Sidebar: Purposes for Podcasting

Computerworld - With its subscription and search-engine-aided distribution, podcasting is a fine example of niche marketing to specialized audiences and interest groups. From its initial use by individuals to create their own "radio" programs or audio blogs, podcasting is now used for a number of purposes, including the following:

• As a means of avoiding regulation from bodies such as the U.K.'s Office of Communications or the U.S.'s Federal Communications Commission, which restrict what can be broadcast in traditional media.


• As a vehicle for adding audio content to school homework assignments, such as foreign-language and other curricula created by the Musselburgh Grammar School in Scotland (http://mgsonline.blogs.com/mgspodcast).


• As a way to provide public access to government officials, candidates and political parties, and as a vehicle for disseminating information and propaganda and working around government control.


• As a means of spreading religious messages and sermons (sometimes called Godcasts). Religion and spirituality is the second-biggest single category in Apple's podcast listings, behind music.


• As an alternative to guided museum tours that require the rental and maintenance of specialized audio equipment. These "musecasts" may be authorized audio tours or unofficial guides produced by people or organizations unconnected with the museum.


• As an outlet for publishers and broadcasters to distribute audio to supplement news and entertainment stories and programs. For example, TV producer Ron Moore has created commentary podcasts for each new episode of the SciFi Channel's Battlestar Galactica (www.scifi.com/battlestar/downloads/podcast). Other TV shows have since set up similar podcasts.


• As a means of circumventing mainstream media. The 5,500 locked-out editors, journalists, technicians, hosts and other staffers of the Canadian Broadcasting Corp. are podcasting news and other programming through http://cbcunplugged.blogware.com/blog/Podcasts.
  Adapted from Wikipedia (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Podcasting).

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