The History Of Podcasting

Podcasting is a multimedia type of content usually distributed via the internet which typically features spoken and/or musical content such as radio-style speeches, narrative journalism pieces, musical performances or comedy. Podcast listeners can also subscribe to specific podcasts within audio entertainment programs such as podcasting, streaming audio, podcasts in the news can be found on many websites that may distribute both audio and written articles.

The first recorded use of the term 'podcast" was in 2000. The word 'podcast' comes from phonography which literally means 'sound recording'. It's thought that this is because creating an mp3 file was initially used by podcast producers to store recordings of what they wanted people to hear at a later time.

The idea of podcasting came about whilst people were listening to radio broadcasts in portable audio devices which could store their own recorded material. This meant that they were no longer tied to specific time slots and could listen to the radio whenever they wanted, as long as they had a device that was capable of playing mp3 files. Some people began to record their own shows on personal audio recorders, or go into internet broadcasting with a microphone attached to their computer or portable device. The popularity of podcasting then lead it to be incorporated into other forms of media, such as mobile phones and new apps becoming available allow you to stream content from the internet straight onto your phone.

"The first online audio program was created in 1998 by Dave Winer, who called it RSS. The software allowed users to subscribe to content and new programmes were downloaded automatically. But, the challenge was that you had to actively seek out new programmes." – Tom Standage

Websites offering podcasting were founded during this period of time and increased public interest in the technology. One of the first was 'podcasting' which is now known as 'audioblogging'. Another example is audio blogs which are blog entries in an audio format which can be streamed or downloaded from the internet. These are usually posted on places such as YouTube or soundcloud where people can then subscribe to them for future viewing when they want.

"The first podcasting website was established in August 1999, and millions of podcasts were being downloaded across the internet each month by 2001. By 2004, a million podcasts were being uploaded every month." – Tom Standage

Podcasting became popular in the 2000s and it's continued to be one of the fastest growing forms of online media. The numbers of people subscribing to podcasts is increasing as technology advances and people are encouraged to produce their own content for others to listen too through websites such as blogspot/blogger, wordpress and a host of other third party websites that allow people to create podcasts or upload their own audio content.

"Today the word 'podcast' is often used to describe any kind of digital audio programme, although the word technically refers to any show delivered by regular download rather than streamed online." – Nicky Rowbottom, The History of the Digital Audio Revolution

"Podcasting has been described as a disruptive technology that has altered industries such as entertainment and radio broadcasting, which are now starting to resemble the blogging industry. However, it has also generated fears that some forms of media may become more like public relations vehicles for corporations at the expense of individuals." – Paul Heyer, Media Disruption Theory: Podcasting and Webcasting in Australia

There are many different types of podcasts which are available on the internet today.

Conclusion

The popularity of podcasting has been increasing over the last decade and it seems that this is set to continue. Audiences use podcasts to keep up to date with the world around them, listen in their car and on the move and also as an entertainment tool where they can listen to them when they want too. Podcasts are able to make use of all kinds of different media which means that you can play music, add pictures or even video clips within podcasts. They are also something which people are able to easily create themselves using a variety of different software packages available online or software applications built into their computer or mobile device.