Podcasting is a means to publish audio and video content to the world via the Internet. Audiences are able to subscribe to their favourite shows and automatically receive the latest episodes in iTunes or a similar client. Creating a podcast of your own is almost as easy as watching or listening to one. All you need is knowledge of tools, we have made it simpler for by creating a list here.

Having 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. Both professional broadcasters and amateurs are using podcasting as to share opinions and content. The potential audience for these audios is increasing at a fast pace.

Podcasting is therefore becoming an important framework when designing a social media marketing strategy.

We have compiled a structured list of the best tools; these will make it easy for you to create or distributing a podcast.

1. Podcast Hosting, Sharing and Networking

Talkshoe - Create your own live talk show or interactive podcast.

Waxxi - Audio shows streamed live, mainly with notable technologists. Once recorded, the live shows are available as podcasts.

Feedforall - A tool to that allows users to easily create, edit and publish RSS feeds. This would easily record and edit audio files for podcasts!

Evoca - "YouTube for voice recordings": create audio recordings from your computer mic, your phone or Skype, share them with others and embed them on websites.

MyPodcast - Podcast hosting solutions offering unlimited storage, bandwidth, and free templates for your podcasts.

PodcastPeople - A service that enables you to post text, audio and video materials to your own customized show, and even earn some income from it through sponsors.

Hipcast - Create audio, video materials and podcasts and post them to your blog.

Libsyn - Liberated Syndication will host your podcasts for a monthly fee.

Podbean - Free podcast hosting and publishing.

Castpost - Free hosting for audio and video clips.

2. Video podcasting

Video podcast (sometimes shortened to vodcast) is a term used for the online delivery of video on demand video clip content.

Veodia - Create live TV shows and convert them to video podcasts.

Blip.tv - A "video podcasting" service. Similar to YouTube, but focusing on independent creators, who get a share of revenue.

3. Mobile Podcasting

Podlinez - Allows listening to podcasts on your phone.

Gabcast - Allows recording podcasts straight from your phone.

Yodio - Record audio from your phone, add photos and captions.

4. Text to podcasts

If you are tired of reading you might want to know about Text to podcast tools. These tools will help you in listening to the content.

SpokenText - It allows you to record PDF, Word, plain text, PowerPoint files, RSS news feeds, emails and web pages, and converts them to speech automatically.

YakiToMe - Convert blogs to audio podcasts.

Odiogo - Convert RSS feeds, text articles and blog posts to podcasts.

ReadTheWords - Another free web based alternative to convert text into speech.

5. Podcast Directories

PodcastAlley - A podcast directory with over 30,000 podcasts.

Podcast.com - A podcast directory that contains tens of thousands of podcasts.

Podfeed.net - Host and share your podcast, find podcasts, as well as read and write podcast reviews.

Everyzing - Audio and video search engine.

Delven - provides a complete online video solution to manage, publish, measure, and monetize high quality video content on the web.

PodNova - The best way to find, subscribe to, share, play and download your podcasts.

6. Podcast creation software

Odeo - Perhaps the most popular podcasting platform. It allows recording audio within your browser, embed it anywhere and create your own audio channels.

Gcast - Record, mix and broadcast your podcasts. You can record messages by phone and upload MP3 files from your computer.

Audacity - Free, open source software for recording and editing audio, works offline.

Adobe Soundbooth - Advanced audio editing from Adobe, works offline.

Podomatic - This site lets you record video and audio online directly from your browser. You can also receive in line calls from listeners wanting to leave voice comments.

7. Podcast Advertising

Podbridge - Provides podcast metrics and advertising.

Podtrac - A service that connects podcasters with advertisers.

SysComm International provides focused Internet marketing services including fully managed and highly successful Search Engine Marketing and Social Media Marketing, Mobile Podcasting, Podcast, Podcast Advertising, Podcasting, Spoken Text, Text to podcasts, Web Campaigns.