I’m skeptical about podcasting. Sure, the Ventura County Star was the first daily newspaper to launch a podcast, and I am always willing to give a good idea for a podcast a shot, but I keep wondering: where is the audience?
Jack Lail notes a couple of news stories about podcasting keyed off a study that says the daily podcast audience is just 1 percent.
Meanwhile, the number of podcasts produced is exploding. Is critical mass arriving or is content being put up that will just go unheard? Will video blogs overtake podcasting before it even begins? Where exactly does podcasting fit in?
The problem with a podcast is it takes time to download, and if you intend for it to be portable, move it to a portable MP3 player — and if you’re like me, that MP3 is filled with music. You then need time — like a commute, which we don’t all do — to listen to a podcast.
If I’m not going to download something and take it with me; if I’m going to be in front of the computer anyway — I’d rather just watch my news or entertainment. If I had a video iPod, I could see myself being more inclined to download video news and entertainment than audio, especially in advance of a cross-country plane flight. But maybe that’s just me. On the other hand, it’s been two or three years now and the audience hasn’t really developed, all the while video downloads are going through the roof.
[dels]podcasting[/dels]
Podcasting. I tested it. It’s a lot of work for what? Well, let’s just say that I think video is the revolution. There’s a reason you talk more about video than podcasts. Now, if youtube and google video and such hadn’t come about so fast, then I think podcasts would have been more important to the masses… I’ve hung up my hat on my Buck City podcast. You heard it here first.
Wow … breaking news on HowardOwens.com … and before I even get interviewed :-(