Podcasting - What Is It And Why You Should Care

Posted by Aleem Khan on: 2006-05-06 16:23:34

The Power of Audio and Video

It is said that when your voice lands on the eardrums of your buyers they connect with you more than when they read your writings. In addition some people just prefer to listen than to read. Others prefer to view and listen. Hence the popularity of radio and television over the print media.

Another major advantage of audio podcasts is that you can listen to them while you're doing something else. So it's a time saver in a sense.

To fully cover podcasting, we will need a lot more than the space provided in this newsletter. But it is something you should know about and be ready to participate in because it's the latest and fastest growing technology out there.

There are hundreds of applications you can give to a podcast. The limits are as broad as your imagination. Without a doubt, some industries are going to be more inclined to podcast than others. For example, a real estate agency might want to do a video podcast instead of a written blog. This way, people can see what you're talking about rather than just read about it. A language training institute might want to do an audio podcast because people need to hear what different words sound like. Explaining pronunciation in print can be quite a task, can't it?

I suppose it's very much the same as with traditional media. Ask yourself, right now, do you advertise more in the print or electronic media and why. Which do your customers engage in more often, reading, listening or watching? This might help you decide if podcasting is right for you.

The Entrepreneurial Dream

In previous issues of this newsletter, I have encouraged readers to start their own radio and TV stations on the Net, given its affordability compared to starting a brick and mortar facility. Podcasting - while it's not exactly streaming media - can be an easy and affordable way to do that. If you think you have audio people might want to hear or video people might want to see, you could even sell it to the billion-dollar market that is the Internet. Now is the time to get in because the rules are still being written and as with everything else on the Internet, the earlier you get in, the higher you will rank later on. Maybe you're a good comic and can tell good jokes in an audio podcast. Maybe you're a hobbyist musician and can play some original music on the steelpan. Maybe your mother-in-law is so entertaining, you can start a reality show about her.

The Technical Stuff

Starting a podcast is easy and affordable compared to starting a radio or TV station. It is by no means cheap or easy. Forget what people tell you. It will set you back a couple of hundreds (US$) if you want to do it professionally. You will also need to learn to manipulate audio and/or video editing software. If you think you don't have the time or inclination, don't be afraid to get professional help. That's why we're here.

Podcasts originally catered primarily to Apple's iPod users but are now available in many different formats. So technically if you can create any of the following files on your computer you can podcast: mp3, mp4, or mov.

Furthermore, the mobile phone you have right now can probably tap into a podcast and with broadband wireless Internet connections now a reality, you can become the leader at the "cool people lunch table" when you tune into a podcast. In a past issue we had said the major TV networks of the US were going to start podcasting their shows. Well, it's no longer "will." They're now doing it. ABC offers some of its most popular shows as podcasts. This means you can literally never miss another episode of Desperate Househusbands again because podcasts allow you to view whenever you want from wherever you want.

So think about it. If you come up with something really podcast-worthy, let me know. I'd love to hear it. No pun intended. :-)

Aleem Khan, a senior partner at Breaking News, is one of the few people in the world with a four letter domain name bn.gs. He is an accredited Agent of the International Internet Authority who speaks Spanish, French and English.

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