Ever wonder about the evolution that has led to the podcast? Although it is a relatively young technology it still has a rather fascinating albeit brief time. The background of the word, "podcast" is quite intriguing and speaks to the dynamism of this Internet community.

Podcasting is a term that was only coined in 2004, combining two words: broadcasting and iPod. Ironically, this definition is not entirely accurate because neither of the components is correct. The process of podcasting or listening to podcasts require an iPod or any other portable player. In fact, podcasts can be listened to via any MP3-enabled device such as a desktop computer. The idea behind the name came by virtue of the fact that Apple Computer's iPod was the best-selling mobile digital player when podcasting was first introduced. Additionally, no over-the air broadcasting is needed either.

Even the editor of the New Oxford American Dictionary jumped onto the bandwagon of podcasting in announcing "podcasting" word of the year in 2005. The word was defined as "a audio recording made digitally of the radio broadcast or similar programs, which is available on the Internet to download to an audio player on your personal computer." The word will be added to the online version of the dictionary when they release their next update.

The term"podcasting" is a term coined by journalist Ben Hammersley, and then it was adopted by former MTV VJ as well as media business entrepreneur Adam Curry. Mr. Curry created an Applescript application that automated the process of download and synchronization of audio files to iPods.

Alternative names or possible interpretations of "P-O-D" were also suggested among them the most popular was "Personal on Demand". Technology writer Doc Searls came up with this term in September, 2004. Words like "audio-blogging", audio magazines" and "web-casting" are also offered to describe this unique form of media distribution.

Other "pod"-derived phrases include "podcasters" (those that create podcasts) as well as "podcatchers" - the special RSS aggregators, which regularly check for new content and download it automatically. The Podcatcher software allows users to copy podcasts to portable music & video players.

Podcasting's popularity is growing quickly due to the rapid expansion of MP3 players, and the desire of consumers to be able to access new and exciting content. The popularity of podcasting is due to the fact that it allows people to have more control over the content they listen to, as well as the ability to carry their podcasts when they travel.

In the past, blogging has never technology come to light so suddenly as it has been so swiftly and widely adopted as the podcasting. Growth in this nascent industry is anticipated to increase rapidly due to the rapid acceptance of podcasting by the radio broadcast industry in 2005 and apple's iTunes distribution. The rising popularity of podcasts challenges traditional radio's broadcasting model.

While iTunes is just two years old, roughly 4.8 million users downloaded a podcast for 2005 contrasted with only 800,000 in 2004. Additionally, 11.4 million users are expected in the coming year, according to research by The Diffusion Group. Already the Apple iTunes service offers 15,000 podcasts and users have been signed up for over 7 million memberships.

A study by Bridge Ratings in November 2005 with radio listeners in ten markets across the nation showed that approximately 20% of users who have downloaded and have listened to podcasts podcast listen to them on a regular basis. This group downloads on average six podcasts each week, and spends around four hours per month listening to podcasts downloaded.


The study also predicted rapid growth for the industry to come in the near future. As per Bridge Ratings, by 2010, podcast audience growth is projected to reach an average of 45 million users who will have ever listened to any podcast. According to estimates, this number could be at around 75 million by this time.

What does this mean for you?

With podcast listening growing exponentially, podcasts offer you a extremely effective tool to promote your services or products. The benefit of podcasts is that they are fairly simple and affordable to develop. Podcasting can help ensure the connection of your audience by offering them interesting frequently updated, relevant and timely information regarding the happenings in your field. If you own a website, there's absolutely no reason why you need to not have a podcast accessible since it's not difficult to establish and can bring a significant increase in traffic to your website. Therefore, in about this , podcasting must be an integral part of any marketing campaign online.