The Social Media Bible: Tactics, Tools, and Strategies for Business Success

Chapter 27. Audio

In the late nineteenth century, a group of scientists and engineers that included Nikola Tesla and Guglielmo Marconi set out to bring the world a means of wireless communication. They were not, of course, working for a cell phone company. They were, however, the inventors of radio, an audio technology that has over the years become the very definition of communication, collaboration, education, and entertainment. Neither Tesla nor Marconi ultimately had much influence over the content that would one day ride across the radio waves, but it is certain that their efforts changed society and commerce in ways that are still being felt.

Today, audio encompasses more than just radio, but at its core, audio has the power to move people with music, to capture listeners' attention with the news of the day, or to create a theater of the mind that suggests with words and sounds what people cannot see. As such, audio can be a critical aspect of a social media strategy. Ironically, this chapter is not about radio, which is covered in Chapter 30 on Livecasting. Instead, this chapter focuses on applications that allow you to upload, download, and share audio content, much of which has been harvested or diverted from the traditional airwaves of radio for delivery on a digital device of your choice.

This chapter introduces you to the following companies, tools, and applications:

• iTunes

• PodBean

• Podcast.net

• Rhapsody

As you read each profile, keep in mind that its features and functions may ...