There was a lot of discussion both at BlogWorld and GodBlogCon about the future of podcasting.
The general consensus is that "podcasting," publicizing mp3 audio files through RSS feeds and then having listeners download those files from iTunes and listen to them on iPods, has reached a dead end. There is a major problem with saturation, with the biggest podcasters topping out at around 250,000 listeners and having difficulty growing their audiences further.
However, the blogging gurus also believe that the idea of quality audio web content is not dead. Perhaps we need a better name than "podcasting." Perhaps more innovative ways of utilizing audio content will interest more users.
Audio content can, if done properly, compete with other media formats including talk radio. At the GodBlogCon closing roundtable, John Mark Reynolds shared that the audio being produced by ScriptoriumDaily is now in the form of a "show." (This week, Scriptorium is posting audio from the GodBlogCon sessions, so check it out if you are interested in what went on at the GodBlogCon.) I can also envision people who are very compelling talkers using audio as their primary communications tool, rather than lengthy blog posts.
I've decided that I'm going to give audio content a try. I'm going to produce a short audio segment about my impressions of Las Vegas, which I am tentatively calling "Las Vegas From Below." When it goes up, let me know wht you think.
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