Podcasting: Blip or Boom?
Posted on April 7, 2006
Podcasting is a new technology that allows anyone to create an syndicated audio broadcast. Many avid web users have rushed to start using the technology and while there has been some fading of the popularity there are also many podcasts that have been published consistently. A new Forrester report has found that podcasting has so far not taken off.
CNET reports that the study found that only 1% of online households in North America regularly download and listen to podcasts.
Forrester analyst Charlene Li says in a blog post that companies "shouldn't be dashing out to create expensive original content for a small audience--unless they gain value from being seen as innovative."
Podcasting is still a very new technology so now is not the time to say whether it is just a fad or a blip. Part of it may depend on your definition of podcasting. If you see at purely an audio experience then it is hard to see podcasting becoming very popular. Podcasting is primarily associated with an audio experience. However, if you also see video as part of podcasting then it is much easier to see the technology becoming huge just like television eventually outpaced radio. Why listen when you listen and watch?
