For anyone who isn't aware what Podcasting is, be advised that you are missing out on one of the biggest technology trends since this little thing we like to call "The Internet" first got started!

Yes, despite all the nay-sayers the popularity of Podcasting is increasing at an astronomical rate. The question is no longer whether Podcasting is a fad, but on how large an audience this new media can sustain!

If you peek back in time, it was around 1994/1995 when the National Science Foundation opened its main backbone to the Internet, giving way to the flood of popularity that followed.

Similar to Podcasting now, people in the mid 90's claimed the Internet was just a fad and would never amount to more than a fancy means of research. Of course, with advances in software and technology, we began seeing pictures, graphics and yes, even streaming video crop up and it was only a matter of time before it was adopted by tens of millions, and eventually hundreds of millions of people.

Podcasting Is Not The Internet!

No, you're right. Podcasting is NOT the Internet... technology-wise. They're like apples and oranges. However, they're cut from the same mold and if you were to draw comparisons between their lifecycles, you will see that Podcasting has already surpassed the Internet in its meteoric rise in popularity.

The technology that makes Podcast deliverability possible was first developed back around 2000, but the first real Podcasters didn't surface until the fall of 2004. Yes, 2004! The format was developed and pushed by two notable Podcasters, Adam Curry and David Wiener before it was quickly picked up by hundreds of others and the rest, as they say, is history.

Now, barely a year after Podcasting exploded onto the scene and was embraced by Podcasters, Bloggers, and Marketers alike, you can find over 10,000 Podcasts and over 100,000 episodes at popular online Podcast Directories like PodcastEmpire.com.

In Fact, the adoption of Podcasting has been overwhelming. The allure of the People's Radio becomes quickly obvious when you listen to Podcasts such as 'Dawn and Drew' or '5 Minutes with Witchita' - a real entertainer!

Listeners around the world are speaking out and clearly DO prefer the frank conversations, great information and raw emotions that are delivered via Podcast MP3's!

There Be Pirates In Them There Waters!

Maybe it has something to do with a generation who is still longing to have their own pirate radio station, like Christian Slater in "Pump Up The Volume"... Perhaps it's just that more people have something to say, desperate to climb above the masses and make their voices heard...

Either way the 'Waters of the Podverse' are filling up with self-proclaimed pirates, and why not? There is no policing of the Podcast airwaves, it costs very little to get started and anyone with something to say can find an audience!

The reason so many of these Podcasting rebels succeed is the same reason why so many traditional radio stations are beginning to fail. With no FCC regulators knocking at their doors, Podcasters don't need to hold anything back. You can say anything you want, whenever you want, as loudly as you want. And listeners are flocking to the raw, honest format.

X Marks The Spot! Arg!

After a solid year (Podcasting was even named Word Of The Year in 2005!) and a drastic increase in popularity, advertisers are slowly beginning to come out of the woodworks, enabling some Podcasters to see a return on their efforts.

Unfortunately though, Podcasting is not yet a medium where you should expect to become rich overnight and this may be one area where terrestrial radio stations have an advantage over the Podcast Upstarts. With gold in the coffers already and more advertisers lining up each day, it doesn't really matter what they do in the medium, traditional radio stations have all the money they need to keep their Podcasts in the game indefinitely!

Also, the entire concept of commercializing Podcasting has become a heated debate, splitting the Podverse in two ever since advertisers began trickling in last year. The same issues that we saw in the '90's around commercialization Online are starting to crop up. Podcasters and Podcast listeners alike are refusing to conform, and many are refusing advertisers outright.

We are slowly starting to see changes in this mentality though as more and more Podcast Creators are adding commercials and name drops to their shows to help keep costs down and keep their content online. And the pervasive fear, that listeners will go so far as to stop listening if they hear any advertisements, have so far, proved unfounded.

Walk The Plank, Ya Filthy Skallywag!

Where does Podcasting go from here? Can it survive? Well it was back in May of 2005 when Bill Gates commented in an interview with the Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung:

"As good as Apple may be, I don't believe the success of the iPod is sustainable in the long run. You can make parallels with computers: Apple was very strong in this field, with its Macintosh and graphic interface -- like the iPod today -- and then lost its position,"

The comment was realistic, but does it also offer some insight into Microsoft's own plans?

Microsoft has a proven track history of moving into an existing and established arena and quickly slaying the dominant forces! So was Gates simply foreshadowing his own companies venture into this industry? With the success of Windows Captaining their ship, Microsoft could be the ultimate pirate, sailing the seas looking, not for simple treasures, but for entire colonies to conquer.

So far Microsoft has not made any moves although Yahoo!, one of Microsoft's leading competitors in the Online Search world has jumped into the fray with their own solution for Podcasting and in typical fashion has released their own directory.

Meanwhile, Apple remains unphased and continues to roll out new incarnations of their wildly popular iPod players.

You Have The Power!!!

At the end of the day the emerging Podcast Industry will evolve as it does, without ever consulting any of us, but the continuing appeal of Podcasts and Podcasting is that, for possibly the first time ever, you and I have a very real opportunity to influence mainstream media, or at least, bypass traditional media and influence the masses; which really amounts to the same thing anyway.

Overall, you should expect to see sustained growth in Podcasting in 2006. So, if you have something to say, anything at all, pull out your eye-patch, slap a parrot on your shoulder and dive into the world of Online Pirate Radio while the Booty is still good!

Brent Paine is a writer and partner at PodcastEmpire.com [http://www.podcastempire.com], Canada’s leading Podcast Directory who also offers services designed to help Podcast Creators increase their listenership and capitalize on their efforts.

What is podcasting?

"Podcasting" is a term coined from the Apple Computer Corporation product - the iPod, which is a portable digital audio device that lets its users store music from their computer to the device so that they can listen to it anywhere, anytime.

However, the term is no longer exclusive to the actual iPod product. It now can mean any software and device system that allows the user to download audio (usually in MP3 format) and store onto the device for the user's listening.

What makes this different from radio or other Web-based media is that podcasts allow users total control over when they access and listen to the audio material. It does so by using the RSS standard or Real Simple Syndication.

The difference from broad and Web casts lies in how the material is created and distributed over the Internet. Instead of a centralized source and stream, podcasting is capable of sending the audio content directly to individual iPods and similar devices.

Who does podcasting?

Practically anyone with access to the Internet can podcast. As much as blogging began in this way, so does podcasting, whose appeal lies in the ease and convenience of creating and transmitting any audio material via the World Wide Web.

Broadcast industry players and radio shows syndications are only now riding the bandwagon by formatting their material as podcasts. But the great thing about this technology is that even non-pros can use podcasting to share their self-produced content in order to voice out their own opinions.

How does podcasting work?

Podcasting is almost an inevitable outcome of the Internet where great ease is given to anyone to publish anything and distribute it anywhere.

Users can connect their audio devices to their computers, access a podcast subscription, and download the feeds from the site. The audio is accessed by the user from the source and is automatically stored in the device. Numerous resources on the Internet detail how to improve podcast quality in terms of sound, equipment, and content.

What makes podcasting so popular, and therefore powerful, is its aural (listening) nature, which many deem superior over text (reading). Listeners of podcasts are able to learn in conjunction with another activity such as during a commute or exercise.

Why is it important?

A great plus factor for podcasting is in the realm of education. While it cannot totally replace the classroom setup, podcasts can provide teachers yet one more way to connect with students. As almost all young people live on the Internet and many own portable audio devices, the possibilities of giving them something useful and educational through this means are great.

Where is it headed?

Enthusiasts have yet to find a limit to the uses of podcasting. This is most seen in the unabated growth of sites that categorize hundreds and thousands of podcasts and make them easily accessible to subscribers.

Even now, podcasting is developing at near breakneck speeds. Users and subscribers are becoming more discriminating, demanding new features for categorizing and indexing podcasts. As such, podcast producers are looking for new ways to enhance the simple audio format to deliver experiences that will not only entertain but educate as well.

The breadth and reach of podcasting is only now being realized but its growth is by no means slowing. With more and more rich media finding distribution on the Web, the quality of podcasts rely on how informed people are - both in creating and subscribing to content. The more you know about them, the better position you are to becoming a podcaster not only of popularity but, more importantly, of substance.

Khieng 'Ken' Chho - Online Podcasting [http://podcasting.1w3b.com] Resources. For more, visit Ken's website: [http://podcasting.1w3b.com]

For anyone who isn't aware what Podcasting is, be advised that you are missing out on one of the biggest technology trends since this little thing we like to call "The Internet" first got started!

Yes, despite all the nay-sayers the popularity of Podcasting is increasing at an astronomical rate. The question is no longer whether Podcasting is a fad, but on how large an audience this new media can sustain!

If you peek back in time, it was around 1994/1995 when the National Science Foundation opened its main backbone to the Internet, giving way to the flood of popularity that followed.

Similar to Podcasting now, people in the mid 90's claimed the Internet was just a fad and would never amount to more than a fancy means of research. Of course, with advances in software and technology, we began seeing pictures, graphics and yes, even streaming video crop up and it was only a matter of time before it was adopted by tens of millions, and eventually hundreds of millions of people.

Podcasting Is Not The Internet!

No, you're right. Podcasting is NOT the Internet... technology-wise. They're like apples and oranges. However, they're cut from the same mold and if you were to draw comparisons between their lifecycles, you will see that Podcasting has already surpassed the Internet in its meteoric rise in popularity.

The technology that makes Podcast deliverability possible was first developed back around 2000, but the first real Podcasters didn't surface until the fall of 2004. Yes, 2004! The format was developed and pushed by two notable Podcasters, Adam Curry and David Wiener before it was quickly picked up by hundreds of others and the rest, as they say, is history.

Now, barely a year after Podcasting exploded onto the scene and was embraced by Podcasters, Bloggers, and Marketers alike, you can find over 10,000 Podcasts and over 100,000 episodes at popular online Podcast Directories like PodcastEmpire.com.

In Fact, the adoption of Podcasting has been overwhelming. The allure of the People's Radio becomes quickly obvious when you listen to Podcasts such as 'Dawn and Drew' or '5 Minutes with Witchita' - a real entertainer!

Listeners around the world are speaking out and clearly DO prefer the frank conversations, great information and raw emotions that are delivered via Podcast MP3's!

There Be Pirates In Them There Waters!

Maybe it has something to do with a generation who is still longing to have their own pirate radio station, like Christian Slater in "Pump Up The Volume"... Perhaps it's just that more people have something to say, desperate to climb above the masses and make their voices heard...

Either way the 'Waters of the Podverse' are filling up with self-proclaimed pirates, and why not? There is no policing of the Podcast airwaves, it costs very little to get started and anyone with something to say can find an audience!

The reason so many of these Podcasting rebels succeed is the same reason why so many traditional radio stations are beginning to fail. With no FCC regulators knocking at their doors, Podcasters don't need to hold anything back. You can say anything you want, whenever you want, as loudly as you want. And listeners are flocking to the raw, honest format.

X Marks The Spot! Arg!

After a solid year (Podcasting was even named Word Of The Year in 2005!) and a drastic increase in popularity, advertisers are slowly beginning to come out of the woodworks, enabling some Podcasters to see a return on their efforts.

Unfortunately though, Podcasting is not yet a medium where you should expect to become rich overnight and this may be one area where terrestrial radio stations have an advantage over the Podcast Upstarts. With gold in the coffers already and more advertisers lining up each day, it doesn't really matter what they do in the medium, traditional radio stations have all the money they need to keep their Podcasts in the game indefinitely!

Also, the entire concept of commercializing Podcasting has become a heated debate, splitting the Podverse in two ever since advertisers began trickling in last year. The same issues that we saw in the '90's around commercialization Online are starting to crop up. Podcasters and Podcast listeners alike are refusing to conform, and many are refusing advertisers outright.

We are slowly starting to see changes in this mentality though as more and more Podcast Creators are adding commercials and name drops to their shows to help keep costs down and keep their content online. And the pervasive fear, that listeners will go so far as to stop listening if they hear any advertisements, have so far, proved unfounded.

Walk The Plank, Ya Filthy Skallywag!

Where does Podcasting go from here? Can it survive? Well it was back in May of 2005 when Bill Gates commented in an interview with the Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung:

"As good as Apple may be, I don't believe the success of the iPod is sustainable in the long run. You can make parallels with computers: Apple was very strong in this field, with its Macintosh and graphic interface -- like the iPod today -- and then lost its position,"

The comment was realistic, but does it also offer some insight into Microsoft's own plans?

Microsoft has a proven track history of moving into an existing and established arena and quickly slaying the dominant forces! So was Gates simply foreshadowing his own companies venture into this industry? With the success of Windows Captaining their ship, Microsoft could be the ultimate pirate, sailing the seas looking, not for simple treasures, but for entire colonies to conquer.

So far Microsoft has not made any moves although Yahoo!, one of Microsoft's leading competitors in the Online Search world has jumped into the fray with their own solution for Podcasting and in typical fashion has released their own directory.

Meanwhile, Apple remains unphased and continues to roll out new incarnations of their wildly popular iPod players.

You Have The Power!!!

At the end of the day the emerging Podcast Industry will evolve as it does, without ever consulting any of us, but the continuing appeal of Podcasts and Podcasting is that, for possibly the first time ever, you and I have a very real opportunity to influence mainstream media, or at least, bypass traditional media and influence the masses; which really amounts to the same thing anyway.

Overall, you should expect to see sustained growth in Podcasting in 2006. So, if you have something to say, anything at all, pull out your eye-patch, slap a parrot on your shoulder and dive into the world of Online Pirate Radio while the Booty is still good!

Brent Paine is a writer and partner at PodcastEmpire.com [http://www.podcastempire.com], Canada’s leading Podcast Directory who also offers services designed to help Podcast Creators increase their listenership and capitalize on their efforts.

I don't know why but every so often, some one will try to promote their product by saying it's going to replace something. That the old is an obsolete tech and will go the way of the dinosaurs.

Podcasts are like that. In many ways they've grown out of radio broadcasting. And every once in a while someone will get on their high horse and claim that radio will be killed by podcasting.

Ain't gonna happen!

Claims like that really only show the lack of understanding of what a podcast is and where it fits. It ignores the audience. And it ignores the subject or topic of the broadcast. Now keep in mind I'm talking about podcasting here. Not just making recordings of earlier broadcasts available over the internet.

Modern radio is an entertainment media. Its focus -- no matter the format -- is on keeping the audience entertained. That's why it tends towards snappy, high energy DJ's and announcers. That's why it focuses on controversial talk radio. It is intended to keep people engaged on an emotional level. Not on an intellectual level.

Podcasts on the other hand have become an educational media. In fact, with only a few early hiccups they always have been. People who are customers for podcasts are looking to fill their time with something useful. That's why they go to the trouble of downloading the podcast. Satellite radio, regular radio even web-radio is much easier to listen to. It takes less effort. Why go to the effort of downloading entertainment when "live" is much easier.

That's also why music is the preferred format for radio. Whether it's rock, pop, folk, classical or country. Or mixed. Most of the modern radio is music. Yes, there is talk radio. Yes, there is sports broadcasting. Yes, there is news. But the vast majority of the airwaves -- literal, satellite or virtual -- is taken up with music.

But the preferred format -- almost literally the exclusive format -- for podcasts is education. It may be lecture, seminar, interview, or audio magazine. But the content is almost always educational.

Podcasting and radio serve two different markets. One focused on entertainment and music. Mindless amusement if you prefer. The other is focused on improving the mind and filling otherwise wasted time with something useful. Confusing the two will result in a podcast that just doesn't satisfy its market. A podcast that will ultimately fail.

Now, who turned down my radio?

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