7.3 Podcasts

A podcast is a digital media file (audio recording) that can be downloaded and played on a computer or mobile device. Podcasts vary in length from several minutes to more than an hour depending on the nature of the topic and the number of participants (e.g. an event or broadcast series). Syndicate podcasts can be subscribed to and downloaded using an aggregator or feed reader in a similar way to RSS feeds. Podcasts can bring recent issues to listeners, provide information in an easily absorbed ‘bite-sized’ format, and allow people to interact with a community of experts and enthusiasts. For example, The Guardian online produces a series of podcasts [Tip: hold Ctrl and click a link to open it in a new tab. (Hide tip)] across several areas (news and opinion, science and tech, culture and sport). You can search for podcasts relevant to your field using any search engine. Software such as iTunes, for example, has links to its own directory of podcasts that you can subscribe to using that software.