Mobilizing Youth

Why Podcasts are Easy

What: How to Podcast

When: 2005

Link: http://www.how-to-podcast-tutorial.com/what-is-a-podcast.htm

Reading Notes:

More podcast basics and why they have caught on

* Podcasts are easy for anyone to create in very little time and at very little cost

* Podcasts are not restricted by the FCC or traditional broadcast regulations which allows for just about any subject

* Most major media outlets also offer podcasts

* The convenience of the automatic delivery of podcasts sets them apart from regular MP3’s or audio blogs

* Once the podcast is received from the internet via an RSS feed, it can be synced to an MP3 player. You don’t have to remember to check the internet for new feeds

* “Think of a podcast as being like a magazine because you subscribe to it and receive new content regularly”

* Most podcasts cost nothing and are commercial free

Podcast Basics

What: VERY basic review of podcasts as a tool for entrepreneurs    

When: August 2005

Link: http://www.entrepreneurs-journey.com/203/what-is-a-podcast/

Reading

Notes:

*         Podcasting is a form of audio broadcasting on the internet

*         The most common form of podcast is an MP3 audio file

*         You can subscribe to podcasts so that the syndicated material comes to you rather than searching for the files

*         Podcasts are often distributed via blogs

*         Podcasts can be configured with software that will automatically download to a portable MP3 player

*         Podcasting can potentially reach a much larger audience than traditional radio

*         Podcasts enable time-shifting whereby content is consumed whenever and wherever

*         Podcasting empowers individuals to distribute messages on a global scale

*         It has impacted traditional media (tv, radio, newspapers) significantly and is now considered nearly as mainstream

Pew Data on Podcasting

What: Pew Internet Project Data Memo 

When: November 2006

Link: http://www.pewinternet.org/pdfs/PIP_Podcasting.pdf

Reading

Notes:

Summary of statistics about podcasting usage

* In 2005, podcast was named word of the year by the New Oxford American Dictionary

* Mobile media players helped to fuel the demand for digital content that was “timeless” (but not all podcast users have ipods or other such MP3 players)

* 12% of internet users have downloaded a podcast (as of nov 2006)

* Few users download with any frequency

* Men are more likely than women to download podcasts (15% men compared to 8% women)

* Early podcasts delivered syndicated audio files, whereas now digital content includes video, text, and images

* The largest podcast user group is aged 18-29