Like so much that's new and different in today's world, "podcasting" means different things depending on the person with whom you're having the conversation.

Perhaps the simplest definition is the one found in the New Oxford American Dictionary, who named "podcasting" their word of the year in 2005 and define the term thus: "a digital recording of a radio broadcast or similar program, made available on the Internet for downloading to a personal audio player". Pod purists, on the other hand, may quarrel that podcasting refers specifically to the distribution of such files using techniques like RSS, often via subscription, whereas a file made available for download is just that: a download.

How you define the term, and perceive the work involved in creating Podcasts, may impact the degree to which they have the potential to be another arrow in your marketing quiver. Purists aside, this writer suggests that the most potent - and practical - use of Podcasts for high-tech marketers is not as a subscription, but as a simple download offer.

In its most basic form, a Podcast is nothing more than an MP3 file. Want to extend the life of your white papers? Create a podcast version. Want your next information kit to get noticed? Add a Podcast.

Podcasts are still new enough, and companies are slow enough (for now) to see the potential, that Podcasts still have novelty value in the tech marketing realm. Sometimes that whiff of novelty is all it takes to make your campaign stand out.

Technically all you need to produce a Podcast is a PC, sound card and microphone, though investing in professional help, particularly in voice talent and audio engineering, can't hurt. Even then, podcasts can be relatively inexpensive, and compared to say, writing a new white paper, won't require a great deal of creative cycle time if you're repurposing existing content.

So what are you waiting for?