WHAT+is+a+Podcast?

=What is a Podcast? =  Traditionally, a podcast is a free, downloadable audio file that can be listened to on your computer--where you can burn it to a compact disc--or on an MP3 player or iPod to enjoy on planes, trains and automobiles. The current interpretations of podcasts can include audio, video, text, and images as well. Podcasts were originally thought of as amateurish audio versions of blogs, but no longer; ESPN, NPR, the BBC, Newsweek, news commentators and other highly respected people have podcasts readily available. from [|NetLingo]

=What is Podcasting? = Podcasting lets everyday users distribute audio files over the Internet for playback any time on computers or digital music players. The key to podcasting (unlike, say, YouTube) is that the product episodes are subscribeable, and do not have a termination date. Much like a radio program, podcasts are made up of multiple episodes, usually on a particular theme or topic, that are regularly produced for consumption. (from [|Netlingo] )  The word Podcasting comes from combining the words //iPod// and //broadcasting//. What distinguishes a Podcast from other multimedia files distributed on the Internet is the addition of a web feed that allows users to **//subscribe//** to the audio program. In other words, rather than having to visit a web site to determine whether new content is available, files are automatically accessed and organized by a feed aggregator, such as GoogleReader, for immediate enjoyment. Although some people use tools such as iTunes to download media files to their iPod or another portable MP3 player, many users listen to Podcasts on their computer. ( Lamb, Annette. //Podcasting in the School Library Part I//, Teacher Librarian, February 2007)

picture credit: FlickR user m-c via [|creativecommons.org]