One of the goals of your Web site should be to provide continually changing relevant content. Podcasts are a great way for small and midsized businesses to do so with minimal cost.

As you probably know, podcasts can be listened to on your computer or downloaded to your iPod or similar device. This flexibility allows the listener to play the podcast while they are exercising, traveling, or even waiting at the doctor's office. Listeners can replay podcasts as often as they want. Listeners who download them can share them with friends.

Here are examples of who is podcasting:

* Dentists are videotaping and explaining services to help their clients and families understand their procedures.

* Consultants are offering three-minute consulting ideas to generate leads.

* Real estate agents are providing their own "tours of town" and showing videos of the homes they have sold, talking about each one, and showing prospects their style.

* Comics are creating short podcasts to increase their visibility.

* Self-help gurus are creating three-, six-, and twelve-session podcasts to build their audience.

* Body shops use podcasts to show prospective customers the quality and care they put into fixing customers' cars.

One of the reasons small to midsize businesses have not adopted podcasts is because it requires a bit of technical tinkering in order to do them. There are now programs available on the market configured to bypass the technical difficulties. The new generation of podcast tools requires you to pick up a phone, spend a few minutes interviewing someone, and then hang up. This podcast is instantly available for others to listen to!

There are many different types of podcasts your organization can offer. Some of these include:

* Interviews with staff about new products.

* Interviews with customers on successful uses of your products and services.

* Recording of the president providing a year-end report.

* Combination of recording of various company staff to be used by the recruiting office.

* Interviews with vendors and partners.

You don't have to be the person who creates your podcasts!

Your job as an administrator is to just make sure it gets done! I would suggest you look around your company for someone who would be thrilled to have the opportunity to interview others and, in the process, become recognized for their participation. You might also consider contacting a local college or university's speech/communication/journalism or TV/radio broadcasting department. Chances are you will find students who would be interested in the professional experience of interviewing people and handling the posting of the interview.

Using volunteers to handle your podcasting benefits everyone:

* Students gain practical real-world experience.

* Internal staff will have to use skills they are not using in their current job.

* Customers/venders will be honored to be interviewed and will share the experience with family and friends.

* You gain a tremendous amount of content with minimal effort.

Why are we doing this again? You want to be in a position to push information to users that will pull them back to the Web site. This simple strategy will pull customers/members back to your Web site to hear the interviews. A community with changing content looks more lively and exciting. No one wants to hang around a "dull" Web site!

Don Philabaum blogs at Internet Dough The conversation centers around his new book Internet Dough, which suggests that the behavior of your customers have gone online and businesses of all sizes have to develop Internet strategies to reach them where they are at - online.