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Fitnesscasting - Podcasting for The Health and Fitness Industry
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By Ryan M. Hoback
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Fitnesscasting is the commercial application of podcasting forthe personal fitness industry. Fitnesscasting is thedistribution and publishing of audio and video feeds, that offerpersonal health and fitness training and information deliveredover the Internet, for on demand listening.
This is a new step in the evolution of on-demand health andfitness information delivery, making it accessible, informative,useful and appealing. This mix presents the health and fitnessindustry with a very unique opportunity to reach its audiencethrough this new medium. Those individuals, who are alreadyseeking health and fitness information actively, will use RSSsubscription technology built into each podcast feed, to receiveinformation immediately as it is updated by each organization.With one click of a button, a user can subscribe to a feed thatmay be interesting, and any related information that is everupdated to that feed will be automatically processed to theirpersonal aggregator. An aggregator is able to subscribe to afeed, check for new content at user-determined intervals, andretrieve the content.
To take this process one step further, podcasting publishes eachfeed with the capability to be transferred to any portable audioor video device. So with the growth of the ipod and all theother portable media devices, you have the ability to grabfitnesscasts and place them on your portable player forlistening or viewing. Most users attach their portable playersto their computers daily or weekly, and once the player isattached they automatically receive the new Fitnesscast updates.
The flexibility of this medium is what will drive the growth ofFitnesscasting tremendously over the next few years. There arenumerous formats that can be used in developing a fitnesscast.Audio and video workouts give the power to the listener orviewer to receive on-demand health and fitness training. Inaddition, podcasts are being placed on portable video devices tooffer exclusive training workouts for those clients who maytravel a lot, or want to workout in the comfort of their home oron their own schedule.
The best thing about fitnesscasting is that the opportunitiesare endless. Here are some examples of how podcasting willbenefit the fitness industry. Most Americans have heard of 6minute abs or the home jazzercise videos, in fact, these havesold extremely well in our society. With as busy as people arein today's society, some individuals do not have the opportunityto make it to a gym as much as they would like. However, thesesame individuals are not looking to give up their workoutroutine, they just need it custom fitted to their likings. Withfitnesscasting, you have the ability to utilize this mediumon-demand at the convenience. In addition, with audio and videoipods you can take these fitnesscasts with you when traveling.
Another example of its use could be in large scale gyms. Allgyms have trainers who help their patrons' workout and developtheir bodies, yet, sometimes there are either not enoughtrainers or time schedules do not match up. With fitnesscasting,you have an audio or video of a trainer giving you instruction,at the touch of your fingers and on your time schedule.
The options are wide open for the development of fitnessprograms that are cutting edge, and highly opportunistic interms of converting listeners and users into consumers andrevenues.
The popularity of portable on demand information will grow evengreater as wireless internet services continue to flourishacross the country. These portable devices will no longer haveto be connected to the internet; they will receive informationwirelessly as it is updated. In addition, as cell phones andportable devices continue to merge together, the market growslarger.
For organizations that have members worldwide, the distributionof company information is very important, and once again thisoffers each institution a method of on-demand delivery which isconvenient to all.
There are numerous uses for Fitnesscasting, and over the nextfew years it will explode in popularity. It is beneficial toorganizations as well as the consumer, and it will be seen as agreat tool in any health and fitness organizations' operations.
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