My blog... on Podcasting: Virtually everyone nowadays has heard of "Ipods". It's really been a complete revolution in the way we listen to audio. I bought my first Ipod in October 2004, at Frys Electronics in Los Angeles. It was certainly a big purchase for me - this Ipod 20GB. But I have to say, it's the best money i've ever spent. It's a huge hard drive for storing documents, but you can also use it to listen to audio content (notice I don't use the word "songs" or "music" here). The reason I say "audio content" is that more recently I've been listening to kinda like "radio stations" on my Ipod. The audio is downloaded as an MP3 file off the net and... chucked in my itunes software.

The great thing is firstly - generally podcasts are free, the content is wide and diverse (you could get some guy in Las Vegas talking about his home town and tips on where to travel in Vegas) through to listening to a free audio version of Robert Kiyosaki. Secondly, it's fresh - you can download new podcasts as your favourite podcaster creates it - I have two podcast services of my own at frequentguide.com - Australia Calling - targeted at anyone interested in learning more about Australia, as a traveller; and frequentguide.com podcast - which is an audio version of this site - with hints and tips on making the most of travel. Podcasting is truly amazing... in my view, it's back to the days of the internet in 1992, 1993 when people were creating their own homepages.

Ipods have struck a chord with consumers (pardon the pun). We are all time poor, busy with our lives, we do have time to listen to audio when we commute, when we exercise, when we want to just "chill out" - this medium now could be under threat... by commercialisation... but hey, that's life, let's enjoy it - but podcasting is really the next big thing if you ask me! Read below to learn more...

Definition: Podcasting is a way of publishing sound files to the Internet, allowing users to subscribe to a feed and receive new audio files automatically. Podcasting is distinct from other types of audio content delivery because it uses the RSS 2.0 protocol. This technique has enabled many producers to create self-published, syndicated radio shows.

Users subscribe to podcasts using podcatching software (also called aggregator software) which periodically checks for and downloads new content. It can then sync the content to the users portable music player, hence the portmanteau of Apple Computer's iPod and broadcasting. Podcasting does not require an iPod; any digital audio player or computer with the appropriate software can play podcasts.

History: Origin of podcasting
By 2003, a number of blogs already published audio online, and the RSS protocol was widely used for summarizing or syndicating content. Using RSS, former NPR host Christopher Lydon attached audio files to his weblog. Lydons full-length interviews, which focused on blogging and coverage of the 2004 U.S. presidental campaigns, helped to inspire Adam Curry's iPodder script. Indeed, blogs would become an important factor in the popularization of podcasting.

Origin of the word: One of the first uses of the term podcasting was in an article in The Guardian on February 12, 2004, though it didn't detail the RSS protocol or automatic synchronization. In September of that year, Dannie Gregoire used the term to describe the automatic download and synchronization idea that Adam Curry had developed . Gregoire had also registered multiple domain names associated with podcasting. That usage was discovered and reported on by Curry and Dave Slusher of the Evil Genius Chronicles website. Unique attributes Differences from traditional broadcasting Unlike radio or streaming media, podcasts are timeshifted, meaning that listeners have control over when they hear the recording. This has disadvantages, since podcasts cannot have live participation or reach large audiences as quickly as radio can.

However, podcasting has one significant advantage over traditional methods of broadcasting -- it allows individuals to easily transmit content worldwide without the need for expensive equipment or licenses.

Differences from other forms of online audio: Podcasting differs from broadcasting and webcasting in the way that content is transmitted. Instead of a central audio stream, listeners download audio files remotely and automatically. Podcasts can also include metadata such as dates, titles, and descriptions. Podcasting differs from autocasting in terms of content podcasts are generally voice broadcasts while autocasting is a speech-synthesized version of regular text blogs. Audioblogs can be easily made into podcasts if they add support for RSS to facilitate automatic retrieval.