What is a Podcast?
A podcast is a radio program that is broadcast on the Internet.
The term, which is short for iPod broadcast, originated in 2004. While the original podcasts were designed for Apple's iPod mobile music player, they work with a wide variety of devices. Imagine being able to listen to your favorite programs whenever and wherever you wish. You can download podcasts onto a computer or any other device capable of playing music and listen to them at your leisure.
Podcasts and Radio Differences
Radio stations play song after song, but when you download a podcast, you're downloading a single prerecorded radio program. Podcasts encompass every type of radio program from talk shows and interviews to documentaries and dramas. Some podcasts are devoted entirely to delivering an hour or two of commercial-free music. Newer podcasts may also include accompanying videos, so subscribers can watch the host interview guests. Some radio stations like NPR include podcast versions of their radio programs on their websites.
Just like radio shows, most podcasts are episodes in a long-running series instead of standalone programs, and they're released daily, weekly, monthly, or on any other schedule. To help listeners download new episodes, most publishers update lists of all of their episodes when they release a new podcast. Many publishers also provide schedules so listeners can see which episodes are coming up in the next few weeks.
What makes podcasts so revolutionary?
Because they're pre-recorded, listeners don't need to maintain an Internet connection. They can download the podcast and listen to it on the plane or in the car. Podcasts are distributed over the Internet instead of the radio, so listeners can usually download them from anywhere in the world without being in the same region. Listeners don't have to tune in whenever the program first airs, and they can pause, rewind, or skip ahead to listen to podcast segments again and again.
Literary writers are using podcasts to open new markets. Novels are hundreds of pages long, and they can require anywhere from 10 to 50 hours to read out loud. Novel podcasts break books up into manageable chunks. A writer can fit about 20 pages into an hour-long podcast, making the format perfect for a daily commute. Listeners can download shorter podcasts faster than longer ones, so they can spend a few minutes downloading a chapter from a novel podcast rather than a few hours for the entire book. With all of these options, podcast listeners will never want to listen to radio the old way again.
With millions of people connecting smartphones in their cars and looking for listening material during workouts, savvy marketers are using podcasts to reach new audiences. Using podcasts, brand names are able to reach people who might not have the time to read an article on the Web, but are happy to listen during a commute or workout.
Where do you find Podcasts?
The simplest and easiest way to find podcasts is by using an app on a smartphone or tablet. Apple has their own Podcast app for iPhones and iPads. Using the app you'll be able to search for podcasts available from the iTunes store, and all podcasts are free. Android users can access podcasts using one of the popular apps like the highly rated iPP Podcast Player. Most podcasts can also be played directly from the Web site of the podcast on a PC or Mac. Podcasts are available on almost any topic and can be educational and entertaining. Download one of these apps and try out some popular ones start exploring.
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