Audio/Video Podcast Assignment

Audio:

I had difficulty with the audio portion - see the school forum for a link.

Script:

Podcast Alley

I found this website easy to use and self-explanatory. It allows users to vote on which podcasts they believe are the best. The site counts down the top 10 and the top 50 podcasts of the month – with the votes getting recalculated every month. The lists also provide RSS feeds for each site with a short description of each (which I found pretty useful when drafting my blog entries). The directory is divided in categories – I found this pretty helpful in searching the site’s content. There’s also a section where users can find information relating to podcasting. There’s a podcast software list and even a forum with interesting discussions on how to podcast.

Podcast.com

To be honest, I didn’t really like this site at all. I found it cumbersome and not very organized. I didn’t see a search feature which made looking for interesting podcasts pretty annoying. I did think the variation in podcasts featured in the home page was kind of nice. I didn’t really see that in Podcast Alley. I also felt there were a lot of ads on the site which I did not enjoy.

What is Podcasting?

Podcasting is a form of audio broadcasting on the Internet. It’s the same concept as downloading a music file and listening to it (like an mp3 on Napster/Live Wire). EXCept, it’s all about having the files come to you through syndication instead of you going to the files through search. That’s one of the big things with Web 2.0 – information is sent directly to us instead of us having to dig through the Internet each time we want to find something. With podcasts, we subscribe to them much like we would subscribe to blogs. Podcasts can be listened to on the computer or transferred to a portable music player (such as an iPod). Some podcast feed reading software is even configured to download and transfer the file directly to the portable player (like iTunes).

How does it apply to Web 2.0?

Web 2.0 is dramatically impacting the way everyone uses their computer and the Internet. It’s even having a profound impact on the workplace. Technology has changed the way work is done and Web 2.0 has changed the way relationships are forged online and has created an environment that embraces innovation, transparency, collaboration, open communication and user-generated content. Podcasts are an example of the user-generated content that Web 2.0 brings us. Podcasts provide a platform for sharing experiences, expertise, and innovative ideas.