Podcasting has generated a lot of buzz lately, especially since Apple integrated the technology in iTunes. You can now subscribe to any number of Podcasts and download them to your computer or your iPod.
The hype is revving up — this will replace traditional media, radio is dead, blah, blah, blah. Yes, it's a cool technology but can it generate revenue? Is it simply another means for individual expression (no doubt valuable), but ultimately another excuse to spend more unproductive hours in front of your computer?
I think that podcasting can be a valuable tool for corporate communications. Company updates, customer support, technical guides, training — these are all potential applications that come to mind.
Whether podcasts can be sold by subscription is another matter. I'll leave that to others to argue. The smart people over at Wharton are thinking about this phenomenon. Here's a link to a recent Wharton article that discusses the business potential for podcasting.
Link: Podcasting: Can This New Medium Make Money? - Knowledge@Wharton.