I am moderating a discussion about podcasting this morning at the Webvisions conference here in Portland, Oregon. My interest in podcasting these days centers around how cloud computing is affecting the medium, so I thought it would be fun to explore the issue with the podcasters assembled for the event.
But, first, how about you? How is podcasting being affected by the advent of cloud computing? I will be taking questions from the online audience. To ask a question, please comment here or use the tag #wv2010. You may also direct questions to the Twitter account: @podcasthotel.
So, what are the factors in the cloud that affect podcasting? Here are a few top-level views.
Collaboration
Services allow for deeper levels of collaboration on everything from commenting to the actual production of a show. Wikis, distributed social networks and even production tools provide a level of collaboration in the cloud that did not really exist back in the early days.
For example, GarageBand has a number of Web counterparts such as Ohm Studio. Ohm is designed for music production but as Podcasting News points out, it can easily be used to develop podcasts, too.
Storage
The cloud provides a number of options for storing media. Cloud services can sync files, keeping them at minimal cost. This serves as one way to keep costs down.
Amazon, for instance, offers, CloudFront. From Amazon:
Amazon CloudFront delivers your static and streaming content using a global network of edge locations. Requests for your objects are automatically routed to the nearest edge location, so content is delivered with the best possible performance. Amazon CloudFront works seamlessly with Amazon Simple Storage Service (Amazon S3) which durably stores the original, definitive versions of your files. Like other Amazon Web Services, there are no contracts or monthly commitments for using Amazon CloudFront – you pay only for as much or as little content as you actually deliver through the service.
Dynamic Range
As Josh Bancroft says, it’s the ability to use media anywhere, any time on any device. And that provides flexibility and a greater dynamic range of hardware capabilities.
That means Josh can justify a 17-inch MacBook Pro he keep at his house but can also access any media from his iPad or iPhone. Where before, in a device-centric world of storage, he would have had to compromise on what gave him more portability.
Podcasting is going through some interesting changes. The business is more viable, which is due in part to the lower costs and greater distribution that social networking provides.
