I meet a lot of people, educators included, that are just discovering the vast amount of content available to them at the iTunes Store: audiobooks, podcasts, music, movies, TV shows, university course, and applications. A significant percentage of the podcasts, university courses, and applications are completely free of charge.

I've been "reading" Audible audiobooks for so long, I take them for granted. Similarly, I regularly watch several podcast series about a variety of topics that interest me both professionally and personally. And I've even subscribed to several online university courses through iTunes U. I've purchased numerous TV shows and movies through the years, and I've filled up my iPod Touch and iPhone with applications. I've managed all of this through iTunes. It's just become second nature; so, I don't really give it much thought.

But as I poll large audiences of people, I have come to realize that easily less than 50% are using this service. The percentages seem to relate to the age of those in the audience. Further, I've come to realize that the vast majority of those that do not use iTunes are unaware of what iTunes offers. And, I suspect that, even for those who have an iPod, many are unaware of the power packed into iTunes for both Windows and Macs.

In the beginning, iTunes was really just about managing your music collection and, with a limited feature set, was rather straight forward and easy to use. But today it's so much more. And with the huge feature set and vast amount of content comes the need to understand a bit more about media types and media management.

So, how does one come up to speed on all things iTunes? Well, a couple of days ago Jesse David Hollington, a contributing editor at iLounge, wrote another one of his amazingly helpful articles: The Complete Guide to iTunes Audiobooks, Podcasts + iTunes U.

I highly recommend this article to those who want to delve deeper into a richer experience with all that iTunes can offer.