Regarding a recent story on www.MusicBiz.com that, “Revelations that podcasting use rates are lower than expected, as 85% of those polled admitting that they have yet to listen to a podcast.”

I’ve done some extensive research on the “how to’s” of podcasting (creating/hosting podcasts and listening to existing podcasts) and it is a pretty scarry confusing world out there.

At this point, you basically have to be a computer geek to figure it all out.

Remember when web sites were first popping up. You had to know all kinds of computer programming language (like HTML code).

But now anyone can create a site with EZ site creators/wizards/site-creator software programs built into every Network Solutions/Go Daddy hosting company.

If these auto-site creators didn’t eliminate the need for the average internet user to have a working knowlege of computer programming, the internet would be a fragment of its current self.

So currently, that is the problem with podcasting: Confusion and complication of the podcasting process from both the listener’s side and podcaster’s side. (Has anyone out there tried to create an RSS feed? Yikes!)

Already out there, however, are the first versions of these “EZ Podcast Creators” that allows the average internet user with zero tech knowlege to upload a podcast (including all the complicated RSS code) in about five minutes.

Remember, “podcasting” itself (the sites that allow you to create and listen to podcasts) is about a year old, at best. And until now, most of the podcast users are the geeks setting up all the user directories, guides and podcasts themselves.

I wouldn’t expect much of a marked increase until at least a couple months after the holiday season when there are a couple million more ipods out there and a few more of these podcast host sites with EZ Podcast Creators pop up.

And on a side note: Just saw Sony’s “The Bean” MP3 player, designed to take on Apple’s iPod. Have you seen it? Yeah, that’s what people want to be seen with…the ugliest looking device ever created. Maybe the ad campaign should say, “Hey, if you don’t want some slick, cool looking MP3 player like the rest of the world, buy our ugly MP3 player that looks like you need a pooper scooper to hold it.”

Zuma Dogg

This entry was posted on Tuesday, August 23rd, 2005 at 3:49 pm by Zuma Dogg and is filed under Guest Articles. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.