How Podcasting is Used

How Podcasting is Used

by: S. Housley

Although podcasting is new, it is well on its way to becoming a mainstream communication medium. Podcasting, simply put, is audio files that are delivered via RSS. Many people believe that podcasting is solely for the distribution of music files, but really, nothing could be further from the truth. This emerging method of audio file distribution has opened an array of marketing and communication opportunities to businesses. Currently, most who are familiar with podcasting are technically savvy, but it is clear that podcasting will be more than a passing fad as many businesses are adopting podcasting and employing it in unusual yet powerful ways. Podcasting can be used for talk shows, tutorials, music demos, educational training, stories, comedy clips, debates or even foreign language tutorials.

While RSS has had the capacity to include audio files for a few years, only recently have entrepreneurs made the conceptual leap, taking advantage of the new power held within this communication medium. In reality, podcasters cover the gamut; some are professional broadcasters, while others are obvious amateurs.

Podcasts are usually published with associated meta information that includes descriptive data about each specific audio file. This allows listeners to make a determination of which audio items are of interest. If listeners are using a news aggregator that supports podcasting, they will automatically receive updates in their feed reader or news aggregation software when a new podcast exists for a feed that they have subscribed to.

Why is podcasting so beneficial to the subscriber?

Unlike traditional radio, with podcasting the subscriber decides what content he/she receives. Podcasting is extremely useful to the subscriber because the user can easily receive information he/she would like, and listen to it when they want. The material, once downloaded, can be listened to and viewed on wireless handhelds, allowing subscribers to utilize time on the road.

Topicspecific radio talk shows with commentaries, interviews and debates can now be heard at a time and place of the listenerกs choosing. Consider the benefit of educational tutorials and foreign language instruction; lessons could be listened to during a work commute. Supplementary class lectures, step by step tutorials or walking guides are all possible using podcasting. An unlimited collection of books read aloud for elderly or visuallyimpaired listeners only scratch the surface of what is possible in the future of podcasting.

The fate of podcasting is in the hands of the subscribers. The subscriber can easily delete podcast feeds that do not satisfy their needs with the single tap of a button. Ultimately, the subscriber maintains control and determines what podcasts are deemed successful. This intrinsically builds in a quality control level and will ensure that the more innovative instructional and interesting podcast feeds survive.

The technology is fresh and, like the Internet, is opening doors to entrepreneurs. As podcasting evolves, users will find more creative kinds of audio content to deliver. The low barrier to entry has forced this new medium to the forefront, as businesses and individuals have really little to lose in adding podcasting as a communication channel.

About The Author

Sharon Housley manages marketing for FeedForAll http://www.feedforall.com software for creating, editing and publishing RSS feeds and NotePage, Inc. http://www.notepage.net a wireless messaging software company.

[email protected]

This article was posted on February 28

by S. Housley

How Podcasting is Used

How Podcasting is Used

by: Sharon Housley

Although podcasting is new, it is well on its way to becoming a mainstream communication medium. Podcasting, simply put, is audio files that are delivered via RSS. Many people believe that podcasting is solely for the distribution of music files, but really, nothing could be further from the truth. This emerging method of audio file distribution has opened an array of marketing and communication opportunities to businesses. Currently, most who are familiar with podcasting are technically savvy, but it is clear that podcasting will be more than a passing fad as many businesses are adopting podcasting and employing it in unusual yet powerful ways. Podcasting can be used for talk shows, tutorials, music demos, educational training, stories, comedy clips, debates or even foreign language tutorials.

While RSS has had the capacity to include audio files for a few years, only recently have entrepreneurs made the conceptual leap, taking advantage of the new power held within this communication medium. In reality, podcasters cover the gamut; some are professional broadcasters, while others are obvious amateurs.

Podcasts are usually published with associated meta information that includes descriptive data about each specific audio file. This allows listeners to make a determination of which audio items are of interest. If listeners are using a news aggregator that supports podcasting, they will automatically receive updates in their feed reader or news aggregation software when a new podcast exists for a feed that they have subscribed to.

Why is podcasting so beneficial to the subscriber?

Unlike traditional radio, with podcasting the subscriber decides what content he/she receives. Podcasting is extremely useful to the subscriber because the user can easily receive information he/she would like, and listen to it when they want. The material, once downloaded, can be listened to and viewed on wireless handhelds, allowing subscribers to utilize time on the road.

Topicspecific radio talk shows with commentaries, interviews and debates can now be heard at a time and place of the listenerกs choosing. Consider the benefit of educational tutorials and foreign language instruction; lessons could be listened to during a work commute. Supplementary class lectures, step by step tutorials or walking guides are all possible using podcasting. An unlimited collection of books read aloud for elderly or visuallyimpaired listeners only scratch the surface of what is possible in the future of podcasting.

The fate of podcasting is in the hands of the subscribers. The subscriber can easily delete podcast feeds that do not satisfy their needs with the single tap of a button. Ultimately, the subscriber maintains control and determines what podcasts are deemed successful. This intrinsically builds in a quality control level and will ensure that the more innovative instructional and interesting podcast feeds survive.

The technology is fresh and, like the Internet, is opening doors to entrepreneurs. As podcasting evolves, users will find more creative kinds of audio content to deliver. The low barrier to entry has forced this new medium to the forefront, as businesses and individuals have really little to lose in adding podcasting as a communication channel.

Copyright 2005 Sharon Housley

About The Author

Sharon Housley manages marketing for FeedForAll http://www.feedforall.com software for creating, editing and publishing RSS feeds and NotePage, Inc. http://www.notepage.net a wireless messaging software company.

This article was posted on March 02

by Sharon Housley

Internet Tutorials are the Teachers of the Future

Internet Tutorials are the Teachers of the Future

by: Jesse S. Somer

I know some people don’t even believe that the Internet or World Wide Web exists. They think that it is an abstract concept and that if asked to show it to someone they would fail miserably. Well, whether or not it exists I think that the collective consciousness of humanity is evolving everyday because of the sharing of ideas on the strange boxes called computers and the electronic network that connects them.

Every time I go on the Internet these days I am surprised by some new function that it has for our lives. My most recent discovery has been online tutorials. Tutorials are websites that have been created to help novices and amateurs alike learn more in their areas of specific interest. Just about any aspect of life seems to have tutorial sites dedicated to it that will teach you want you want to know. Of course some knowledge can cost you money but you’d be pleasantly surprised to see how much information you can get for free.

For example, I am interested in learning about how to play the guitar. You should see how many sites are out there, just look up guitar+tutorials on your search engine (E.g.: Google). There’s all sorts of great help from how to change your strings, hold a plectrum properly, and tuning, to learning complex chord scale systems and finger tapping on your electric guitar.

There are often diagrams, photographs, and intensive explanations relating to everything you ever wanted to know. Some sites have video and audio to help drive the lessons home. Life really has changed. In the past you had to get lessons from a teacher, drive to and from their house or music school, pay high tuition fees, and buy books on chords and songs. Everything is downloadable these days, and a lot of it is free.

Web designers could also probably learn a few things from these guitar tutorial sites. The ways the guitar teachings are expressed are often quite extensive but done so in a very simplistic manner. It’s a real one, two, three approach starting with verbal explanations of exercises, followed by diagrams, and then finally with audio and visual representations. It is an extremely thorough way of teaching without ever having to meet anyone in person.

However, a strange phenomenon is the fact that if the site is good, the visitor does feel a connection to the personality of the creator. Making the site individual is a major factor in both achieving success and touching a personal chord (no pun intended) with people. Many of the sites have means in which you can get direct contact with the site owner thus creating an opportunity for real personal interaction and tuition. Check out some of these sites:

www.alanhorvath.com/tutorials

www.ezfolk.com/guitar/Tutorials/tutorials.html

www.learnthat.com/courses/fun/guitar/

www.8j.net/~lwind/guitar.html

www.tutorgig.com/t/Guitar

Get connected to the teachers of the future. Find a tutorial that helps you to follow your dreams.

About The Author

Jesse S. Somer

http://www.m6.net

Somer is a writer and guitarist learning about how to learn more through the Internet.

This article was posted on September 02, 2004

by Jesse S. Somer