Ok, what? This is going to be pretty rant-ish, I apologize.
The internet today is very much about the idea of human interaction. Even in forms that are not immediately interactive. The rise of bandwidth and sites like youtube and metacafe have brought about the concept of "Vlogs", or "Video Web Logs". Before that people would record radio shows as MP3 files and attach them to RSS feeds.
All in the name of attaching a more human facade to the cold dark cloud that is the internet.
I say...STOP! I beg you!
Not that I'm saying your goals are illegitimate, far from it, I like the idea of being able to put words in one end of the internet and have some other person on the other end give me their words back...I just hate content being offered in this format. Maybe I'm just a fading member of the old guard, but I grew up on the text-based internet, and I don't see adding new venues for delivering content as replacements for text.
Even today I read "blogs", read comics, chat with people on IRC, AIM, GoogleTalk. I enjoy the value the internet has for me as a social tool, but I like those tools to be under MY control.
If I need a how-to for some programming concept, or a brief about some security exploit or idea...I want to be able to read it. Or read half of it and come back to it, or read it while watching an episode of Star Trek or listening to music. I hate the idea of having to pause whatever I happen to be doing in the background just so I can hear what you have to say. At that point you've gone beyond providing content, you've entered the realm of interrupting MY computing activities and are telling me what I can't be doing on MY computer!
And this goes double for the websites of products like cell phones or video cards, or whatever. I want to look up some news or specifications for a product, and BAM some madly loud drum'n'bass beat comes blasting at me. I spend about 1 second looking for the "STOP THIS INFERNAL NOISE" button, and then just close the tab. If you're going to dictate what I can use my speakers for, maybe I don't need to know if I can buy your phone, or your car, or your TV. These sites have even less excuse. They're doing it for flash and marketing. At least people posting their security discussions as podcast are just trying to put a human voice behind an academic discussion, and one presented in a cold and factual way.
I think we need to get used to the idea that words alone, without a face, are just as capable of representing the humanity of the person who wrote them as an audio or video recording. But then again, I grew up here.
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There is something to be said of using these sources WELL.
For example, I would much rather do video reviews of video games than use text. It would allow me an opportunity to show people what I'm talking about. In fact, the only reviews I ever pay attention to are from GameTrailers, because I can see in action what pros or cons they discuss, and it gives me a better idea to decide if that's a make it or break it for me.
In terms of podcasts, that's tricky. I find they are best if you actually want to have a round-table, several people discussing a single topic at once. Of course, at the same time, this isn't very interactive unless you yourself are a participant.
In general, there are plenty of excellent uses for this stuff. Unfortunately, most people are jack asses that don't know their cock from a snake in the grass, and so things are butchered in the most horrendous fashion.
Perfect example: MySpace. It is the posterchild for "THIS IS HOW YOU DO INTERNET WRONG!"
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