I tried something new and scary for this week’s activities for our LIBR 246 class under Prof. Debbie Faires. Yup, you read that right, scary, as in recording and listening to my own voice and posting it on this blog. The very thought is already making my skin crawl. Unfortunately, I am one of those gifted with a speaking voice that is a cross between a honking goose and a furious Klingon; and to make matters worse, I am aware of it and gets self-conscious about it. But hey, in this class we rise up to the challenge to conquer that beast called Web 2.0! See, I am already in character as a furious Klingon warrior.
Expect to see five successive posts about podcasting. My first three posts would be in written form, followed by two posts done as a podcast or audio form. In my first two posts I would have my introduction, explain what a podcast is, and write about my experiences as a consumer of podcasts using iTunes, Juice, and Google Reader. I will also talk about the podcasts I subscribed to using both Google Reader and iTunes. And the two podcasts posts would be on my thoughts on the uses of podcasts in a public library setting.
In going through these activities and creating these posts and podcasts I viewed the Elluminate presentation of Prof. Debbie Faires on the topic and read through the chapter on Meredith Farkas’ Social Software in Libraries while going through the links mentioned and found on the book’s site. I also listened to three podcasts produced by the Sirsi Dynix Institute. The first two podcasts is a two-part series that came out in 2006 and done by George Schwartz, wherein he provides a beginner’s guide to podcasting as a consumer on part one, and as a creator of podcast on part two. The third podcast produced in 2007 and done by David Free provides resources and new ways of how podcasts are being used in the library world. All three podcasts are accompanied by PPT slides that I also referred to in looking at examples of its uses and resources for podcast creation.
Podcasts are audio files, usually in MP3 format that are distributed via the internet and can be syndicated and listened to in a computer, or downloaded and listened to on a MP3 player. The term comes from parts of two words combined together, “pod” from iPod and “casts” from broadcasts. And even though the first syllable of its name comes from the iconic iPod, you do not need an iPod or MP3 player to listen to a podcast as you can listen to it directly on your computer, or download it to another portable device like your multi-media-equipped mobile phone. Podcasts can be done in any audio format, but usually done in the most widely used format, MP3. It does not follow any rigid rules as to what the content should be about. It can be about news, information, rumors, reviews, or entertainment. It can contain music, accompanied by screencasts or PPT slides. It can be as short as a minute or as long as an hour. It can be done by an individual, a couple or a group. It is democratic and as Schwartz would put it, the audio long tail, as content and creator can come from professionals or amateurs; mainstream or fringe. However, what makes a podcast a Web 2.0 tool though, is not the content, but the technology behind to deploy it, RSS. Syndication equals freedom. It means content delivered to the consumer. It means availability at the moment the content is posted. It also leads to portability since this can then be transferred to either a MP3 player or another mobile device to be listened to at leisure.
On the next part of these series of posts I shared my experience as a podcast consumer.