What Is a Podcast?

• Podcasting allows audio producers to syndicate the content they post online.
• A user can subscribe to a podcast using an aggregator, sometimes knowns as a podcatcher.
• When a new recording is posted, this software will automatically download the file.
• With some aggregators, you can automatically sync your podcasts with your iPod or MP3 player.
• Producers can also create video podcasts, which are sometimes referred to as vodcasts.

For a fuller explantion of the history and the concept, see the Wikipedia article on podcasting.

Quick FAQ

• Do you need an iPod to listen to podcasts?
  • No – although the word “podcast” comes from the popularity of Apple’s iPod, you do not need an iPod to enjoy podcasts.
• Do you need a digital device to listen to podcasts?
  • No – you can download and listen to a podcast on your computer. With some web-based aggregators, like Google Reader, you don't even need to download it to your computer. You can just stream it from the Web.h
• My library is already uploading audio files that patrons can download/stream. Are we podcasting?
  • No. Making audio or video files available via the Web is just one piece of podcasting. The other piece is to make it available for syndication, essentially pushing it out to your users so that they don't need to return to your Web site to get the next episode.