128px|thumb|An [[RSS feed
icon, commonly used to indicate the
Web feed for a podcast]]
A
podcast is a series of
digital media files (either
audio or
video) that are released episodically and
downloaded through
web syndication. The mode of delivery is what differentiates podcasts from other ways of accessing media files over the
Internet, such as simple download or
streamed webcasts: special
client software applications known as
podcatchers (like
iTunes,
Zune,
Juice, and
Winamp) are used to automatically identify and download new files in the series when they are released by accessing a centrally-maintained
web feed that lists all files associated with the series. New files can thus be downloaded automatically by the podcatcher and stored locally on the user's
computer or other device for
offline use, giving simpler access to episodic content.
Most dictionary definitions of a podcast fall into one of two camps as of September 2009. One set focuses on the "on-demand" nature of podcasts. Another set requires the automatic or syndication posting. There are problems with both definitions. The first is too open. Under such a definition, a paid music download could technically be a podcast. Most audiences would disagree. The second is too limiting. It does not allow for manual downloads. Researchers at the Center for Journalism and Mass Communication Research at the University of Texas at Austin are proposing a three-part definition of a podcast: first, that it is episodic; second, that it is downloadable; and third, that it is program-driven, mainly with a host and/or theme.
Like the term
broadcast,
podcast can refer either to an ongoing series or episodes of a particular program. A
podcaster is the person who creates the content.
Name
The term was mentioned by
Ben Hammersley in
The Guardian newspaper in a February 2004 article, along with other proposed names for the new medium. It is a
portmanteau of the words "iPod" and "broadcast", the
Apple iPod being the brand of
portable media player for which early podcasting
scripts were developed (see
history of podcasting), allowing podcasts to be automatically transferred from a personal computer to a mobile device after download.
It has never been necessary, despite the source of the name, to use an iPod or any other form of portable media player to use podcasts; the content can be accessed using any computer capable of playing media files. A
backronym has been posited where
podcast stands for "Personal On Demand broadCAST".
History
Podcasting began to catch hold with the public in late 2004, though during the 1998–2001 dot-com era there were multiple "podcasts" done by major companies, such as Real Networks and ESPN.com. Many individuals and groups contributed to the emergence and popularity of podcasts.
The most common audio file format used is
MP3.
Trademarks
2005
thumb|The logo used by Apple to represent PodcastingOn
February 5,
2005, Shae Spencer Management LLC of
Fairport, New York filed a trademark application to register PODCAST for an "online prerecorded radio program over the internet". On
September 9,
2005, the
United States Patent and Trademark Office rejected the application, citing
Wikipedia's podcast entry as describing the history of the term.
As of
September 20,
2005, known trademarks that attempted to capitalize on podcast include: Podcast Realty, GuidePod, PodGizmo, Pod-Casting, MyPod, Podvertiser, Podango, ePodcast, PodCabin, Podcaster, PodShop, PodKitchen, Podgram, GodPod and Podcast.
2006
On
September 26,
2006, it was reported that
Apple Computer started to crack down on businesses using the
acronym "POD", in product and company names. Apple sent a cease-and-desist order that week to Podcast Ready, Inc., which markets an application known as "myPodder". Lawyers for Apple contended allegedly that the term "pod" has been used by the public to refer to Apple's music player so extensively that it falls under Apple's trademark cover. It was speculated that such activity was part of a bigger campaign for Apple to expand the scope of its existing
iPod trademark, which included trademarking "IPODCAST", "IPOD", and "POD". On
November 16,
2006, Apple Trademark Department returned a letter claiming Apple does not object to third party usage of "podcast" to refer to podcasting services and that Apple does not license the term(s).
2007
As of February 2007, there were 24 attempts to register trademarks containing the word "PODCAST" in United States, but only "PODCAST READY" from
Podcast Ready, Inc. was approved.
See also
Commercial Content Tools
Syndication protocols
