Podcasting is a technology for synchronizing content between a server
and computers and portable media players. The term "podcasting" was
popularized by former MTV VJ Adam Curry, who, along with RSS innovator
Dave Winer, acted as a catalyst in the growth of podcasting. Most
podcasts are audio shows in MP3 format, but many people are
experimenting with using podcasting technology to distribute and
synchronize video content and other types of electronic documents.
Just as blogging was a threshold technology that brought web publishing
to anyone with an Internet connection, podcasting promises to let
Internet users deliver audio, video and other content to portable media
player owners around the world.
The Audience for Podcasts
More than 22 million American adults own iPods or other portable digital
audio players. About one third of them have downloaded podcasts from the
Web, so that they could listen to audio files at a time of their
choosing. That amounts to over 6 million adults who have tried
podcasting.
Highlights:
- Men are more likely to have iPods/MP3 players than women.
- Minorities are more likely to own iPods/MP3 players than whites.
- Portable media player owners tend to be young and well to do.
- Broadband users are twice as likely as dial-up to use iPods/MP3
players.
Portable Media Players a New Way to Access Internet Content
Portable media players have become a new way of accessing content from
the Internet. Internet users are four times as likely as non-internet
users to have iPods/MP3 players.
Podcasting lets portable media player owners listen to, view, or use
Internet-based content wherever and whenever they want to. The podcast
client automatically takes care of checking for the latest content,
downloading it and syncing it to a media player.
Portable Media Player Ownership by Age Group
- 19% of those ages 18-28
- 14% of those ages 29-40
- 11% of those ages 41-50
- 6% of those ages 51-59
- 6% of those 60-69
- 1% of those 70 and older
Portable Media Player Ownership by Household Income
- 18% of those in households earning more than $75,000
- 13% of those in households earning $50,000 to $75,000
- 9% of those in households earning $30,000-$50,000
- 7% of those in households earning less than $30,000
Percent of Portable Media Player Owners That Have Tried Podcasts
- Nearly half of those 18-28 have downloaded podcasts.
- 20% of those age 29 have done so.
The findings come from a national survey of adults by the Pew Internet &
American Life Project conducted between February 21 and March 21, 2005.
ADDITIONAL RESOURCES
Podcasting Catches On
http://www.pewinternet.org/PPF/r/154/report_display.asp
Wikipedia Entry on Podcasting
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Podcasting
iPodder - a popular open-source podcast client
http://ipodder.sourceforge.net/index.php
Podcasting News - a podcasting information portal
http://www.podcastingnews.com
Podcasting: The People's Radio
http://db.tidbits.com/getbits.acgi?tbart=07986
DIY radio with PODcasting
http://garage.docsearls.com/node/462
Podcasting from Linux
http://internet.newsforge.com/article.pl?sid=05/02/25/2148229&from=rss
