Podcasting has all the ingredients to become a major technology trend. Podcasting has started with little fanfare, but it has the potential to turn into a tidal wave due to a number of factors working in its favor. The word Podcast could have been roughly derived from iPod and streaming (it sure sounds like that to me, so don’t hit me if I’m wrong!).
The process works in much the same way as radio, except that the transmission is through mobile devices and the power of content delivery over the Internet. This new way of transmitting information opens up enormous opportunities for the dispersal of information, entertainment and news.
Podcasting is a relatively new technology and people are creating sophisticated applications to use podcasting effectively. The advantages of podcasting make the proposition attractive enough for major companies to consider it a serious mode of communication. RSS 2.0 is the form of choice for podcasts and newer versions of this feed are expected soon.
The inherent benefits of podcasts are:
No need to invest in a new piece of hardware – podcasts are readily available to all iPod users and similar mobile devices. The size of the cult of the iPod, if I can call it that, is increasing at a dizzying rate. All a user has to do is choose the subscriptions they would like to subscribe to and download the programs.
New Live Radio Show Grant – Radio shows have been revived by the new generation of podcasters. Several old radio shows that have had a massive following in their glory days are now being evaluated for podcasting. A lot of high-quality content is available thanks to this resurgence.
Can advertisers be far away? Advertisers have the ability to identify new advertising opportunities at the slightest bit, and the Podcasting forums are already working hard to get the advertising industry hand in hand with the Podcasting community. The influx of ad dollars will give podcasting more credibility and podcasting will also be taken more seriously.
On-demand streaming: Podcasters and listeners dominate this medium by offering a high level of listening on demand. You can use this service anytime you want, much like video on demand, but it is more successful due to low bandwidth demand. This is probably one of the biggest advantages of podcasting and could be the main reason for its phenomenal success.
Your own podcast studio and very little investment – so who are podcasters? A podcast can be anyone with internet access, a decent computer, and some software knowledge. Podcasting requires very little investment in hardware and software. This advantage of podcasting can be done by almost anyone who is interested in it and has some content to share with the rest of the world.
Creativity is highly rewarded in the world of podcasters – content is king, and high-quality creative content is instantly rewarded by the podcasting community, which can be measured by the number of subscribers. Therefore, it is quite easy to achieve overnight success if the content on the stream is unique and exciting.
Therefore, podcasting has a number of benefits for both the internal and external community. A unique communication medium for which it does not cost much to distribute and develop content. Like all new technologies, the technology will have some initial problems, but the driving force behind it should be good enough that the technology will be successful in the very near future.