| What is now called a podcast traces its | | | | known as podcast clients. |
| orgins to the first ipod podcasts, the | | | | |
| creation of distributed mp3 files that could | | | | By this time, podcasting had moved beyond the |
| be downloaded and played on Apple's music | | | | ipod, and they were not simply making an ipod |
| player, the iPod. | | | | podcast anymore. Some people had figured out |
| | | | how to use even the PlayStation Portable |
| When the iPod came out, and users discovered | | | | gaming console as a podcast player. |
| what a wonderful thing it was for holding | | | | |
| music, some people had the idea of loading | | | | It was more difficult than downloading |
| things that weren't necessarily songs. Some | | | | podcasts to the ipod, since the PSP used a |
| of the people that got their hands on the | | | | different format for it's files, but PSP |
| iPod took the route of reverse engineering | | | | podcasts began popping up. In addition, |
| the iPod and loading on different firmware, | | | | podcasting made inroads into the wider |
| or operating system, but others had the idea | | | | audience of people without iPods, who simply |
| of sharing small sound files that could be | | | | saw podcasting as an extremely convenient way |
| played on the iPod. | | | | to receive news, music, and entertainment |
| | | | over the internet. |
| The technology for distributing the files | | | | |
| already existed, with RSS feeds. RSS feeds | | | | Today, while the iPod podcast type still |
| were a means of generating machine readable | | | | exists, fewer people subscribe to podcasts as |
| files that could share information between a | | | | a way of gaining portable media files they |
| server and a user. Many blogs already used | | | | can listen to anywhere. Although that is |
| them to keep readers up to date with the | | | | still an attractive part of podcasting, it |
| latest posts, but some hopeful podcasters had | | | | seems to be eclipsed by the ease with which |
| the idea of enclosing links to sound files | | | | podcasting has become a content delivery |
| within the RSS feed and downloading the file | | | | system. Now, podcasting has become tied up |
| to the computer. | | | | with the rising number of audio and video |
| | | | blogs, where blogging is done not by post, |
| With the change in RSS feeds, ipod podcast | | | | but through media files uploaded to the blog. |
| took off, and podcasting became a popular way | | | | |
| to share files. Users saw podcasting as a way | | | | These blogs, and podcasting in general, take |
| to become radio hosts, or dj's, and a variety | | | | advantage of the shrinking cost of broadband |
| of podcasts began popping up. Software was | | | | internet connections, and the rising number |
| written to automatically check the RSS feeds, | | | | of people with high speed access to offer a |
| extract the links to the podcast episodes, | | | | picture of the internet rich with multimedia |
| and download the files. These programs became | | | | files. |