Podcasting is a method of publishing files to the internet, often allowing users to subscribe to a feed and receive new files automatically by subscription, usually at no cost. It first became popular in late 2004, used largely for audio files. While it is derived from the word for Apple Computer's iPod audio player, it has no connection or requirement that an iPod is used. At the end of June 2005, Apple began including automatic podcasting subscriptions downloads in its iTunes application — something that had previously required third-party software.
Podcasting is distinct from other types of audio content delivery because many people use a subscription model which uses the RSS 2.0 file format. This technique has enabled independent producers to create self-published, syndicated "radio shows", and has given broadcast radio programs a new distribution channel. Some users subscribe to podcasts using "podcatching" software (also called "aggregator" software), which periodically checks for and downloads new content. It can then sync the content to the user's portable music player. Podcasting does not require an iPod or iTunes; any digital audio player or computer with the appropriate software can play podcasts. The same technique can deliver video files, and by 2005 some aggregators could play video as well as audio.
Podcasting is similar to Yahoo!'s Media RSS, a kind of syndication of media files that Yahoo! uses, among other things, to expand the search index of their Yahoo! Video Search engine with video files posted by publishers.
History
Origin of podcasting
By 2003, a number of blogs and broadcasters had already published audio online and the RSS file format was widely used for summarizing or syndicating content. While RSS/RDF already supported media resources implicitly, applications rarely took advantage of this. It was only when the Userland branch of RSS gained an explicit "enclosure" element in 2001 that Radio Userland support for it appeared.
In June 2003, Stephen Downes demonstrated RSS aggregation and syndication of audio files using RSS in his Ed Radio application [1]. Ed Radio scanned RSS feeds for MP3 files, collected them into a single feed, and made this feed available as SMIL or WebJay audio feeds.
In September 2003, blogging and RSS evangelist Dave Winer created an RSS-with-enclosures feed for his Harvard Berkman Center colleague Christopher Lydon, a former newspaper and television journalist and NPR radio talk show host [2]. For several months Lydon had been linking full-length MP3 interviews to his Berkman weblog, which focused on blogging and coverage of the 2004 U.S. presidental campaigns. Having Lydon's interviews as RSS enclosures helped inspire Adam Curry's pre-iPodder script, and related experiments leading to a variety of open source iPodder development. Indeed, blogs would become an important factor in the popularization of podcasting before professional radio broadcasters and entrepreneurs with business plans adopted the form.
Possibly the first use of the term "podcasting" was as a synonym for "audioblogging" or weblog-based amateur radio in an article by Ben Hammersley in The Guardian on February 12, 2004 [3]. In September of that year, Dannie Gregoire used the term to describe the automatic download and synchronization idea that Adam Curry had developed [4]. Gregoire had also registered multiple ___domain names associated with podcasting. That usage was discovered and reported on by Curry and Dave Slusher of the Evil Genius Chronicles website.
By October 2004, detailed "how-to podcast" articles[5] had begun to appear online. By mid-June 2005, a Google search for "'how to' +podcast" returned 1,430,000 hits.
On June 28, 2005, Apple released iTunes 4.9[6], which featured podcast integration and simultaneously made podcasts available for download on its iTunes Music Store, embracing the podcasting revolution it helped spawn—as well as advancing it to the mainstream.
Other uses
Podcasting's initial appeal was to allow individuals to create their own "radio shows", but the system is increasingly used for other reasons, including:
- A new outlet for commercial and public radio stations. (See List of radio stations with podcasts)
- Broadcasters creating programming that they wouldn't get away with otherwise. Regulatory bodies, like the British Ofcom, would not allow the programme Simulacrum [7] to be broadcast in traditional media.
- Unofficial audio tours of museums[8].
- Education. Musselburgh Grammar School, Scotland began podcasting foreign language audio revision and homework, possibly becoming the first school in Europe to launch a regular podcast [9]. The online encyclopedia Wikipedia has begun podcasting encyclopedia articles.
- Religion. Podcasting has been used by many religious groups [10]. St Mark's Anglican Church, Clayfield Australia podcasts talks and sermons from their evening service [11]. Disciples with Microphones provides podcasts relating to the Catholic church [12].
See also
External links
- iPodder (market leader)
- The Podcast Value Chain Report – an overview of the emerging podcasting marketplace (PDF file)
- WNYC's Podcasting synopsis – a synopsis of podcasting, including links to many podcasts (on NPR and elsewhere), info about and help articles related to podcasting ("Podcasting 101"), downloads of software, etc.
- AudioFeeds.org – Independent Music Feeds.
Notes & references
- ^ Ed Radio
- ^ Christopher Lydon Interviews
- ^ Hammersley, Ben. 2004. "Audible revolution." In The Guardian, Thu, Feb 12 2004.
- ^ Gregoire, Dannie J. 2004. "How to handle getting past episodes?" In the ipodder-dev mailing list, Thu, Sep 16 2004.
- ^ Torrone, Phillip. 2004. "How-To: Podcasting." In Engadget, Oct 5 2004.
- ^ Apple.com iTunes
- ^ Simulacrum
- ^ Kennedy, Randy. 2005. "With Irreverence and an iPod, Recreating the Museum Tour." In The New York Times, May 28 2005.
- ^ Musselburgh Grammar School Podcast
- ^ Heinen, Tom. 2005. "Podcasting becomes another pulpit." In JS Online, Jun 11 2005.
- ^ St Mark's Church, Clayfield
- ^ Disciples With Microphones