Information broadcasting applications are used to distribute information to team members and others. The types of applications that we include in this category are as follows:

-  Blogs (short for weblogs) are online journals that let you combine text, images, and hyperlinks. -  Podcasts (audio) and vodcasts (audio-video) let team members retrieve information on demand, unlike presentations and webinars that are typically scheduled. With very little equipment, you can create a podcast for distribution.

-  Webinars are covered in the “Web-based Meeting Programs” section of Article 13. If you are not sure whether to blog or create podcasts, check out BlogTalkRadio (http://blogtalkradio.com). The service lets you extend your blog by adding real-time interaction with your readers (or your team). (However, it does not look like it is possible to control who listens to those blogs.) Blogs Blogs let people share information personally and casually, typically in a journal format. Bloggers (those who write a blog) might write about a specific subject, personal information, or a combination of these. If you are looking for blogs about a specific topic, visit Technorati (http://technorati.com).

This site tracks over 52 million blogs, organizes them by popularity and subject, and lets you track your favorite blogs (after registration). Most blogs allow the author to categorize the entries, which lets visitors see only those posts related to a specific topic. Some blogging software lets multiple bloggers post, either to the same blog or to multiple blogs that are linked together (called a blog farm). Blogs can be hosted on the blogging software’s server or installed onto a company server. If the URL refers to the blogging software’s site, the blogger is using that server (for example, see Brenda’s blog at http://vagabond.blogsome.com), which is called “hosted services.” If the URL refers to the blogger’s home page or domain, the blogger has installed the software on his or her personal server (for example, see Char’s blog at http://helpstuff.com/blog), and is called “self-hosted.” The difference between hosted services and self-hosted blogs is maintenance: Hosted services manage all maintenance (including installation and updates).

You can customize your blog by modifying templates and style sheets, or by selecting a different theme. Team members can stay up to date with the latest blog entries by using an aggregator, which lets you specify the sites that you want to track. (The sites must have RSS or Atom feeds enabled.) Blog Software To create a hosted blog, you need to create an account.

Podcasts Podcasts have been around for several years now, providing a way to distribute audio-video files across the Internet. The term might refer to audio only or both audio and video (which are sometimes called “vodcasts”). Podcasts are recordings that can be played through any MP3 player, such as Windows Media Player or QuickTime.

If the podcast includes video, you have to use a video player like Windows Media Player, QuickTime, or RealPlayer. For either, you can also use a portable MP3 player, such as an Apple iPod, the Sony PSP, and the new Microsoft Zune. (See http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ History- of- podcasting for the history of podcasting.) While you can watch a podcast over the Internet (by visiting the site with your browser), many people use podcatchers to retrieve the latest updates. Podcatchers are applications installed locally that check podcast websites periodically for updates. Some common podcatchers that you can use are iTunes (http://www.apple.com/itunes) and Juice (http://juicereceiver.sourceforge.net/ index.php).

Both are free. Creating a Podcast If you have not created a podcast before, see the introductory “Four Minutes about Podcasting” (http://www.cadence90.com/wp/index.php?p=3548). Follow that with CNET’s “Podcasting 101” video (http://reviews.cnet.com/4660-12443- 7-6533367.html? tag=nl.e501). For a more detailed overview, read The Art & Science of Podcasting by Peter Prestipino (http://magazine. websiteservices.com/blogs/posts/articles/podcasting - overview.aspx). Before creating a podcast or vodcast, it is a good idea to create a storyboard. And practice. (A lot.) When you first start recording, you might be amazed at how much background noise the microphone picks up or how much you say “ummm.” To create a podcast, you need a microphone and headphones (or a headset), and recording software like Audacity (http://audacity.sourceforge.net). If you want to create a vodcast, you also need a digital video camera and video editing software (to fix any mistakes) like Ulead VideoStudio or Adobe Premiere. Podcasting requires lots of hard drive space (to store the sound and video files). After you have created and edited your podcast or vodcast, you want to a) publish it on the Internet and b) tell the world (or at least your team).

You can send everyone an email with the link to the recording, or you can syndicate your podcast with an RSS file that you upload to the Internet. Podcatchers download the updated podcasts when the site has been updated. If you use Blogger to create your blog and want to add MP3 files to your blog, you can use Blogger’s audio-blogging feature. Finding Existing Podcasts If you are looking for podcasts about a specific topic, visit Podcasting News (http://podcastingnews.com/forum/ links.php). You can view lists of podcasts by categories or use the search feature. The main site (http://podcastingnews.com) contains frequently updated news articles on various technological issues, along with instructional articles on podcasting. You can also visit YouTube (http://youtube.com) or the Podcast Directory (http://podcastdirectory.com).

Many sites, such as NPR, BBC, and ZDNet, create specific podcast directories for their content. The Future of Podcasting If you have already started creating podcasts, attend a PodCamp (http://podcamp.pbwiki.com), which is also known as an unconference. The biggest differences between an unconference and a conference are unconferences are free, registered attendees receive gifts, and everyone who attends is encouraged to contribute. Podcast Software If you are going to create a podcast, you need video editing software. Wikis Wikis are collaborative websites that allow users to add and edit content. The word “wiki” (Hawaiian for “fast”) can refer to the site or to the software installed on the site. Wikis, which are similar to word processors, were created by Ward Cunningham in 1994. He called it “WikiWikiWeb” after being told to catch a Wiki Wiki shuttle bus that ran between the terminals of the Honolulu International Airport. (He preferred WikiWikiWeb over his second choice, “QuickWeb.”) All work in a wiki is done through a browser in real time. Most wikis disable JavaScript and HTML tags to help keep the results more secure.