Podcasting has all the ingredients to become a major technology trend. Podcasting has started with little fanfare but has the potential to become a giant wave due to a number of factors going for it. The word Podcast might have been roughly derived from iPod and broadcast (it sure sounds like that to me so don’t hit me if I am wrong! ).

The process works pretty much like radio except that the broadcast is done via mobile devices and the power of content delivery via the internet. This new form of broadcasting of information opens up tremendous opportunities for dispersion of information, entertainment and news.

Podcasting is a fairly new technology and people are building up refined applications to use this medium effectively. Advantages of Podcasting are making the proposition attractive enough for major companies to consider it a serious communication mode. RSS 2.0 is the chosen form for podcasts and newer versions of this feed system are expected soon.

Inherent advantages of podcasts are:

No need to invest in a new piece of hardware: Podcasts are easily available to all users of iPod and similar mobile .The sheer size of the iPod cult if I can call it that, is increasing at a scorching pace. All a user needs to do is choose the subscriptions which he or she would like to subscribe to and download the programmes.

New lease of live to radio programmes: Radio programmes have been revived by the new generation of podcasters. A number of old radio programmes which have had a mass following in their hey days are now being evaluated to be cast via podcasts. A huge chunk of high quality content becomes available thanks to this revival.

Can advertisers be far away? Advertisers have the ability to identify new advertising opportunities at the slightest whiff and Podcasting forums are already working hard to get the advertising industry hand in glove with the Podcasting community. Influx of advertising dollars will lend more credibility to Podcasting and this medium will be taken more seriously as well.

On demand broadcast: Podcasters and listeners rule this medium by offering a high level on-demand listening. You can use this service at the time when you want to, pretty much like video on demand but has greater success due to the low demand of bandwidth. This is probably one of the biggest advantage of Podcasting and might be the core reason for it to success phenomenally.

Your own Podcast studio and very little investment: So who are podcasters? A podcaster can be anyone who has access to the internet, a decent computer and some software knowledge. Podcasting requires very little investment by way of hardware and software. This advantage of Podcasting can thus be done by almost anyone who has an interest in it and has some content to share with the rest of the world,

Creativity is highly rewarded in the podcaster’s world: Content is king and high quality creative content is instantaneously rewarded by the Podcasting community which can be measured by the number of subscribers. Thus it is quite easy to gain overnight success if the content of the broadcast is unique and exciting.

Podcasting thus has number of benefits both the for the community within and without. A unique mass media which does not cost a lot to distribute and develop content for. Like all new technologies, the technology will have some teething issues but the force promoting it should be good enough to get the technology roaring with success in the very near future.

It’s exciting and easy to create your podcast, just like so many other podcasters out there. If you look around, however, most of these homemade internet radio programs fizzle out after just a few episodes. Here are tips on how you can sustain your podcast so that you can gain more listeners and higher advertising revenue opportunities.

Tip 1: Choose a topic narrow enough to be interesting, yet broad enough to develop into several episodes.

True, you can choose to talk about anything and everything, but that will limit your listenership. Imagine what will happen if only certain episodes appeal to a select few? People will not subscribe to your podcast if only a couple of episodes are interesting.

So choose a niche topic. For example, how to speak Tagalog.

You can develop that niche topic into several sub-niche topics. This way, you will have a lot of material for future episodes. For example, learn to speak Tagalog in the following situations: at school, in the hotel, at a restaurant, at the movies, and so on.

Tip 2: Ask your listeners for future episode topics.

In your podcast, provide a voicemail number and email address where your listeners can send their suggestions for future topics. They will appreciate the chance to be heard, and will gamely come up with a gaggle of ideas. It will also make your podcast more fun to listen to if you greet your listeners by name and thank them for their suggestions.

Tip 3: Go out and interview people.

When you interact with other people, you will experience a new flow of ideas. Ask their permission first before recording your interview.

As an added bonus, your podcast will provide a pleasingly varied listening experience because the ambient sounds of the interview place will help bring color to your podcast: the hubbub of a coffee shop, the strains of carnival music in the background, the rumble of buses while conducting your interview near a bus station.

When you bring a richer feel to your podcast, you also create that effect in you. You are then rejuvenated and inspired to continue creating more episodes, because new places and new people will fire up your creative juices.

So get out of your sterile computer room, meet friends, and gain inspiration. If you do all these, yours will be a podcast that not only grows, but also lasts.

Copyright © 2006 by Manuel Viloria. All Rights Reserved.

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