OK, I'm a bit slow but I have finally discovered podcasts. They are really worth trying and I urge you to do so.
There are a few game magazines that I read. I checked out iTunes and found that they started doing weekly podcasts so I started listening to them. Now I get to read the magazine and hear the editors/writers themselves talk about their stories and the games they review. I also get to hear issues about the magazine itself and I get to hear updates before the issue comes out (it takes 6-8 weeks for a magazine to get printed and shipped). The magazine and the podcast are great complements to each other.
I also discovered IT Conversations, a website showcase of podcasts. I didn't get to go to the Web 2.0 conference but with IT Conversations, I can listen to the speakers anytime I want. Podcasting like this opens up a whole new realm of educational opportunities, as people from all over the world can now hear the same presentations whether they can attend the events or not. (The world just got a little smaller.)
iTunes makes it so easy to try podcasts. Just go to the iTunes store and search for topics of interest. All of them are free (so far) so there is no cost to try it. You can pick audio and video episodes you want to watch right now as well as subscribe to your favorites so that your computer will automatically download any new podcasts when they are released. Its very easy. Its very slick. And if you have an iPod, you can download the shows and take them with you on a walk or in the gym or wherever you used to listen to the radio.
I had heard about podcasts (yeah, for a while now) but I didnt really see the point. Heck, I've even been ON a podcast for a few months now.
It takes a little effort to seek them out, but once you try podcasting, the light-bulb will go on. Podcasts allow a whole lot more people to broadcast themselves (with voice or video) and you can listen to it on your schedule. Forget the radio, forget television - as podcasts continue to mature they will really shake traditional media because they provide a useful product in a new way. And it is all FREE!
Power to the people :)
