have iPod or a MAC to use iTunes � NO! iTunes is a freely distributed software from MAC that can run on MAC or Windows. It is a great product because it allows you to listen to music and watch videos.

You can identify sites that have RSS or Atom syndication because they will have the following graphics somewhere on the Web site. Also newer Internet browsers (such as Mozilla Firefox) indicate that the site contains a RSS or Atom feed.

Start enjoying the wonderful world of podcasting. Podcasting has something from everyone from news, educational resources, to training for Entrepreneurs.