What is a Podcast?

A podcast is an internet term that refers to the transferring and downloading of media files that can be played or accessed from a portable media device such as an Apple iPod. Apples iPod is the most popular portable storage device on the market today, which is why this type of marketing is considered podcasting, and not portable media device casting. However, podcasts can be used on many different types and brands of portable storage devices. Podcasting is not isolated to be used with Apples iPod only. The types of media that can be downloaded and transferred can be, text based, audio based, or video. Currently, audio is the most utilized format for podcasting but video is steadily catching up. A podcast is merely a file created in a specific format that is downloaded from a host and then transferred to a portable media device so that the media can be accessed anywhere, anytime. The main benefit of a podcast is that it can be subscribed to. After subscribing to a podcast, you will receive updated podcasts that are delivered directly to your portable storage device. So rather than browsing to each individual pod casters web page or blog to download the new file (audio, text, video) each and every time a new podcast is available, all you would need to do is access the page once, subscribe to the podcast, and then wait for the new information to be automatically transferred.