Aztec Media

Vital Podcasts (beta) has announced via the Yahoo Podcast Mailing List they are looking for more testers of their "100% free podcast hosting service."  The most recent new features implemented include:

• Create podcasts
• manage episodes
• RSS generator
• Delivering of media files

If you are very new to podcasting and don't yet have a host or want to push off as much technical implementation to your host provider as possible, then Vital Podcasts might be a good site to evaluate. 

If you have an existing podcast, they are offering a directory, so you'll want to go over an reserve your name space.

This segment of the podcast marketplace is extremely competitive and full of alternative options.  Things should start shaking out over the next six months.  I'm not sure TechCrunch's DeadPool is going to be paying that much attention to the 'small podcast directory/hosting efforts' online but they will start dropping off sooner than later IMHO.  The marketplace will be very different by next Podcast & Portable Media Expo 2007.

PRWEB notes that Podcast Media Services (PMS) is now offering for a limited time time a "5-Day Pro Podcast, Hands-On Live Online Webinar Workshop with Dr. Tony Marino" if you purchase PMS' Quick Podcast, Premium Hosting Package.

CNET News.com is reporting that PodZinger has a new plan to share ad revenue with podcasters that would allow PodZinger to make transcripts of their podcasts, and then feed them into the search engine world for discovery. 

The idea is pretty simple, the ads on your transcript pages that are visited would in theory generate revenue which would then be shared between Podzinger as host/transcriptionist and yourself as content provider.

BoingBoing is reporting that Audioblogger will cease operations on 11/1/06.  Other services that do something similar include: ODEO, Gabcast, Hipcast, and Gcast.

During a session at eTech 2006, the interesting site Ning! jumped on to the radar screen as a very interesting way to build your own DIY customized application sites that might need a database structure to hold the specific data you cared about.  Like What's Cuter? or Restaurant Reviews.

These 'applications' are clonable.  So, you can sign up and borrow the 'Restaurant Reviews' template so to speak and make a new site called "San Diego Restaurant Reviews' and have all the features that is currenting available now in your site with absolutely no additional work.  Pretty nice.

So ... the folks at Ning! have recently announced three new social websites you can come and borrow for your own: Ning Video, Ning Photos, and Ning Group. Definitely something worth checking out!   

I think the Group template would be something every podcaster not currently reaching out to their listeners in an interactive way should consider.

Podango is now offering free, hosted podcasting services for independent media producers via thier Station Directories platform.  This service enables a "trusted" Station Director to self-organize the best in podcasting based on their own criteria and share those decisions with listeners.

Part of this "beta" service is a easy way for listeners to provide back feedback and comments to podcasters called 'Castback.'  Other services include: transcription, customized user interface, marketing, search engine optimization, metrics, and advertising.

You can learn more via the Podango press release.

TechWeb.com is reporting that "domain name registrar GoDaddy.com has launched a service for publishing and managing podcasts."  The service will be called 'Quick Podcast' and offer file hosting, bandwidth, and RSS feed publishing for $5 a month.  There is also a way to tie into hosted web pages with templates and themes customized for podcasts. [Also: Information Week]