Do you have any questions about the development in the development of podcast? While podcasting is a comparatively recent technology, it does have fascinating, even if brief background. The background of the word, "podcast" is quite fascinating and is reflective of the rapidly changing nature of our Internet community.

The term "podcasting" was coined only in 2004, combining two words: broadcasting and iPod. This definition, however, isn't entirely accurate since neither component is completely precise. Podcasting and listening to podcasts require an iPod or other portable player. In fact, podcasts can be listened to by any mp3-equipped device, such as a desktop computer. The idea behind the name came simply because Apple's iPod was the best-selling mobile digital player at the time that podcasting was first introduced. In addition, no broadcast over the air broadcasting is required either.


Even the editors of the New Oxford American Dictionary jumped into the trend of podcasting in announcing "podcasting" term of the year for 2005. The term was defined as "a podcast that is a digital version of a radio broadcast or similar program, made available on the Internet to download to an audio player on your personal computer." The term could be added in the online dictionary during the next update.

The term, podcasting was coined by journalist Ben Hammersley, and then it was adopted by former MTV VJ along with media and entrepreneur, Adam Curry. Ms. Curry created an Applescript application that automatized the process of the downloading and sync of audio files to iPods.

Other names or alternative possible interpretations of "P-O-D" were proposed, the most popular of that was "Personal on Demand". Technology writer Doc Searls came up with the phrase in September, 2004. The terms "audio-blogging", Audio magazines" as well as "web-casting" are also used to describe this particular kind of media distribution.

Other "pod"-derived words include "podcasters" (those with the ability to make podcasts) in addition to "podcatchers" - the special RSS aggregators which periodically check for new content and download it automatically. Podcatching software allows the user to save podcasts to portable music & video players.

Podcasting's popularity is spreading fast due to the rapid expansion of MP3 players as well as the desire of customers to have fresh content. Podcasting has been booming because it allows people to have more control over what they listen to, and the ability to carry their shows when they travel.

Not since blogging has a technology appeared so new as it has been so swiftly and widely adopted as podcasting. The development of this new industry is expected to be rapid due to the rapid acceptance of the technology by radio broadcast industry in 2005 and Apple's iTunes distribution. The rise in popularity of podcasts are challenging traditional media's traditional broadcast model.

While iTunes is less than two years old, roughly 4.8 million people downloaded podcasts podcast during 2005 compared with just over 800,000 in 2004. Furthermore, 11.4 million people are expected to listen this year, according research from The Diffusion Group. Already the Apple iTunes service offers 15,000 podcasts and listeners have subscribed to seven million or more subscriptions.

A study conducted by Bridge Ratings in November 2005 that included radio listeners in ten markets across the nation showed that approximately 20% of those who downloaded and heard podcasts podcast listen to them on a regular basis. This group downloads an average of six podcasts every week, and they spend around four hours per month listening to podcasts downloaded.

This study forecasts even more massive growth in the market to come in the near future. Based on about this , by 2010, podcast audience growth is predicted to be at a moderate 45 million listeners who have ever listened to an podcast. The most optimistic estimates put this number closer to 75 million at the end of this year.

How does this affect you?

With podcast listening increasing exponentially, podcasts offer you a very powerful tool for promoting your product or service. One of the advantages of podcasts is that they're very simple and cost-effective to develop. Podcasting is a great way to establish a closer relationship with your target audiences by providing them with engaging regular updates about the goings on in your industry. If you've got a website there's absolutely no reason why you need to not have a podcast available as it's not easy to setup and can bring a significant increase in the number of visitors to your website. Thus, it's clear that podcasting can be a vital component of any online marketing campaign.