What's so wonderful about podcasts? And why are they any different than any other website audio that you put up?

What makes them special?

Not too long ago I was asked the above questions. At the time, I just answered the question but since then I've been thinking about my answers and realized that they didn't really answer the question behind the question. So what was the question behind the question?

How does the difference affect me?

Let me first organize the response into three general areas, the physical differences, the purpose and use, and the creation.

Physically, the difference between website audio and podcasts has to begin with the number of formats. Podcasts are typically in one of three formats. MP3 is the most common and flexible. AAC is used by iTunes and the original iPod. And WMA is used even less frequently. Of the three only MP3 is really important. Website audio on the other hand can be in any number of formats ranging from AU to RA to WAV.

Similarly podcasts tend to be in only a few time lengths. Short podcasts tend to be less than 15 minutes. Full length podcasts tend to cluster at the half hour, and hour marks. Website audio however varies depending on its use from only a few minutes to roughly one and half hours. And they don't show the clustering pattern of times that podcasts do.

The reason for this variation is most easily explained by examining the use of the audio file. Website audio generally has a player associated with it. Podcasts on the other hand are generally downloaded and played outside of the website for example on an MP3 play or iPod.

From a purpose point of view, the primary use for podcasts is to develop targeted traffic and to establish credibility through repeated exposure. Website audio has many reasons from being a digital product for sale to initial credibility to attention getting.

Podcasts are also a repeating product. That is they are split into regularly repeating shows or audio files which are released on a regular basis. Website audios tend to be singles. That is each audio file stands on its own and isn't really meant to be listened to in a group. Some exceptions to this exist but that's the basic concept.

For the individual who is creating podcasts and website audio there is a great deal of difference. Podcasts are meant to be released on a repeating or rotating basis. Each of them needs to be stand-a-lone. And they are short. So scripting needs to be tight and produce the most information in the shortest time frame. The focus should also be on creating a series and recording them in a group for efficiency reasons. Time to create is a major factor since any inefficiency will be multiplied.

Website audio -- depending on its purpose -- tends to be longer. More time needs to be spent designing the content if only because of the increased length of the audio. And the focus is on record a single audio at a time. Very seldom will you find advantage in recording multiple sessions at the same time. If an individual audio takes more time to develop that's okay. It is unlikely that other audios will also be affected.

Do you want to learn how to create information products (learning content)? Check out my new free eBook "7 Myths and Seven Tricks in Nine Steps": http://www.learningcreators.com/myths.htm

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Glen Ford is an accomplished consultant, trainer and writer. He has far too many years experience as a trainer and facilitator to willingly admit.

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