外國(guó)人最想和你聊的時(shí)事話題：播客

　What is audio blog　什么是播客
     An audio blog is a type of blog in which the creator makes music files, normally in the audio format, available for download. They are also known as "music blogs" or "MP3 blogs". Audio blogs have become increasingly popular since 2003. The music posted ranges from hard-to-find rarities that have not been issued in many years to more contemporary offerings, and selections are often restricted to a particular musical genre or theme. Some audio blogs offer music in Advanced Audio Coding (AAC) or Ogg formats.
     Among the very first audio blogs were Buzzgrinder, Fluxblog, and Stereogum. Buzzgrinder began in 2001 as a way for musician SethW to fill time on the road. Stereogum began as a music-related LiveJournal in 2002, though its format was focused on indie/pop gossip rather than MP3s. Fluxblog (also founded in 2002) trumpeted LCD Soundsystem's"Yeah (Stupid Version)" in early 2004 brought increased attention to audio blogs. A July, 2004 story by Reuters and an August, 2004 story on National Public Radio further galvanized the trend, and today there are thousands of audio blogs covering a cornucopia of musical styles.
     A significant number of indie music labels, promotional agencies and hundreds of artists regularly send promo CDs to audio blogs in the hopes of gaining free publicity. Major labels with small acts to promote have also attempted to use audio blogs. In 2004, Warner Bros. gave permission for a song by their act. The Secret Machines to be posted by the audio blog Music (For Robots). This drew attention not only for the song and the label granting permissions, but also due to the fact that several comments praising the track came from IP addresses within the Warner Bros. network. The publicity generated by audio blogs crossed the line from the internet to TV in early 2005, when Music (For Robots) was featured during MTV's Total Request Live program for bringing the Hysterics, a Brooklyn rock band composed of four 14 and 15 year-old high school students, to the network's attention.
     In 2006, Rolling Stone did an article tracking "blog buzz" called First Hype, Then Kill with the subtitle "How the geeks who control the music blogosphere destroy the bands they love." It followed the hype of bands such as Tapes N' Tapes, Clap Your Hands Say Yeah, Arctic Monkeys and Cold War Kids. While the article brought exposure to audio blogs, it was blasted on blogs for misrepresenting what impact they have on a band's career. According to the chart, Gorilla vs. Bear giving a good review of Cold War Kids was the highpoint of the band's career, and signing a record deal marked the beginning of their decline. It also assumed that music blogs have collective opinions instead of an array of many different musical leanings.
     In 2006, Sirius Satellite Radio began broadcasting "blog radio", a show on the College/Indie Rock channel Left of Center. The show lets music bloggers talk about the latest in the indie-rock scene.
     "播客"(audio blog)又被稱作"有聲博客",是Podcast的中文直譯。用戶可以利用"播客"將自己制作的"廣播節(jié)目"(radio program)上傳到網(wǎng)上與廣大網(wǎng)友分享。播客（audio blog）這個(gè)詞來(lái)源于蘋果電腦的"iPad"與"廣播"(broadcast)的合成詞(compound word)，指的是一種在互聯(lián)網(wǎng)上發(fā)布文件并允許用戶訂閱feed以自動(dòng)接收新文件的方法，或用此方法來(lái)制作的電臺(tái)節(jié)目。這種新方法在2004年下半年開(kāi)始在互聯(lián)網(wǎng)上流行以用于發(fā)布音頻文件(audio file)。Podcasting與其他音頻內(nèi)容傳送的區(qū)別在于其訂閱模式(subscribe model)，它使用RSS 2.0文件格式(file format)傳送信息。該技術(shù)允許個(gè)人進(jìn)行創(chuàng)建與發(fā)布，這種新的傳播方式使得人人可以說(shuō)出他們想說(shuō)的話。