Delivering Your Message :: Podcasting
Part One: Podcasting
One of the greatest strengths of any website is depth and richness of content. Great time and energy is spent to ensure that information about your company, goods or services can be accessed by your visitor when they need it, and on their terms. One way to ensure that your website is providing content to your visitors in a way they can easily consume is through the use of “Podcasting”.
Podcasting Overview
Essentially, podcasting is the act of creating a listing of digital audio files that can be downloaded by your site visitors via the internet. The process of creating a podcast on your site can be as simple or as complicated as your needs dictate. Creating a basic podcast is straightforward: you need only a text file on your site that it properly formatted that lists the audio files available for download, and of course you need the audio files in the location listed in your text file (or feed) to be available on your site. A podcast can contain any type of information, from news reports to radio scripts to meeting minutes. Once posted, a podcast can then be reviewed at the listener’s convenience by downloading it from your website and then storing it on a computer or transferring it to an MP3 device, such as an iPod. Corporations, businesses, and private users anywhere in the world can create and post podcasts to the internet. In America, podcasts have proven to attract specifically younger and more upper-income listeners.
A brief history of podcasting
Podcasting was developed in 1999, but didn’t become very popular until 2004 with the help of Apple Computers and other online gurus. While it was originally referred to as a PocketDJ, the explosion of iPod sales and popularity led Apple to ascribe a new, blended term to it, the podcast. The online iTunes store alone now provides over 100,000 different podcasts that can be downloaded for little or in some cases no cost to listeners.
National statistics on podcasting
Interestingly, according to the January 2007 issue of the Arbitron Report, American awareness of podcasting in the last year has increased from 22% to 37%, while actual podcast usage in that time period increased a mere 2% from 11% to 13%. Thus, while an ample amount of Americans are aware of podcasting, only 13% have ever participated.
Benefits and the future of podcasting
So, what benefits would podcasting bring to your company? In this information age, the internet plays a vital role in business. Having your company on the cutting edge of technology can be a huge advantage for the increasing numbers of people seeking information through the internet. Podcasting is a promising new medium for advertising as well, but keep in mind that while using podcasting as an advertisement is inviting, the content must be of high enough value to the listener to justify their tolerance of commercials. Remember, the generally accepted overall purpose of a podcast is to inform and educate listeners.
Final Analysis
In the end, while podcasting provides a convenient, free way for listeners to access your information, statistics show that awareness may be increasing slightly but podcast usage continues to stay very low. Problematically, many listeners may lack either the expertise or the technology to be able to use podcasts, thus eliminating their access to this new technology. So today consider podcasting as more of a bonus feature than a required component of a complete company website.
About Oxiem Marketing Technology
The Oxiem team has been involved in search engine marketing and internet marketing for over 15 years. Oxiem’s flagship product, the Oxigen CMS allows website managers to manage their content easily while ensuring Search Engine compatibility and functionality. With experts in strategic planning, search engine optimization, and web programming, Oxiem can handle any internet project. Find us at Oxiem.com, or just type Oxiem in any search engine.
