The Podcasters are coming.

More than 800 of the technological adventurers are descending on New York this weekend for PodCamp NYC. They have signed up to discuss podcasting, a way of delivering audio and video through the Web.

For many New Yorkers, the notion of camp usually conjures images of lazy summer afternoons canoeing in the Adirondacks or nights huddling around a campfire in the Catskills. There will be no bug spray or marshmallow roasting at this weekend’s gathering.

Instead, attendees will flock to more than 100 sessions — all indoors — at the New Yorker Hotel to discuss the technology and uses of downloadable audio and video episodes on computers and hand-held devices. (For those unfamiliar with podcasting, an analogy might be an e-mail newsletter that one subscribes to and receives periodically.)

Panelists include representatives from WNYC and National Public Radio, but practically anyone with a microphone can create podcast episodes that listeners can download. A New School alumnus, Adam Broitman, said podcasting is popular because it allows listeners to get content “on demand — when they want it, how they want it, and where they want it.”

A co-founder of PodCamp, Chris Brogan, said podcasting has increased as companies have found it a useful way of sharing information, adding value, and building brand awareness. Podcasting reaches niche audiences, such as those interested in freshwater fishing. Mr. Broitman, who works at a company called Morpheus Media, said there would be a groundswell of such “narrowcasting” in the next five years or so.

While podcasts now often happen absent any advertising, this may change as ways are found to monetize the technology. Mr. Broitman said podcast advertising in a way harks back to 1950s-style sponsorship: An announcement is made as part of the program, such as, “This product is brought to you by” a sponsor.

“We’re just at the tip of the iceberg now in terms of adoption,” Mr. Broitman said. Indeed, this weekend may be the largest gathering of podcasters so far. PodCamp NYC was originally to be held at the New School, but it outgrew the space. While there have been PodCamps in Boston, Atlanta, and elsewhere, New York has the most sign-ups, Mr. Brogan said.

One use of podcasts is in an educational setting. For example, the lead organizer of PodCamp NYC, John Havens, gave the example of a Duke University professor, Richard Lucic, who has said that when teachers have students present projects using podcasts, grades invariably go up. One explanation is that when students know that their peers (and not just the teacher) are going to hear or see their work, their incentive increases to do a good job.

Another example of podcasting in an educational setting, Mr. Havens said, is in language instruction. Teachers might augment a textbook, he said, by including a podcast of cultural music from the country whose language one is trying to master.

More than just educators are using podcasts. Since December, the office of a New York State senator, Thomas Duane, has produced three podcasts. A legislative aide to the senator, Adam Riff, said it was a way to reach a different audience regarding issues going on in the state capital and in the district.

Podcasts can bring surprises. During a tour of a waste transfer station, a rat ran over Mr. Duane’s foot, a moment was not captured on the podcast — but Mr. Duane’s immediate reaction was. Unpleasant creatures make a return appearance in Mr. Duane’s latest Podcast, during which he encounters a cockroach in an illegally converted hotel on 79th Street.

As for producing podcasts, the president of Encompass, a user group of Hewlett-Packard, Nina Buik, said, “Make sure that you sound unscripted.” She said podcasts were one way of reaching a younger demographic.

Mr. Havens said audio podcasts would remain popular for commuters who drive. “Until they invent a new type of car, you can’t watch video while driving or you will die,” he said.

PodCamp NYC is part of a loose confederation of gatherings whose philosophy, Mr. Havens said, is one of informality and breaking down barriers. Organizers are unpaid and the events are not run to make a profit. Attendees sign up and register themselves online. The conference has no “keynote” speakers, and sessions are free. Sponsorships and donations pay for the space and materials. Mr. Havens, who is president of Podcast Vision and Voice, said he sees his role less as lead organizer than as “tiebreaker” in planning decisions.

Podcasting is part of a larger so-called social media phenomenon that includes Web pages on MySpace and video clips on YouTube. Mr. Havens said what these all have in common are a decentralized “do-it-yourself component.”

Not everything Podcamp is about technology. On Friday and Saturday nights, conference attendees will meet in a decidedly old-fashioned way — that is, nonvirtually, in person — at a nightclub in Chelsea called Slate.