Debbie Weil is a corporate blogging and social media expert, online marketing consultant, speaker and author of The Corporate Blogging Book (Portfolio). She consults with large companies, CEOs and senior executives on how to create blogs that connect with customers and attract media attention.

If you’re still scratching your head over podcasting, the newest phenomenon to sweep the Web, read Stephan Spencer’s “Move Over Blogs: Here Come Podcasts.” This is the clearest explanation I’ve seen yet on what podcasting is and how it relates to RSS and blogs.

Spencer lists some good podcasting ideas that could be used on a variety of Web sites, no matter what your product or service, or whether your organization is for-profit or non-profit.

- Provide a thought-provoking tip of the day; just a short sound bite that your “listener subscribers” can download to an iPod, for example, and listen to on the run. (I love this idea. Better than a daily ezine or email, don’t you think?)

- Interview thought leaders in your field and publish these podcasts to your site. Again, your listener subscribers can download these audio interviews and tune in at their convenience.

He also provides a useful link to Engadget’s podcasting tutorial.

I’ve just published this week’s issue of WordBiz Report. In it I include a woefully overdue note on podcasting, including a quick definition. The truth is I’ve been waiting till I had something intelligent to say about podcasting… before blogging about it. But I can’t wait any longer. This is a phenomenon that has swept from the blogosphere into MSM (mainstream media) in just a few months. Stay tuned for more thoughts about the business applications of podcasting. (Two-second definition: a podcast is an audio program in MP3 format that you can download to your computer, your iPod or any other digital playing device that is MP3 compatible. You can also subscribe to podcasts via RSS.)