The earliest known citation of the word “podcasting” comes from THE HERALD, Glasgow’s leading broadsheet daily newspaper. On January 8, 2004, their column “The Last Word” read as follows:
THE LAST WORD8 January 2004© 2004, Newsquest Media GroupPODCASTING Also known as DIY radio.
The idea is that anyone with a computer can record their own show and upload it on to the internet; listeners can then download it on to their MP3 players and enjoy it at leisure.
Great: broadcasting democracy at last. But you know what it means in reality is spotty teenagers playing six hours of crunk and grime, and middle-aged men uploading their entire collection of Amazulu 12″ extended remixes. Bet you can’t wait for that.
Although it was the first reference, THE HERALD’s early description does not accurately represent podcasting as we understand it today.
The essential element that distinguishes podcasting from web-based radio is its link to Real Simple Syndication (RSS). Podcast listeners subscribe to their favorite podcasts through an RSS feed. Thus, whenever a new episode appears online, the listener is immediately alerted and the new podcast is automatically downloaded onto their computer.
In February 2004, Ben Hammersley speculated about the “Audible Revolution” of online audio in THE GUARDIAN newspaper.
⇒ NEXT: “IN THE BEGINNING” → Media Groundswell
{ 1 trackback }
Comments on this entry are closed.