Episodic audio distributed over the internet for listening on demand, named in 2004 from the iPod and broadcasting. Podcasting rebuilt radio's forms, the talk show, the documentary, the serial drama, on a medium with no schedule and no spectrum limit, open to any producer with a microphone.
Facts
Origin Year2004 marks Ben Hammersley coining the word podcasting; the underlying RSS-enclosure technology it named had been worked out by others slightly earlier. OriginThe term podcasting was coined by journalist Ben Hammersley, writing in The Guardian, in February 2004. 1 Place of Origin Primary FormatThe preparation and distribution of audio or video files using RSS feeds to the devices of subscribed users. 1 Typical DistributionDistributed by hosting companies to podcast directories and streaming services such as Apple, Spotify and YouTube, for listening or watching on smartphones, digital media players or smart televisions. 1 Podcasting
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1. Wikipedia
Wikimedia FoundationPodcast, Etymology section
Podcasting is the preparation and distribution of audio or video files using RSS feeds to the devices of subscribed users.
Etymology section, Ben Hammersley, The Guardian, 12 February 2004
But what to call it? Audioblogging? Podcasting? GuerillaMedia?
The Guardian, infobox
Headquarters Kings Place, London.
Podcast, lead section
Hosting companies then distribute these media files to podcast directories and streaming services, such as Apple, Spotify, and YouTube, which users can listen to and watch on their smartphones or digital music and multimedia players or smart televisions.
- Associated With: Origins of Podcasting Technology, Podcast, History
- Associated With: World Wide Web Enters the Public Domain, History of the World Wide Web, CERN and the public domain release
- Associated With: Adam Curry
- Associated With: Dave Winer
- Media Entries: RSS Enclosure
- Associated With: Apple Podcasts
- Media Entries: Serial
View the Source Encyclopedia Britannica
Frequently Asked Questions
Who invented podcasting?
Dave Winer built the RSS enclosure mechanism (2000); Ben Hammersley coined the word (2004); Adam Curry popularized the medium (2004 to 2005). No single person invented podcasting alone.
Credit for podcasting is genuinely split three ways. Software developer Dave Winer, an author of the RSS format, implemented the RSS enclosure mechanism in 2000, the technical feature that let software automatically download new audio episodes, making podcasting possible. Guardian and BBC journalist Ben Hammersley coined the word "podcasting" itself in a February 2004 article. Media personality Adam Curry, nicknamed "the Podfather," popularized and commercialized the format through the Daily Source Code podcast (2004) and PodShow (2005), which is real and lasting work but distinct from inventing the underlying technology or the name.
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