blondbraintrust

It wasn't so long ago that publishing a Web log (blog) required some Web
programming skills. Then along came Blogger, software that made blogging easy
enough for the masses. Substitute "podcast" for "blog" in the preceding sentences, and you'll understand the vision behind the new Web-based podcasting tools developed by Odeo, a San Francisco startup launched by Blogger cocreator Evan Williams and his former neighbor, Noah Glass.
Podcasting, for the uninitiated, is the hot independent-media trend of
2005; amateur broadcasters record their own news shows, commentary, or
interviews on whatever subjects they choose and put the audio files on the Web.
Unfortunately, being a podcaster has, until lately, also meant being an expert in digital recording and mixing.
Just as Blogger did for blogging, Odeo turns the process of making a
podcast (a basic one, anyway) into something any semicompetent PC user can
handle. It also takes all the pain out of finding and downloading podcasts
And it will be at least partly free. The audiences of millions that podcasters have been craving may arrive soon.
The neatest part of the program is Odeo Studio, which runs inside a Web
browser and converts a PC into a rudimentary recording studio. I used it to
produce my own podcast, which you can find at this Technology Review web page and at Odeo.com.
Making a podcast was as simple as clicking "Record," talking into the PC's
built-in microphone (you can also use an external headset), then clicking
"Stop." Clicking "Publish" placed the podcast in my own "channel," to which
others can subscribe. What was a tedious process is now quick and mildly
fun.

# posted by blondbraintrust @ 9:57 PM