It is the
subscription feature that makes a podcast so powerful as a form of social
media. People have long been able to upload audio content to the web, but the
subscription feature means that people can build regular audiences and
communities around their shows. It effectively puts private individuals or
brands on a level playing field with traditional media organisations when it
comes to competing for people’s attention with AV content online.
Podcasts, like
personal video recorders (PVRs), are part of a shift in media consumption
patterns, which increasingly sees people watching or listening to
content when and where it suits them. This is sometimes
known as time-shifting.
When a new
podcast is posted to the web, all the subscribers’ podcast services (such as
iTunes) are automatically notified and download the programme to their
computer’s hard drive. The podcast can then be either listened to on the
computer or downloaded onto an MP3 player, such as an iPod.
Naturally the
advent of the podcast has also meant that media brands have been able to invade
one another’s traditional territory. Many national newspapers in the UK have
started effectively producing their own radio-style programmes and distributing
them via their previously text-and-picture based websites. Channel 4 has also
launched its own audio/podcasting brand, 4Radio.
If you already
have an iPod and use iTunes you can click on the Podcast icon in the left-hand
toolbar to access podcasts and subscribe to them.
Other good
places to find and start listening to podcasts are Podcast Alley and Yahoo!
Podcasts
If you fancy
trying your hand at creating your own podcast, download the free audio editing
tool Audacity or have a look at the ‘how to’ guide at wikiHow.
Source: What is Social Media? (Antony Mayfield, iCrossing) e-book
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