Confused About Podcasting? 581
Podcasting is such a new phenomenon on the net that it can be a little confusing. Video and Music downloads have been there for quite some time. So what makes podcasting any different?
Well, podcasting is a syndicated service that requires an RSS enclosure for your multimedia files. So while it is typical to just put a download button on your website for certain audio, graphics, video or text files, a website with podcasts uses RSS software to announce it has a set of media files that you can download. Those media files can reside elsewhere on the planet. The RSS feeds them to your PC and if you have an RSS reader, you can simply program it to check on those feeds update regularly across various sites with podcasts. With RSS, you don’t have to visit each site yourself.
In short a podcast uses RSS feeds. You can look at a podcast as an email with a multimedia attachment. The RSS announces to the world it has this or that file that gets updated regularly. So it really sits well with news and announcements that do require constant updates .
What’s the difference with Netcast?
There is no difference. Apple wanted to “copy protect†the term “pod” and filed suits against some webmasters using the term podcast in their websites. As you can expect, some people coined the term netcast to replace podcast. The term netcast has not really caught on. But it is synonymous with the term podcast.
Why are Podcast Quality Different from one another?
Podcasting presents such a low barrier to entry, requiring very little equipment, so that just about anyone with the right knowledge can be a podcaster.
We all know that the quality of voice, music and video recording varies from amateur to professional equipment that different podcasters use. Hence, one podcast can sound significantly better or worst from another because the podcasters used different equipment. Moreover, some podcasters take time and patience to deliver quality edited podcasts. Some don’t and post everything in its raw recorded format, not caring to edit out ambient noise, side remarks, the coughs, etc.
Where To Look For Podcasts?
Podcasts on nearly every subject abound on different websites. There are numerous podcasting directories with specific topic and sub-topic directories like podcasts on religion, sports, news, music, education, travel, etc. Google search on podcast direction and the returns is more than a page full.
How Different is a Podcast Feed and an RSS Feed?
The two are almost synonymous because a podcast feed is an RSS feed with an audio file enclosed. On the other hand, an RSS feed is not always a podcast feed as there are lots of RSS feeds without enclosures.
Are iPods needed to Listen To Podcasts?
There is no need for an iPod to listen to a podcast. While the term had it roots in the Apple iPod and Apple did attempt to have the term trademarked, podcasts can play right on your desktop computer. You just need to link to the audio file that is included in the feed to listen to the downloaded podcast. There are also other mobile players that can, provided they have some podcasting software or an aggregator to recognize and play the podcast.
There may be a few more confusing issues about podcasting. Good thing the internet has some articles that clarify and put the issue straight. Surely a Google search will do just that.