Is podcasting just a bubble?
On Blogspotting Heather Green questions whether podcasting is just a bubble or it really has business potentials.
Recently Yahoo! released a report (RSS—Crossing into the Mainstream) in which 28% of the people surveyed said they were aware of podcasting, but only 2% actually listened to podcasts.
So back to the main question… Is podcasting just a bubble? Well, podcasting has been probably a little bit overhyped until now, but don’t worry, it is here to stay (and to grow).
I’ve never listened to a full podcast and can’t see the use of it as an information medium. It’s more suitable for entertainment purposes I guess..
Personally, I like getting podcasts for radio shows like CBC’s Quirks and Quarks, DNTO etc., I also download the daily podcast from Slate.com. I view podcasts as TIVO for radio, and I want that type of depth and quality in the programming I hear.
PodCasting is here to stay. It provides the average Joe a chance to say their say without having to muscle up dollars and dollars to get some airtime. PodCasting will become bigger and bigger in time until it’s as mainstream as surfing the net.
As a distribution mechanism, podcasting is here to stay. You can take a podcast anywhere and not be tied to the network like you are for streaming.
As a medium, I think it’s similar to blogging in that it is, or will be, a long tail phenomenon. With tools like Podscope, searching for content will get easier.
Like all other mediums, podcasters need to find their audience.
The medium could really benefit from a folksonomy tool, similar to del.icio.us.