Lookout! There's another revolution on the way!

A new media online publishing revolution has occured, furthermore its the fastest yet to strike since the birth of the web. The progression of this Web phenomenon - known as "podcasting" closely mirrors that of of web logs or blogs as they are better known, of which there are now millions.

In simple terms a Podcast is a bit like a radio show published by anyone on the net. It could be a real radio show, some individual person airing their views, or a band showcasing their sounds. Using software you can get your PC to keep pulling new podcasts down whenever they come out. Before podcasting you could of course record a radio show and put it on your website, but now people can automatically receive new shows, without having to go to a specific site and download it from there.

Thousands of podcasters are flocking to the internet, seeking to be heard on almost everything from international politics to astrology, spiritualism to organic herb cultivation. Podcasters are coming out of backrooms, offices, coffee shops and bedrooms. Some get ignored but thousands are getting audiences many conventional broadcasters would envy.

Just how long has this been going on?

It all began just a bit more than a year ago when US radio commentator Adam Curry, now known as the "podfather", began a series of 40-minute personal broadcasts called the Daily Source Code. It now has close to 100,000 regular listeners around the world.

Australia's ABC was a very early adopter. Last November it began podcasting some of its most popular programs, including GrandStand, commentary and opinion from Radio National and some Triple J programming.

Can you give some examples of the type of stuff that's being produced?

Well, there are certainly some oddities out there though. Daily Download is a person who interviews people while they are - ummm - in the bathroom. One podcast is of a woman tap-dancing while she sings the news. There is, of course also massive coverage of unsigned bands, and film reviews, among others. It seems Christian groups have also been quick to use the medium and have been dubbed the Godcasters.

Certainly big media has seen the light and is jumping onto the bandwagon. We see, Paris Hilton podcasting to promote a movie and radio producers like the BBC getting on board with large chunks of on-air broadcasts being made available as podcasts.

Companies and governments have also hooked up. In America The General Motors Fastlane blog has a corresponding podcast. Meanwhile, a certain big Arnie is telling how it is as California's governor in a weekly podcast

But why POD cast?

"Podcasting" is a term that kind of rhymes Apple's iPod brand name with "broadcasting". Podcasts, however, which may also show graphics and video, can be heard on just about any digital audio player including a standard computer. Sound files are posted online where they are gathered together by "aggregators". Subscribers hear or view podcasts when they want, freed of the tyranny of schedules and programmes.

So I don't need an IPod to listen to podcasts?

Absolutely not, the confusion comes about because of the name, and even more so now that Apple has incorporated podcasts into ITunes, the computer music player used to connect to the IPod. The reality is that many listeners don't actually have iPods. Many listen only on their computer or their mobile phone or their alternative MP3 player.

How often are Podcasts Updated Hourly? Daily?

Unlike traditional radio, a podcast can be released whenever its publisher feels the need because it is "time-shifted". This can happen because you're not actually listening live - you listen when you want too. This can actually be a big benefit, because it encourages people to publish only when they have something worth saying.

So I'm Not Listening Live?

No it's usually delayed by a few hours, depending on how often your software goes out and checks for changes or new material and how much time goes by until you decide to listen to it.

The concept is called "time-shifted media" and it's set to revolutionise radio and TV. Traditionally, shows have been broadcast on a "view by appointment" or "listen by appointment" basis. If you're not listening on Tuesday morning then no Web news for you. However with podcasting ... you just tell your podcast software to say "I want to download podcasts whenever a new one appears" and it will keep checking for any new ones.

Arthur Hissey
Computer Research & Technology
www.crt.net.au