Creating downloadable podcasts is one of the best ways to build traffic to your site, promote your site, product and/or services, and build a memorable brand.

What is Podcasting

Podcasting is online audio content that is delivered via an RSS feed. Think of podcasting as radio on demand; but with many more options in terms of content and programming. With Podcasting, listeners, not the broadcaster, determine the time and the place to receive and listen to audio clips. As the name suggests, podcastes were created for iPod mp3 players, providing users with downloadable content.

Listeners can retain these audio clips as audio archives. Just as blogs have spurned many digital journalists, podcasting has given rise to international radio personalities.

Distribution of podcasts are generally done by syndicating multimedia in a feed using RSS.

Uses For Podcasting

Podcasting can be used for:

Digital Tour Guides – providing informational content on demand to the listener as they reach certain points. A commonly used example of this is in art galleries and museums.
On Demand Training - Instructional informational materials.
Story Telling - for children or the visually-impaired.
Music Promotion – Music artists and groups are releasing promotional clips and interviews.
Talk Shows – for a wide range of industry, sporting and educational purposes

Podcasting and RSS

Podcasts are published using RSS [Really Simple Syndication]. Podcasting uses RSS to syndicate groups of audio files using just as a standard RSS feed reader aggregates news clips. Users download these RSS feeds to an mp3 device such as an iPod.

Podcast Media Players

Podcasts are not only listened to on ipods. There can also be displayed on websites with clickable links to audio files and many of the standard RSS readers, which have begun supporting audio.

The "enclosure" tag has been included in the RSS v2.0 specification for longer than podcasting became known around mid 2004.

Podcasting is an effective tool in the rich media pick list for webmasters, any alternative media has potential to increase in audience size. A flurry of online radio stations are appearing on the web every week, as audio and video are taking hold of online content in a rapidly growing digital publishing world.

Podcasting Subscription Sites

Subscription and free software is readily available on sites such as iPodder and iTunes.

Podcasting Resources

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