Wiley Podcasting For Dummies, 2nd Edition
Contents
1. You can also click the Podcasts icon on the top left of the main iTunes screen and the Podcast Directory icon in the lower right Or search for a podcaster or a podcast using the Search bar in the upper right of the iTunes interface 2 Find the podcast of your choice You can do that by e Clicking the Browse link to browse through all the podcasts in iTunes e Searching by clicking the Power Search link Both of these links are located in the Quick Links section on the right side of the Podcasts page in the iTunes Music Store 3 When you get to the podcast page and available podcasts in iTunes click the Subscribe button If you re using iTunes for the first time to subscribe to a feed you get a confirmation message You can select the Do Not Ask About Subscribing Again option to avoid this message After your podcast finishes downloading you can find the new episodes by going to the Podcasts section in the left column of iTunes The new episodes are marked to let you know that you have fresh content waiting for you and iTunes remembers where you left off in a podcast if you pause or zip over to another podcast or playlist Options options and more options Of course everyone s tastes and styles are different and there are plenty more options for podcatching clients Maybe you re using Mac Windows or an entirely different operating system Maybe you don t want to install any 26 Part I Podcasting on a Worldwi2. Audio Positon oo hoomonss Chapter 1 Getting the Scoop on Podcasting 7 Recording your first podcast When you have your computer set up and your microphone working it s time to start recording Take a deep breath and then follow these steps 1 Jot down a few notes on what you want to talk about Nothing too fancy just make an outline that includes remarks about who you are and what you want to talk about Use these notes to keep yourself on track All this checking your computer jotting down notes and setting up your recording area is called preshow prep discussed in depth in Chapter 4 by other podcasters who have their own ways of approaching preshow prep all of which can give you some starting points 2 Click the Record button in your recording software and go for as long as it takes for you to get through your notes We recommend keeping your first recording to no more than 20 minutes That may seem like a lot of time but it will fly by 3 Give a nice little sign off like Take care of yourselves See you next month and click the Stop button 4 Choose File Save As and give your project a name Now bask in the warmth of creative accomplishment Compressing your audio files Nearly all portable media devices and computers can play MP3 files as a default format Some play many other formats but MP3 is used as a common format If your recording software has the ability to ou
3. CDs that you filed away thinking I ll check those out sometime Well the time has arrived to flip through them You probably have some sort of audio recording software loaded on your computer such as RecordIt PC or GarageBand which comes pre installed with many new Macs If you don t already have the appropriate software here s a fast way to get it Download the version of Audacity that fits your operating system at http audacity sourceforge net shown in Figure 1 1 Oh yeah it s free An audio card Make sure your computer has the hardware it needs to handle audio recording and the drivers to run the hardware unless of course you have a built in microphone Some desktop computers come with a very elementary audio card built into the motherboard Before you run out to your local computer vendor and spring for an audio card check your computer to see whether it can already handle basic voice recording For tips on choosing the right mic and audio accessories be sure to check out Chapter 2 Chapter 3 covers all the software you need Sweeper Sing Technarama Ble Edt ew Tracks Generate Effect Anakze Hep i eee SLAIN ILSS SD Si plelxls ae o Py 3 Pg o tone EE LIL Neca eed 1 0 a 9 o 30 40 5 0 60 70 8 0 9 0 siol xi Pje gj 10 0 11 0 12 0 REE Project Rate hz 8000 x Selection Start oonoomonsd End Length onoomonsd
4. Linux and more and is available to download right from the Podcast Ready site Y Zune Marketplace Zune Marketplace http zune net is the com panion software to the Zune portable media device The marketplace contains lots of choices for music and podcasts It is currently available only for Microsoft Windows which makes sense because Microsoft makes the Zune Using categories or a search you can quickly find con tent that interests you Many podcasters have the Zune icon on their Web sites to make it easy to get their content with a single click of the mouse Y PodNova PodNova http podnova com is a service that tracks podcast content yet doesn t require you to download any software to your desktop You have the option to download some software so files can be transferred to your MP3 player but it s nice to know that some services don t require this step The service is pretty intuitive with a decent search and allows you to set up lists of your favorite shows so you can keep them handy This is only a starting point for getting access to podcasts Any attempt at a comprehensive list here would be instantly obsolete Podcasting continues to grow in popularity and new podcatching clients and players are coming out all the time Don t think podcast listening is limited to your computer or MP3 player you can even listen to podcasts on your phone or TiVo Chapter 1 Getting the Scoop on Podcasting 2 7 For more
5. RSS 2 0 podcast feed and even the accompanying Web page are automatic If you want to take more control over your Web site podcast media files and their corresponding RSS 2 0 feed look at Chapters 10 and 12 In those pages we walk you through some essentials not only how to upload a file but also how to easily generate your RSS 2 0 file using a variety of tools gt o w Getting Started gt Latest Headlines 4 VisibleHurnan java a hutp seeker libsyn com v B Original fiction Japanese word of the day SF amp F books and movies plus whatever cool stuff I ve learned Mon 15 Awgust 2005 Categories BGOSE iction Show 8 Fiction EEO arief Glimpses of Somewhere Else Show 8 general Original Fiction The Great Puzzle Part I podcasts thoughts BGOSE_GreatPurzie_8_14_2005 mp3 Archives Fiction postas at j Comments 0 Jul 2005 Aug 2005 enc 35 fone a0 August 2005 BGOSE Show 7 S MT Brief Glimpses of Somewhere Else Show 7 Ge 1 23 i 78 9 14 15 16 21 22 23 28 29 30 3 Japanese Word of the Day Omoshirai Cool Stuff Review Teenagers from Mars TERN The Surrogates 100 Chinese Idioms 4 Persisting in Evil Brings Self Destruction Syndication Geek4x4 Podcast Grabbing listeners With media files in place and an RSS 2 0 feed ready for podcatcher consump tion you re officially a podcaster Of course that doesn t mean a lot if you re the only person who knows about your podcast
6. Worldwide Frequency If you re watching your budget there s a fee to attend the conferences but the expo floor is free of charge Of course like many cons and expos a lot of the fun happens after hours In 2008 the New Media Expo moved from sunny southern California to sin city Las Vegas Just remember what happens at the NME stays at the NME
7. have a ready media file and a solid set of show notes you re ready to take your podcast message to the masses You can get listed on some directories and podcast listing sites such as iTunes Podcast Alley Podcast Pickle Zune Marketplace and Digg com explained later in this chapter Potential listeners visit literally dozens of Web sites as they seek out new content and getting yourself listed on as many as possible can help bring in more new listeners to your program A huge listener base is a double edged sword More demand for your product means more of a demand on you and the resources necessary to keep your podcast up and running We recommend working on your craft and your skills as well as getting a good handle on the personal and technological require ments of podcasting before you embark on a huge marketing campaign When you re ready Part IV has more details about marketing Part IV spends a lot of time talking about the various ways you can attract more listeners to your show and ways to respond to the ideas and feedback that your listeners inevitably provide Many podcasters are surprised at the sheer volume of comments they receive from their listeners but when you consider how personal podcasting is compared to traditional forms of media distribution that s really not surprising at all Catching a Cast with Vour Podcatching Client So you have the MP3 file some XML and accompanying show notes You re all
8. set but ask yourself How do podcasts get from the Web to my computer To access all this great new content you need a podcatcher an application that looks at various RSS feeds finds the new stuff and transfers it from the 21 22 MBER KV amp Figure 1 5 The ground breaking trendsetting and all around first podcatching client Juice PC Part I Podcasting on a Worldwide Frequency Internet to your computer automatically In this section we take a look at some of the different podcatching clients available for your listening viewing needs You may think you need an iPod for all kinds of reasons but you really don t need one to podcast Allow us to state that again You do not need an iPod to listen to or create a podcast As long as you have an MP3 player be it an application on a Mac an application on a PC or a portable device you can unplug and take with you you possess the capability to listen to podcasts Depending on the MP3 player you may even be able to create your podcast on the device as well but to listen all you need is a device that can play audio files The catcher that started it all Juice Juice shown in Figure 1 5 started life as a product called iSpider then was branded as iPodder and later became iPodder Lemon In November 2005 as if searching for a new identity in the community the package was rebranded as Juice It was inspired by a script written by Adam Cu
9. universe of podcasting that many people like to call the podosphere We recommend trying out these Blogger and Podcaster Magazine If you re looking for a great resource of information from the people who live and breathe new media look to Blogger and Podcaster Magazine http bloggerandpodcaster com Founded in 2007 the online magazine uses a graphical reader application that makes you feel like you re reading a real magazine You can also pick up audio clips and yes it s even available in a print ver sion sent to your door Podcast User Magazine Podcast User Magazine http podcastuser magazine com is amonthly PDF publication exclusively about pod casting As producer Paul Nichols says it is precisely what it says on the tin a magazine about podcasting The publication is targeted at everyone from the professional producer to the complete novice Topics cover a wide spectrum including business education news reviews tips and tricks from the veteran podcasters v New Media Expo Some have compared podcasting to a religion As in many religions podcasters are drawn to a central gathering place The New Media Expo www newmediaexpo com or NME is the annual Mecca for podcasters and one of our favorite podcast gatherings Started by Tim and Emile Bourquin in 2005 the expo is a great way to network with other podcasters vendors and attend focused conference sessions 30 Part I Podcasting on a
10. you ve gotten yourself into relax We don t leave you hanging out in the wind Chapter 10 covers everything you need to know about choosing a Web host for your podcast media files Note that we called your audio a podcast media file Podcasting isn t just about audio On the contrary you can podcast any sort of media file you like even video Although this book focuses on audio files you can use all the tips we give here to handle other types of media files After you post the media file you need to create a specially formatted text file known as an RSS file Really Simple Syndication explained in detail in Chapter 12 and move it up to your Web server This file describes where to find the media file you just placed on your Web server This is your podcast feed People who listen to your podcast can subscribe to your show by plac ing a link to this podcast feed in their podcatching client Yes we know this sounds really complicated But we assure you it s not Some hosting companies such as LibSyn www 1ibsyn com specialize in taking the technological bite out of podcasting so you can focus on creating 19 20 ee Figure 1 4 LibSyn handles many of the technical details of podcasting Eas Part I Podcasting on a Worldwide Frequency your best sounding show With LibSyn shown in Figure 1 4 moving your audio files to the Web server is as simple as pushing a few buttons and the creation of the
11. 1 15 iTunes Sore S imar Gash 12 Mihal Cook Michele Cooks Album 1 AAY S NTS 2005 07 08 75 Mka Smith Me Tech Show 1 GB Chuck s Musk on the Mac G4 E Htechi ieee Project Noriko Noto None 1 S Paul Dot Com Sonuty Sweeper 122 Paj endLary 1 E Chucks Masi Intelibta St Serve tt Cold Promo 1 Rated Pad Fischer Paul Fischer s Album 1 Gh 1EM T20 Podcast ips StarvarsSmeeper Padicel com Searky 1 FLAEN z A aa 1 ANY sere Cuuckthst_Smeeper_02 2 RedoDeddy com Chackthst com 3 por Fact Stas m Chuckthat_Saceper_o2 RadoDaddy com Chackchat com 1 Y Gy Technorama Ghuckthat_Sweeper_03 O7 RadoDaddy c Churkchat com 1 14 iro 7 R Ouh Sneeper Ot RedioDaddy com Orkho 1 e Now Playing yg Recorded voke 1 Verient Frequencies Iniro Rick Stringer VenentFrecuences com 1 S Variant Frequencies Promo Rick Stringer VariartFrecuencies com 1 E House Are Promo Ron Sreepe 2 71101 1 Geek Cred Promo Shove Ristebery Gost Cred 1 a Cuckwho Steve Riakeberg 1 GeekCred lechnorameld 7 Reve Riskeberq 1 F Tedriorane 1D Bumper Reve Risheberg 1 S BE Tesse 01 1 Tedmorame Eumpsr2007 1 TM bumper 1 Pecrorama Pat 2 1 F technosneepa _jov viter Cajieo ty r 200 sangs 16 7 hours 1 15 68 3 Find the audio file in the iTunes Library and click to select it 4 Choose Advanced Convert Selection to MP3 Your file is converted to the MP3 format Figure 1 3 shows the progress screen that indicates your file is being converted The default file format fo
12. Chapter 1 Getting the Scoop on Podcasting In This Chapter Finding out what podcasting is Creating a podcast Finding and subscribing to podcasts Sorem the invention that makes the biggest impact on our daily lives isn t an invention at all but the convergence of existing technologies processes and ideas Podcasting may be the perfect example of that principle and it s changing the relationship people have with their radios music collections books education and more The podcasting movement is actually a spin off of another communications boom personal Weblogs commonly referred to as blogs Blogs sprang up right and left providing non programmers and designers a clean elegant interface that left many on the technology side wondering why they hadn t thought of it sooner Everyday people could chronicle their lives hopes dreams and fears and show them to anyone who cared to read And oddly enough people did care to read and still do Podcasting combines the instant information exchange of blogging with audio and video files that can be played on a computer or portable media device When you make your podcast publicly available on the World Wide Web you are exposing your craft to anyone with a computer and a broadband Internet con nection To put that in perspective some online sources report the global online population is over 1 2 billion users In the United States broadband connections are now more popular than
13. June 2005 podcasting went from what the geeks were doing in the basement of the Science Building to the next wave of innovation on the Internet which was of course developed by the geeks in the basement of the Science Building As always a step into the mainstream market brought some dismay the hardcore independent pod casters considered this a sad day for podcasting as corporate entities spon sored by Disney ESPN BBC and so on dominated the iTunes Music Store podcast directory shown in Figure 1 6 What about the indie podcasts the ones that started it all Would they be forgotten Go unnoticed Languish unsubscribed Well at first it seemed that many of the original groundbreak ers that the podcasting community knew and loved The Dawn and Drew Show Career Opportunities The Catholic Insider GrammarGirl might get lost in the stampede But not yet as it turns out Apple s iTunes available for download at www itunes com works as a pod catching client It lends an automatic hand to people who don t know where to find aggregators where to find blogs that host podcasts and which pod cast directories list the shows that fit their needs and desires now they too can enjoy a wide range of podcast choices Ble Edt Cortech wew Stoe Adwrod Hep JE LRRany Dru Bi rove Bw tees Poks ED J Rec A Bingtones STORE QUICK LINKS VSHARLD k E Dus Fusk o rowsu ER uks usk 1 ros boa cou Cass Buy IT
14. You need to spread the word to let others know that you exist and that you have something pretty darn important to say Creating show notes Before you pick up a bullhorn slap a sandwich board over yourself and start walking down the street virtually anyway you have to make sure you re des criptive enough to captivate those who reach your Web site First you re going to want to describe the contents of your show to casual online passers by in hopes of getting them to listen to what you have to say Chapter 1 Getting the Scoop on Podcasting MBER KV amp ANG You can easily glance at a blog and get the gist of a conversation but an audio file requires active listening to understand and it s quite difficult to skim In effect you re asking people to make an investment of their time in listening to you talk read a story or play music You need some compelling text on a Web page to hook them Descriptions of podcast episodes are called show notes and they re designed to quickly showcase or highlight the relevant and pertinent contents of the audio file itself A verbatim transcript of your show isn t a good idea but we do recommend more than simply saying a show about my day Chapter 11 discusses ways to create your show notes and offers tips and tricks to give them some punch Refer to Figure 1 4 for an example of what show notes look like on a Web browser Getting listed in directories When you
15. de Frequency MBER KV amp new software on your system or maybe you just like to be different Hey that s okay You too can be a podcast listener Y Doppler Designed exclusively for the Windows platform Doppler http dopplerradio net has a strong contingent of dedicated users who are perfectly happy with the features it offers Additionally it seems to be a pretty rock solid piece of software and it s available for free Songbird Songbird www softpedia com get Multimedia Audio Audio Players Songbird shtm1 is another Windows only application that takes an interesting approach to podcatching and music with its Web browser look and feel The default interface is a bit dark but it can be customized if you have a little savvy with that sort of thing Although the software is stable it was a bit confusing at first to subscribe to podcasts a little digging through the help provides two options The product idea is sound but needs a little maturity as of this writing 1 Podcast Ready In some ways Podcast Ready http podcastready com is similar to iTunes It combines simple to use software and an easy to use Web interface to find and download podcasts Using a book marked link you can quickly subscribe to podcasts via Podcast Ready s site from any Web page with an RSS feed Using MyPodder software you can sync your Podcast Ready subscription list with your iPod MyPodder is available for Windows Mac OSX
16. dialup among the 235 million Internet users And to top it all off portable players are surging in popularity with over 22 million adult owners This chapter is for the consumers of the content the audience and those who make the content the podcasters alike We cover the basic steps to record a podcast and lay out the basics of what you need to do to enjoy a podcast on your media player 2 Part I Podcasting on a Worldwide Frequency If you re starting to get the idea that podcasting is revolutionary ground breaking and possibly a major component of social upheaval great But not all podcasts are so deep In fact many of them are just plain fun Deciding Whether Podcasting Is for Vou Technically speaking podcasting is the distribution of specially encoded mul timedia content to subscribed personal computers via the RSS 2 0 protocol Whew Allow us to translate that into common speak Podcasting allows you to listen to stuff you want to hear whenever and wherever you want Podcasting turns the tables on broadcast schedules allowing the listener to choose not only what to listen to but also when And because podcasts are transferred via the Internet the power to create an audio program isn t lim ited to those with access to a radio transmitter The simplest reason to podcast is that it s just plain fun We ve been podcast ing since the beginning and we re still having a blast continuing to get out messag
17. directory structure Click the name of the directory to see the choices offered In some cases you may need to click through to a subdirectory to see additional podcasts 3 Double click the name of a podcast You can also single click the name of the podcast and then click the Add button near the top 4 Click Save That s it You ve just subscribed to your first podcast with Juice Of course you don t have to navigate through the list of podcasts Follow these steps if you have a specific podcast in mind 1 Click the Subscriptions tab 2 On the Subscriptions panel click the little green button with a plus symbol on it The Add a Feed window opens 3 On your favorite podcast Web site look for a small icon typically orange that says RSS RSS 2 0 or something similar The icon may not even say RSS but simply be a symbol like the one in e the margin 4 Right click the icon to copy the link location 5 Paste the copied information into the URL field of the Add a Feed window Or type it in just be very careful with your typing If you get it wrong you won t get your downloads Congrats You now know how to use Juice to subscribe to any podcasts you happen to come across in the future 24 Part I Podcasting on a Worldwide Frequency Figure 1 6 The Apple iTunes Music Store s pod cast feature The 800 pound gorilla called iTunes With the launch of iTunes version 4 9 in
18. es to our worldwide audiences and challenging ourselves with new tricks and techniques in creating captivating media So yeah for the fun of it Heck of a good reason The following sections cover other reasons podcasting is probably for you Vou want to deliver audio content on a regular basis Sure you can include audio content in your blog if you have one Many bloggers record audio segments and insert them as links into the text of their blog posts Readers of the blog then download the files at their leisure However audio blogs require the readers to manually select the content they want to download What sets podcasting apart from blogging is that podcasting automates that process A listener who subscribes to your podcast is subscribed to all of your content whenever it s available No need to go back to the site to see what s new Chapter 1 Getting the Scoop on Podcasting 13 Vou want to reach beyond the boundaries of radio In radio the number of people who can listen to a show is limited by the power of the transmitter pumping out the signal Podcasting doesn t use radio signals transmitters or receivers at least not in the classic sense Podcasts use the World Wide Web as a delivery system opening up a potential audience that could extend to the entire planet No rules exist yet anyway to regulate the creation of podcast content In fact neither the FCC nor any other regulatory body for any other governme
19. he popular iPod device created by Apple Dannie didn t have that in mind when the phrase was coined Regardless of the inten tions the term has been backronymed that is treated like an acronym and applied to a variety of plausible existing meanings Of all the pos sibilities we prefer Programming On Demand casting not broadcasting which shortens nicely to podcasting But of course you can choose whichever one makes sense to you Granted the podcasting phenomenon was in part fueled by the wildly popular iPod portable media device but no evidence suggests that the two were related when the name was coined 14 Part I Podcasting on a Worldwide Frequency EMBER D Narrowcasting the practice of delivering content to a select group distinguishes podcasting from traditional forms of broadcast communication such as radio Where a radio station broadly casts its signal to anyone who happens to be within the radius of the signal podcasts narrowly cast content to people who have made the overt decision to listen Vou have something to say As a general rule podcasters produce content that likely holds appeal for only a select group of listeners Podcasts start with an idea something that you have the desire and knowledge either real or imaginary to talk about Add to that a bit of drive do it yourself ishness and an inability to take no for an answer The point is to say what you want to say to those who want to hea
20. i VRED E Swesper 20050206 Golong 0 37 Chuck Tomas E A F Svassp21 20059206b geek errin 0 37 Chuck Temesi S Swesoar 2NSI2EC butt fohes 0 37 Chuck Tomas T Chuck s Music Intel iMac sveeper 20060209 e ethereal 0 2 Chuck Tomasi Gren 120 Podcast Ops S ovseper 2006C209 b ceekin he 0 30 Chuck Tomasi Y PLAYLISTS m sweeper 20060209 c Tellafri 0 34 Chuck Tomas gt E oveeper 20060209 c calkphone 0 3 Chuck Tomasi s US S avaeper 20060209 e frofox 0 25 Chuck Tomasi sae sveeper 2avccaus foeritzard 0 35 Chuck Tomas YG Techrorama T m aseper 20060209 ro problans 0 29 Chuck Tomasi o Now Playing amp sveeper 20060209 whisdiey bette 0 25 Chuck Tomas 2 0 33 Chuck Tomes 5 O S7 Chuck Tomas E Swesper 20051113 s 0 52 Chuck Tomas E Srespsr 20051113 1 Chuk Tomesi Svesoar Maasurements 1 17 Chuck Tomas B Sweeper Show 101 4 1 00 Chuck Tomasi Sweapsr Ton 1 01 8 0 59 Chuck Tomasi E Swnnoer Steve Murs 1 33 Chuck Tomas E Srespsr vAl 0 35 Chuck Tomes Tecnorane The Movie 0 56 Chuck Tomas TNiHnbox Colapse 1 05 Chuck Tomasi E TN Jack Ethamat Bagdad Battery O 52 Chuck Tomasi If you already have a Web server for your blog company Web site or personal site this process can be as easy as creating a new folder and transferring your newly created audio file to your server via your FTP client of choice If that last paragraph left you puzzled and you re wondering what kind of mess
21. information and product comparisons we suggest heading over to PodcatcherMatrix http podcatchermatrix org and exploring more podcatching clients Bottom line At this point you should easily be able to subscribe to the podcasts of your choice Quest for Podcasts ar Now that you have your podcatching client it s time to take a good listen to what s happening in the podcasting community If you re going to podcast and with you picking up this book it s a safe assumption that the interest is strong it s a good idea to take a look around the podcasting community and see what other podcasters are doing Many podcatching clients have internal directories of podcasts and you can access their listings from another directory or listing site maintained elsewhere on the Internet Other aggregators maintain their own lists based on how many listeners have used their podcatcher to subscribe to particular shows We give you a few other places to get started in the following sections directories podcast listing services and even podcast specific search engines Check out the various sources mentioned in Chapter 18 as well So where are these directories Fire up your browser and as Edgar Winter says Come on and take a free ride There are so many directories for podcasts that Rob Walch of Podcast411 has put together a directory of directories http podcast411 com page2 htm1 As of this writing 161 diffe
22. ing together a podcast start in Chapter 2 and wrap up in Chapter 7 then Chapters 9 10 and 12 walk you through all the geek speak you need to accomplish the podcast Looking for the bare necessities You need a few things before starting your first podcast many of which you can probably find on your own computer 1 A microphone Take a look at your computer Right now regardless of whether you have a laptop or desktop model Windows or Macintosh your computer probably has a microphone built into it or a jack for plugging in an external mic and maybe even an included external mic packaged somewhere with the manuals cables and such Position the microphone in a comfortable spot on your desk or table If you re using a laptop it should be somewhere on your desk that allows for best recording results without hunching over the computer like Young Frankenstein s Igor That s EYE gor Check the laptop s documentation to find out where the built in microphone is located in the unit s housing 16 ar ar a Figure 1 1 Audacity allows you to edit audio and create MP3 files Part I Podcasting on a Worldwide Frequency Usually the built in microphone in a laptop is located close to the edge of the keyboard or near the laptop s speakers Some models tuck it in at the center point of the monitor s base Recording software Check out the software that came with your computer You know all those extra
23. n you invite feedback Chapter 1 Getting the Scoop on Podcasting 15 Creating a Podcast There are two schools of thought when it comes to creating a podcast The 7 need the latest and greatest equipment in order to capture that crisp clear sound of the broadcasting industry school of thought and the Hey my computer came with a microphone and I ve got this cool recording software already installed school of thought Both are equally valid positions and there are a lot of secondary schools in between The question is how far you re willing to go But allow us to dispel a few misconceptions about podcasting right off the bat You re not reprogramming your operating system you re not hacking into the Internal Revenue Service s database and you re not setting up a wireless computer network with tinfoil from a chewing gum wrapper a shoe string and your belt regardless of whether MacGyver showed you how Podcasting as mentioned earlier is not rocket science In fact here s a quick rundown of how you podcast 1 Record audio and convert it to a download friendly format 2 Create a simple but specialized text file that describes your audio file 3 Upload everything to the Web Yes yes yes if it were that simple then why is this book so thick Well we admit that this list does gloss over a few details but a podcast in its most streamlined raw presentation is that simple The details of put t
24. now the Zune is supported only on Windows platforms Like the iPod the Zune supports audio including podcasts and video Although you can t search for podcasts from the main Web page you can search from within the Zune software Click the Podcasts link in the Marketplace section in the upper left of the screen to get started searching and subscribing Chapter 1 Getting the Scoop on Podcasting 29 Digg com Digg com is a site originally known for its innovative way of getting news to the masses by having its news stories get noticed by peer selection a process they call digging In 2006 a podcast directory was added to the mix www digg com podcasts As more people digg a show or episode the more popular it gets and the higher it moves in the digg com list That s right Gracie another popu larity contest Like other sites digg com has its share of fanboys of certain shows that garner the lion s share of the diggs that can leave some pretty good content unnoticed As a directory its information is well laid out and pretty easy to find Other Podcast Resources It goes without saying that this book is a snapshot in time and you will likely want to keep up on the latest news and information of the podcasting world We have a few suggestions to get you started Perhaps as you gain experi ence in podcasting you ll share some of your pearls of wisdom with the com munity by contributing back to the vast
25. nt holds jurisdiction over podcasts If that seems astounding remember that podcasters are not using the public airwaves to deliver the message Just because the FCC doesn t have jurisdiction you re not exempt from the law or perhaps more importantly immune to lawsuits You re personally responsible for anything you say do or condone on your show Additionally the rules concerning airplay of licensed music the distribution of copyrighted mate rial and the legalities of recording conversations all apply Pay close attention to the relevant sections in Chapter 4 to avoid some serious consequences When it comes to the legalities ignorance is not bliss NING s What s in a name when the name is podcasting As with most items that make their way into the conventional lexicon of speech the pre cise origins and meaning behind podcasting are somewhat clouded Although the domain podcast com was originally registered back in 2002 nothing was ever done with it as far as we know and Ben Hammersley suggested that and many other terms in February 2004 www guardian co uk media 2004 feb 12 broadcasting digital media it s generally accepted in the podcast community that the first person to use the term as a reference to the activity we now know as podcasting was Dannie Gregoire on September 15 2004 http groups yahoo com group ipodder dev message 41 Although some assert the name has conno tations to t
26. r iTunes file import is AAC If your menu doesn t have a Convert Selection to MP3 option go to iTunes Preferences File gt Preferences on a Mac or Edit Preferences in Windows under the Advanced tab Importing tab and change the Import Using option to MP3 Encoder The Settings should be at least Good Quality 128 kbps Now your files will be imported and converted to MP3 Congratulations you just recorded your first audio podcast Easy isn t it This is merely the first step into a larger world as Obi Wan once told Luke Transferring your audio to the Web An audio file sitting on your desktop regardless of how earth shattering the contents may be is not a podcast Nope not by a long shot You have to get it up on the World Wide Web and provide a way for listeners podcatcher software to grab that tasty file for later consumption Chapter 1 Getting the Scoop on Podcasting Er Figure 1 3 While com pressing audio files Apple gives a progress report on the con version process DE Ge Edt Controls Wew Store Advanced Help iTunes Luay a B Semura SysAcrun F Sweapar 2005 04 10 M4RM 5chlug BB roves E Swesper 7005 050 655 Bw E Sveeeper 2005 05 19 bachwards P Potkess o S Sveapar 200501 15 Ecb and Woe 0 22 Chuck Tomad I Rado 0 16 Chuck Temas Rintones 0 30 Chuck Tomasi 0 33 Chuck Tomas sree 0 34 Chuck Tomasi A iTunes Sore S Sweapar 200502026 hading 0 39 Chuck Tomas
27. r it Podcasts can be about anything and be enjoyed by just about anyone The topics covered don t have to be earth shattering or life changing There are a few rules and guidelines in common practice but there may be times when you find it necessary to bend the rules That can be a lot of fun in itself Some of the most popular podcasts are created by everyday people who sit in front of their computers for a few nights a week and just speak their minds hearts and souls Some are focused on niche topics others are more broad based Vou want to hear from your listeners We ve heard more than one podcaster comment on the fact that they get well comments Podcast listeners are more likely to provide feedback for the podcasts they listen to than radio show listeners are likely to e mail their thoughts to the show host That s probably traceable to the personal nature of a podcast Podcasts offer their listeners and makers more control options and intimacy than traditional broadcast media can Of course the radio is much harder to talk back to than a computer with an Internet connection and e mail When you ask for feedback you re likely to get it and from unusual places Because geography doesn t limit the distance your podcast can travel you may find yourself with listeners in faraway and exotic places And this feed back isn t always going to be Wow great podcast Listeners will be honest with you whe
28. rent directories are listed iTunes For the time being iTunes is king of the hill when it comes to podcast direc tories The directory includes not only show information searchable in a myriad of ways but also the ability to listen to specific episodes subscribe to a podcast with one click visit the show s Web site leave comments and see the podcast picks of other people who share an interest in the show you re viewing and all that is tied in to the same free friendly software you use to sync your iPod When your podcast gets legs and starts running and it comes time to post your name in the directories make sure you put iTunes near the top of the list From a public relations standpoint it s pretty impressive to say My pod cast is listed in Apple iTunes Many Web sites even have a link directly to their iTunes podcast page and one click subscription You have to admit the people at Apple are always trying to make things simpler 28 Part I Podcasting on a Worldwide Frequency Podcast Pickle Gary Leland and the crew at Podcast Pickle http podcastpickle com take a slightly different approach for listeners to find the podcasts they re look ing for Their best innovation in our opinion is the Favorites listing Rather than rely on voting as a measure of popularity the Pickle allows registered members to mark as many shows as they like as their favorites The more people who have marked a show as Favorite
29. rry yes the former MTV VJ and no we re not kidding It promotes itself as an open source free to use application that downloads audio files from RSS feeds of your choice directly to your Mac or PC You can then sync your portable player with your computer s media player and now you re podcasting on the go Juice Podcast receiver v2 2 Fle Edk ew Took Hep Downloads Subscriptions Podsast disco Dearup Log GW DDD A a Hame State MB Locelion Gremmer Gals Quick and Dirty Tips lcr Belter Subscribed oo wacom gammal Cred Subscibed QO gaske Need 4nd The Rado Adventures OF Dr Flay waw Do Subscribed QO docterloye comblag rss xml comedyicest Comedy n 4 mirntes cr less Subscribed QO comedtcert convics2 san Epwods Stas MB A wd caa 131 mp3 Skipped Haliwween PLUS One Heat and Prelly Haliowsen Minus One pound Inlerests Zan Thare Done That Get Packing Skipped Skipped Skipped Skipped Skipped That s wat Hoower C comedytcast W113 Darry Hilsveat s Naay Skipped Heel mt Chapter 1 Getting the Scoop on Podcasting 23 Download Juice from http juicereceiver sourceforge net After you install it subscribing to feeds is a simple process Follow these steps if you don t have a specific podcast in mind 1 Click the Podcast Directory tab Juice comes preloaded with a variety of the more popular directories of podcasts 2 Navigate through the
30. the higher up on the Favorites list a podcast is And unlike Podcast Alley s fairly unwavering top 10 list Podcast Pickle periodically takes its top ranked podcasts and moves them to the Hall of Fame to allow others to show up in the top listing A neat idea Yes it s a lot like a popularity contest you have no way to judge how well you might like a show just because a bunch of other people do That s why Podcast Pickle also allows you to browse by category or search for relevant keywords that mean something to you Like Podcast Alley it also has an active forum section where you can see what other folks are saying about a particular podcast before you subscribe Podcast Alley Podcast Alley http podcastalley com quickly became the first place to boast brand and generally beat your chest about your show With incred ibly active forums detailed descriptions of podcasts and individual episodes plus the majority of all podcasters clamoring to get their listeners to VOTE FOR ME ON PODCAST ALLEY THIS MONTH it s no wonder that Podcast Alley is one of the most active podcast listing and ratings service to date Zune Apple has the iPod and Microsoft has the Zune www zune net Like many things before Microsoft wasn t the first to the table when it came to podcast ing The company took a wait and see approach for the first couple years but eventually got on board with its Zune product family As of
31. tput straight to MP3 format your life is much simpler In Audacity s case you need to download an add on file If you can t export directly to MP3 check out Apple iTunes at www apple com itunes The iTunes window is shown in Figure 1 2 It does many things for the podcaster including converting a wide variety of audio file formats to MP3 Yes it s from Apple but the Apple folks made sure to create a version for Windows also After you install iTunes follow these steps to convert your audio file 1 Choose File Add File to Library Or you can press O Mac or Ctrl O Windows 2 Browse for the audio file you want to convert and then click Open Your file is now in the iTunes Library 18 Part I Podcasting on a Worldwide Frequency Figure 1 2 Apple iTunes available for both Mac and Windows platforms can create MP3 files froma variety of audio formats Fie Edt Controls Wew Store Advanced Help iTunes Gi ix Co tne i is k n Seer LIBRARY a Name Time Artist Play Count Dat B AieriPed 215 Mark Sheppard le F Cuck n_kreg 11 Mark Sheppard 1i B movies E Chuck n kreg2 I7 Mark Sheppard i EY Sows 41 Mark Sheppard 1 F Pokkass Mark Sheppard 1 iff Redo Famous Quates_2 Mark Sheppard 1 Ringtones F TedrioraecPrema Mark Sheppard 1 E TechnoramaPromo2 82 Mark Sheppard a 1 at TechnoramePub 11 Mark Sheppard Mark Shepperd s Akum
32. unes Gta YMAYLISTS Audiobooks Redeem eS Party shuffle Padeasta Support Y D Tszhrrana iPod Games Complete My Album CT TH 01 4000 iTunes Latino e reor P iTunes pha CID J oom itunes u GD AS P a aa TOP MOVIES m A w The Urige Schoo Rough Around t wd 0 tresk t Varaus aias Bens cost TH osttocs 1 ow TJ OS Brack2 ner Tr i ea DOUBLE Low feat T Pain O Row Playing Ratatouille A Flo Rida Kkis Femiy Mo One 2 deckows Humbur 2 ls PATTERSON Ith Akin Keys Comedy J SCIENCE Apologize feet On An Incongentent Truth Tinbaiand Cecunstery Kiss Hiss ffet T Pain Mesut the Robinsons Erns town ade Fens r Bubbly 5 Yala Hoge GREY S ANATOMY PERE comedy 5 Clumsy 3 Vite Wire Soldiers Farge Lt L215 Chapter 1 Getting the Scoop on Podcasting 25 With iTunes podcasting reached into the mainstream markets around the world And if that doesn t make you go Wow consider this On August 4 2005 iTunes launched in Japan Within four days the iTunes Music Store had 1 million downloads Sony s own MP3 download service averages less than 500 000 downloads a month Instead of dealing with third party applications Apple iTunes is a one stop shop for all your podcasting needs It gets even better Subscribing to a podcast with iTunes is just as easy if not easier than with Juice Follow these steps to do so 1 In the iTunes Music Store click the Podcasts link located in the top section of the left column
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