What is a podcast?

Do you know what a podcast is? This term means a sound file (for example, MP3) or a video file (flash-video FLV), which is freely available on the Internet for mass listeners or for viewing the target audience.

The podcast can be compared to Internet radio, only in contrast to streaming playback are pieces of radio broadcasts that you can download and listen to on any player.

At the beginning of their development they were only sound and intended only for listening on media players (like the iPod). Now podcasting has evolved into several formats, such as audio and video.

Audio podcasts are audio recordings of presentations, lectures, news, ideas, thoughts, which have a clear interest for a wide audience. And this kind of file is provided for listening with the help of an audio flash-button. It is integrated into the site (blog), where it is given a link to download the podcast file.

Understanding what a podcast is and what the audio format is, it will allow the user to create a podcast of a format that will completely match the subject matter of the site or blog and is constantly updated if it's a series of broadcasts.

Audio podcasts should carry information value to visitors and be distributed free of charge. You can record files for them using a microphone connected to a computer, an mp3 player or a voice recorder.

First, you must select the program in which the podcast will be recorded and mounted. If there is a certainty that you want to tell people and clearly visualize your audience, then you can start creating your own mp3-transmission.

Podcasts in audio format have some advantage. Listeners can listen to them in parallel and do their own business. Often listening to information in this form, the listener subconsciously changes his mental attitudes and views on life. A voice intonation convinces the correctness of the author's statements. Positive and interesting, she seems to program a person for good, making him more happy, energetic and cheerful. This has long been checked.

Video podcasts are video recordings of speeches on a topic that coincide with the themes of sites or blogs, and also, like audio podcasts, should carry information value for website visitors (blog).

The idea of what a podcast is in video format will allow you to make video and create video from any web camera or from a digital video camera. It is not necessary to have a high quality video, because podcasts are created mostly by non-professional authors.

You can record video podcasts on any video camera, from which you can then copy them to a computer via a USB port.

But this video can not be posted on the site (blog), for this you need a special video format. You can transfer video to flash-format on such services as video.mail.ru or Youtube.com. There you can get ready-made html-code for placing a flash-video player on a website or blog.

Podcasts in video format can convey some kind of motivation or experience of a person, which in many cases can not be accomplished with the help of plain text.

A clear understanding of what a podcast is, will allow you to choose absolutely any topic for it. These can be brilliant thoughts, interviews with celebrities or any news. Everything depends only on the creative imagination of the author. And the most important thing to remember is that a podcast should carry information value to its audience.

Created a large number of programs, such as a very popular application iTunes, where you can download and play podcasts.

They, in comparison with television and broadcasting, do not require licensing of frequencies and are available at any time for listeners. Nowadays it has become increasingly misleading to use the terminology associated with the podcast. So, podcasting is an activity, and the podcast is the only release or common name of the program.