Podcasting Trends and Tidbits

• Technology and travel seems to be the most popular topics for podcasting. Search for the term “technology” on PodZinger and there are more than 32,000 results and a search on “travel” has more than 19,000 results.
• Podcasting is current. Just like blogging, current issues dominate conversations. Discussions range from political issues between Israel and Lebanon’s conflict, to sporty topics like the upcoming football season.
• There is a long tail to podcasting topics. According to Forrester analyst Ted Schadler, there are flurries of podcasted material of all kinds, but then moves on to a slow tail off, “leaving only the most valuable podcasted material left.” Like bloggers, podcasters are passionate about the issues they talk about and their range of interests is reflected by the long tail of topics in podcasting.
• Businesses are moving toward podcasting. Many companies such as General Motors and Pepsi are experimenting with podcasting in their marketing efforts. They are starting to realize that the new medium could be a targeted way of reaching the iPod generation.
• Video Podcasting is the way of the future. Sites such as Rocketboom, 88Slide and others are creating new video content daily. Neilsen/NetRating recently reported that 4 percent of actively online U.S. adults are already downloading video podcasts, comparing that to 6.6 percent downloading audio podcasts.