The primarily amateur Internet audio medium known as podcasting will take a small, hopeful step on Friday toward becoming the commercial Web's next big thing. ¶ That step is planned by Odeo, a five-person start-up that ... was co-founded by a Google alumnus. The company plans to introduce a Web-based system that is aimed at making a business of podcasting - the process of creating, finding, organizing and listening to digital audio files that range from living-room ramblings to BBC newscasts. ...¶... [Be sure to read through to the end, where you'll find:] While still too much in its infancy to be considered an immediate threat to the radio industry, podcasting does present the prospect of a growing army of iPod-toting commuters who take programming decisions out of the hands of broadcasters and customize their own listening. ¶ Odeo's founders say they believe that, as with other old and new media, conventional radio and podcasting can coexist in the long term. If, through podcasting, conventional radio programs are increasingly stored and played back on the listener's schedule, rather than the broadcaster's, then the trend could have the same time-shifting impact that TiVo-style video recorders have had on the viewing habits of television audiences. ... Link: The New York Times. Thanks to Stephen Hill for the tip. --Dennis
Here's a post about it by Odeo co-foiunder Evan Williams: So, the big news in my world is that I'm working on a new thing involving what has become known as podcasting. As mentioned previously, I'm at TED right now, and we're demoing it for the first time in public Friday morning. But The New York Times article is online now. It focused on the fact that we're trying to make a business of podcasting, which is fine, but is really the least interesting thing about it. ... Link: Evhead weblog.
Here's Steve Gillmor's take on this: Testing 1 2 3. --Dennis
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