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MediÂaShift, the PBS blog which “tracks how new media—from weblogs to podÂcasts to citÂiÂzen journalism—are changÂing sociÂety and culÂture,” has just postÂed a new piece that you’ll want to check out. The artiÂcle, givÂen the snapÂpy title “Will Video Kill the Audio PodÂcastÂing Star? Not ExactÂly,” takes a good look at how audio podÂcasts are farÂing against YouTube-style video. Right now, YouTube is all the rage, so much so that “podÂcasts” almost seem passĂ©, despite being declared the “Word of the Year” by the New Oxford AmerÂiÂcan DiciÂtionary at the end of 2005. But accordÂing to MediÂaShift’s Mark Glaser, audio podÂcasts are doing just fine, in part because they’re more verÂsaÂtile. And as I explain in the artiÂcle, audio podÂcastÂing should gain only more tracÂtion in the comÂing years.
This point deserves perÂhaps a bit of elabÂoÂraÂtion. Audio podÂcasts are at an inherÂent techÂnoÂlogÂiÂcal disÂadÂvanÂtage vis-a-vis online video. Video streamÂing takes place withÂin a familÂiar web enviÂronÂment. You call up a web page (on YouTube, for examÂple), see the video, and click play. PeoÂple know how to do that. MeanÂwhile, accessÂing a podÂcast is someÂwhat more involved. You have to own an iPod, be familÂiar with iTunes, and know how to sync podÂcasts to your iPod. Or, even more comÂpliÂcatÂed, you have to get comÂfortÂable workÂing with RSS feeds, which is no easy feat. None of this is very straightÂforÂward, and that is why we recentÂly creÂatÂed a PodÂcast Primer.
Now, as I menÂtioned in the artiÂcle, I do foreÂsee the gap closÂing, at least someÂwhat. The iPod has been a blockÂbuster gadÂget. It’s quickÂly penÂeÂtratÂing our sociÂety, and the comÂfort levÂel of workÂing with iPods and relatÂed softÂware is risÂing. And that means that audio podÂcasts should expeÂriÂence some good growth ahead. But will audio podÂcasts ever comÂpete with web video? I don’t think so, and that’s because we been livÂing in a video culÂture for some time, and that won’t be changÂing anyÂtime soon.
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