Link: http://biz-blogs.com/b2e/index.php/2007/12/08/podcasting_101
As part of my initiation into various Web 2.0 marketing strategies I've started posting some of my previously recorded audios as "podcasts".
To tell you the truth, I've never really understood the whole podcast thing. It has always seemed to me that the concept of a downloadable audio file is actually a step backwards from the "play it live" idea where you just stick the file on your site and let people listen to it. It makes a lot more sense to me to put your audio message on your website or blog, and feed it through a simple streaming program like Wimpy. So rather than downloading the file and then listening to it on a dedicated device like an ipod or mp3 player, you just listen to it on your computer on the fly.
I'm sure this just shows my limited understanding of the "power of podcasting", and shows how deeply I am mired in Web 1.0 thinking where everything is just limited to my little corner of the online world.
But I'm trying hard to change. I can see that the first thing "podcasting" can do for you is take your little audio productions out of your basement or office and put them in a public environment where others can listen to them, download them, comment on them, etc.
I guess this is why podcasting as Web 2.0 is more than just making files available for people to listen to. It is putting them in an environment - the Web 2.0 environment - where you share them with specific communities of people. And that seems to be the whole thing with Web 2.0 - exposing yourself to others, sharing, participating.
On the suggestion of Clive at webel.biz I've created an account at podcastblaster.com and set up my first legitimate podcast. As I understand it, podcastblaster is primarily a searchable directory for podcasts - a place to list them where others can see them - including the search engines.
So that means you can get exposure, and you can also generate links that will have an influence on the search engines. So you get exposure from two directions at once - you're in the directory, and you're in the search engine indexes as a podcast publisher. Nothing other than listing yourself has actually changed. The files are still on your server, and when people listen to them they are getting them from you, not some third party podcast repository.
Podcastblaster also helps you create "feeds". In this case a feed is just an .xml file that contains information about your audio recordings. Once you generate the basic .xml file you can either go back to podcastblaster and modify every time you add content, or just manually edit it, since the .xml file resides on your own server.
All the .xml "feed" does is list your recordings, show information about who produced them, what they are about, where they can be listened to, etc. When you do new recordings you can add them to your .xml "feed" just by editing the .xml file.
Here's an example. This is my series of four recordings which I call "Building Effective Real Estate Websites", and the feed can be accessed by clicking on this button:
Building Effective Real Estate Websites 
But modifying your .xml file will not update your listing on podcastblaster.com - to do that you have to log into your account and enter changes, additions, etc.... Here's what my listing looks like:
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