As podcasting gets more popular, more reasons to podcast are becoming evident. There’s no reason you should be stuck with an idea for a podcast. Here are 5 creative ways to use podcasts:

1. News. WikiMedia started using a podcast to broadcast its news bits. You can also release a weekly podcast with news bits. It does not have to be everything in the general media, it can be niche news. For instance, news just about community events, or about rock music, etc. Newspapers and traditional media are full of countless articles which take time to read. Starting a news podcast will allow the listeners to save time by only listening to the most important news, and just the most important facts!
2. Art. Not neccessarily a podcast, but as a vodcast. You can take videos of art exhibits and post them in a vodcast. Art is not limited at just visual art though, it is also music, drama and dance. You can have a vodcast of drama bits, like a different short each week, or clips of music. You decide!
3. Your Own Show. Whether it’s a radio show, variety show or a soap opera, you can podcast your shows! Imagine producing your own TV show once a week, and putting it up for a podcast download. How cool would that be? What about a podcast with just the top 5 music videos of the week? There’s TONS of show ideas.
4. Commentary. Battlerstar Gallactica has podcasts of commentary, why shouldn’t you? You can use clips of TV shows, movies, etc. and provide commentary or reviews. You can review these clips if you’re a critic, and your audience will grow if they trust your opinion!
5. Read For People. Many people are lazy, and would rather listen to a book than read it, or listen to the newspaper than read it. Do it for them! Read the newspaper for your local audience, or read the latest book (public domain book, obviously) and provide it for them! Then people can catch up on the news on their daily commute to work, allowing them to have conversation material for the water cooler!

The possiblities for podcasts are endless, it is all a matter of how well you make them and how unique it is!

With the increasing popularity of YouTube and portable-video players (iPods, Zunes, and just about every other portable media device on the market now), Vodcasts and Vlogs are only getting more popular. Being able to watch your favorite show on your portable media device on your daily commute to and from work on the bus/subway/train has been a godsend for hundreds of thousands of people.

To make your own Vlog or Vodcast, there are a few things you will need:

• Computer….duh
• Webcam or a Digital Recording Camera (An analog camera will work, but you will need a RCA to PC converter).
• Video Editing Software (Camtasia, Adobe Premiere, Final Cut… or even Windows Movie Maker)

The first step is definitely to record your footage. Record QUALITY footage! If it is a Vlog, and you are just ranting, make sure your rants are QUALITY rants! Rant about something entertaining, make sure your viewers will be interested. The bottom line is to make sure that your stuff is entertaining.

As for the actual compression quality, you need to keep in mind that you should optimize it to the point where it is still clear, but easy to load. A good way to make sure of this, is to record between 300×240 to 800×600 in full color. If you are uploading to youtube, your video will automatically compress. Windows Movie Maker has an automatic compression tool for web, just select the web settings when you export your video.

You then need to tag your file. To do this, upload your video into iTunes and click the info tab. Then enter the information! An alternative 

Once these steps are done, you officially have a vodcast video. For more information on vodcasting, visit http://www.macworld.com/article/46066/2005/07/howtovodcast.html.