Podcasting - Video & Transcript

Transcript

Podcasting arrived in 1999, just in time for the new century. Its name is a blend of two words. The POD comes from iPod, which is one of many portable devices that allow you to playback a digital audio or video file. And casting, as you can probably guess, comes from the word broadcasting. Podcasting has liberated audiences from the tyranny of program schedules.

Now, once a program is made available you can play it when you want to, not when you have to. This simple change means that anyone with a portable media device or computer and a connection to the Internet can enjoy radio and TV programs at anytime, and even keep a copy of them indefinitely. Not only can you control when and where you watch or listen to a podcast, it’s also usually free.

Everything from radio and TV programs to walking tours, stories and debates are available as podcasts. It’s a great way to keep up to date with all sorts of information from all over the world.

Another variant of podcasting is VODcasting, which is a simple way of describing the digital file as video rather than audio. An easy way to find a podcast is to use an online search tool to find the website of your favourite program. If a podcast is available, the program will usually provide a link to listen to it in the browser or you can download it for later.

You can also subscribe to a series of podcasts. Subscribing online commonly uses a system called RSS, which, brilliantly, stands for Really Simple Syndication. RSS is used all over the Internet to publish frequently updated works, and lets you and your computer know when a new program is available.

There are also applications for your computer that help you manage podcasts and subscriptions. iTunes and iPodder are both popular examples. Now you know how easy it is, all you need to get started is a computer connected to the Internet and an idea of what you might want to listen to or watch.