Podcasting' packages radio in timeless format
July 02, 2005 - One day, Park Jun-ho just got tired of his blog. The chemical engineering major at Yonsei University had been writing and posting photos on his web log for some time, but he wanted to do something different.
That was when he decided to be the DJ for his own radio program. Mr. Park converted music and his own comments into an MP3 file format and uploaded the files onto his Web site. On one day, he would introduce the music and life of a certain Korean musician; the next, he would be doing a feature program on opera arias. With 1.5 million won ($1,460) of his own money, he bought several pieces of sound-related equipment, including an SM-58 microphone and Behringer BCA-2000 mixer.
The response he got from listeners was phenomenal. Internet users came to his blog to download MP3 files; some of them uploaded those files to their own Web sites, which were in turn, linked to other Web sites.
People began sending him personal stories for him to read on his Internet "radio" program and many visited his blog to post music requests. In just four months, Mr. Park had about 200 steady fans.
Mr. Park's case is a good example of the audio-orientation of Korean blogs these days. Up until now, blogs were mainly composed of text or photos, but now blogs are evolving to include multimedia, beginning with audio. In the United States and Europe, this form of media is called "Podcasting" a hybrid term combining Apple Computer's MP3 player "iPod" and "broadcasting."
Podcasting is relatively easy. You record your voice as an MP3 file and then upload it to the Internet on a server that can accommodate audio streaming or downloading.
But audio files take up a lot of space. An MP3 file of a song is only three to four megabytes, but 10 minutes of chatter could amount up to 10 megabytes. In the case of text files, however, a hundred pages of text doesn't even add up to 1 megabyte. Although many Web portal operators offer free blogs, they will usually have a space limit for uploaded files.
Kim Ho-geun, 33, is a self-proclaimed missionary of podcasting in Korea and the operator of his own podcast, www.podcast.co.kr, a web portal where people can create their own broadcasting programs. Mr. Kim says that there are about 50 people who do podcasts, and thousands more listen to them.
"Podcasting is also good in that it can boost development of diverse, unique programs," Mr. Kim said. "Music is still the main content, but some people introduce and read books, or have commentaries for sports programs like baseball or basketball.
Podcasting is also slightly different from existing Internet radio services, in which there was little interaction between the creater and the listener. This is because many Internet radio programs are live, whereas podcasting programs don't require you to sit and listen to the program at a certain time.
Due to the rising popularity of podcasting, domestic MP3 player makers such as Samsung Electronics are planning to use it to promote their products. "MP3 players these days can support large files, so podcasting is yet another thing you can do with your MP3 player," said Lee Dong-su, an official at Bluetech, a MP3 player company.
While podcasting enables normal people to publish their own audio content, there are sensitive issues regarding intellectual property rights and unlawful usage.
"People who use music for broadcasting purposes should pay, just like broadcasting companies do," said Choi Myung-ki, a copyright official at the Culture Ministry.
Podcasters such as Park Jun-ho, however, defend themselves by saying their work is non-profit. "It's not like I'm podcasting for money, and I use music from CDs that I've bought myself so it shouldn't be such a big problem," he said.
by Park Sung-woo, Wohn Dong-hee <wohn@joongang.co.kr>
Answer the Phone: Your Identity is on the Line
Beverly Hills, CA -- (ArriveNet - May 06, 2005) -- There hasn't been much good news in the battle against identity theft lately, with fraudsters staying one step ahead of the game. But don't panic, our old friend the telephone has come to the rescue.
We're all aware of the problem of identity theft, but did you know that your local pizza chain has had a solution for years? You recognize it as the system that prevents little Johnny from having twenty pizzas delivered to your door at midnight: the pizza chain calls you immediately after the order is placed to verify the validity of the order. Because little Johnny is afraid to be caught, he'll think twice about causing this pizza-related havoc.
TeleSign's patent-pending verification system has transferred this pizza concept to the high-tech world. It works like this: after filling out a form on a website, the user is prompted to enter his phone number. A robotic system then places a call to that number and speaks aloud a unique three digit code. Once that code is entered into the website, the authentication is complete. This system can be implemented at any point on a website: at registration, purchase, a specific time interval, or at the request of a user.
Email verification is the current standard for user authentication, but email may end up filtered, junked, bulked, or trashed. Because of spam, viruses, and phishing, email filtering has become so aggressive that even legitimate emails don't reach the inbox. But a telephone call cannot be stopped, making this the perfect time for the introduction of TeleSign’s solution.
The future of ecommerce is threatened by rampant fraud and lack of trust. TeleSign will force anonymous users to expose their faces by revealing their working phone numbers.
To try an interactive demo, visit (http://www.telesign.com/demo2/demo.asp) and have your phone ready.
For more information about TeleSign’s products and services, visit (http://www.telesign.com/demo2/) or email press2@telesign.com.
About TeleSign Corp.
TeleSign is a leader in innovative internet security solutions and provider of intelligent telephone-based verification solutions for any entity conducting business online where trust is essential and where fraud is a concern. TeleSign’s patent-pending Verification System provides a critical layer of security for the e-commerce world and is a proven deterrent against ill-intentioned web users. The company’s first product, the TeleSign Verification System, blends the latest internet, security and telephony technologies into a powerful new tool to combat fraud and enhance trust in e-business.
TeleSign Corp. seeks to provide simplified solutions for any company conducting business online where trust is essential and where fraud is a concern. TeleSign’s patent-pending Verification System provides a critical layer of security for the e-commerce world and is a proven deterrent against ill-intentioned web users. TeleSign’s Verification System is able to legitimize a web user’s claimed identification at a miniscule cost and with little inconvenience to all parties involved.
TeleSign’s Verification System is based upon the premise that ill-intentioned web users hesitate to disclose their working phone numbers. By placing a computer-generated telephone call coupled with a unique security code, we insist that a web user provide a legitimate telephone number or be rooted out. The company’s first product, the TeleSign Verification System, blends the latest internet, security and telephony technologies into a powerful new tool to combat fraud in e-commerce.
Visit http://www.telesign.com/demo2/ or call 310-276-5900 for more information.
TeleSign Corporation
Contact: Sam Gonen
Telephone: (310) 276-7843
Email: press2@telesign.com
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