I really, really like the way this article explained what a podcast is. Very well done. It’s an article devoid of any geek speak and just explains what podcasting is using language people understand.

In particular, I really like this paragraph:

Podcasts are like any radio show you might listen to in your car on the way to work. The only difference is the choice of when to listen belongs to you, not station programmers.

Simply beautiful. I also like this paragraph:

You download a podcast much as you would an MP3 from iTunes or another file-sharing program. You can save a podcast and listen as often as you like, or open it directly from a Web site and listen to it once.

Well done. I also like this paragraph:

Podcasts can be created by anyone too. All it takes is a computer, a microphone, some basic software and something to talk about.

Simple language. The only drawback is this paragraph:

Podcasts were born when Apple’s iTunes service popularized downloading of online audio broadcasts to iPod players.

Um, no. Podcasts existed prior to Apple adding Podcasts to its iTunes directory. The podcast directory was added to iTunes late in 2005. Podcast were “born” previous to that event.

My only other criticism is that I would’ve like to see the author explain RSS in simple, Joe Blow language. That’s been the trouble for many podcasters – trying to explain syndication in a way that makes sense. The author seemed to have trouble with this as well since he mentioned it towards the end of the article in a dismissive sentence saying:

You can also subscribe to your favorite podcasts using an RSS (Really Simple Syndication) feed.

Other than that, the article was well written and I’ll refer to it often in future presentations whenever I speak to those who aren’t well versed in podcasting.

Tags:podcasting, podcast, travel golf, how to, Brandon Tucker