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Article Surfing ArchiveWhat Is Podcasting And Can It Help Your Business? - Articles SurfingGreat. Just as you were finally wrapping your head around blogging and how your business could use it as a powerful communications tool to attract prospects and retain customers, the kid down the street/your brother-in-law/the local news media starts talking about podcasting. Put down that quill pen, set aside your typewriter, and quit hiding behind your abacus. The future isn't as scary as you think. I'm here to give you the 411 (information) on podcasting. What you choose to do with this information is up to you. What is podcasting? Hasn't downloadable audio been available for a while? Why is this so exciting...or should I ask, why are people so excited about this? Who's creating these podcasts? Where can I download some podcasts to listen to? I strongly recommend checking out Adam Curry's (yes, of MTV VJ fame) PodFinder podcast at the ITMS. It provides 60 second snippets of a wide variety of podcasts. In one show you might learn to speak some Chinese, get information on prostate cancer, hear from roller coaster enthusiasts, and listen to new music that isn't getting airplay anywhere else. What do I need to get started in podcasting? Topic: Podcasting is in many ways like blogging or writing an email newsletter. You need to write on topics that are of interest to your target audience. Of course, if you're doing this as a hobbyist, you can podcast on any subject you find interesting. Time: Creating and editing a podcast can take much longer than expected. Our first podcast, which was only 18 minutes long, took me about 5 ' 6 hours of work. The second one took about half that, but I may have already discovered most the shortcuts. You'll need to decide if this is an effective use of your limited resources. Some podcasts are updated weekly, and some every day! Software and Hardware: There are too many options for software and hardware to review or even mention here. The least expensive route is to use the internal microphone that probably came with your computer and some free audio recording and editing software. Many podcasters prefer a free product called Audacity, which works on both Macs and PC's. On my Mac, I'm using GarageBand, audio software that came included on my computer. For hardware, I bought a headset microphone at RadioShack for less than $30 and a USB microphone port called iMic for another $30 or so. On the other end of the spectrum are people who build entire recording studios in their home or office for their podcast. I'd start small, if I were you. How do I get my shows to the Internet? How do I promote my podcast? Like blogging, you'll want to 'ping' or alert aggregator services that you have a new episode. I recommend using Pingoat.com for this. Like blogging, you'll also want to submit your site to podcast directories so that people can find you. Podfeed, Odeo, Podcastnews, and of course the iTunes Music Store (through the iTunes software) are just a few places to start. OK, my head's about to explode. What else is coming up that's going to make me want to hide in my cave?
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