Podcasting has come out of nowhere to become the hottest thing in radio. While early adopters have enthusiastically embraced the concept of "radio on demand," for most people there's still a great deal of confusion about exactly what podcasting is, and the tremendous impact it can have on how people will think of radio in the near future.

What's in a name?
The term "podcasting," combines the words "iPod" and "broadcasting." Despite its etymology, though, podcasting does not require an iPod — or any kind of portable MP3 player. Podcasts are essentially MP3 files posted to the web, done in the same way new blogs are posted. Your computer automatically checks the podcast sites to which you've "subscribed." When a new podcast is detected, your PC downloads it to your media player.

The reason the iPod is associated with the process is that, once the new podcast is stored as an MP3 file on your PC's media player, you can transfer it to your portable MP3 player. For most podcast listeners, this is the preferred way to enjoy their favorite programs — when and where they want to listen.

How do I get podcasts?
The first step to getting into the world of podcasting is to get an aggregator, which is a program that will automatically check the web and collect the new posts of the shows you're interested in. One such program, called the iPodder, is a free download from www.iPodder.org, a site that also serves as a good introduction to the podcasting scene.

If you use a Mac, the iPodderX is another good choice. Its interface mimics that of iTunes, which makes it easier to manage your subscriptions (as well as check out new programs) if you're familiar with the iTunes program.

iPodderX mimics the functionality and layout of iTunes.

Once installed, you load in the addresses of the podcasts you're interested in. Adding a podcast's URL to your aggregator is called "subscribing" (usually for free). Being a subscriber simply means you'll be receiving new editions of the podcast when they're available. Finding podcasts is easy. The iPodder.org site, being the oldest, has a fairly extensive directory of podcasts. Other directory sites such as www.podcast.net and www.ipodderx.com also have extensive listings. Set the iPodder for the times you want it to check the web, and then just wait for the new shows to appear in your iTunes directory!

So what's out there?
Right now the world of podcasting is wide open. Podcasts vary greatly in sound quality, production values and content. Some are professionally produced, some are labors of love, and other make the case for outside editorial control! Fortunately, you can usually audition a podcast before subscribing, and unsubscribing is as simple as deleting the podcast's URL from your iPodder. Exploring this amazing world of audio (over 3,000 podcasts available as of this writing), is easy and fun — limited only by the amount of free time you have!