From The Business Podcasting Bible Foreword

Podcasting is a disruptive technology that is revolutionizing business communication. As such, it is a proven innovation that creates customers. Johannes Gutenberg’s Bible is an instructive analogy, because when it appeared in the 15th century, it revolutionized communications and society. Previous to the printing press, “the elite” in the Middle Ages controlled mass communication, which essentially entailed the Bible and the pulpit. As soon as the printing press came into play, ordinary citizens – not just the rich and powerful – could gain access to the Bible by simply ponying up the necessary money. As the printing press became more advanced, the Bible became cheaper and more accessible.

Print is an understood technology, even in the poorest of nations. As print became more prevalent, the elite no longer exercised sole control over it. That was the first step of print’s disruptive effect. Secondly, print literally passed into the hands of the masses. Instead of being squirreled away in special libraries and protected by monks, anybody could grab a book and – as the old joke goes – bring it with them to the bathroom. Because it went from the elite into the hands of the masses, anyone with a Bible could start a church. People had vital data in the palms of their hands: they could read what they wanted, when they wanted. To get information, they no longer were forced to attend a Mass in which selected data is presented and interpreted for them. They could come to their own conclusions, based on what they read. This freedom of information was a catalyst for the Reformation and the Renaissance that transformed all of Europe.

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