Thoughts on Podcasting

In what little time I have these days, I've been spending time with two on-line activities. The first is exploring Facebook (more on that later) and the second is really digging in on podcasting. I'll admit, I never really cared for podcasting. I know Dave over at Zunster loves it. I've heard for at least 2 years that I'm missing the boat. But, frankly, I just didn't think the content was all that compelling.

I have to say after giving it a second try, there there may be something to it. Clearly the content has improved over the last year. Podcasts are generally far more "professional" in nature and it isn't just a bunch of guys blathering on about nothing. Generally speaking, these are slick productions with interesting content. Some are obvious - BBC, NPR and my favorite the Economist. Some have really interesting data - like Achievement Junkie. Others are just plain entertaining and frivilous - French Maid TV and Tiki Bar come to mind. The point is that we've moved beyond the amatures to something useful.

I'm not going to talk about Zune specific podcasting until after launch (well, maybe I'll say one thing at the end). But, generally, I've noticed a few trends. First, it is a lot easier to find and subscribe to podcasts. I found several guides online that made it really easy to browse by subject and subscribe. Second, the production is actually pretty good. I found Adam Curry producing several, which surprised me. I think there are new and interesting tools for managing subscriptions. It isn't all drag and drop by hand, which is nice. I think the iTunes guide is interesting in that respect (and as a side note, can be used in conjunction with Zune if you are so inclined). Lastly automatic syncing has improved greatly across all these tools. You can imagine some of the new features we are adding, will also greatly improve that experience as well (see, I didn't give away too much).

So, I'm really digging podcasting right now. Ii hate to say it, but Dave was right. I'm going to live with it for a month and then report back to see if I'm still using the feature. I suspect I will be.