I've been doing some research into podcasts lately...not because I am hoping to engage in the medium or even recommend it to clients but because of its recent uptick in popularity. Many know that iTunes built the concept into one of its recent software versions; Yahoo Podcast has been generating a ton of buzz as well.

I checked out NPR's All Things Considered Podcasts, which were great. From what I can tell, they're re-purposed chunks of content from the radio show. The problem, though, is that I found the updates overwhelming to keep up with--15-20 per day. It is a great tool, though, if you happen to miss the show during drive time.

From there, I've started to try out a few others which I won't mention here. I simply chose a few at random that I thought might be interesting based upon their subject matter and a sizable subscriber base.

My main take-away from this experience is that this medium is a long way from being useful. I found much of the content to be rambling, giggly, and wasteful. Much of the interviewing is a bit embarassing to listen to because of the awkward pauses and lack of conversational focus/direction. I have a new appreciation for the Larry King and Jim Rome types of the world!

For now, I'm under the assumption that podcasting is a long way from being critically important. It's an innovative use of technology that empowers the masses, but the lack of polished content is a far cry from the professional on-air content we've grown accustomed to.