There are 2 schools of thoughts about podcasting.
The first is that it is a passing fad with no long term prospects.
The second is that it is a tool which can have significant business consequences.
One person who may believe in the latter option is the Dubliner, Ken Carroll - His language learning site Chinesepod.com has sent out 3m free podcasts since it was set up. According to the feature in the Guardian "...the site is one of the first and best examples of how Web 2.0 technologies can be applied to business."
With respect to the business model, the site offering all the podcasts free of charge. Money is made by offering extra teaching materials, available from a subscribers-only learning centre: transcripts of the lessons require a basic subscription ($9 a month), while Flash-based interactive teaching materials require the premium level subscription ($30 a month).
Alternatively, as Prism Legal Consulting recently pointed out you can use podcasting as a recruitment tool. They refer to a Wall Street Journal article Podcasts Extend Recruiters’ Reach explaining how management consulting firm Bain & Co. used a 20-minute podcast featuring Bain executives to attract students at the Indian Institute of Management. “Pleased with the results, Bain plans to expand its use of podcasts to more universities and other countries next year. That will put the firm on the leading edge of what may be an emerging trend in recruiting, as employers tap a popular new technology to reach young job seekers.”
Justin,
Some people have the idea that podcasting is something done by amateurs in the garage. In fact, there is a lot of that, but this is the whole point: anyone can now write a blog (as opposed to a book) produce a podcast (as opposed to a radio broadcast) and make/distribute movies. With a few thousand dollars, you can combine all of these things!
These elements are way too big to be a fad. Sure, there will be a lot of dreck out there in terms of podcasting and the rest, but there is also a huge opening for people with talent/ability/useful knowledge to do radical new things. It's going to happen - it cannot not happen!
Posted by: Ken Carroll | 09 May 2006 at 06:05 AM