The Web: Pols embracing podcasting

UPI ^ | December 7, 2005 | UPI

[2Jim_Brown]

Howard Dean this week headlined the Democratic National Committee's first "podcast" on the Internet -- a brief, recorded audio broadcast that listeners around the globe downloaded, signaling, experts told United Press International's The Web, that podcasting is going mainstream. The embrace of the technology is a first for the DNC -- though during last year's presidential campaign the camps of President Bush and election loser John Kerry relied heavily on an earlier generation of Internet technology to reach voters. By Gene Koprowski

[2Jim_Brown]

Howard Dean headlined the Democratic Nationl Committee's first "podcast" on the Internet.

[handy old one]

Would that have better have been called a dopcast??

[will180]

Dangit, podcasting used to be cool.

[conservatism_IS_compassion]

"To some extent, podcasts are the next wave of blogging," Demopoulos told The Web. "Blogs are still growing rapidly in number and influence and podcasts -- audio blogs -- are the most explosive part of that growth."

Two points:

1. Podcast "air time" is dirt cheap compared even to radio, never mind TV. There is no reason why political debates should be short, and restricted to TV; presidential debates should be far longer. There is no need of a moderator; the candidates can debate among themselves openly. Moderated TV debates are stilted, and they are slanted toward extracting a gotcha sound bite from the conservative candidate.

2. Although podcasting is cheap compared to radio and TV, it is expensive compared to text blogging; production values are more of a factor. For that reason podcasting is a step backward in rational discourse from the pure blog.

[DeweyCA]

Will videopodcasting be the next wave of political ads. like on TV??

[conservatism_IS_compassion]

Will videopodcasting be the next wave of political ads. like on TV??

Inasmuch as podcast reception is a voluntary, subscription activity, I doubt that many people will go out of their way to get large files on their computer which are sales pitches for candidates. And as i mentioned, I'd rather read political debates online than listen to them - and I'd rather listen to them than watch them. Because the production values just get in the way of clear understanding.