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By Nick Luft
What exactly is a podcast? Is an MP3 file some form of audio file? Do I have to have an iPod to access these things? And for heaven's sake, what is this MP4 format?
These were some of the questions that I set out to answer a few weeks ago. I had bought myself a cheap version of the iPod, an iRiver. My intention was to use it to listen to music whilst travelling. But I soon discovered that I could download and listen to a variety of podcasts with a wide variety of content.
In this article I do not want to focus on the technology, though some jargon and concepts have to be understood. My intention is to look at what podcast content is available.
IT Explanation
You're probably familiar with the term 'MP3' - a common audio file format. There are many other audio formats, but MP3 has become a standard in the way all standards do - by popular adoption. Most podcasts are available only in MP3 format, though some podcasts have several other formats too.
MP3 is what's known as a "lossy" format. That is, it compresses the audio file by stripping out ranges of sounds that are out of the range of human hearing or do not contribute much to the quality of the sound signal. The result is that an MP3 is a much smaller file than the files found on the typical music CD.
To access (or rather, hear) an MP3 file you require a computer which has audio software like Windows Media Player, a sound card and either speakers or headphones. Alternatively, you can buy MP3 players, which come in two types: those with a hard drive and those using flash card technology like any USB Memory Stick. Some mobile phones can also save and play MP3s.
You can access, save and hear podcasts or MP3 files without an MP3 player. A computer is just as good, if not better, with the high quality components; the downside, of course, is that a computer is not as portable.
The drawback of MP3 players is that they need to link to a computer to download MP3 files.
The MP3 files are either acquired by converting the CD files to MP3 in a process known as "ripping", via a specialist application or by downloading MP3 files from internet sites.
I predict that the next generation of MP3 players will incorporate some form of internet connection, probably WiFi. I also predict that the next generation of HiFi Music centres and Home Cinema centres will add docking ports for MP3 players, probably a USB 2.0 port.
According to the latest rumours, however, iPods will remain without a WiFi internet connection but Apple is planning to make an MP3/4 player with a 3.5 inch display screen <http://www.thinksecret.com/news/0602videoipod.html>.
So what is a podcast?
Podcast is a neologism that conflates the word iPod with broadcast.
It is one of those daft names IT folk dream up to make what is ordinary sound new and fangled. It is nothing more than a recorded piece of audio that has been digitised and meant for distribution via the internet.
While most podcasts are in the MP3 format, some podcasters are now using the MP4 format, which combines recorded moving images and audio (confusingly called video). Inevitably, MP4 files are a lot larger than MP3, but can contain much more information.
Wikipedia has an entry for podcast at this link <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Podcasting> and also a comprehensive introduction to the MP3 format <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mp3> and MP4s at <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mp4>. And for those gadget lovers, there is even a twenty-page entry for iPod <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ipod>.
What kind of "content" does a podcast have?
Podcasts can contain just about any kind of digitised audio information, including:
* Radio * Fiction & Drama * Opinion and Commentary * Education and Learning * Manuals, DIY Guides and IT Support
Radio
Most radio stations now make their broadcasts available using "audio streaming", a format that requires the user to be linked continuously to the internet to listen to the broadcast.
Radio broadcasts as podcasts eliminate the need for a continuous internet link. The broadcast can be saved as an audio file and listened at a time suitable to the user, like videotaping a television programme. (NB: saving radio broadcasts opens up a host of copyright issues that are yet to be resolved).
The BBC has been experimenting with saving some programmes as MP3 files and making them available for download. The Podcast Trial can be found here <http://www.bbc.co.uk/radio/downloadtrial/> - for example you can download some of Radio 4's "From Our Own Correspondent", interviews from "Today" programme, "In Our Time" and also Radio 1's "The Best of Moyles".
I have particularly enjoyed the US-based "Science Friday", a radio chat show that invites two scientists to give a short explanation of their field and then answer questions posed during a phone-in <http://www.sciencefriday.com/>.
Fiction
Writers of both the published and unpublished kind are peddling their wares as audio-books, with mixed results. The best are adapting to the medium, effectively moving into radio drama, rather than just reading out their "to be read" prose.
For an excellent example of the potential of podcast fiction, I recommend the work of Seanachai <http://www.goodwordsrightorder.com/> - these pieces are short and fun, and you get a sense of how he isexploring the podcasting medium.
I find the longer podcasts difficult to listen to. If you get interrupted during a 50 minute broadcast, by the time you get back to it, the MP3 has shut down and lost your place. Fast forwarding via an MP3 player interface is not easy. I hear that iPod have recently upgraded this feature to deal with this problem, and I suspect the other manufacturers will follow suit.
Opinion, commentary and news
Some magazines are embracing podcasts and are commissioning their writers to write for the spoken word. These podcasts are supplementary to the printed editions.
Slate magazine is a good example of magazine podcasting: <http://www.slate.com/id/2119317/>, although you do have to sit through a short ad before the main piece.
Also check out technology news from <http://thisweekintech.com/>.
Education & learning
I was surprised to find that Stanford University has made some of its lectures, speeches and debates open to the public - though only through the iTunes application. To sample this go to <http://itunes.stanford.edu/>
There are also many language courses available for download. See the recent FreePint article by Emma Thompson on this <http://www.freepint.com/issues/020206.htm>.
I have "ripped" my French language course CD onto my MP3 Player and I find it a very convenient way to listen to my French language classes. Though speaking out loud on a train is to be discouraged.
In an interesting approach, one hospital has placed iPods in a waiting room to inform patients about the procedures they'll undergo and how to cope with changes after treatment <http://www.wired.com/news/technology/1,70169-0.html>.
Manuals, DIY guides and IT support
So far I have not come across any manufacturers who have created podcasts to supplement or even replace their printed manuals. But I predict that a podcast manual is all but inevitable (can I patent this idea today?).
However, I have found technical guides on complicated things like "Ruby on Rails" <http://podcast.rubyonrails.org/>. Now, I do not pretend to understand this technology -- I only know it is a new way of manipulating web-based data -- but it is an interesting approach by a development team to publicise work at a very early stage of development.
When implemented in an MP4 format, a user manual podcast enables the expert to demonstrate a feature with a running commentary. The result is similar to a training session or workshop, but has the benefit being available on-demand as the user requires.
How do I find what is out there?
The simplest way to find podcasts is to type "podcasts" into Google. But then, as we information professionals all realise: all can search, but few have the time or patience to filter results. So what I offer is a snapshot review of several sites I found and assessed.
Yahoo Podcasts <http://podcasts.yahoo.com/> - well organised and indexed/tagged, searchable too. All podcasts have been selected and checked for quality, which is what you would expect from a big "masthead" content provider like Yahoo.
Audio Blog <http://audio.weblogs.com/> - a searchable directory of bloggers who podcast their blog. Very little, if any, quality control.
IndiePodder <http://www.ipodder.com/> - a more general collection with some attempt at placing each podcast into categories, but not much quality control.
Podcast Directory <http://www.podcast.net/> - a much better organised site, with the categories and "tag clouds" placed more prominently on the page. Unsure what control there is, but the site has a professional feel.
There are two further things to note about finding podcasts. Many of them are linked to RSS feeds, so you can receive notification of the latest offerings which can be set to automatically sync between your PC and your MP3 player. In fact, I have yet to find a podcast site that did not provide a RSS feed.
Podfading
On a slightly sad note a "podfading" trend has been identified - I think this is pronounced as in "fade away" not as in "a fad" <http://www.wired.com/news/technology/1,70171-0.html>. Many amateur podcasters do not make it past their tenth show and those that do sometimes fade to nothing as they get overwhelmed with the demands of real life. Podcasting is not like blogging which is done in 15 minutes.
This is yet again proof, to my mind, that the established "content providers" - publishers and broadcasters - will maintain their position despite the protestations of their own excellence by the new media pundits. It comes down to two things:
1. Resources - the old media have the resources amateurs do not
2. Trust - the public still values masthead credibility.
Nick Luft currently works as the Web Manager and Information Coordinator for The Geneva Centre for the Democratic Control of Armed Forces (DCAF) <http://www.dcaf.ch/>. He trained as a librarian and worked in libraries between 1988 and 2003. Since 2003 he has left the library world and is not sure how to label himself.
He now designs web-based databases, manages web-sites, and generally makes ICT serve the information needs of the organisation he works for.
His last post was as the Information Manager for the GFN-SSR, 2003-2005, prior to that he worked in various MoD (UK) libraries and at the Northern Echo library <nickluft@yahoo.com>.
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