Podcasting is taking over the airways

Podcasting is the latest craze to hit mainstream media. What is this new phenomenon you may ask? It’s the busy workers best friend; with it you will never be disconnected from anything again.

Podcasting was first developed in 2004 by former MTV video jockey Adam Curry and software developer Dave Winer. Podcasting is like broadcasting. Any individual cannot only listen to a podcast by logging into several sites, but they can even become their own disc jockey, talk show host, or recording artist. On these podcasts you can listen to anything from music to news to sports. It’s like blogging and digital audio technology combined. Podcasting is quickly taking over the place of radio. Podcasting, similar to radio, is a free service. It allows Internet users to pull mp3 audio files from websites and listen to them on their computers, IPods, or other various mp3 devices; one can even listen to soap operas and other popular television shows. There is no set time for when one can listen to these podcasts. Let’s say you miss your favorite soap at 2pm, you can catch it on podcast on your way back from work at 5pm.

To broadcast a podcast one does not need to buy a license and they do not need to conform to the FCC’s broadcast decency regulations, Podcasting is free from government regulation. Copyright laws don’t apply to podcasts either, though one can copyright or license their work. Podcasts can even be used for educational purposes and to find information about a topic, for example you can teach yourself how to speak Italian. BBC and NPR have even gotten into this popular trend. Some companies have tried to turn podcasting into a profitable business, so many networks have begun to feature advertisements and run commercials.

Here are some helpful podcasts to get you threw the day:

- learn Italian

- catch up on your soaps

- get the news on your schedule

Some popular podcasts include Keith and The Girl. On this podcast you can say anything about pretty much anything. It is run by Keith and his girlfriend, Chemda and they proudly boast that their podcast is “Not held back by the FCC or anyone else.”

This is a clip that is currently posted on the website for Keith and The Girl. Since they believe in saying whatever they please, a variety of their podcasts and videos have explicit material.

Nothing is exempt from being made into a comic.

Want to learn how to make a podcast? It’s as simple as going on youtube. You can even use your blogger account to make a podcast, so really all you need is a google account to get on the air. It seems like a complicated process, but for those who ar computer savy it should be simple, as long as you’ve got all the necessary equipment. You can also get step by step written instructions on wikihow.

Here's a youtube video that seems really helpful and informational.

Podcasting, although no longer a new commodity, is still going strong. Podcast listeners have grown and according to eMarketer the growth will continue until at least through 2013, when there will be an estimate 37.6 million people who download podcasts monthly. Double the 17.4 million from 2008.

The top five podcasts downloaded in 2008, include CNN News update, World Soccer daily podcast, Discovery News (video), Global News, and The Economist. Podcasting is not a thing of the past, but very much a part of the future. It helps all those on busy schedules keep in check with reality, whether it be listening to the news on your drive home or listening to your favorite television show while working out at the gym.