Beldames’ Saloon

Podcasting has all the ingredients to become a major technology trend. Podcasting has started with little fanfare but has the potential to become a giant wave due to a number of factors going for it. The word Podcast might have been roughly derived from iPod and broadcast (it sure sounds like that to me so don’t hit me if I am wrong! ).

The process works pretty much like radio except that the broadcast is done via mobile devices and the power of content delivery via the internet. This new form of broadcasting of information opens up tremendous opportunities for dispersion of information, entertainment and news.

Podcasting is a fairly new technology and people are building up refined applications to use this medium effectively. Advantages of Podcasting are making the proposition attractive enough for major companies to consider it a serious communication mode. RSS 2.0 is the chosen form for podcasts and newer versions of this feed system are expected soon.

Inherent advantages of podcasts are:

No need to invest in a new piece of hardware: Podcasts are easily available to all users of iPod and similar mobile .The sheer size of the iPod cult if I can call it that, is increasing at a scorching pace. All a user needs to do is choose the subscriptions which he or she would like to subscribe to and download the programmes.

New lease of live to radio programmes: Radio programmes have been revived by the new generation of podcasters. A number of old radio programmes which have had a mass following in their hey days are now being evaluated to be cast via podcasts. A huge chunk of high quality content becomes available thanks to this revival.

Can advertisers be far away? Advertisers have the ability to identify new advertising opportunities at the slightest whiff and Podcasting forums are already working hard to get the advertising industry hand in glove with the Podcasting community. Influx of advertising dollars will lend more credibility to Podcasting and this medium will be taken more seriously as well.

On demand broadcast: Podcasters and listeners rule this medium by offering a high level on-demand listening. You can use this service at the time when you want to, pretty much like video on demand but has greater success due to the low demand of bandwidth. This is probably one of the biggest advantage of Podcasting and might be the core reason for it to success phenomenally.

Your own Podcast studio and very little investment: So who are podcasters? A podcaster can be anyone who has access to the internet, a decent computer and some software knowledge. Podcasting requires very little investment by way of hardware and software. This advantage of Podcasting can thus be done by almost anyone who has an interest in it and has some content to share with the rest of the world,

Creativity is highly rewarded in the podcaster’s world: Content is king and high quality creative content is instantaneously rewarded by the Podcasting community which can be measured by the number of subscribers. Thus it is quite easy to gain overnight success if the content of the broadcast is unique and exciting.

Podcasting thus has number of benefits both the for the community within and without. A unique mass media which does not cost a lot to distribute and develop content for. Like all new technologies, the technology will have some teething issues but the force promoting it should be good enough to get the technology roaring with success in the very near future.

Matt Bacak, The Powerful Promoter and Entrepreneur Magazine e-Biz
radio show host, became a “#1 Best Selling Author” in just a few short hours. He has helped a number of clients target his specialty, opt-in email direct marketing systems. The Powerful Promoter is not only a sought-after internet marketer but has also marketed for some of the world’s top experts whose reputations would shrivel if their followers ever found out someone else coached them on their online marketing strategies.

For more information, visit Bacak’s site at http://www.powerfulpromoter.com or sign up for his Powerful Promoting
Tips at http://www.promotingtips.com

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The overwhelming popularity of portable MP3 players has brought with it all new innovations in using this new technology. The most popular application that has come out recently are podcasts.

Podcasts are the automatic distribution of MP3 files via RSS or XML. With podcasts, a user downloads software and installs it in order to receive their favorite podcasts automatically from the podcast’s website. Apple iTunes is an example of a podcast software that can deliver podcasts to your personal computer. The files that are downloaded come in an mp3 format and you can then listen to them in your personal computer or better yet, on your portable MP3 player so you can bring your podcast episodes wherever you go.

Podcasts are like radio programs with one big difference. Anyone can make and distribute their podcasts. This makes it a true populist initiative. Podcasters can rant about their favorite political issue, talk about their CD collections, discuss plot twists in their favorite comic book titles or even advise people about how to make podcasts. The subjects and topics that can be discussed in podcasts are only limited by your imagination.

Just like popular TV or radio shows, there are already podcasts that can be considered as widely popular. Below are some popular podcasts that you should try:

The Onion Radio News - This is a daily podcast that features short news clips from The Onion’s 24 hour radio news network. For those who still don’t know The Onion, it is an online “news network” that puts a satirical spin on the latest news and political issues.

New York Times Front Page - This is a daily summary of the top headlines of every weekday morning.

X-Play Daily Videogame Podcast - This is another daily podcast that offers gamers the latest gaming news, tips, tricks as well as previews of upcoming games.

Meditation Station - This podcast is aimed at people who are stressed and are seeking to achieve a little focus on their hectic lives. The regular meditations can help you de-stress.

This Week in Tech - This award-winning podcast finds Leo Laporte and other well-known tech luminaries discussing the latest tech trends.

Science Friday - Making Science Radioactive - this weekly podcast discusses the latest news and trends in science, technology, health and the environment.

Ebert & Roeper - Popular film critics Ebert & Roeper review and discuss the merits (or demerits) of the latest movies showing in Hollywood.

Indiefeed: Alternative/Modern Rock - This is a great way of getting great songs from the alternative/modern rock genre. Everyday the podcast features one song that includes information about the artist as well as where to buy the album. This podcast is redefining how music is being delivered to people.

The Catalyst Podcast - This is a community that aims to raise the next generation of leaders and teaches them about the church and culture.

Penn Jillette - The popular and edgy magician airs excerpts of his popular satellite radio show to his fans.

Travel with Rick Steves - This is a weekly hour-long conversation with experts and callers about travel, culture, people and the kind of stories that you only get when you travel.

Philip Nicosia is the webmaster of Podcastblaster.com, which supplies podcasting software and information all about podcasting. podcast software.

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Of course it was inevitable - the continued chase for podcast revenue. Once iTunes jumped in, followed by large corporations who started creating and distributing their own podcasts, it wouldn’t be long before some one came up with the bright idea to cash in on the myriad of small, independent podcasters.

The challenge is to organize all of those podcasters, supply the advertising, collect the money and somehow split it up equitably. And apply this idea to a group as diverse as you’ll ever find. In fact, the word ‘group’ is applied arbitrarily.

However, let’s take a quick look at the players:

First there’s Audible.com. In a recent press release, they outlined their strategy: “..tools that enables podcasters to build multiple revenue streams around capabilities such as advertising management, dynamic ad-insertion, underwriting and secured transactions.”

Podtrac promises to “specialize in highly targeted podcast advertising, by precisely matching audience demographics and interests with the appropriate advertising for those listeners and viewers.” They also perform “valuable third party measurement services of podcast circulation.”

Then there’s Castfire, which “allows content producers of audio and video to generate advertising revenue by seamlessly connecting them with media buyers and consumers.”

Podvertiser, which is launching in 2006, offers to “enable you to generate revenue from the podcasts you love to create.” They do this by hosting your podcast, tracking it and inserting ads in it.

Fruitcast likens the challenge of adding advertising to podcasts similar to what Google’s AdSense does. When you sign up for their service, each time a listener downloads the program, they’ll automatically add a sponsor’s message at the beginning or the end of the program.

I skimmed several of these programs and realize that there are pros and cons to all of them. The biggest gripe from podcasters about these systems seems to point to Audible.com because they’re using a proprietary (closed) system, including their own audio format, and will charge for each download.

Paul Colligan of The Affiliate Guy, though, was quite enthusiastic about Audible.com’s business model and was looking forward to having access to the statistics that Wordcast will generate.

“If you’re podcasting with some sort of business model, and somebody’s going to do the tracking and hosting and more important to do the customer support for you, this is a great, fabulous thing,” said Paul.

Bloggers have generally weighed in heavily against Audible.com, though, so it’ll be interesting to see where this whole thing goes.

If you’re a podcaster and are looking for ways to generate a few dollars from your podcast, I’m sure it’s worth your time to take a look at these emerging technologies and services.

Tim ‘Gonzo’ Gordon shows you how to create professional, high-quality audio on your home computer. With 25+ years of radio production, writing and voice talent, Tim can show you how to set up a small pro studio and create audio for fun and profit. Subscribe to his free newsletter Digital Audio Bits. Learn how to podcast with Podcasting Adventures Online.

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