Since “podcasts” were only invented a few years ago, a lot of people still don’t understand what they are. This is not helped by the inclusion of “pod” in the name; so let me clear up the most common misconception, first. You do not need an iPod (nor any other portable media player) to play a podcast. Just about any computer connected to the internet can be used to retrieve and play this new media. So it has been suggested they should be called “netcasts”, since they are distributed via the internet.
But what is it?
Audio netcasts are like radio shows, and video netcasts are like television shows, downloaded via the internet, and played whenever you choose. Like a magazine, you can get just one issue, i mean episode, or you can subscribe to the whole series. If you subscribe, new episodes are automatically downloaded to your computer, as they become available. But unlike most magazines, just about all netcasts are free -- at least so far.
A computer program manages all your netcasts for you. Most people are using iTunes, which is available for free from Apple (for both Macintosh and Windows computers). It’s easy to use, and can also manage your music (plus TV shows and movies downloaded from the iTunes Store). I highly recommend it. You can use it to search for and subscribe to the podcasts that interest you. Then it automatically takes care of the grunt work, downloading podcasts in the background, and adding them to your library. Finally, you can use iTunes to play your podcasts, right on your computer.
So, does the iPod figure in here at all?
Yes. If you own an iPod, then (much as you use iTunes to automatically copy some or all of your music onto the iPod) you can set iTunes to automatically copy some or all of your podcasts onto the the iPod. Now you can can listen to your podcasts wherever and whenever you and your iPod may go. (You’ll need a Video iPod if you want to watch video podcasts or TV shows or movies on it.) This is another way of “time shifting” your radio and television experiences, playing your media at the time and place of your choosing, so you are no longer tethered to the radio or TV at the specific hour a show is broadcast, just as you do with Tivo or VCRs.
For a better and more visual explanation, invest a mere 4 minutes of your life to watch the very good Podgrunt podcast. Uh, how do you get a podcast, which will explain how one subscribes to podcasts, before you know how? You can view the podcast on Gruntmedia’s web site:While you’re there, you can click on the “podcasting basics” link, if you prefer to learn by reading. Finally, click on the “how to subscribe” link, for a good explanation of subscribing to podcasts.
Or, if you learn best by doing, just open your copy of iTunes, click on the Podcast library, then click on “Podcast Directory”, and start poking around to see what you see. Browse around until you find and click on a podcast that looks interesting you, then click on either the [GET EPISODE] or [SUBSCRIBE] button. The podcast will download to your computer, then be available to play in the iTunes Podcast library.
Podcasting is one example of the on-demand content that is beginning to change the way we consume media in the 21st century: increasingly on our own terms and at our convenience. Subscribe to a few podcasts that might interest you, and get a taste of the future.
(If you’re interested, I’ve got a rambling journal entry about a few eclectic musical podcasts I really like. And I sporadically bookmark podcasts, podcast networks, podcast directories and things related on my del.icio.us account.)
October 12, 2006
