It’s the best thing to happen to me. I am not a voracious reader. But I like to learn by listening to others. Podcasts have become a new and predominant source of learning for me. But it is still new for many in India. A podcast is audio posted on the web- of conferences, interviews, academic classes, or tutorials. Most podcasts are informal, not so professionally produced. An occasional barking of a dog or ringing of a cell phone are acceptable. Just like in our day-to-day conversations. Such informality means lower costs because you don’t need professional equipment to produce it and more people can podcast. If you have a computer with a microphone or just a handheld device that can record, you are ready to podcast.
The cost of podcasting classes to a university, which conducts classes anyway, is near zero. But what is the benefit to a student who does not have access to such school? She can sit at home and listen to classes she so desperately wants to attend. It makes a difference between having a life you want and none. This has great implications for countries like India where quality education is scarce. Podcasts help you replicate high quality classes in every corner of the country – often with no cost at all because someone has already produced them elsewhere.
Podcasts can time shift events for you. You can listen to classes or conferences you missed when you want to. If you commute for a couple of hours, you can shift them to your commute time, making it productive. Not just that, you can also ‘geo-shift’ events. If you can’t be in Delhi at a TiE event, you can listen to them when it’s podcasted. But a podcast can’t let you press flesh. You can’t meet new people or meet other friends who attended the event. So can you not join the alumni associations of the university you heard lessons from. But that’s ok. If you can acquire competency, network will follow.
There is every kind of podcast if you have patience to search for it. You can learn Investing, English, Biology, Music, Cooking, Entrepreneurship or whatever you are interested in. Learning is on the net is democratized, again. We are living through great times.
A few good podcasts:
3. Stanford Tech Ventures Program podcasts
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