Starting your own podcast is ten-times easier today than it was five years ago.
You can find almost everything you need, from instructions to equipment to advice, on the internet.
Amazon.ca lists over 60 books on podcasting, Google Search returns almost 2-million “How to Podcast” hits, YouTube has over one-hundred instructional videos, and there are even podcasting kits available for those who want to open a box and start podcasting.
Although podcasting is now accessible to newcomers, it’s also more isolated than it was in the beginning. When Canada’s early adopters started podcasting, no one knew what podcasting was yet. The tools needed to produce and syndicate MP3 files were unfamiliar, so podcasters had to rely on each other to solve problems. They also looked to each other to figure-out how far podcasting could go and how creative and distinct it could be. Communication with others played a key role in the medium’s development.
★ Bob Goyetche and Mark Blevis compare podcasting today to early podcasting:
Some argue podcasting lost its experimental edge when it hit the mainstream. Listeners and producers are now accustomed to format and quality of major media podcasts, so there isn’t an impetus to test the plasticity of the medium. People also lack the patience to seek-out independent podcasts when highly-produced major media podcasts are so plentiful.
★ Wayne MacPhail talks about podcasting’s co-opted audience:
As awareness about podcasting continues to grow and the medium is adopted by more and more people, the need for community will limit itself to those who reach-out. The tools available online ensure that new podcasters don’t need others to help them out. Independents can be as engaged or aloof as they please. There are conferences and meet-ups for those who wish to interact. For others, podcasting is just another thing they happen to do.
