LaLunaBlanca

What is a Podcast?

I’m no longer surprised by how many people don’t know what a podcast is. I often explain it like: an a.m. talk radio show more often than not created by people with a passion for a particular subject. The show is downloadable as an audio file, usually in an .mp3 format, and usually to an “iPod” or similar .mp3 player.

Me and Podcasts

I was first really intrigued with Podcasts when my wife and I attended PodCamp Nashville back in 2007. Over the recent holidays, I listened to countless hours of podcasts and can’t seem to put them down. I enjoy podcasts because they:

• Allow me to consume information about the things I’m interested in
• When I might be in a situation where I can’t read (mowing, driving, doing cardio…)
• Allow me to skip past useless (to me) episodes
• Let me pause and play, rewind, etc…

Rarely do I listen to a podcast while sitting at the computer.

I used to (pre iPhone) download .mp3′s to an SD card and listen in my car or via my Treo.

With an iPhone, I am able to grab the podcasts from iTunes and download to my phone. I keep earphones handy. I also have a cable allowing me to use my car stereo to play them.

There are some great shows out there with wonderful content. I encourage anyone to search for podcasts in their area of interest and try out at least a couple of shows from each producer (even excellent podcasts may have a dud episode and you’d hate to draw a conclusion from one of those).

Finding Podcasts

If you’re on iTunes, go check out the Podcasts section. Just note that not all podcasts are on iTunes. Many are not. As my interest is in Social Media, I regularly download:

• Dishy Mix – Host can be annoying, but she does a great job interviewing wonderful guests.
• CC Chapman’s – Managing the Grey
• Mitch Joel’s – Six Degrees of Separation
• Joseph Jaffe’s – Jaffe Juice
• Albert Maruggi’s – Marketing Edge

Podcast Directory-type Sites

You can Google Podcast Directories, but I’d recommend hitting up your social bookmarking network like Delicious, Redit, or StumbleUpon to see what humans are recommending.

• Visit the National Public Radio (NPR) Podcast page (pack a lunch, it’s a great place to get lost in).
• My Podnet
• OpenCulture – Interesting college lectures and more!
• PodCast Pickle
• BlogTalkRadio (more technically a “network” but nice directory)

If you wind-up empty handed, it could be an opportunity for you to start your own PodCast on a particular subject.

Do I have a PodCast?

Not, yet. However, with social media in Memphis steadily on the rise, LunaWeb does have a 7 minute Social Media Expedition segment on the Small Biz Show which is an actual a.m. radio show in Memphis, TN.

Stumble! for WP