The number of sites that keep adding podcast support is encouraging to see. The newest one: BlogExplosion which is probably the leading earn readers to your blog by reading blogs sites, is taking a “submit your podcast to us and we’ll approve it” approach as opposed to spidering the ipodder directory and just grabbing the feeds. Good move, BE crew.

As for those who are spidering the OPML directories and creating their own podcast search engines?

Some podcasters are bothered by these type services that stream podcasts deeplinked from the source sites instead of loading them and caching the MP3 locally and are switching to putting the MP3 files in ZIP files and/or blocking these sites. These pod-aggregators are taking a Google like approach to being the facillitator to the content, but not the source of the content.

The aggregator/directory sites say this is advertising and that nobody should complain unless they don’t want “free” exposure but some podcasters are complaining that they can’t track individual listener stats with these aggregators and that by obscuring who the original content provider is it could cause confusion with the listener. Argh, talk about complexities!

My thoughts?

I don’t have a problem with any of the podcast aggregator sites that I’ve seen so far because as long as we control the source file, we can always track what’s going on and therefore block abuse of any kind on a case-by-case basis as it is with everything else. I can find out how much streaming that the podcast aggregator is doing as well as how much traffic it is sending and react accordingly. Use the source, Luke, use the source!

Speaking of podcasts. It looks like Gnomedex which starts tomorrow is going to be one of the most podcasted conferences to date. I won’t be one of the 300 or so attending Gnomedex this year because we have other plans the next couple days, but I’m going to try and catch at least some of the coverage virtually. Looks like there will be plenty.

Did this post make you go hmm?

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