Podcasts: Internet Radio to Go

UPDATE: It was suggested to me that this article more properly belongs at my technology centric site Speak Like A Geek. I did consider posing this over there instead but in the end chose this site since this is more of an introductory article and better suited to my non-geek readers.

Podcasting is in it's second year now and many of the first wave of shows are still around. Other shows have come and gone suffering a fate known as pod fade.

For those of you who don't know what a podcast is, let me give you a brief education.

In short a podcast is a radio type audio program posted to the internet and available for download. The big difference between podcasting and other mediums like traditional or internet radio is that the shows are not aired at a specific time. You download them and listen on your schedule rather than being forced to listen just when a program director decides a show should air. Most of the shows are homebrew since all you really need to make a podcast is a computer and a microphone. The medium has allowed hundreds (perhaps even thousands by now) of would be DJs and radio talk show hosts to have their own shows. I'll be the first to admit that there are lots of people out there who are not professional radio personalities for good reason but the great thing about the internet as a whole is that anyone can post anything, even if it is really bad. And there are some really bad podcasts out there. By the same token the medium has allowed talent that would not have otherwise been discovered to shine.

Another part of what makes podcasting different from a website simply posting an audio file for download is the fact that it takes advantage of a new-ish technology called Real Simple Syndication (or RSS). RSS can be used for many things and works basically like this: A website posts new content such as a news story, blog post or podcast and a small XML file is updated to indicate that new addition. From the end user's side of things it's a simple as running some sort of RSS reader that goes out to the list of subscribed sites on a regular predefined basis to check that XML file and see if each site has any new content. If it does then the reader will download it for reading, viewing or listening for a later time.

While this is cool and all, what podcasting represents on a larger scale is a shift in the way that consumers are beginning to think about media and how it gets used. TiVo is another example of how technology is making is possible for users to take control of how and when they enjoy programs. There is a whole post about this topic and why podcasting matters here.

When it comes to podcasting there are specialized RSS readers call podcatchers. I've included links to a couple down below. Each of them have their ups and downs just like any other application. I've tried a few and for now have settled in to using the podcatching features built in to iTunes. But I'm always on the look out for other clients.

Keep in mind that you don't have to have an iPod or even a portable mp3 player to enjoy podcasts. In fact a recent study found that nearly 75% of all podcasts never make it to a portable player. Instead they get played directly from the computer so don't think that this requires going out and spending a couple hundred dollars on another gadget (unless that's your thing).

So how do you get started with finding, downloading and listening to podcasts? Below I've provided a list of links to various tools, directories and some of the various shows that I listen to. Start with the directories and see what you like.

Got a podcast that's not on my list but you find entertaining? Leave a comment and let me know.

Podcatching Tools:
iTunes
Juice

Podcast Directories:
Podcast Pickle
Podcast Alley
Odeo

Writing & Fiction:
Podiobooks
Escape Pod
Cover to Cover
I Should Be Writing
The Secrets
The Seanachai

Technology:
This Week In Tech
Mac Geek Gab
Security Now!

General Entertainment:
Slice of Sci-Fi
Wait Wait! Don't Tell Me
The Skinny on Sports
NPR's Sunday Puzzle
White Collar Ruckus

Not all podcasts are audio only. There are a growing number of video podcasts. These work in the same manner as the their audio only cousins but instead display in a window on your monitor or in the display of your iPod. Here are a few that I like to watch.

Vidcasts:
Ask A Ninja
Tikibar TV
MoBuzz
Geek Brief TV

This is by no means an exhaustive list of my own subscription list and that may seem daunting to some but keep in mind that each of these shows work on their own update schedule. Some publish new content every day, others once a week and still others only when the mood strikes them. And don't forget that you can listen to them any time you'd like, so don't feel bad if you are behind a few episodes. Your podcatcher will hold on tho them until you are ready; and that is the beauty of podcasting.