One of the first and most useful podcasting sites – IT Conversations – has now morphed The Conversations Network. While it started as a storehouse of IT related conference podcasts, it now carries material from a vast range of different events from pure IT geekfests through to PopTech.

When you cannot get to an event, this is a great way of hearing some of the worlds most interesting speakers on all sorts of topics.

While it was initially donation supported, the concept has grown to the point where the model now require subscriptions to grow the site. It’s a mere US$5 per month – great value.

The network states it’s mission as follows :

Every day scores of educational, inspirational and entertaining conference sessions, lectures and other spoken-word presentations are lost. They simply evaporate because no one records them. Some of these presentations are by the greatest and most inspiring minds of our time, and many would be important to people in the far reaches of the planet, if only they could hear them.

The Conversations Network (a California non-profit corporation) captures presentations, processes the recordings, and publishes them online for free under Creative Commons licenses.