Here you go folks, yet another makeuseof list, this one on podcasts. To be more precise, it’s about podcast directories.. the better ones. Not only do these aggregate, list and organize thousands of podcasts but also provide you with a handful of features to listen, store, discover, download and subscribe to your favorite shows.
What are podcasts ?: In case you didn’t know, podcasts are basically web-based audio (sometimes video) shows, you may think of them as audio/video blogs. Usually you can listen to them online, download desired episodes to your PC and even subscribe to shows you like. It can be a weekly tech show, language course, or weekly wrap-up of best stories on Digg.
TOP 5: Podcast Directories (in no particular order)
(1) Yahoo! Podcasts
Yahoo! Podcasts features comprehensive catalog of podcasts, you can play them right from the website or download to your computer. Browse podcasts by Categories (Tech, Sports, etc.), by Tags, OR by Popularity (Most popular, Highly rated).
(2) iTunes – Podcast Directory
Apple’s podcast directory directly integrated with (and can only be accessed via) its iTunes player (Mac, Win). Access, Browse, Play, Subscribe and Download your favorite podcasts directly from iTunes. If you’re looking for an offline way to easily manage and deal with podcasts OR moving them to/from your iPod, this may be the way to go.
(3) Pluggd
Pluggd is very similar to Yahoo Podcasts although quite different in design; here you’ll find many well-implemented features (i.e. tag cloud, browse podcasts by popularity, etc.). Additionally, it’s the only service that provides an option to search within the podcast conversations, letting you quickly locate conversation parts that you need. (View Demo)
(4) Odeo
Yet another podcast directory, probably the oldest and the biggest one, featuring more than 3.5 mil podcast episodes and counts over 300K registered members. Features include: browse podcasts by categories, subscribe, create playlists, share your fav. shows with friends, etc.
(5) Revision3
Contrary to the above ones, Revision3 is not a podcast directory but an “actual TV network for the web, creating, producing its own original entertainment and content.” It doesn’t provide you with 1000′s of categorized podcasts, BUT only a dozen of really good tech video podcasts, incl. all-favorite Diggnation.
Other podcast directories: Popcasts (lists top podcast from top directories), Podiobooks (huge collection of free audio books. Thanks Duane), Podnova, VitalPodcasts, Podfeed, PodShow, podOmatic, IdiotVox and PodcastEmpire.
Tagged: Podcast