August 16, 2005
What Next? The Speaking Clock?
You know podcasting's gone mainstream when both the White House and South Yorkshire Police get in on the act.
November 23, 2004
More thoughts on Podcasting
IMHO there are some problems with the podcasting phenomenon that, until resolved, will prevent it from reaching the 'next level' of adoption. I'm sure they will be ironed out sooner or later - the initial tsunami of hype will inevitably give way to increased usability, better information etc. My wishlist includes:
Broader support for multiple media types in podcasting clients. Currently, only iPodderx supports audio, video and photos (wot no Torrents?)
Better integration across podcasting clients, RSS readers and related apps (media players, browsers etc.) One of the key benefits of podcasting IMO is the ability to apply an editorial structure to media. I want to be able to read the RSS feed while listening to the enclosed audio files - and do it from within one app.
Better tools for blogging media files. I would love to be able to blog podcast-enabled files from within iTunes or Windows Explorer (something like the flickr plugin would be good, or the 'right-click and post' del.icio.us plugin for Firefox.)
Better support for uploading and managing large files in hosted and/or distributed blog tools. Currently, MT refuses to upload even a one-track MP3, so I had to FTP the file manually.
Better discovery mechanisms for podcasts. The list of last 100 podcasts is useful, as is iPodder's resources, and Kinrowan's Podcast Review, but a combination of all three would be useful. As would an Audioscrobbler/Last FM style recommendations engine for podcasts.
Podtesting
I've been researching RSS enclosures (basically an RSS 2.0 feature enabling feeds to carry a payload of associated media files - i.e. audio, video and images.) And here's my first podcast: I've used Feedburner's Smartcast to make my RSS feed podcast-ready, but MT users can also use an enclosures plugin. So, anyone receiving this item as RSS should also be able to acquire the referenced audio file. You'll need to get hold of a suitable podcasting client, such as iPodder or Doppler Radio. Anyhow, here's the file - a classic.
Disclaimer: to quote JoeyCoco, all the files here are for demo purposes. Unless you already bought the regular old-fashioned CD in a real-life wrecka stow, please erase them after listening. Otherwise, please legally buy the tracks here .