This was the last seminar before our mid sem break. Prof Gilbert was really kind in finishing the class off an hour earlier! I must say though short, the class was interesting. The main discussion was on podcasting and how it can affect business today.
I have been looking forward to this class for a while now. I do subscribe to quite a few podcasts ranging from news to comedy to hobbies and even general knowledge. But this class actually got me thinking about it a little more than just a source of entertainment. I was never really sure about the technical aspects of a podcast. Infact I had always just assumed it had something to do with an ipod because of the similar 'pod' in the names. And well I was right! A podcast is basically a media file that can distributed over the Internet and can be played on mobile devices and computers. This allows them to be extremely portable. At the same time a podcast can be created by almost anyone. As long as you have a mic and the correct software your good to go!
The seminar discussed how podcasts are being used by numerous well known companies both as a means of internal and external information distribution. The great advantage here is that people can choose which podcasts to view and listen to. At the same time they can keep viewing them over and over again once downloaded. I believe podcasts can be used a method by higher management to pass certain messages down to their suboordinates. It would represent a fun element into working life and at the same time prevents potential problems being caused in the form of coordination of times of meetings as well as boredom in meeting process.
At the same time podcasting can be used a medium of education too. It has tremendous potential in such a field. At this moment I am using podcasts to learn Spanish. I must admit I have just started so I am still trying to get the feel of Spanish but podcasts give students and working people so many options. The podcast I am using is "Learn Spanish with Coffee Break Spanish" and can be downloaded using iTunes software. There are many such different podcasts to learn, the video ones ofcourse helping more in terms of science subjects. It helps kids learn and at the same time introduces that new "fun" and "cool" element to studies.
Most of the working crowd actually spends a considerable amount of time on travelling. And while travelling they also spend a considerable time using a portable media device like a laptop or mp3 player to play music or watch movies. This gives podcasts such a huge market to dive into. I really do feel the potential is tremendous. It need not always be in the form of a video podcast but could even be in the form of a simple tag line in an audio podcast. I remember from my National Geographic podcasts, each episode actually begins with a short 15sec ad for AT&T. The point is after a while of subscribing to podcasts users will tend to have the image of such ads permanently in the mind and I think that really helps so much in spreading a brand image.
I had followed a show called One Tree Hill for a while (not very interesting, but thought about something from it), where one of the characters uses a podcast as a method to talk out her feelings and also her life. So it kind of served as a diary for her in terms of her thoughts and feeling towards people, life and all sorts of issues. To me that makes podcasting a way of actually having a digital blog. You can't really see and read it but you can listen to it and still get everything you would from reading it. Just a different point of view I wanted to share.
Anyway back to the main topic. Podcasts can be created using different types of software. Depending on how good and professional you want them to be your costs would vary from $0 to thousands. Yes thats right, you can actually create a podcast for free if you own a mic and can download basic podcasting software. One such free software is Audacity. I have not tried it yet and am not fully aware of how to use it. I am going to try though and see if I can put up a podcast on of my blog entries just as a test and to record a few thoughts. I am not going to list out how you do it because one of my class mates has done an excellent job of it! Here is the link if you want to learn how to create a podcast!
(Thanks for sharing Arinto)
I hope you guys do try podcasting, if not creating atleast listening to some. I've always thought of a podcast as something that can be entertaining, educational as well as upto date! I use them for so many things: news, music, comedy shows, wildlife, philosophy, and languages. Anyways I do hope you try it out and enjoy it... that's all for me as I head into my mid sem break =)
I have been looking forward to this class for a while now. I do subscribe to quite a few podcasts ranging from news to comedy to hobbies and even general knowledge. But this class actually got me thinking about it a little more than just a source of entertainment. I was never really sure about the technical aspects of a podcast. Infact I had always just assumed it had something to do with an ipod because of the similar 'pod' in the names. And well I was right! A podcast is basically a media file that can distributed over the Internet and can be played on mobile devices and computers. This allows them to be extremely portable. At the same time a podcast can be created by almost anyone. As long as you have a mic and the correct software your good to go!
The seminar discussed how podcasts are being used by numerous well known companies both as a means of internal and external information distribution. The great advantage here is that people can choose which podcasts to view and listen to. At the same time they can keep viewing them over and over again once downloaded. I believe podcasts can be used a method by higher management to pass certain messages down to their suboordinates. It would represent a fun element into working life and at the same time prevents potential problems being caused in the form of coordination of times of meetings as well as boredom in meeting process.
At the same time podcasting can be used a medium of education too. It has tremendous potential in such a field. At this moment I am using podcasts to learn Spanish. I must admit I have just started so I am still trying to get the feel of Spanish but podcasts give students and working people so many options. The podcast I am using is "Learn Spanish with Coffee Break Spanish" and can be downloaded using iTunes software. There are many such different podcasts to learn, the video ones ofcourse helping more in terms of science subjects. It helps kids learn and at the same time introduces that new "fun" and "cool" element to studies.
Most of the working crowd actually spends a considerable amount of time on travelling. And while travelling they also spend a considerable time using a portable media device like a laptop or mp3 player to play music or watch movies. This gives podcasts such a huge market to dive into. I really do feel the potential is tremendous. It need not always be in the form of a video podcast but could even be in the form of a simple tag line in an audio podcast. I remember from my National Geographic podcasts, each episode actually begins with a short 15sec ad for AT&T. The point is after a while of subscribing to podcasts users will tend to have the image of such ads permanently in the mind and I think that really helps so much in spreading a brand image.
I had followed a show called One Tree Hill for a while (not very interesting, but thought about something from it), where one of the characters uses a podcast as a method to talk out her feelings and also her life. So it kind of served as a diary for her in terms of her thoughts and feeling towards people, life and all sorts of issues. To me that makes podcasting a way of actually having a digital blog. You can't really see and read it but you can listen to it and still get everything you would from reading it. Just a different point of view I wanted to share.
Anyway back to the main topic. Podcasts can be created using different types of software. Depending on how good and professional you want them to be your costs would vary from $0 to thousands. Yes thats right, you can actually create a podcast for free if you own a mic and can download basic podcasting software. One such free software is Audacity. I have not tried it yet and am not fully aware of how to use it. I am going to try though and see if I can put up a podcast on of my blog entries just as a test and to record a few thoughts. I am not going to list out how you do it because one of my class mates has done an excellent job of it! Here is the link if you want to learn how to create a podcast!
(Thanks for sharing Arinto)
I hope you guys do try podcasting, if not creating atleast listening to some. I've always thought of a podcast as something that can be entertaining, educational as well as upto date! I use them for so many things: news, music, comedy shows, wildlife, philosophy, and languages. Anyways I do hope you try it out and enjoy it... that's all for me as I head into my mid sem break =)
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