I hear people talk alot about 'podcasting'. What the heck is podcasting and should my church know about it?
Podcasting is nothing but an old idea presented in a new way. The word "podcasting" comes from a combination of 2 words - "iPod" (Apple's music player) and "Broadcasting". However, don't be fooled, you don't need an iPod to listen to or subscribe to a podcast.
So, you might guess from the 'broadcasting' part that Podcasting is just a broadcast that's put onto the internet. A more appropriate name might be "Netcasting" (but Apple was the first one to this party, so they were able to name it). The really cool thing about Podcasting is that it's not just big companies or big names who can broadcast. It's anyone and everyone!
Absolutely anyone (including your church!) can record and release a podcast for no cost at all. Not only that, your podcast can be included in the world's largest online audio store, the iTunes music store, also for no cost. This is like getting your message on the shelves of Best Buy every week for absolutely FREE!
So, you might be getting the picture. Recording your church's sermons and turning them into a podcast is a way to get instant worldwide exposure to the message of Christ.
However, one more thing makes podcasting unique (this is the 'new' part). Podcasts can be listened to on a website, for sure, but more importantly they can be 'subscribed' to. Think of this like a magazine subscription. You 'subscribe' to a podcast and it's automatically delievered to your computer whenever there's a new episode. This means no hunting around the internet trying to find out which of your favorite podcasts have new episodes. Of course, most podcasts are absolutely FREE to subscribe to.
This is an amazing technology for churches to use in spreading the Gospel. It also reaches a younger generation which is starting to shun more traditional ways of hearing The Word and can be the first step towards bringing them back into The Church.