AUDIO DELIVERY

Podcasting is the latest buzz in the world of weblogs. Also known as time shifting audio, podcasting is a method of delivering audio streams broadcast in mp3 format via rss feeds, so that they can be downloaded automatically and played at leisure. By subscribing to an RSS feed with mp3 enclosures, you can receive new podcasts automatically for playback on your favorite mp3 player. You can think of podcasting as TiVO for radio. The name podcasting derives from Apple’s iPod, but the name is inaccurate, because you do not need an iPod to listen to these files. A podcast is the broadcast program, and the act of receiving a feed is called podcatching. Although many podcasts, like many blogs, are trivial, high quality material is also available. Doug Kate at IT Conver-sations [1], for instance, has made over 300 recordings of interviews and keynote speeches from IT conferences. Podcasts contain interviews with key players in the IT industry, old and new, as well as highlights from conferences, speeches, and readings. Big media corporations like the BBC in the UK are also showing interest in the genre and releasing some of their radio broadcasts as podcasts.