Telling a dinner party that you are a podcaster is a bit like saying youâe(TM)re a sex therapist.

There is a flash of interest around the table. An intake of breath follows as each guest hosts an internal debate over whether or not to query further. Dismay and fascination criss-cross the faces at the table. Podcasting. Hmmm. What are the questions which will quench the curiosity about this âeoepodcastingâe but not leave the speaker feeling idiotic?

Even more distressing is the question of how to avoid inciting an unstoppable stream of incomprehensible technical jargon and scuttling a dinner party that until this moment has been afloat in an ocean of good cheer.

The guests consider and reconsider. They lick their lips slightly, nod neutral-positive heads. Hmmm. Then they decide not to rock the boat and fork their stuffed mushroom caps defeatedly to their mouths. Courage has failed them.

Everyone wants to be cool, relaxed and in the know. If that can’t be managed many will settle for appearing cool, relaxed and in the know. Which is what makes podcasting a dinner party showstopper.Podcasting, though it is starting to get up there (in internet years it is well into its fifties), is still a mystery to most.

The same party guests who woefully dig into that second helping of mushroom caps to block the questions flowing from brain to voice box are liable to corner the podcaster (often, me) later one-on-one. When coffee and tea are being served in the sitting room, they whisper in a semi-conspiratorial voice (Iâe(TM)ll keep the secret safe, won’t I?) that they don’t know what a podcast is.

Which is great! Because then the podcaster (often, me) gets a chance to explain podcasting.

âeoeItâe(TM)s like a radio show on the internet. You listen to it the way you listen to downloadable music,âe I jabber breathlessly.

If a blank stare or a shamefaced âeoeIâe(TM)ve never done that,âe is the response (which it usually is), I like to continue this way:

âeoeYou are not alone.âe

There is a large community of non music-downloaders out there. No one likes to admit it, but we all know that many of us have been reading about downloading, mp3s, Napster, Universal Music and itunes, and file-sharing for years without a care or a clue about what the media has been going on about. Sorry to say so, but it’s true. I’ve been there.

But I digress. Here is the rest of what I tell my new friend at the party.

A podcast is audio that sits on a webpage waiting to be listened to. You need not tune in at a particular time. It is always there for you.

There are a few ways to listen. You can click the download button you see somewhere on the page and listen immediately (if your computer’s music player is set to “on” and is not muted accidentally). You can save it to your computer and listen later. If you want to, you can tune in on a portable mp3 player as you trudge to work.

âeoeDonâe(TM)t I need an ipod?âe asks the party guest.

No ipod required. There are cheaper options for mp3 players. They work fine.

This is the point in the conversation where things get ugly and they ask me this. Why bother, when I could just listen to the radio?

Whatâe(TM)s so different from my old friend radio? Podcast style.

The podcast universe is radioâe(TM)s alternative dimension. In Radioland, shows compete for a limited amount of airtime. In Podcastville, anyone can make a podcast and find a home for it. Space is unlimited. The end result is that podcasts can bring us information and entertainment from nooks and crannies around the world that radio doesnâe(TM)t have time to explore.

The podcast sound is raw and immediate. Some people sit around, record their breakfast conversation and get famous. Others walk into war zones and record the people they find living there. Some talk about the scenery going by as they drive along in the car. There are full-length documentaries, and 3-minute columns on resistance movements, movies, and internet tech. Sound quality varies from from gritty and natural to studio quality. When it comes to podcasts, anything goes.

At the rabble podcast network weâe(TM)ve gathered a selection of podcasts showing off the diversity of the podcast universe. From interviews and discussions about the current situation in Pakistan, to recordings of frogs in song, to DVD reviews and reports from Africa, it is all at the rabble podcast network.

We hope youâe(TM)ll take a moment to turn on the audio on your computer, make sure the mute button is not clicked on (I only say this because Iâe(TM)ve had the problem myself) and sample some of these rabble podcast network delicacies.

This week rabble.ca will be featuring some of the news and views from the rabble podcast network. Weâe(TM)ll be giving you several podcast links. Donâe(TM)t be afraid to listen âe” just click on the download button for each show. Then at your next dinner party, you can be the person dropping “podcasting” into the conversation.

meagan

Meagan Perry

Meagan Perry began her work in media at the age of 17, broadcasting at her high school’s lunchhour intercom radio station. She then moved on to a decade in community radio, working as news director...