Why podcast?

G'day Lords,

Our ideas have been great, but what has really stuck with me is the importance of podcasting. Now I'm not talking about newsworthiness. I'm talking about its place as a form of new media. An underrated symbol of the technological shift in media. The Dark Knight of new media you could say.

So "podcasting" really kicked off around 2005 when an MTV VJ Adam Curry thought "hey! why not take audio, text and visuals, combine them into a multimedia file and automate them onto mp3s, ipods etc". 

This is what really differentiates podcasts from an audio file (which have been on the Internet for quite a while now- as have videos and text). A Podcast is the whole package- a multimedia file. Just think about when you've downloaded a Hamish and Andy podcast onto your ipod, and you see the list of topics they talk about and the visual with some sort of advertisement. 

Source: http://a5.mzstatic.com/us/r1000/010/Purple/c6/43/1d/mzl.wjanmazh.320x480-75.jpg

But I digress... The real thing that sets podcasts apart is the delivery. No longer does a user have to go online and search for content. It's pretty much sent straight to you through an RSS feed on Itunes for example, which updates and informs a user whenever there's a new podcast available. The convenience is why podcasting has really taken off.

In a sense, another part of this convenience is the "time-shift" that Podcasting has allowed. Some have called Podcasting the "Tivo for the ear". Basically I can download a Podcast, leave it on my iPod and then listen to it at my convinience. Personally I save them for my train journeys home, but the disadvantage of that is when you find something funny but people just think you're grinning like an idiot.

Source: http://www.2dayfm.com.au/shows/hamishandandy/photos/extreme-podcasting?selectedImage=0

Speaking of Time-Shifts. Take a look at this. Anyone can listen to podcasts anywhere, any time. Even Roman Empire soldiers [I think!]

So all this is why listen to podcasts? But the more pertinent question is why make them? 

• The most obvious format is the repackaged radio show- no music, no ads, no news reports, no worries. But it has been used for a lot of other purposes as well. I remember when I went to the Smithsonian museum in 2009, and they had a podcast in the form of an actual tour guide. It was brilliant. But my point is that podcasts are used to transfer information. Teachers have used to it create audio lessons for students, preachers to create sermons, and the CERN Large Hadron Collider has a podcasting tracking their progress, debating scientific and ethical issues, and just some light science chat.

• Podcasting is cheap. In fact I've got microphone in my laptop- check. I've got Audacity to edit and record- check . I could have presented this blog post in the form of a podcast. 

• You are in control of your content. Any one can make them. It can be a daily thing, weekly... or even a once off. And a lot of the regulations that apply to normal radio broadcasting don't really apply to podcasting (swearing anyone?)

This is Nirupam signing off. Until next time, stay classy my lords.