Key Concepts

Podcasting

 The term podcasting derives its name from Apple's iPod, but to create a podcast or even to listen to one, you don't need to own an iPod, or any portable music player for that matter. In a nutshell, Podcasting is a new type of online media delivery. You publish selected audio files via the internet and allow your users to subscribe via an RSS feed to automatically receive new files. Podcasting lets you create your own syndicated online talkshow or radio program, with content of your choosing.

Definition via O'Reilly Digital Media

RSS - Really Simple Syndication

RSS is an XML file (which is similar to HTML) for distributing content.  Podcasts, or other information, is published through and RSS feed and is subscribed to by users in an aggregator.

Aggregator

When anything new is published to a website with RSS, its feed is updated.  Your aggregator (or reader) through which you subscribed to the podcast checks every few minutes for updates (just like your e-mail) and displays the latest updates.  In other words, instead of surfing to your favorite sites to see if anything has changed - the content comes to you!

Aggregators

iTunes

Juice (formerly iPodder)

Podcatcher Comparisons