Less than a year ago, most people had never heard of podcasting. Yet, the podcasting audience will reach 10 million this year and 50 million by 2010, projects online researcher eMarketer.

So what’s all the hype about? And what does podcasting mean anyway?

Podcasting is simply a way to publish media files online to enable users to subscribe to a feed and receive files automatically as they’re released. Essentially, podcasting is about creating content—audio or video—for an audience that wants to listen when, where and how they want. It involves the transmission of all types of media—whether it be music, a weather forecast, a comedy sketch or interviews.

Podcasting is an interesting term comprised of the words "iPod" and "broadcasting." The name came about simply because of the popularity of Apple Computer's best-selling portable digital audio player, the iPod. Despite its name, no over-the-air broadcasting is required for podcasting. And neither podcasting nor listening to podcasts requires an iPod or other portable player. You can listen to podcasts with any MP3 player or your PC and Ipod application.

How Podcasting Differs from Regular Broadcasting

Subscribing to podcasts allows users to collect programs from a variety of sources for listening or viewing offline at whatever time and place is convenient to them. In contrast, conventional broadcasting provides only one source at a time, and the time is determined by the broadcaster.

There are two main features that make a podcast different from a standard audio download. For one, it's not just one audio file, it's a recurring "show" with new "episodes" posted as time goes by. Also, it uses continuous RSS technology. So when a new episode is available, your podcasting program (such as iTunes) gets notified and either alerts you or downloads the information automatically if you’ve subscribed. When you connect your iPod to your computer, the episodes go onto your iPod and you can listen to them. Or you can listen to them on your computer using your music application.

The beauty of podcasts is that you don’t have to be limited to commercial-filled radio. Instead, you can have everything you’re interested in hearing or viewing delivered right to your Ipod. You could listen to the morning news cast at midnight…hear DJ mixes from Paris, France or listen to comedy skits on your way to work—all without a single commercial interruption.

It’s easy to locate available podcasts. One easy way to find podcasts is to use the Podcast Directory in iTunes. These automatically-updated podcasts can then be easily synchronized to your iPod for offline listening. There are also many directories that list available podcasts, and also allow submission of a podcast feed if you have one. Some of the more popular podcast directories are www.podcastalley.com, www.podcast.net, www.openpodcast.org and www.podcastdirectory.com.

Instead of just subscribing to podcasts, you could also create podcasts to promote your business. You don't have to be a professional to create podcasts. You simply have to be able to record and translate a recording into an MP3 file and upload it to the internet.

If you’re a life coach, for example, you could create a podcast to highlight your area of expertise and help your target audience solve issues. “Podcoaching” could help you showcase your coaching skills, build rapport with a broader audience and gain new clients.

Whether you’re interested in being a podcaster or subscriber, podcasts are a valuable tool for sharing information.