Podcasting Service
Provision Team creates Podcasts. Yes, we are a third-party podcast content and creation provider.
What is Podcasting? Podcasting” is a term inspired by the Apple Computer’s iPod. The term is no longer specifically related to the iPod but refers to any software and hardware combination that permits automatic downloading of audio files (most commonly in MP3 format) for listening at the user’s convenience. Unlike traditional radio or other Web-based streaming media, podcasts give listeners control over when they hear the recording. Podcasting makes use of the Internet’s Real Simple Syndication (RSS) standard. It differs from broadcasting and Webcasting in the way that content is published and transmitted via the Web. Instead of a central audio stream, podcasting sends audio content directly to an iPod or other MP3 player.
Who is Doing It? Podcasting can involve practically anyone with an Internet connection. With its roots in the blogging world, part of the appeal of podcasting is the ease with which audio content can be created, distributed, and downloaded from the Web. Professional broad-casters and syndicated radio shows are starting to make their content available as podcasts. Amateurs are flocking to podcasting, sharing their content and opinions. Churches have been making their sermons available as podcasts for years. Campuses are starting to make content available as podcasts as well.
How Does it Work? Podcasting is a unique innovation in content publishing based in large part on its inherent simplicity and ease of use. Users simply connect their portable audio devices to their computer, log on to a podcasting subscription service, and subscribe to that site’s feeds. Audio content is then “pushed” from the original source directly and automatically to the user’s iPod or MP3 player. All of the tools needed to create, modify, and distribute podcasts are within reach of anyone with a reasonably well-configured laptop. The desire to improve the quality of podcasts has resulted in rich Web-based resources outlining principles of sound, equipment recommendations, and shared experiences. Podcasting demonstrates the power of audio over text (listening as opposed to reading), allowing podcast users to listen and learn while they walk, jog, ride the bus, or are otherwise away from their computer screen. Perhaps most significantly, podcast technology empowers users to publish audio content directly and seamlessly onto the Web.
Why Should I Consider Podcasting? Podcasting allows business and education to become more portable than ever before. Podcasting cannot replace the classroom, but it provides business owners one more way to meet today’s prospects and clients where they “live”—on the Internet and on audio players. Barriers to adoption and costs are minimal. The tools to implement podcasts are simple and affordable. Podcasting is predicted to soon become a mainstream application, much like video-on-demand recorders (such as TiVo).
Podcast enthusiasts see no limit to the potential uses of this technology, particularly in business and education, and the number of podcast aggregators (sites that collect, categorize, and then make avail-able podcasts for subscribers) is growing. Interlacing podcasts with video applications—listening to a podcast while viewing related material on the Web—is just another step in the overall evolution of podcasting.
Podcasting is evolving at a rapid rate. New features like categorizing, navigating, and indexing, are being demanded by users. Consequently, designers and producers of podcasts are seeking new ways to add layers of richness to simple audio files, creating audio experiences that are both entertaining and instructive.
If you are interested in learning more about how your business can add podcasting as another marketing message, give us a call.
