While Podcasts have been around for some time, it is only recently that their popularity has really taken off with many leading news / entertainment sites such as www.digg.com and www.youtube.com promoting them very heavily.  So what exactly is a Podcast and how long has the concept been around?

What is a Podcast?

Basically a Podcast is a media file which is available on the internet, normally via some kind of paid or free subscription, and distributed using syndication feeds such as RSS (Really Simple Syndication) or Atom.  Research has shown that the most successful Podcasts are usually a mixture of audio and video, although they can be either audio or video.

In order for a Podcast to become “live”, the media file is loaded onto a server which is available to the public, and links to the file are circulated via the internet. These files can be downloaded at any time, which offers an on-demand service to subscribers.  It is also very easy to store past Podcasts for later viewing, thereby allowing Podcasters to build up a very useful library of content - which can be used over and over again.

When did Podcasts begin?

Initially the principle of Podcasting was first suggested back in 2000, but the medium only became reality in 2001 after the development of the appropriate supporting software.   The first ever Podcast (in all but name) was delivered by the Radio UserLand  blogging software back in 2001.  Initially it was part of their RSS offering, although the name Podcast was actually derived from the Apple iPod at a later stage.

Some of the more prominent events in the development of Podcasts are listed below :-

January 2001, Dave Winer included a media file of a song called “Grateful Dead” in his RSS feed.  This was the first ever Podcast, and became a regular part of his blog service.

June 2003, While Podcasts were starting to become more popular, they were fairly few and far between in relation to the overall internet, and were the “toys” of the more successful and wealthy webmasters.  It was in 2003 that Stephen Downes released his aggregate RSS feeder, which scoured the internet for media downloadable files (MP3 file Podcasts) and collated them all into one feed.  In effect the first Podcast “search engine”.

August 2004, was the month in which people really began to take an interest in “Podcasts”, and there were 2,750 searches for “Podcasts” on Google on the 1st August.  As interest continued to spiral, this figure began to double ever few days, with the concept “going viral”.

October 2004, saw the introduction of the first “official” search engine dedicated to Podcasts, Podkey.  This allowed the now growing population of Podcast users and producers to communicate directly, receive feedback and make the necessary changes.  The number of “Podcasts” searches on Google had by now jumped dramatically to over 100,000 on the 18th October alone.

The Podcast service has been one of the internet’s true phenomenal success stories, with many different types available today, including :-

- Corporate Promotions
- News
- Music
- Tutorials

 and many many more.

We have also seen UK comedian Ricky Gervais introduce his Podcast of the Ricky Gervais Show, which has become on the of the most popular downloads of all time.  There was also the first Podcast by a politician in March 2006, when Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper appealed to the masses in the “Prime Minister of Canada’s Podcast”.

As the popularity of Podcasts continues to grow, there has been a massive increase in the variations of supporting software available.  The cost of producing and distributing Podcasts has fallen dramatically, and we are seeing the “man in the street” issue regular broadcasts to both niche and mass market viewers.

Podcasts are here to stay, and have become a vital part of the webmaster’s interaction with clients and potential customers alike. There will no doubt be further developments in the formats and styles available, and these should be well received by an ever growing band of enthusiasts.