PodPeople

A few months ago, I wrote an article that showed how ordinary people could use internet mediums to start their own mini media empire. Since then, I have been asked several times specifically about podcasting. It may be due to the extra attention that podcasting has received of late. Podcasts seem to be everywhere and everyone is talking about them. They started out as the ham radio of this generation, but are quickly being compared in social technology importance to the internet.
The word “Podcast” is a hybrid of the words iPod and broadcast. iPod being the highly popular device sold by Apple computers, that plays mp3 formatted audio files. Although, the broadcasts are called iPods, you can listen to podcasts on any mp3 player. Simply stated, podcasts are mp3 audio files that individuals create. These files normally have a common theme like a radio or TV program. The topic can range from sports, to technology, to religion, to politics. If you can think of it, there is probably a podcast show about it already. What separates podcasts from ordinary mps3 files is something called RSS. RSS is an acronym for Really Simple Syndication. It is the RSS feed that allows people to subscribe to podcasting shows much as they would to a newspaper or a magazine. This is how podcasts distinguish themselves from internet radio stations. You have to tune into internet radio stations, but podcasts are sent to you automatically so that you no longer have the need to search for the latest shows.
Another appeal of podcasts is the relative small budget that is required to produce a show. To produce a podcast you need a microphone or headset, a program to record mp3 files (these can be found free of charge at freeware sites like snapfiles.com), A theme for your program, and a site to upload your files that has a RSS feed (you can set up your own site or use established podcast sites like ipodder.org or feedforall.com). From the listener point of view, the portability of podcasts makes them as appealing as TiVo. You can listen to the program at your convenience. There is a technology emerging call vodcasting or video podcasting, but podcasting still has an advantage over vodcasting. Since podcast shows are audio, you can throw on some headphones and listen to your program while you are exercising, doing housework, or walking across campus. Oddly enough, the value of podcasts is not readily seen by all local technology professionals. Recently, I spoke with the internet director for a local television station, and he could not see the value or potential in offering podcasts of their news broadcasts to his stations viewers. This is in spite of his own national stations’ use of podcasts on their website. He did not believe that many Tucsonans would use the technology. I disagreed. I believe that Tucsonans are willing to embrace technology that caters to them, if it was offered to them.