TomS Words of Wisdom

I had a friend recently ask:

"I know what both are, but the why is what loses me. I'm not against technology. I like it. I just don't see the point to most of it. I've thought about getting an I-pod just for the days when I miss the NPR programs that I want to hear but, for the most part, CDs do the job for music. And I'm not sure what the blogging craze is all about. So, what's the point? "

Blogging, podcasting and in the not too distant future video-blogging, are all about filling niches. In context of traditional media, content isn't worth producing unless there is an audience of at least tens of thousands if not millions. The media revolution/reformation is about the shift from content production for a few mass markets to mass content production for countless specific markets.

With some of the most recent blogging tools, like Blogger, anyone who has something (or nothing) to say can publish their work on the Internet. This makes it practical to publish content for much smaller target audiences, like say the friends and supporters of my vaulting club. If a blog doesn't yet exist for your favorite passion, you can start one and build a community around it, even if that community is only your friends and family.

Podcasting is, in many ways, doing to radio what blogging has done to the print media. The added twist to Podcasting is that when portable MP3 players are added to the mix, listeners can enjoy content that is highly relevant to their interests while they're away from their computers. This allows listeners to make productive use of time they wouldn't otherwise have, for instance while commuting, working out, shopping at the grocery store, etc. From a content producer's point of view the resources required to put together a basic podcast exist in most middle class homes. For less the the price of a new TV you can obtain the equipment to produce professional broadcast quality audio. So it becomes practical to create content for small, geographically dispersed, audiences. That said Podcasting is still in the very early stages of the technology cycle, so it currently takes a bit of knowhow and willingness to learn to be successful, but it's getting easier every day.

Video-blogging, or as I like to call it "TiVo-casting", is the next obvious step. Small groups will produce full blown TV shows for audiences of a few hundred viewers to download to their set-top DVRs.