A complete guide to different eras of podcasting:
First era: Podcasting's origins in blogging can be traced all the way back to the medium's inception. Both worlds shared a common political spirit in that, like early blogging, podcasting developed out of a belief in the internet's potential to democratize thought, a desire to bypass gatekeepers, and a desire to live and build on one's own terms. That isn't to suggest we shouldn't romanticize the early days. The first podcasts were mainly chatty amateur creations that were recorded in hurry, scarcely edited, and insular. This will evolve over time as podcasting increased in popularity and pulled in a larger audience. Early podcast companies, often in the form of networks (including, most prominently, Midroll Media, now rebranded as Stitcher), were formed in search of a business model, but capital remained an issue. Since the medium's core infrastructure has remained largely untouched throughout its lifetime, data on podcast listeners has remained rudimen...