Using Free Podcasts

Podcasting, unlike other media forms, almost never has

charges for services, and the vast majority of feed

producers distribute free podcasts. This puts at odds

with, say, online radio stations, news sites that offer

media to subscribers, or the online music industry

general. Even though podcasting has very direct

correlations with industries like news and music that

have strong business models, podcasting differs.

Podcasting does not really have a business model, and

hardly anyone is podcasting in order to profit from it.

There are some businesses and news sites that podcast,

but they do it as a way to supplement their companies

and to gain technological geek credibility, not to make

money. This is an odd thing, but explainable in light of

what podcasting is.

The free podcast problem is not difficult, and

podcasting differs in several key ways from other media

areas. First, podcasting involves the physical transfer of

a file from the host to the users computer. An online

radio station does not do this; all that they provide to

their listeners is a streaming sound file that cannot be

saved without difficulty and work. If someone did

manage to do so, the station would have strong grounds

for suing them since they were never given the rights to

keep and store the files. By podcasting the complete file

to the users computer, express permission is granted the

user to copy and use as they wish. Second, the podcasts

are, for the most part, made by individuals who have

low costs involved in creating and distributing the files,

as opposed to a news broadcast or song by a music

company. These individuals have little reason to charge

for their work since there is little cost to them to do so.

Because the files are distributed in a way allows their

copying and does not control the media, and since

podcasting is a very low cost media outlet, feed

producers have little reason or ability to charge for their

How To Use A Podcast Feed?

A podcast feed is a way of sharing files over the

internet. It involves the use of a small, machine

readable file that is regularily updated to reflect changes

in the files available for downloading. The internet

addresses of these files are embedded into the feed file

and can be automatically downloaded when wished. At

this time, podcasting tends to refer to the use of feeds to

share only media files. Podcasting originally occured as

a way to share audio mp3 files, and has only recently

begun incorporating video into podcasts. However, the

technology that allows the files to be shared is not

limited to such media files and there is not reason that

other files may be shared via podcast in the future.

Today, however, a podcast feed tends to refer to the use

of a feed to share media files. Most podcasts are done

with audio files, and the individual files that are created

and shared are called episodes. These audio files may

contain a variety of things; there are music, comedy,

news, technology, even podcasts about wine.

Podcasting, because of the low entry cost, especially for

audio podcasting allows nearly anyone who believes

they have something to say to broadcast it over the

internet. Even more established groups have found that

audio podcasting works well. Some radio stations

podcast portions of their content, sharing it over the

internet to allow listeners who missed a specific show

to catch up on it later. NPR now does this with its news

breaks, and the NPR show "This American Life" offers

a podcast of its shows to subscribers who pay a small

fee.

One of the newer innovations in podcast feeds is the

vlog, or videoblog. These blogs usually contain a feed

that distributes a video, rather than an audio file to feed

subscribers. Although that would not have been feasible

a few years ago, growing numbers of broadband

internet subscribers has meant that most users are able

to download large files, even video files, relatively

quickly. These video podcasts have been readily

accepted by mainstream news organizations. They have

found that podcasting portions of their content is a way

to share their tape and reach a wider audience. The BBC

currently does this with parts of its news content. Pieces

of the news show that is played over the airwaves is

taken and placed online, along with a link to the content

placed inside the RSS feed. Those who subscribe to the

BBC feed can download the news clip and watch in

from the comfort of their home computer.

In the future, podcast feeds may be used for a number of

purposes besides simply sharing media files. Some

analysts predict that the feed system could also be used

to share software updates, or any of a myriad of other

file types. For now, however, podcasting is dominated

by small audio and video files.

Video Podcast Directories

While some video feeds can be found by visiting the

site that hosts them, many more are easier found by

visiting a directory of podcast videos. These podcast

video directories maintain listings of podcasts that have

been submitted to them. They may sort the list

according to region, category, and popularity, helping

visitors find exactly the type of feed they are looking

for. Tech video podcasts can be found, with regular

episodes about technology news. Some video feeds are

experimental podcasts, created by designers interested

in showcasing their work and trying out new forms of

editing and storytelling. There are some feeds that

recreate talk and comedy shows, with interviews every

episode.

A directory of podcast videos can help anyone find new

and interesting podcasts to subscribe to, and it can also

help podcasters advertise their feeds. Rather than

relying on word of mouth advertising and people

stumbling onto the feed, a directory makes it easier for

listeners to find the feed. Directories play the role that

early search engines did, maintaining a list of a

relatively small group of net addresses that otherwise

would not be found.

After looking through a directory of podcast videos and

finding a feed that is appealing, it can be subscribed to

by using a podcast client. A podcast client is a computer

program that checks the RSS file that stores the

information about the feed and downloads the video

files that the video podcast links to. The file can then be

watched by the user on their computer whenever and as

many times as they wish.

Different Kinds Of Music Podcasts

Many music podcasts are available online, distributed

by podcasters who want to share their collection with

the world. Some of these are distributed by independent

musicians, groups or individuals who enjoy creating

and sharing their music but have a small fanbase. For

them, a podcast means closer contact with their

listeners, and the blog that usually accompanies a

podcast often allows for the comments and opinions of

the listeners to be shared with the musicians. The

listeners often appreciate this close contact, and some

become resentful when their favorite groups gain

widespread popularity. Musicians may find that the

music podcast they share is a way to build a following

and gain an audience that is loyal to them. Since many

of the musicians who podcast do so as independent

artists who lack the sound the music industry is looking

for or simply haven't been noticed yet, a music podcast

may build a following that attracts attention to them and

gives them an entry point into the music industry.

For others, a music podcast may be the chance to

become a dj, and the episodes they share will contain

mixes of different songs, highlighting obscure yet

accomplished artists and taking their listeners on a tour

every episode. These amateurs podcast merely because

they enjoy the activity, as most independent podcasters

do. Yet another type of music podcast, however,

involves the online radio station. While some radio

stations have taken the leap to the internet by offering

streaming connections to their current playlist, others

have accepted the podcast as a way of sharing their

music. Such a style is very similar to the amateur dj, but

brings a level of professionalism that is not found with

the amateur podcasters.

A music podcast may also be a way to sample works by

more well known artists before purchasing. Some

musicians and groups will podcast their new music, or

portions of the new pieces, in order to peak interest in

the songs before release. Fans get to listen to the music

and find out what they might like before purchasing the

whole album. A possibility, however, is that music

podcasts become subscription based, and musicians

begin charging for access to the feed. The online sale of

music has proved its popularity, with Apple's iTunes

reaching its one billionth paid download recently. A

music group could conceivably offer a feed to its fans

that they could pay for, and regularily update it with

new songs that would be downloaded directly to the

fan's computers Although this distribution model is not

yet in place, it seems to fit with the over all trend.

Already, some nonmusic groups have agreed to podcast

their files, on the condition that a paid subscription is

Podcast For This American Life Overview

The podcast for This American Life allows listeners to

download the the shows and listen to them at their

discretion. The This American Life team contracts with

a site called audible.com to distribute the shows to

listeners who want to hear them. Despite calling their

offering a podcast, however, it is not, at least in the

normal sense of the word. A podcast refers to an online

setup with an RSS feed that is regularily updated, can

be subscribed to, and provides links to sound or video

files that can be downloaded and watched by the

subscriber. Audible.com and This American Life do not

offer that. Instead, the show's team allows audible.com

to receive money for allowing listeners to download the

sound files to the computer from audible.com's web

site. The only RSS file involved is one specific to the

user which allows that user access to the shows they are

interested in. Even odder than charging for a supposed

podcast, the sound files downloaded are tied to the

specific user who downloads them. Unlike the vast

majority of podcasts, which allow the files to be

distributed and redistributed as the end user wishes,

without placing limitations on such, the This American

Life podcast restricts the file to a single user.

The podcast for This American Life misses the point of

what a podcast is intended to be, the free distribution of

information. The This American Life team is exploiting

the term podcasting, and the credibility and hipness that

is associated with the term in order to boost their own

popularity.

On the other hand, the podcast for This American Life

may be where the rest of the industry is headed.

Although the technology was first adopted by

independent media groups that enjoyed it because of the

low cost of distribution and the close possible ties to

end users, that may change when podcasting becomes a

wider phenomenon. If podcasting is adopted by more

mainstream, corporate entities, the face of podcasting is

likely to change to one where a profit plan is required.

Audible.com's plan of forcing users to subscribe and

pay for the feeds they want may be the way the

corporate world decides to latch on to and use

podcasting. The advantage of podcasting, direct

distribution of the media files to the user's home

computer quickly and easily, is not lost if the system

moves to one revolving around profit.

Regretfully, the podcast for This American Life is

probably an example of what podcasting will be in a

few years. As much as locked media files that restrict

distribution may be repugnant to many of the free

information activists that curently dominate podcasting,

there is little to stop those who want to use the system

to make a profit from doing so.

What Is The Howard Stern Podcast Problem?

Because podcasting is such a new, exciting, cutting

edge phenomena, many people are eager to get

connected, and hence the Howard Stern podcast.

Everyone wants to be part of the next big thing, but not

everyone is suited or ready to do so. The Howard Stern

Podcast was created and shown on iTunes, the Apple

company's music store. However, the podcast was never

updated, and the only clip ever provided didn't even

include Howard Stern. This has brought a lot of flack

down on Howard Stern, as well as Sirius Radio, which

broadcasts Stern. Many of these people would have

preferred to hear Stern when they wanted to, as a

podcast, and were disappointed that the feed was not

being used.

The Howard Stern podcast is probably an example of

some of the problems that can arise with podcasting. Its

new, and very hyped, so everyone wants to be a part of

it. However, the podcast is designed to be free. RSS

feeds are designed to easily distribute files, that can

then be redistributed and shared by the users who

download them. It would be close to impossible for a

podcaster to charge for their content. Either the

podcaster would have a small circle of people who

enjoy the feed, and very few who would want to pay for

it, or be very popular, as Stern is, and have the problem

of paying customers possibly redistributing the content

so others won't need to pay.

The Evolution Of The iPod Podcast

What is now called a podcast traces its orgins to the

first ipod podcasts, the creation of distributed mp3 files

that could be downloaded and played on Apple's music

player, the iPod. When the iPod came out, and users

discovered what a wonderful thing it was for holding

music, some people had the idea of loading things that

weren't necessarily songs. Some of the people that got

their hands on the iPod took the route of reverse

engineering the iPod and loading on different firmware,

or operating system, but others had the idea of sharing

small sound files that could be played on the iPod. The

technology for distributing the files already existed,

with RSS feeds. RSS feeds were a means of generating

machine readable files that could share information

between a server and a user. Many blogs already used

them to keep readers up to date with the latest posts, but

some hopeful podcasters had the idea of enclosing links

to sound files within the RSS feed and downloading the

file to the computer.

With the change in RSS feeds, ipod podcast took off,

and podcasting became a popular way to share files.

Users saw podcasting as a way to become radio hosts,

or dj's, and a variety of podcasts began popping up.

Software was written to automatically check the RSS

feeds, extract the links to the podcast episodes, and

download the files. These programs became known as

podcast clients.

By this time, podcasting had moved beyond the ipod,

and they were not simply making an ipod podcast

anymore. Some people had figured out how to use even

the PlayStation Portable gaming console as a podcast

player. It was more difficult that downloading podcasts

to the ipod, since the PSP used a different format for it's

files, but PSP podcasts began popping up. In addition,

podcasting made inroads to the wider audience of

people without iPods, who simply saw podcasting as an

extremely convenient way to receive news, music, and

entertainment over the internet.

Today, while the iPod podcast type still exists, fewer

people subscribe to podcasts as a way of gaining

portable media files they can listen to anywhere.

Although that is still an attractive part of podcasting, it

seems to be eclipsed by the ease with which podcasting

has become a content delivery system. Now, podcasting

has become tied up with the rising number of audio and

video blogs, where blogging is done not by post, but

through media files uploaded to the blog. These blogs,

and podcasting in general, take advantage of the

shrinking cost of broadband internet connections, and

the rising number of people with high speed access to

offer a picture of the internet rich with multimedia files.