| Business |
Become an instant
radio star on the Internet
By MALUM NALU
Are you one of the many young Papua New Guineans who has always
dreamed of having his or her own radio show?
Are you a recording artist hoping to have your songs heard by
the masses?
In the old days, you would have needed to know a lot of people
in the right places - or have lots of money - to get heard.
But now, thanks to the Internet and its instantaneous connection
to millions of people, your dreams can become reality.
You can also create video Podcasts - also called videocasts,
vidcasts and vodcasts - which combine the audio component of
Podcasting with visual media.
Just as Blogging has enabled almost anyone with a computer to
become a bona fide reporter, Podcasting allows virtually anyone
with a computer to become a radio disc jockey, talk show host or
recording artist.
Although Podcasting first found popularity within the techie set
in developed countries of the world, it has since caught on with
the general public.
Log on to one of several Podcast sites on the Web, and you can
download content ranging from music to philosophy to sports.
Podcasting combines the freedom of Blogging with digital audio
technology to create an almost endless supply of content.
Some say this new technology is democratising the once
corporate-run world of radio.
Podcasting is a free service that allows Internet users to pull
audio files (typically MP3s) from a Podcasting Web site to
listen to on their computers or personal digital audio players.
The term comes from a combination of the words iPod (a personal
digital audio player made by Apple) and broadcasting.
Even though the term is derived from the iPod, you don't need an
iPod to listen to a Podcast.
You can use virtually any portable media player or your
computer.
Unlike Internet radio, users don't have to "tune in" to a
particular broadcast.
Instead, they download the Podcast on demand or subscribe via an
RSS (Really Simple Syndication) feed, which automatically
downloads the Podcast to their computers.
The technology is similar to that used by TiVo, a personal video
recorder that lets users set which programs they'd like to
record and then automatically records those programs for later
viewing.
Podcasting was developed in 2004 by former MTV video jockey Adam
Curry and software developer Dave Winer.
Curry wrote a program, called iPodder, that enabled him to
automatically download Internet radio broadcasts to his iPod.
Several developers improved upon his idea, and Podcasting was
officially born.
Curry now hosts a show called The Daily Source Code, one of the
most popular Podcasts on the Internet.
Right now, Podcasting is free from government regulation.
Podcasters don't need to buy a license to broadcast their
programming, as radio stations do, and they don't need to
conform to the US Federal Communication Commission's (FCC)
broadcast decency regulations.
That means anything goes - from four-letter words to sexually
explicit content.
Copyright law does apply to Podcasting, though.
Podcasters can copyright or license their work - Creative
Commons is just one online resource for copyrights and licenses.
Although several corporations and big broadcast companies have
ventured into the medium, many Podcasters are amateurs
broadcasting from home studios.
Because Podcasters don't rely on ratings as radio broadcasters
do, the subject matter of Podcasts can range from the refined to
the silly to the excruciatingly mundane.
Podcasters typically cater to a niche group of listeners.
By Podcasting consistently on one subject, Podcasters not only
assert their expertise on the subject matter but also draw a
loyal and devoted group of listeners.
Podcasts are also used for informational and educational
purposes -- self-guided walking tours, talk shows and training
are all available through podcasting, according to Podcasting
Tools.
Several companies are trying to turn Podcasting into a
profitable business.
It is very easy to listen to a Podcast.
Once you master a few simple steps and search techniques, there
are virtually no limits to what you can hear.
Recording a Podcast is almost as easy as listening to one.
Here's how the process works:
- Plug a microphone into your computer ;
- Install an audio recorder for Windows, Mac or Linux (free
software for audio recorders includes Audacity, Record for All
and Easy Recorder V5);
- Create an audio file by making a recording (you can talk, sing
or record music) and saving it to your computer;
- Finally, upload the audio file to one of the Podcasting sites
(FeedForAll has a tutorial on how to upload a file).
Some experts say Podcasting still has a long way to go before it
catches on with the masses, but its growing popularity is
undeniable.
It's possible that Podcasting will eventually become as popular
as text blogging, which grew from a few thousand blogs in the
late '90s to more than 7 million today.
Some Pod Casts are already providing thousand of downloads a
day, and they're not just entertaining their listeners - they're
also doing business.
Back home, in a rare opportunity for local industry, business,
students and for Papua New Guinea, the first-ever Datec
Technology Expo today (Friday October 12) and tomorrow at the
Crowne Plaza in Port Moresby will bring together everything
technological to create PNG's largest and most dynamic
information and communication exhibition.
More than 35 international technology organisations will exhibit
at the expo and many of those have taken up the offer to conduct
seminars on their products and services.
See you there!
For comments and feedback, email the author at malumnalu@yahoo.com
or SMS 6849763.
 
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