| cast for This American Life allows listeners to | | | | is exploiting the term podcasting, and the credibility and |
| download the the shows and listen to them at their | | | | hipness thatis associated with the term in order to |
| discretion. The This American Life team contracts with | | | | boost their own popularity. |
| a site called to distribute the shows to listeners who | | | | On the other hand, the podcast for This American Life |
| want to hear them. Despite calling their offering a | | | | may be where the rest of the industry is headed. |
| podcast, however, it is not, at least in the normal sense | | | | Although the technology was first adopted |
| of the word. | | | | byindependent media groups that enjoyed it because |
| A podcast refers to an online setup with an RSS feed | | | | of the low cost of distribution and the close possible |
| that is regularily updated, can be subscribed to, and | | | | ties to end users, that may change when podcasting |
| provides links to sound or video files that can be | | | | becomes a wider phenomenon. If podcasting is |
| downloaded and watched by the subscriber. | | | | adopted by moremainstream, corporate entities, the |
| and This American Life do not offer that. Instead, the | | | | face of podcasting is likely to change to one where a |
| show's team allows to receive money for allowing | | | | profit plan is required. Audible.com's plan of forcing |
| listeners to download the sound files to the computer | | | | users to subscribe and pay for the feeds they want |
| from audible.com's web site. The only RSS file involved | | | | may be the way the corporate world decides to latch |
| is one specific to the user which allows that user | | | | on to and use podcasting. The advantage of |
| access to the shows they are interested in. Even | | | | podcasting, direct distribution of the media files to the |
| odder than charging for a supposed podcast, the | | | | user's homecomputer quickly and easily, is not lost if |
| sound files downloaded are tied to the specific user | | | | the system moves to one revolving around profit. |
| who downloads them. Unlike the vast majority of | | | | Regretfully, the podcast for This American Life is |
| podcasts, which allow the files to be distributed and | | | | probably an example of what podcasting will be in a |
| redistributed as the end user wishes, without placing | | | | few years. As much as locked media files that restrict |
| limitations on such, the This American Life podcast | | | | distribution may be repugnant to many of the free |
| restricts the file to a single user. | | | | information activists that curently dominate podcasting, |
| The podcast for This American Life misses the point | | | | there is little to stop those who want to use the |
| of what a podcast is intended to be, the free | | | | system to make a profit from doing so. |
| distribution of information. The This American Life team | | | | |