Do you listen to PodCasts? If so how many per week?
This is the question I’m asking in my inaugural ‘Poll of the Week‘ question – see side bar to vote.
You see I’m fascinated by new media like PodCasting and Vlogging – however I have a few reservations about them also which lead me to wonder how many people actually listen to them.
I regularly listen to a handful of podcasts and have done so now for a few months – but I’ve noticed a change in the past few weeks in my listening habits. I’m listening to less of them and am gravitating to the shorter ones. The main reason is that I just don’t have time to dedicate to some of the longer ones that are out there any more.
My suspicion is that most web users are like me and are lazy and don’t put much time or more importantly effort into their surfing habits. We scan websites and flick from site to site spending just a few moments in each place and only really stopping to read or interact with a site if it is super high quality, has real novelty value or if it meets a real or urgent need.
Podcasting on the other hand takes time and a little energy to get into. I’m not saying there is no value in it (I really enjoy those that I listen to) – just that I’m not sure the average web user will find it as accessible as blogging. I mean in the time that it takes me to listen to an hour long podcast I can surf 20 or 30 blogs. Sure I can do both at once, but the fact is that I rarely do.
I think it will take a significant shift of mindset for PodCasting to go mainstream where as blogging is more suited and familiar to the average web user and therefore has bigger potential reach. I believe this mainly because in most aspects blogs are not much different to an average website. Quite often people surf blogs without actually realizing that they do. Time and time people ask me what a blog is only to find that they already regularly surf them. PodCasting on the other hand is a little different.
I’m trying not to put a dampener on the PodCasting thing here – I’ll say again I enjoy them – but I wonder how far they go. Lets hope my suspicions are wrong.
Interested in your opinion in comments.
