Podcasts are literally ways the ordinary average person can have their own broadcast media. What makes Podcasts different from other types of audio content is the users must use RSS protocol. However, it also allows you to produce and create your own self-published radio-type shows.
Several radio stations use Podcasts either as their entire format or as part of their format. These stations include KYOU Radio in San Francisco, 99.5 The Mountain in Denver, and KFI in Los Angeles. Of course, the Internet provides listings for where Podcasts can be found as well. At www.Podcasts.net, you'll find a list that is based on any topic you're interested in. This includes entertainment, politics, arts, science and nature, business, lifestyle and shopping, with many of the categories broken down into more specific categories.
If you don't have an iPod, you may wonder why you would even want to find Podcasts. The term Podcasts doesn't mean a person has to use an Apple iPod. Podcast, though, is a term merged from the words iPod and broadcast. Any digital audio player or computer with the proper software can be used to listen to or create Podcasts. But, users must have "Podcatching" software, also known as "aggregator" software, to be able to listen to Podcasts.
Those wanting to either listen to or make their own Podcasts will need something called iPodderx. This is nothing more than a newsreader that can interpret RSS 2.0 feeds. While the iPodderx allows for listening to Podcasts, it is also needed to help with the broadcast side as well. Other Podcasting products available, as shown on www.alesis.com, include the 10/2 2-channel portable audio interface. This is a 24-bit /96k USB product. The Photon X49 is a keyboard controller, as is the Fusion 6HD and 8HD. The MultiMix Mixers are used to mix sounds for the Podcasts. M1 Active 520 and 620 nearfield reference monitors are also available. However, be ready to spend some serious cash if you're planning on doing any major Podcasts.
Podcasts can be broadcasted world wide, adding an even broader base to the places you can find Podcasts. A couple of the global Podcast sites, according to www.wickmedia.com, are CBC Radio One out of Canada, Triple J Podcast from Australia. Podcast sites in the US can be found at www.podarama.com-dj. To find more podcasting sites, just log on to the Internet and visit locations such as http://www.apodcasting.com/dir/HowToFindPodcastingSites to do a thorough search.
There are no rules or regulations to individual Podcasts and their content, until some specific situations apply. That includes Podcasts that are broadcast over regular radio waves on radio stations across the nation. Those Podcasts are regulated by Federal Communication Commission laws because they are geared toward the masses at large. That means that, for an individual who wants to become a Podcaster, the sky's the limit.
Copyright 2005 by D. L. Randolph. All rights reserved.
