Considering the wider use of podcasting

NEW MEDIA AGE - 27 July 2005

I’ve been intrigued over the last few months by the level of press coverage of the phenomenon that is podcasting.  Barely a year ago the term didn’t even exist, yet now not a week goes by without us reading about the latest broadcaster or publisher to offer radio shows to the iPod generation. 

While still in its commercial infancy, and often associated purely with techno-crazed enthusiasts, podcasting (or should that be ‘RSS-file-casting’?) has clear benefits in a world where convenience is key.  Yet interestingly, despite all the hype, I haven’t seen much mention of its potential as a tool for business. Coverage seems to have been almost entirely consumer-dominated. 

This surprises me, as the possibilities for companies to use podcasting technology for its business benefits appear endless.  From audio press releases and investor relations material on company web sites, to presentations of complex products and fanzine-type collections for information junkies, podcasting offers the chance to consume information at leisure, and with much more of the personality of the company apparent than in printed material, adding an exciting new dimension to branding and to company communications.
For me, however, the obvious starting point for companies is not with their external audiences but with their own staff.

Internal communications are a real opportunity area for podcasting to take the business world by storm.  No longer will you need to rally the troops together to hear the CEO’s monthly update.  Instead, once downloaded onto their MP3 hardware of their choice, they’ll be able to catch up on the latest corporate news on their journey home at the end of the day.

And why stop there?  In an environment where you can control the devices people have, why not add other formats, like video, that are even more compelling?

Podcasting is already commanding extensive media interest.  I’d suggest this is the only set to grow as companies realise its benefits to their work in areas like training, distributed workforces, brand building, information management and even change management.

As yet I haven’t heard of many organisations employing podcasting as a tool for internal communications outside the studio, but I’d be keen to find some.

Iain Miller - Rufus Leonard

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