Sunday, January 15, 2006 12:08 (repost)

One of my listed interests is Podcasting, and I've been getting asked what exactly Podcasting is...

So. Podcasting.

Podcasts are kind of like pre-recorded radio shows that you download from the internet and load onto an MP3 player ('podcast' = pod, as in iPod, and 'cast' as in broadcast).

So as a listener, you use a program called an aggregator or 'pod-catcher' to browse through a catalog of shows by subject. You subscribe to ones of interest. After that, when a new show comes out, your aggregator automatically downloads the newest show. When you plug in your iPod, it automatically gets dumped into it. (old shows are deleted automatically as well). Then you just play the file like you're listening to an MP3 song.

Now here's where it differs from 'real' radio. Radio has to answer to the FCC. No bad language. No risqué topics, etc. Podcasts do not. Many podcasts are done by regular everyday people. These are called 'indie' podcasts - my personal favorite. There are also podcasts done by big corporations, and broadcast companies. Some of them are okay, but many are just the same old stuff you can find on TV or radio, re-formatted as a podcast.

Podcasting has been around for about a year and a half. It has it's own 'stars'. See some of my myspace friends for examples. These guys are the podcast equivalent of music or film superstars. My friends list is by no means a complete who's who of podcasting. Just some that I listen to, like, and occasionally email chat with. At present, there are somewhere near 12,000 podcast shows to choose from. There are three in Anchorage. I've met two of them in person.

So if you want to try it, get a free copy of iTunes from the Apple website. It's available for Windows or Mac. I can talk you through how to browse the podcasts. If you own an iPod, you can download the shows to it. If not, you can listen to the podcasts on your computer right from iTunes.

Whew~!