What Is Podcasting And What Are Its Benefits?
Barb Anderson

Defined Tag: What Is Podcasting.

If you have an mp3 player, like an iPod for example, or one distributed by Creative, you'll naturally look for downloadable content. Preferably this would be content which you could legally download for free. What are your options? Surely, there are music files that are distributed as sampler for upcoming artists or soon-to-be published albums. But then again, what if you're not into music? Is there content which can be considered as meatier and more informative?

Thankfully, podcasting has emerged as an amazing way of enjoying audio content. It has made amazing strides in 2005 that the prestigious New Oxford American Dictionary has awarded the term the Word of the Year distinction for 2005. This cements the conclusion that podcasting as a digital broadcasting medium is here to stay.

But what is podcasting and how can it benefit the user?

Podcasting is an amalgam of the words "iPod" and "broadcasting." The way it works is that a publisher would create audio content, preferably in the mp3 format though mp4 is slowly becoming a solid alternative for newer generation portable players. He'd then offer this content for download in websites like www.ipodder.com or www.podcastalley.com (there are more websites where podcasts can be uploaded by these are the more popular ones), where it can be downloaded by the visitors. The visitor who chooses to download the audio content can opt to listen to it immediately through the appropriate programs in his PC, or listen to the same later on, wherever he may be, courtesy of his portable player.

What is podcasting's main benefit for the publisher, you might ask?

Well, people respond more to what they could hear compared to what they could read. This makes audio content a better vehicle to convey any message, whether it be for a marketing purpose or for informational aims. And this is the reason why more and more publishers are shifting to podcasting as their marketing strategy of choice when it comes to delivering what they want to share.

But what is podcasting's main benefit for the user?

In one word: convenience. Podcasting allows the user to listen to the audio content anytime he pleases, wherever in the world he may be, even if he's not in front of the computer. In America alone, there are close to 22 million owners of portable mp3 devices, and a good 29% of them have, at one point, downloaded and listened to podcasts. This is a very encouraging fact for publishers, and this is a testament to how beneficial the medium can be for the users.

Barb Anderson has edited or written numerous articles for family-oriented ezines and sites on the worldwide web. Barb is Editor of the Power Learning Tips and Tricks newsletter, which is available at:
http://MastermindLearningSystem.com.