What Is A Podcast?

Podcasts are news now! You hear about podcasts, here, there and almost everywhere! :)

So, what is a podcast?

Firstly, the name Podcast comes from ‘iPod’ and ‘broadcast’ , but then, an iPod is not required to listen to podcasts . Anything that plays MP3 is fine to listen to podcasts ! Once the podcast is downloaded, it's just an MP3.

Now what exactly is a podcast?

A Podcast is:

1. An audio file that you create in a mp3 format.
2. It is your own radio or talk show that you publish and share with others around the world !
3. You upload it to a server like your website or blog, along with an RSS (Really Simple Syndication) feed.
4 Your listeners download the podcast using one of numerous programs that allows your audio file to be retrieved automatically.
5. Finally,your listeners get to listen to the podcast at their convenience in their own iPod or MP3 player.

In a nut shell - A podcast is an audio file posted on the web ,which is delivered to listeners via a RSS feed( a subscription service).Thus, podcast is merely just a RSS feed that contains an MP3 or audio file!

Here are some of the motivations to start a podcast:

• Do you have the urge to reach out to to people around the world? Well, start a podcast!
• Want your own talk show but you don’t own a radio station or work at one? Well, start a podcast!
• You’re a musician and you want to promote your Band .Well, start a podcast!
• Want to share Industry ,organization , investor and sports news? Well, start a podcast!
• Want to tell Stories to children or the visually-impaired? Well, start a podcast!
• Are you a writer and you want to interest people by offering a few spoken pages?Well,start a podcast!

The options and motivations are many. Whatever, you can become a podcaster!

Just as Blogs have made journalists out of Bloggers, so have Podcasts made Radio celebrities out of Podcasters.

Now you have an idea about what a podcast is all about!

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