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Podcasting - Taking The Web Out Of The Box

Want to learn how to make money on the stock market while driving to work?  Or find out how to get into the college of your choice while roller blading?  Or even hear about the latest trends in home decorating while preparing dinner? Need a better way to engage the students in your classroom or communicate with students around the world?

Believe it or not, all of that is just a click away.

In the past, people spent hours at their computers, or even more inconvenient, went to the library for their research and then sorted through mountains of data.  But today, that same information can be obtained in a fraction of the time because you can listen to it when it's convenient for you!

Where do the web savvy turn for the latest information?

Tuned in surfers, professionals and students, are getting the answers they need by subscribing to podcasts —- web feeds of audio or video files in their areas of interest.  Best of all, you can subscribe and listen to your programs on any computer with Internet access.  You don't need an iPod or MP3 player, but if you have one, you can listen to a podcast on the beach, in your car or anywhere!

Podcasts are communication vehicles of convenience and they are changing our lives. Podcasting, also called audioblogging, has been around for a very long time, but first became 'mainstream' back in 2004.  Some of the most notable files shared with the world that year were recorded during the Democratic National Convention in Boston.

Today, people are using podcasts to discover new ideas. College students can play back the lectures they missed and musicians are performing for the world.  A meeting to train employees on how to use a new computer system can be podcast and everyone can download the information to view at a time that will not interfere with business. No more trying to coordinate a training session in six different times zones! You can even make versions of your podcast in several languages... no matter where your viewers listen or what country they call home, they can get the information you need them to have.

It's not surprising that businesses are beginning to create and distribute podcasts to deliver their companies' messages in this extremely convenient method.  The so-called "Internet marketing tool of the future" is already here today.

"A variety of different podcasts are being created, including placing advertisements in podcasts, offering subscriptions to individual shows, and in some cases, getting podcasters to produce shows devoted to specific products much like the early days of radio," says Lou DelMonte of TMA E-Marketing, one of the largest Internet marketing companies in the upper Midwest.

"There are numerous ways to incorporate podcasts into your business communications.  Use them as advertising, record live business events like grand openings, guest speakers, or stockholder meetings, or even create a podcast press release.  TMA E-Marketing will also promote your podcasts via directory postings and via specific podcast search engines.  You can also distribute your podcasts in e-mails, and incorporate them in company newsletters to give you just a few ideas," continues DelMonte.

Todd Imholte, president of Environmental Graphics in Hopkins, Minn., recently produced a podcast in TMA E-Marketing's iBiz Radio state-of-the-art podcast studio. "We sell wall murals, and TMA E-Marketing helped us put together a podcast that positions us as experts in the industry," says Imholte.

In Environmental Graphics' podcast, entitled, "Hot New Home Décor Trends," Imholte is interviewed by iBiz Radio's Connie Krauth.  She asks him about design and color trends for spring. Imholte quotes the home-decorating experts, discusses the hottest trend of personalization, and explains how wall murals have the ability to transform any room.

Once they finished the interview, the podcast was posted on the Internet where it is accessible to millions of people around the world through various search engines and directories.  "Podcasting was really a no-brainer for us," says Imholte, "Think about it.  We're getting international exposure for a fraction of the price of a radio commercial. You can't beat that!"

Related Web Resources:

What is Podcasting?

Podcasting - Wikipedia

Podcast Software Review

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