The rise of the podcast, and whatever they’re calling the video version of the podcast (options include video podcast, video blog and vlog), is something I admit took me by surprise. As someone who’s written for the Web for a long time, I had always assumed that people would take only a few seconds to digest content delivered over the Internet, and that for the most part they would be looking for a quick nugget of information or a way to accomplish a task. And since for most people reading is the fastest way to take in information, I didn’t expect audio and video content to take off.

But I don’t own an iPod.

Since I rarely have a commute, and I don’t like to listen to music while I’m walking around (I am paranoid that the crazed bike-riding delivery men in my neighborhood will crash into me at 70 miles an hour, so I like to hear what’s going on around me), I don’t really have any need for an iPod. I like the industrial design, and I understand the appeal, but it’s simply not useful for me. So I never really considered the ability of the iPod and devices like it to change the way content is created and delivered over the Web.

Oops.

Though they really haven’t yet turned into a mass medium, podcasts have gotten big. A combination of RSS, iPods, and iTunes integration mean that it’s easy, almost effortless, to download them and then listen while exercising, commuting, or whatever. The IPod has created a content environment, and producers have responded with short programs that are designed specifically for that environment.

Now, I still can’t believe people want to watch video content on the iPod’s tiny screen, but it seems they are doing it. Apparently Apple has sold over 30 million videos on iTunes. Video podcasts are growing too, and the most popular of them, Rocketboom, is facing a challenge. The popular host Amanda Congdon has left the show, as noted twice by the New York Times, among many, many others. The new host, Joanne Colan, started yesterday. So soon we’ll have the opportunity to find out how much viewers value the Rocketboom brand, content, and approach, as opposed to the personal appeal of Congdon. It’ll be interesting.

I’m still not buying an iPod. But I’ll be watching.