Voxmedia Wire

Vlogging is short for video blogging, also known as vodcasting. When Apple enabled iTunes to subscribe to Podcasts, they opened the door to “syndicated” feeds. Almost all blogs provide syndicated feeds–through RSS, Atom, and the like–and some feeds provide “enclosures.” It is within the enclosures that the audio portion of any given podcast is provided. But enclosures aren’t limited to audio. They can contain video, too. Vlogging is the practice of attaching video to RSS and Atom enclosures.

What Is Vlogging and How to Get Started (O’Reilly Digital Media)

After blogging came photo blogging and then, suddenly last year, video blogging. Video bloggers, also known as vloggers, are people who regularly post videos on the Internet, creating primitive shows for anyone who cares to watch. Some vlogs are cooking shows, some are minidocumentaries, some are mock news programs and some are almost art films… Right now it seems that video bloggers can’t agree what vlogs are exactly, and some of them want to keep it that way. “What’s the rush to define it now?” Mr. Verdi asks in his video manifesto.

Watch Me Do This and That Online (New York Times)

The upgrade to iTunes 4.9 on June 29 gave millions of iPod owners and iTunes customers a simple way to search for and subscribe to podcasts without any other software. Apple counted more than 1 million podcast subscriptions through iTunes in the first two days alone, according to a company press release. Still, the switch came suddenly and without warning, turning a long list of mom-and-pop online audiocasters into overnight sensations, crashing servers across the nation and minting new internet stars in a way not seen since the early days of blogging.

iTunes Mints Podcasting Stars (Wired News)

In the three weeks since Apple Computer thrilled the community of homegrown-radio-show producers by making it easy for millions of Web users to download their programs, the little guys have gotten squished. And they’re the ones who started it… Shortly after the iTunes software update was released, I calculated that 47 of its most popular podcasts were produced by what some call “independents.” That number now is 31, and it’s dropping.

Podcasting’s ‘indies’ are losing ground (Frank Barnako/MarketWatch)

Video blogs — also known by their shorter, clunkier name, vlogs — are blogs that primarily feature video shorts instead of text. Like another web trend, podcasts, where people can subscribe to largely home-brewed audio programs, people can sign up to receive regular video downloads. Though it has not been promoted, the new Apple iTunes podcasting feature supports vlog subscriptions as well.

Blogging + Video = Vlogging (Wired)

Mainstream media companies are starting to dominate podcasts — topping in popularity the quirky independents that created the trendy online radio genre. Podcasts from ESPN, CNN, ABC News and the TV show Queer Eye are among the most popular this week on iTunes, Apple’s download site. That’s a huge change. Until recently, podcasts were largely pirate-radio-style broadcasts, often produced by one person on a home PC. Now, podcasts are anchored by such staid celebrities as Rush Limbaugh and Ted Koppel.

Podcasting goes from indie to mainstream overnight (USA Today)

Vlogs, the video-infused offspring of blogs, allow anyone to star in their own television show, from news satire to silly sitcom situations, from political commentary to outright zaniness. There are hundreds of vlogs out there, and more launch every day. Here are some of our favorites.

The Vlog World’s Greatest Hits (Wired)

On Aug. 1, when Current TV launches on several satellite and cable TV systems — reaching, at first, about 19 million households — Gore believes young people will finally get that opportunity. But while Current will be televised, it’s not at all clear that the revolution Gore has promised will make it to the screen. You can’t argue with Gore’s planned innovations — interactivity, openness, a willingness to tell stories that buck the mainstream. What remains to be seen is whether his network can realize the goals without compromise.

The television will be revolutionized (Salon)

Until last week, the Twin Cities’ Wanda Wisdom had enjoyed only marginal success with her podcast — a radio-like program offered online as a digital file for subscribers to download and put on their portable music players… Then came the June 28 “iTunes effect.” That’s when Apple Computer released a new version of its popular iTunes music-jukebox software with the built-in ability to locate and automatically download podcasts.

Podcasts get lift from ‘iTunes effect’