Why I Love Podcasts
i-Tunes Podcast Page
First of all – what is a podcast?
You see lots of young people these days listening to music on ipods and other portable MP3 players. An MP3 is simply a digital file that plays sound – normally music. But you can record anything involving sound as an MP3 file. Podcasts are normally MP3 files with content such as people talking, interviews, radio-style shows, comedy routines, commentary. As podcasts become more popular you can find podcasts on many topics. I listen to podcasts on marketing, new media, and small business. Often the content is free to download because the providers of the content use it as a marketing channel or sometimes to sell advertising slots. Once you download a podcast you can transfer it to your ipod or other portable MP3 player and listen to it where and when you choose. Podcasts vary in length – but most often are between 15 and 45 minutes (give or take a few minutes).
And why I love them
For me, with a busy work life and a busy home life, I find it increasingly difficult to read or sit down to a particular television programme. Often these media require dedicated attention. However, I can listen to podcasts while I do other things – commuting to/from work, jogging, supermarket shopping, chopping vegetables, washing the dishes, mowing lawns (I use a hand push mower), or ironing shirts.
Listening to podcasts I connect more with the content provider than I would while reading a book. As they talk I am drawn into their passion and emotion for the topic. I hear the humour in their voice with their jokes and remarks.
Finally, I have a view that learning is best achieved when you are exposed to a particular idea many times, seeing it from different perspectives, and drawing new distinctions that build on your previous understanding. With podcasts I often listen to variety of podcasts on similar topics – say for example ‘internet marketing’. Similar ground gets covered at times – for example ‘search engine optimisation’. But the different presenters and interviewees often give different perspectives and new insights, while at the same time reinforcing the core concepts, allowing me to build a broader understanding of the topic.
One day I hope to add podcasts to this blog.
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