Podcasting
Seeking relevance in what is expected to be a crowded field of candidates for the 2008 Democratic nomination, John Edwards is doing something that Howard Dean did very well in his meteoric rise to the top: Edwards is embracing new technology.
Edwards is focused on taking questions from everyday citizens about issues through his own "Podcast."
Based on RSS type design, Podcasts are downloadable audio files (and sometimes video files). Instead of blogging, podcasting is like linking internet talk radio directly onto your Ipod. This technology was first used in 2003 to allow users to become "WebDJs." Imagine taking your favorite songs and playlists and putting them on the internet to share. The advantage of podcasting is that it is like Tivo, you can play the files on your own time. Having the files in electronic format also makes them portable - perfect for morning rush hour on the Metro.
Edwards has started the trend of Podcasting delivering radio addresses about his meetings with Tony Blair to his thoughts on the UNC Tarheels winning the NCAA basketball championship.
Podcasting might change politics, just like blogs. Don't laugh yet. Many people said that blogs would never catch on. Imagine a blog like DailyKos devoted solely to politics? It'd never work critics say.
In the future, can you imagine a Podcast of the President's State of the Union Address? Instead of holding a "fireside chat," we could download the latest podcast and listen to it on our schedule.
Want to skip the Washington Post in the mornings? Why not have podcast feeds delivered to your Ipod for your commute. There are already over 240 Political Podcasts available for your listening pleasure.
Perhaps a more interesting question is whether talk radio could turn into podcasts? Could a Rush Limbaugh type individual succeed with podcasting? Could a talk show host survive without the interactive/participatory element crucial to talk radio success?
It will be interesting to watch this technology develop over the next 5-10 years and see how it can impact politics.
2 Comments:
It's funny you should mention Rush Limbaugh and podcasting. Rush's shows are available via podcasts. He now has a 24/7 media center and has posted dittopod testimonials from fans.
While I don't think this will replace his show, it does seem to nicely compliment it and reach out to those who may not have time to listen to his show everyday.
I agree with Blusher...podcasting would not replace his show, it would act as a suppliment to it and allow those listeners who may have missed the original program to listen to it at a later date.
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