“Portable On Demand – Broadcast”
The term "podcast" comes from the combination of the words ‘pod’ and ‘broadcast.’ Podcast can mean either the content itself or the method by which it is syndicated; the syndication is also termed as podcasting. The host or author of a podcast is called a podcaster. The first podcasting scripts were developed for the Apple iPod. Basically podcast is a digital media file (mostly but not exclusively used as audiomp3 or video-mp4) which is distributed over the internet using RSS (syndication feeds) and than listened to on an mp3 player and a desktop computer. Using RSS ensures that you get the latest podcast as soon as it has been published.
The biggest advantage of podcasts is to have the option to listen or view the content of your choice whenever you have time. You can also store old shows and listen to them later as you wish.
Contrary to popular belief, listening to a podcast is not restricted to the famous Apple product (iPod). You can use other mp3 players as well. There are also other programs available online which you can download and use with your desktop computer. The most popular software used, to manage your digital contents such as podcast, music or video is iTunes from Apple, also available for MS Windows. The following cases generally use Podcasts:
1. News / Talk Shows - Industry or organizational news, investor news, sportscasts, news coverage and commentaries.
2. Business- Business audio advices or business news in general.
3. Music - Band promotional clips and interviews.
4. Training - Instructional informational materials.
5. Story - Story telling for children or the visually-impaired.
6. Self-Guided Walking Tours - Informational content.
The best way to use podcast is directories. There is a wide choice available and many also have a rating/voting system in place which can give you an indication on the quality of the content. Mostly pod cast are available free of charge. Check out the following sites:
http://www.digitalpodcast.com/ http://podcasts.yahoo.com/
http://www.podfeed.net/feedburner_rankings.asp
Podcasting's initial appeal was to allow individuals to distribute their own radio-style shows, but the system quickly became used in a wide variety of other ways, including distribution of school lessons, official and unofficial audio tours of museums, conference meeting alerts and updates, and by police departments to distribute public safety messages. Podcasting is becoming increasingly popular in education too. Podcasts enable students and teachers to share information with anyone at anytime Video podcasts can be used in all these ways as well.