Podcasting is a buzz word circulating the web, which is becoming increasingly popular by the minute.
Many people are listening to podcasts on a daily basis, and some even go so far as to create their own podcasts for others to listen to.
Podcasts are similar to internet radio shows.
A podcast is audio content delivered to portable media players such as Ipods, that can be downloaded automatically at a listener's convenience.
Before podcasting, blogging had become a popular phenomenon.
Blogging delivered textual content to RSS aggregators and news readers on portable devices such as Palm Pilots, at a viewer's convenience.
Soon afterward, the syndication of audio was introduced via the same medium.
Adam Curry, who is the former MTV media entrepreneur, created an Apple application script to automate the downloading and syncing of audio files to the Ipod.
Podcasting is based on a backbone of code called RSS, or real simple syndication.
Think of RSS as a newsfeed.
RSS is a standardardized way of publishing information on the way and uses XML format.
The way RSS works for audio content is that it contains enclosures, which are essentially URL references to web content.
When an audio clip is uploaded to one's server on the world wide web, and this URL is indicated in the RSS code associated for that podcast, the audio clip can now be synced automatically as part of the information which is downloaded to a listener's portable device or podcast aggregator.
According to PodcastingNews.
com, the podcasting process works in 4 easy steps: 1.
) Publishers create content and post it to a web server in mp3 format 2.
) A publisher will then create and publish the RSS file, which will contain meta information on the audio file such as the name and description, and will also contain the URL enclosure of the audio file location on the web 3.
) An end user will then check for new updates on the newsfeed, either manually, or will have their podcast aggregator such as Itunes automatically check for the updates on a schedule.
The updates can then be synced to an mp3 player or portable device.
4.
) Users can now listen to the podcast at their own convenience.
The technical aspects of podcasting vary, as the number of equipment, mechanisms and tools available for podcasting are numerous.
Once a podcast is created, however, it gives back one more piece of creativity to the world of online media, gives online users an opportunity to listen to brand new rich content, and provides the publisher with an undeniable sense of pride and accomplishment for sharing his or her interests with the world.