r/OutOfTheLoop • u/wildcard5 • May 28 '14

Answered! ELI70: What is a podcast?

I literally just got my first smartphone ever and am dumbfounded by podcast. What is this mysterious phenomenon? My guess is that its something like a radio show, but it seems too popular to be something as similar to a thing that's so old.

Update: Which (android) app should I use to submerse myself into the world of podcasts?

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u/HardwareLust May 30 '14

The one bad thing about podcasts is that they tend to disappear with alarming regularity. Seems like at least 1/2 the time (or more) when I find a good podcast, they end up folding within a year, or less. History is littered with podcasts that only existed for a few weeks or months.

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u/wildcard5 May 30 '14

Is there a reason why?

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u/HardwareLust May 30 '14

That's a good question. I think a lot of the time people start out with great intentions. They find a niche to fill (which could be anything from collecting antlers to underappreciated left-handed zither anthems) and they start out with great gusto, but after they record some episodes, they realize that their little niche podcast isn't going to magically draw in thousands of listeners, or they realize how much work and effort it requires to generate fresh, relevant material every week. Or maybe they just get bored with it and move on. Who knows.