History of Podcasting
Podcasting is a popular method of exchanging digital media files by downloading those files onto MP3 Players or onto computers through the use of RSS Feeds. Podcasts and Podcasting have only been in popular use since 2004, though other forms similar to Podcasts have been around for several years.
Radio and Television are the precursor to Podcasts, dating to before the introduction of the internet. In fact, Podcasts work much the same way as radio and television, by broadcasting content so that anyone with an internet connection will be able to download and listen or watch to the Podcasts, usually for free. The podcasts tend to support themselves with the help of advertisements.
In the 1980’s the Radio Computing Services introduced music and other software to radio station in digital format. This allowed the introduction of digital format as a way to share and distribute music and other audio files. The first real step towards Podcasting was accomplished by the I2Go company who created content that could be downloaded onto MP3 Players. In 2000, the use of enclosures of RSS Feeds was suggested and in 2003, the use of syndicated audio files was demonstrated by including a collection of files on audio feeds. By later in 2003, a RSS to iPod script was introduced to the world.
2004 saw the term Podcasting come into use and the idea behind it was picked up by several developers and independent designers. Google reported that the number of hits for the term “Podcasts” was only 526 in September of 2004, 2,750 by October 1 of the same year and by October 18 of 2004 there were 100,000 hits. The growth of Podcasting is amazing given the short amount of time. The newest innovation for Podcasts was developed in 2007 with the ‘The Sleep of Reason’ which is hailed as the first television series to be solely for Podcasts.
The future of Podcasts is anyone’s guess, but what is certain is the continued growth and popularity of the format.