Podcasting Tips | Podcasting Tutorials

Why There Are Free Podcasts

2006-03-24T08:45:00.000-08:00

Podcasting, unlike other media forms, almost never hascharges for services, and the vast majority of feedproducers distribute free podcasts. This puts at oddswith, say, online radio stations, news sites that offermedia to subscribers, or the online music industrygeneral. Even though podcasting has very directcorrelations with industries like news and music thathave strong business models, podcasting differs.Podcasting does not really have a business model, andhardly anyone is podcasting in order to profit from it.There are some businesses and news sites that podcast,but they do it as a way to supplement their companiesand to gain technological geek credibility, not to makemoney. This is an odd thing, but explainable in light ofwhat podcasting is.

The free podcast problem is not difficult, andpodcasting differs in several key ways from other mediaareas. First, podcasting involves the physical transfer ofa file from the host to the users computer. An onlineradio station does not do this; all that they provide totheir listeners is a streaming sound file that cannot besaved without difficulty and work. If someone didmanage to do so, the station would have strong groundsfor suing them since they were never given the rights tokeep and store the files. By podcasting the complete fileto the users computer, express permission is granted theuser to copy and use as they wish. Second, the podcastsare, for the most part, made by individuals who havelow costs involved in creating and distributing the files,as opposed to a news broadcast or song by a musiccompany. These individuals have little reason to chargefor their work since there is little cost to them to do so.Because the files are distributed in a way allows theircopying and does not control the media, and sincepodcasting is a very low cost media outlet, feedproducers have little reason or ability to charge for theirwork.

What is Podcast Video?

2006-03-24T08:44:00.002-08:00

A growing trend online is podcast video. Whilepodcasting was originally only for audio files, morepeople are beginning to send video, especially withbroadband connections more accessible. To podcastvideo, content distributors enclose it in a websyndication file that users can download and view whenthey want. Users subscribe to the different files,checking them for updates regularly, and download thenew offers when they become available. Each file isoften referred to as an episode, and may be part of avideo blog, or vlog.

Podcast video, and other types of podcasting are thuspart of the blogging revolution. Individuals and groupsaround the world, with a small investment in equipmentand time, can become content producers. Because it isso simple to use and cheap to set up, many people aregetting involved. They can podcast video around theworld, becoming producers and directors for any smallniche they want to exploit.

Many of these podcasters have small audiences thatdownload their podcast video, but larger groups aregetting involved. News organizations and websites thatserve massive audiences are discovering that podcastingand podcast video can distribute their content tomillions of people easily. These groups have found thatpodcasting video is yet another way to distribute theirnews and information. Since podcasting is so easy touse, it's likely that even more people will start usingpodcast video.

What is a Podcast Feed?

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A podcast feed is a way of sharing files over theinternet. It involves the use of a small, machinereadable file that is regularily updated to reflect changesin the files available for downloading. The internetaddresses of these files are embedded into the feed fileand can be automatically downloaded when wished. Atthis time, podcasting tends to refer to the use of feeds toshare only media files. Podcasting originally occured asa way to share audio mp3 files, and has only recentlybegun incorporating video into podcasts. However, thetechnology that allows the files to be shared is notlimited to such media files and there is not reason thatother files may be shared via podcast in the future.

Today, however, a podcast feed tends to refer to the useof a feed to share media files. Most podcasts are donewith audio files, and the individual files that are createdand shared are called episodes. These audio files maycontain a variety of things; there are music, comedy,news, technology, even podcasts about wine.Podcasting, because of the low entry cost, especially foraudio podcasting allows nearly anyone who believesthey have something to say to broadcast it over theinternet. Even more established groups have found thataudio podcasting works well. Some radio stationspodcast portions of their content, sharing it over theinternet to allow listeners who missed a specific showto catch up on it later. NPR now does this with its newsbreaks, and the NPR show "This American Life" offersa podcast of its shows to subscribers who pay a smallfee.

One of the newer innovations in podcast feeds is thevlog, or videoblog. These blogs usually contain a feedthat distributes a video, rather than an audio file to feedsubscribers. Although that would not have been feasiblea few years ago, growing numbers of broadbandinternet subscribers has meant that most users are ableto download large files, even video files, relativelyquickly. These video podcasts have been readilyaccepted by mainstream news organizations. They havefound that podcasting portions of their content is a wayto share their tape and reach a wider audience. The BBCcurrently does this with parts of its news content.

Piecesof the news show that is played over the airwaves istaken and placed online, along with a link to the contentplaced inside the RSS feed. Those who subscribe to theBBC feed can download the news clip and watch infrom the comfort of their home computer.

In the future, podcast feeds may be used for a number ofpurposes besides simply sharing media files. Someanalysts predict that the feed system could also be usedto share software updates, or any of a myriad of otherfile types. For now, however, podcasting is dominatedby small audio and video files.

Using a Podcast Directory

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A podcast directory is a listing of syndication feeds thatlink to a podcast. They are often organized by categoryand topic, and allow the user to find a feed that podcastsabout almost anything. Just as search engines helppeople find sites with the information they need, apodcast directory presents a searchable list of podcastsusers can subscribe to. Users may even be able to playthe available feed episodes from within the site.

Unlike most search engines, though, a podcast directoryrarely searches out and finds content on its own,automatically. All the feeds are either contributed byusers who want people to find their podcast, or addedby the staff. Nearly anyone can set up a podcast, butgaining visitors can be difficult, and so podcasters cansubmit their feeds to the directory to gain readers.

Since its so easy to make a podcast, a podcast directoryoften uses ways to separate the very good feeds fromthe ones people do not enjoy as much. A directory mayhave a ranking system, feature certain special feeds onthe front page, or even allow visitors to comment withtheir thoughts on a feed.

Visitors to a podcast directory can thus add their ownpodcasts, search for feeds on topics or regions thatinterest them, and even comment on those they like ordislike.

Using a Directory of Podcast Videos

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While some video feeds can be found by visiting thesite that hosts them, many more are easier found byvisiting a directory of podcast videos. These podcastvideo directories maintain listings of podcasts that havebeen submitted to them. They may sort the listaccording to region, category, and popularity, helpingvisitors find exactly the type of feed they are lookingfor. Tech video podcasts can be found, with regularepisodes about technology news. Some video feeds areexperimental podcasts, created by designers interestedin showcasing their work and trying out new forms ofediting and storytelling. There are some feeds thatrecreate talk and comedy shows, with interviews everyepisode.

A directory of podcast videos can help anyone find newand interesting podcasts to subscribe to, and it can alsohelp podcasters advertise their feeds. Rather thanrelying on word of mouth advertising and peoplestumbling onto the feed, a directory makes it easier forlisteners to find the feed. Directories play the role thatearly search engines did, maintaining a list of arelatively small group of net addresses that otherwisewould not be found.

After looking through a directory of podcast videos andfinding a feed that is appealing, it can be subscribed toby using a podcast client. A podcast client is a computerprogram that checks the RSS file that stores theinformation about the feed and downloads the videofiles that the video podcast links to. The file can then bewatched by the user on their computer whenever and asmany times as they wish.

Types of Music Podcasts

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Many music podcasts are available online, distributedby podcasters who want to share their collection withthe world. Some of these are distributed by independentmusicians, groups or individuals who enjoy creatingand sharing their music but have a small fanbase. Forthem, a podcast means closer contact with theirlisteners, and the blog that usually accompanies apodcast often allows for the comments and opinions ofthe listeners to be shared with the musicians. Thelisteners often appreciate this close contact, and somebecome resentful when their favorite groups gainwidespread popularity. Musicians may find that themusic podcast they share is a way to build a followingand gain an audience that is loyal to them. Since manyof the musicians who podcast do so as independentartists who lack the sound the music industry is lookingfor or simply haven't been noticed yet, a music podcastmay build a following that attracts attention to them andgives them an entry point into the music industry.

For others, a music podcast may be the chance tobecome a dj, and the episodes they share will containmixes of different songs, highlighting obscure yetaccomplished artists and taking their listeners on a tourevery episode. These amateurs podcast merely becausethey enjoy the activity, as most independent podcastersdo. Yet another type of music podcast, however,involves the online radio station. While some radiostations have taken the leap to the internet by offeringstreaming connections to their current playlist, othershave accepted the podcast as a way of sharing theirmusic. Such a style is very similar to the amateur dj, butbrings a level of professionalism that is not found withthe amateur podcasters.

A music podcast may also be a way to sample works bymore well known artists before purchasing. Somemusicians and groups will podcast their new music, orportions of the new pieces, in order to peak interest inthe songs before release. Fans get to listen to the musicand find out what they might like before purchasing thewhole album. A possibility, however, is that musicpodcasts become subscription based, and musiciansbegin charging for access to the feed. The online sale ofmusic has proved its popularity, with Apple's iTunesreaching its one billionth paid download recently. Amusic group could conceivably offer a feed to its fansthat they could pay for, and regularily update it withnew songs that would be downloaded directly to thefan's computers Although this distribution model is notyet in place, it seems to fit with the over all trend.Already, some nonmusic groups have agreed to podcasttheir files, on the condition that a paid subscription isbought.

The Podcast for This American Life

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The podcast for This American Life allows listeners todownload the the shows and listen to them at theirdiscretion. The This American Life team contracts witha site called audible.com to distribute the shows tolisteners who want to hear them. Despite calling theiroffering a podcast, however, it is not, at least in thenormal sense of the word. A podcast refers to an onlinesetup with an RSS feed that is regularily updated, canbe subscribed to, and provides links to sound or videofiles that can be downloaded and watched by thesubscriber. Audible.com and This American Life do notoffer that. Instead, the show's team allows audible.comto receive money for allowing listeners to download thesound files to the computer from audible.com's website. The only RSS file involved is one specific to theuser which allows that user access to the shows they areinterested in. Even odder than charging for a supposedpodcast, the sound files downloaded are tied to thespecific user who downloads them. Unlike the vastmajority of podcasts, which allow the files to bedistributed and redistributed as the end user wishes,without placing limitations on such, the This AmericanLife podcast restricts the file to a single user.

The podcast for This American Life misses the point ofwhat a podcast is intended to be, the free distribution ofinformation. The This American Life team is exploitingthe term podcasting, and the credibility and hipness thatis associated with the term in order to boost their ownpopularity.
On the other hand, the podcast for This American Lifemay be where the rest of the industry is headed.Although the technology was first adopted byindependent media groups that enjoyed it because of thelow cost of distribution and the close possible ties toend users, that may change when podcasting becomes awider phenomenon. If podcasting is adopted by moremainstream, corporate entities, the face of podcasting islikely to change to one where a profit plan is required.Audible.com's plan of forcing users to subscribe andpay for the feeds they want may be the way thecorporate world decides to latch on to and usepodcasting. The advantage of podcasting, directdistribution of the media files to the user's homecomputer quickly and easily, is not lost if the systemmoves to one revolving around profit.

Regretfully, the podcast for This American Life isprobably an example of what podcasting will be in afew years. As much as locked media files that restrictdistribution may be repugnant to many of the freeinformation activists that curently dominate podcasting,there is little to stop those who want to use the systemto make a profit from doing so.

The Howard Stern Podcast Problem

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Because podcasting is such a new, exciting, cuttingedge phenomena, many people are eager to getconnected, and hence the Howard Stern podcast.Everyone wants to be part of the next big thing, but noteveryone is suited or ready to do so. The Howard SternPodcast was created and shown on iTunes, the Applecompany's music store. However, the podcast was neverupdated, and the only clip ever provided didn't eveninclude Howard Stern. This has brought a lot of flackdown on Howard Stern, as well as Sirius Radio, whichbroadcasts Stern. Many of these people would havepreferred to hear Stern when they wanted to, as apodcast, and were disappointed that the feed was notbeing used.

The Howard Stern podcast is probably an example ofsome of the problems that can arise with podcasting. Itsnew, and very hyped, so everyone wants to be a part ofit. However, the podcast is designed to be free. RSSfeeds are designed to easily distribute files, that canthen be redistributed and shared by the users whodownload them. It would be close to impossible for apodcaster to charge for their content. Either thepodcaster would have a small circle of people whoenjoy the feed, and very few who would want to pay forit, or be very popular, as Stern is, and have the problemof paying customers possibly redistributing the contentso others won't need to pay.

The History of the iPod Podcast

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What is now called a podcast traces its orgins to thefirst ipod podcasts, the creation of distributed mp3 filesthat could be downloaded and played on Apple's musicplayer, the iPod. When the iPod came out, and usersdiscovered what a wonderful thing it was for holdingmusic, some people had the idea of loading things thatweren't necessarily songs. Some of the people that gottheir hands on the iPod took the route of reverseengineering the iPod and loading on different firmware,or operating system, but others had the idea of sharingsmall sound files that could be played on the iPod. Thetechnology for distributing the files already existed,with RSS feeds. RSS feeds were a means of generatingmachine readable files that could share informationbetween a server and a user. Many blogs already usedthem to keep readers up to date with the latest posts, butsome hopeful podcasters had the idea of enclosing linksto sound files within the RSS feed and downloading thefile to the computer.

With the change in RSS feeds, ipod podcast took off,and podcasting became a popular way to share files.Users saw podcasting as a way to become radio hosts,or dj's, and a variety of podcasts began popping up.Software was written to automatically check the RSSfeeds, extract the links to the podcast episodes, anddownload the files. These programs became known aspodcast clients.

By this time, podcasting had moved beyond the ipod,and they were not simply making an ipod podcastanymore. Some people had figured out how to use eventhe PlayStation Portable gaming console as a podcastplayer. It was more difficult that downloading podcaststo the ipod, since the PSP used a different format for it'sfiles, but PSP podcasts began popping up. In addition,podcasting made inroads to the wider audience ofpeople without iPods, who simply saw podcasting as anextremely convenient way to receive news, music, andentertainment over the internet.

Today, while the iPod podcast type still exists, fewerpeople subscribe to podcasts as a way of gainingportable media files they can listen to anywhere.Although that is still an attractive part of podcasting, itseems to be eclipsed by the ease with which podcastinghas become a content delivery system. Now, podcastinghas become tied up with the rising number of audio andvideo blogs, where blogging is done not by post, butthrough media files uploaded to the blog. These blogs,and podcasting in general, take advantage of theshrinking cost of broadband internet connections, andthe rising number of people with high speed access tooffer a picture of the internet rich with multimedia files.

Podcast Yahoo, a Podcast Directory

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Podcast Yahoo, is an example of a very full featuredpodcast directory. Yahoo's beta offering presentspodcasts from many professional organizationsincluding NPR, Slate Magazine, and others. They alsoorganize their listing by categories, offer a list of themost popular series and episodes currently available,and let users search through the entire database.Yahoo's site is professionally done, and likely haspeople permanently assigned to work on it, and so itdiffers from many of the other podcasting directoriesavailable. Many directories are little more than listingsof amateur podcasters, but Yahoo's site brings out anumber of feeds done by mainstream organization,raising the level of quality available.

For anyone who wants to find a podcast, Yahoo iscertainly a good choice. They have a slick, well donesite that is easy to use. Yahoo even includes software atthe site so that podcasts can be listened to from withinthe web browser. After logging in, Yahoo allows usersto subscribe to feeds they enjoy, letting them be notifiedwhen new episodes are available. Yahoo even has adetailed walkthrough to help visitors create and beginpublishing their own podcast.

Podcast Yahoo clearly demonstrates the ability of acorporate group to create a well made site. While it'svery unlikely that Yahoo or a company like it wouldhave been able to come up with podcasting, once theyknow what to do, they can do it well.

Podcast Software

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There are many podcast software programs available touse. Many of them are even free. Because of thedecentralized, geek adopted nature of podcasting, awide variety of programs are available, from largeprograms with a big footprint that do many differentjobs to tiny little software packages that do the bareminimum. A package is available for podcastsubscribers of almost any type, and more are beingcreated everyday.

While some podcast software is designed for home usercomputers, much of it is designed to be used online.There are many packages created so that feedsubscribers can view the podcasts they enjoy fromwithin a web browser. These software packages containboth the feed reader like the home user software does,but usually also incorporate a way to view or listen tothe podcasts online from inside the browser. Much ofthis software is used at the podcast directories thatmaintain listings of podcast feeds.

Another type of online podcast software is the categoryof feed creators. PHP scripting is usually used to createthe RSS file that tells the feed readers where todownload the podcasts from. The scripting can eithercreate a hard copy of the RSS file and write it to theserver disk when the feed is updated, or it can make itvirtually. When the RSS file is generated virtually, itdoesn't actually exist on the host's server. Instead, theaddress of the PHP script is distributed as the address ofthe feed. When the script is accessed, it generates thefile by looking at the recent posts at the site and sendsthe results to the feed subscriber.

Podcast RSS Feeds

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A Podcast RSS feed is what allows the entire system tofunction. To begin at the beginning, a podcast is aregular distribution of audio or visual files, calledepisodes, to a users podcast client. The people who usea podcast are called subscribers, and the podcast clientis what allows them to subscribe to a feed. The podcastclient is a program that connects to the internet, lookingfor a specific file the user has subscribed to, or told it tolook for. That file is an RSS feed, a machine readablepiece of coding that sends information back to thepodcast client. RSS feeds can be used to distributemany kinds of information, and were originally used forblogging and distributing blog posts to subscribers. Astime went on, however, a few people had the idea ofenclosing information about media files within the RSSfeed so that software could be written to find thatinformation and download the files described.

The Podcast RSS feeds became a hit, and podcastclients were quickly written to allow people to use thenew encoding. Podcasting became a means of quicklyand cheaply sharing episodes with subscribers. Ratherthan requiring subscribers to visit the site that hostedthe files everytime they wanted to know if a newepisode was released, users could rely on the podcastclient to do the work for them, keeping track ofnumerous podcast rss feeds that interested them anddownloading the files to be viewed when they wished.

Podcast RSS feeds are now used to distribute a numberof different types of podcasts. Some producers use it asway to share a comedy or news program that theyproduce, others podcast in order to share music filesthey create, and some podcast to share video files theyhave created and to showcase their work. Podcastingallows the producers to become radio or television starswithout the large investment in time and money thatwuld be required to do that. Because podcasting hassuch a low entry cost, requiring little more than a serverand a domain to host the site and a way to record themedia, thousands of people who otherwise would nothave a chance to work in a media environment have achance to do so through their podcast rss feeds.

In this way, podcast RSS feeds allow media publishingover the internet at a fraction of the cost of other formsof media distribution, permitting people with muchsmaller budgets to compete in some way. However,podcast rss feeds are also attracting more establishedcompanies and groups as well, bringing people fromNPR radio stations and news organizations like CNNwho use podcasting as yet another means to distributetheir product to end users.

Podcast Downloads

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Podcast downloads are a wonderful new online way toshare files. A podcast is a way to send files from adistributor's online site directly to the subscriberscomputer, where they can view them whenever theywish. A podcast works by having a small file called anRSS file placed somewhere on the podcaster's webpage. This RSS file is updated regularily, usuallyautomatically with text and links to new media filesavailable for downloading. The RSS file is thenaccessed by the podcast client of the subscriber'scomputer. A podcast client is a small program that goesonline to look for the RSS files that the feed subscriberswish to view. There are many podcast clients availablefor every conceivable need, and most are free todownload and use.

The podcast download will be done when the podcastclient downloads and views the file from the feed'swebsite. After finding the links to the media filesembedded in the RSS file, it will download those filesand store them on the computer, allowing the user toview them whenever and as many times as they wish.The podcast files may be of many things. There arecomedy shows done by people who enjoy creating andwriting a regular show, but aren't able to do it as abusiness. Some podcasts are music mixes, an mp3 filethat subscribers can play. Even some radio shows aregetting into podcasting, allowing subscribers todownload portions of their shows from the internet inpodcast form and play them on their home computer.

Podcast downloads could conceiveably be applied toany type of file. The RSS files that allow the mainlyaudio and video files now used in podcasting to bedownloaded can be customized to enclose almost anytype of file. This has led some analysts to believe thatpodcasting could eventually be used to distributesoftware updates, demonstration programs, and manyother types of files, moving beyond the simple use ofpodcasting to share media files. All that would beneccessary would be for the users to subscribe to thefeed with their podcast client. They could then stayregularily updated for nearly anything.

Podcast downloads offer many different possibilities fordistribution of files across the internet. Because it is adifferent mode of using the internet, allowing the datato come to the user rather than the user having to visiteach site they enjoy, podcasting has the possibility ofchanging the way the internet works. Content can begiven directly to the individual, easily and ever morequickly as broadband use spreads. This means that whatthe internet is will change drastically. The web changesfrom something connected to in order to be used tosomething that is integrated and connected with ourpersonal life.

What Is Podcast Alley?

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Podcast Alley is a site that catalogs podcast feeds andprovides links to them. Thousands of feeds areavailable, from comedy shows to weekly suspensestories. There is even a podcast featuring a couple thattalks about different wines every episode. Podcast Alleyfeatures the best podcasts on the front page regularly,along with a short article about the authors and theirwork and an interview with the creators.. In addition,the site keeps a list of the most popular feeds in asideline, allowing visitors to quickly see what thecommunity appreciates.

A visitor to Podcast Alley can search by genre, learnhow to make their own podcast, discuss things with thecommunity in the forum, and find software related topodcasting. The sire provides a wide range of resources,as well as a large quantity (many thousands) of podcaststhat listeners can browse and subscribe to.

Podcast Alley is an example of a podcast directory thatis well run and offers a large selection. The site also hasa strong community that can help visitors find podcastson topics that interest them or give them theinformation they need to set up their own podcast, andof course, add it to the directory. Anyone that isinterested in finding great podcasts should take a look atPodcast Alley and the selction they have.

Music Podcast RSS Feeds

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There are many online music podcast rss feeds tochoose from online. For many of the feed producers, apodcast feed is a way to distribute non mainstreammusic that otherwise would not be able to reach anaudience. These musicians are able to build a followingand share their work from outside of a music culturethat tends to keep out more niche groups. Because themusic industry is oriented towards mass distributionand marketing, musicians and groups that aren'tbelieved to command such widespread fandom are keptout of the market.

Distributing some of their music by podcast rss feeds,however, lets them grow a small fanbase and attractlisteners who enjoy their work. These musicians maysupport themselves by also selling portions of theirwork, or may decide to provide all of their work forfree, as some do.
These musicians may, after growing a fanbase whoenjoys their music podcast rss feed, parlay thatpopularity into music contracts within the industry. Byproving that they can support a passionate audienceeven with their own meager efforts, a company cansometimes be convinced of the music's viability on alarger stage. By proving that the musicians can supporta dedicated audience and can keep producing qualitywork, the group or individual has a better chance ofsuccessfully getting a contract while maintaining theirindependent style.

How to Make a Podcast

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A podcast is an easy way of distributing media filesover the internet, and this article will tell how to make apodcast. The first thing necessary is a domain, and ahost on which to store the media files for the podcast.Getting a domain is simple and easy, there are manydomain registrars that can register a domain forsomeone for a small fee. Some of these domainregistrars are GoDaddy.com, Dotster, or NetworkSolutions are some that provide domains. The domainregistrar will, for a small fee, enter the chosen domain,provided it is not being used, into the computers thatform the backbone of the internet.

These computers willbe told where the domain is located on the internet;what host it is that holds the domain's information. Inorder to give them that information, the name serversthat are held by the host need to be associated with thedomain. Once the domain is in place, a good hostshould be found. The host that is chosen should offer alarge amount of both disk space and a much largeramount bandwidth. Disk space is neccessary becausethe site which holds the podcast will be storing largemedia files; audio or video files that take up a lot ofspace and are difficult to compress. The largebandwidth is necessary because transferring these largefiles many times to many different people will use upthe quota quickly. A good amount of diskspace wouldbe several GigaBytes, bandwidth should be in the tensor hundreds of Gigabytes. Once the host is set up, itshould offer you a couple of addresses callednameservers. Inputting these server addresses into thesite where the domain was registered will complete thedomain setup and allow the site to be found on theinternet.

The next step for people who want to know how tomake a podcast is installing the software necessary tomaintain the podcast. A small piece of coding calleddircaster.php can be used to set up a basic level ofpodcast. Dircaster.php can be found easily by searchingfor it in any search engine. Once it is located, it shouldbe edited to reflect the particulars of the domain anduploaded to the site. Dircaster.php will generate an RSSfile, or feed, that tells the subscriber about the new filesavailable for downloading. To begin podcasting, createthe audio files that should be podcast, fill in theinformation about the file such as date, author, etc, andupload them to the same directory that containsdircaster.php. You now have a podcast, and all that isneeded is to publicise the address of the filedircaster.php. To update the podcast with newinformation, just upload the new files. Other things tomake the podcast better might be a site that containsinformation about the podcast, but it isn't necessary.

How to Create a Podcast

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Podcasting is easy to get involved in for anyone whowants to create a podcast. The first thing necessary isaccess to a web server. The user needs to be able toupload files to the server itself, so podcasting can't bedone from a simple blogging or journal site. It'sprobably best to register a domain and find a host forthe site. Once the site has been set up and the user hasaccess to the host server, a small program calleddircaster.php should be customized for your site, andcan be used to automatically generate the RSS feed thatthe subscribers will download. The mp3 files should beuploaded to the proper directory after all theinformation about the file has been attached. After theyare in the directory, the address of dircaster.php, as longas it is in the same directory as the mp3 files, willgenerate an RSS file that will tell your subscriberswhere to download the latest podcasts from. To updateand and a new episode, create and upload the new mp3file to the same directory. When dircaster.php isaccessed, it will recognize the new file and relay theinformation on to your visitors.

With these steps, it is easy for anyone to create apodcast with a small expenditure of time and effort. Thesite is easy to set up; domains and hosting are nowcheap enough almost anyone to have a small site, andthe programs necessary are all easy to find and use.

Finding Podcast Hosting

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For anyone who wants to begin creating a podcast,podcast hosting is the most important part. Beforeanyone can begin distributing a podcast, they need aplace to store the files and keep the feed file that willtell their subscribers about the new episodes available.The first thing required is a domain name where the sitewill be located. Many domain registrars are availablewho will help one register a domain name for a smallfee. Once the domain is registered, hosting is required,and again there are many different companies willing todo the hosting for a small fee.

One of those isbluehost.com, but many others are available. Whenlooking for a host, the most important thing is to makesure that a lot bandwidth and storage space is availableand cheap. Since podcasting deals with large mediafiles, a lot of disk space will be taken up storing thefiles and bandwidth will be eaten quickly when they aredownloaded by the subscribers.

After podcast hosting has been acquired, it needs to beused and the site needs to be set up. The DNS addressesof the site need to be set to the addresses that the hostprovides you so that the servers that underlie theinternet will know where your site is. DNS addressescan be set by going to the domain registrar that wasused to acquire the domain and inputting the addressesprovided by the host. After that is done, it will take afew days before the master list the domain registarupdates will be shared throughout the internet and allname servers know where to find your specific domain.You can then go about setting up your own podcast.

Using the podcast hosting you now have, you will needto look at the disk space allocated to the site usingsomething called and FTP browser. The host mayprovide one as part of their hosting plan, but if not thereare many available free to choose from. Using the FTPbrowser, log on to the host and upload a file calleddircaster.php after editing it to fit the specifics of thesite. Dircaster.php is an easy to find piece of coding thatgenerates a feed file by looking at the contents of itsdirectory or folder. The individual episodes to bepodcasted can then be uploaded to the same folder asdircaster.php for cataloging. Make sure that all the metadata, or information about the mp3 file is correct beforedoing so.

The podcast hosting you now have will allow you todistribute a podcast. It would be best to upload more tothe site, such as an index page that tells visitors aboutthe podcast and provides the address of the filedircaster.php on your site. When they subscribe to thatfile, the podcast client thy use will access it and recieveinformation about the latest podcasts available.

Finding Hip Hop Mix Podcasts

2006-03-24T08:36:00.001-08:00

Many music podcasts are available online fordownloading; if one wanted to find, for instance, a hiphop mix podcast, there are a few sites available to help.The first possibility would be to go directly to a sitewhich creates one and subscribe to it using a podcastclient which automatically checks the feed for newepisodes and downloads them for the user. If, however,one did not know of any hip hop mix podcast sites, orsimply wanted to find new podcast sites, the bestpossibility would be to check a podcast directory, a listof podcasts that can be browsed.

Hip hop mix podcasts could easily be found at one ofthese podcast directories. A podcast directory storeslists of podcasts which have been submitted to the site,and categorizes them by genre, type of podcast, region,and other meta data. To find a hip hop mix podcast,visiting a podcast directory and checking under musicpodcasts, and then under hip hop music would findmany podcasts which play that type of music.

The hip hop mix podcast could then be subscribed to byinputting the feed address listed into one of the manypodcast clients. The music will come in episodes, thename for each downloadable portion of a podcast. Someof these podcasts may feature independent artists,musicians trying to break into the music industry whohave chosen podcasting as a way of sharing their musicand gaining a following. Others may be remixes ofpopular songs that have been changed in some way togive a different feel to the music. Often, the artists mayalready be established, though, and they still seepodcasting as a way to introduce themselves to a largeraudience. They may grant rights to pay certain hip hipsongs to a podcaster, letting them play the music as partof their mix distribution while requesting a link to a sitewhere more information can be learned about the artistsand music can be purchased. Artists that have done thisinclude alias, edan, outerspace, RA the rugged man,roots manuva, and outer space.

A large number of podcasts featuring hip hop mixpodcasts are actually radio stations, however. Thesebroadcasters have found that podcasting their showsand selections is an easy way to reach more listenersand gain a greater audience. These podcasters can reachmore people easier and cheaper than they can byplaying hip hop mix music over the airwaves in theirlocal areas. Playing hip hop music over the internet isprobably the way many future artists will do their work,and there are many ways available even now that theycan do so and make a profit. For instance, somepodcasts are designed to work on a payment basis. Ahip hop artist who wished to share his music couldcharge for addition to the feed list, then issue a uniquefeed address to the user, allowing them to hear newpieces of hip hop music released. The hip hop musicfile could even be designed so it could not be copiedand used by another user at a different computer, toensure that the artist could maintain control over hiswork.

Finding Free Podcast Videos

2006-03-24T08:36:00.000-08:00

Anyone can easily find free podcast videos online.There are numerous podcast directories online that canhelp you find feeds to subscribe to, or you may find afeed thats available from a site you enjoy. After lookingthrough the directories and finding a feed you want todownload, subscribe to it using one of the many freepodcast clients available. The podcast client willautomaticall download a small file called an RSS file,which stands for Really Simple Syndication. The RSSfile tells your podcast client when there is a new file, inthis case a video, to download. Depending on yourclient, the program will notify you or maybe evendownload it automatically. Once the file is on yourcomputer, you'll be free to listen to it any time it isconvenient.

Soon you'll be on your way to downloading some of thefree podcast videos available online. Feeds are availablethat publish on almost every topic, from independentnews shows to experimental videos, to scientificinformation. Some colleges and universities evenpodcast their most popular lectures so that students willhave a chance to watch and review from the comfort oftheir computer chair.

The best part is that these free podcast videos, are ofcourse, free. All of these feeds are easy to find, and thepublishers, for the most part, do it simply because theyenjoy it, and are glad to give it away.

Finding a Podcast on PSP

2006-03-24T08:35:00.000-08:00

There are many podcasts on PSP available. Some ofthem simply share information on the PlayStationPortable and distribute it to people interested in portablegaming. These podcasts serve as news organizations,sharing audio or visual files talking about thePlayStation Portable and speculating about updates tothe PSP. The vast majority, however, take advantage ofthe ability of the PlayStation Portable's ability todownload and play quality videos on the gaming screen.

Developers of the program PSP Video 9 first created aprogram that could change videos from computer typeslike .avi and .mpeg to the format used by the PlayStation Portable.
Once that was done, it was quickly possible to createpodcasts for the PSP. Podcasters began creating videofiles, changing them to a format readable by thePlayStation Portable, and distributing them by podastfeed.

These podcast feeds are subscribed to by peopleinterested in the feed, who download the episodes asthey come out. After the video files are transfered to thePlayStation Portable, they can be viewed whenever theend user wishes, just like the other movies andprofessionally done videos available for the PSP. ThePlayStation Portable has thus been changed from simplybeing a portable gaming platform to a piece of fullfeatured media hardware capable of playing games,storing information, and playing videos and movies,moving toward a more complex future.

Downloading Podcast News

2006-03-24T08:34:00.000-08:00

With the rise of podcasting, many individuals andorganizations are finding that podcasting is a great wayto distribute information, from music and comedyshows to talk shows, even podcast news. CNET is oneof the groups that is distributing a news podcast. CNET,being an online technology site, naturally found a nichedistributing a tech news related podcast. CNET's recentpodcasts covered such topics as viruses that attack cellphones, problems with Google's software, China's webrestrictions and the "Great Firewall of China", and theFTC's attack on spyware. These news items weredistributed in a sound file called an mp3 file that isdownloadable to a listener's computer for listeningwhenever they wish. While these files were availablestraight from CNET's site, the majority of them areshared through the use of an RSS file. An RSS file is asmall piece of XML coding that is downloadable byprograms designed to read it. These programs are calledpodcast clients, and the user can input the address of theRSS files that hold the information on the feed. Thefeed will contain links to the media files of the podcast,and will download the new updates automatically.

More sites than CNET are finding that podcast news isan expoitable technology. The British BroadcastingCorporation podcasts some of it's programs, as well asthe US radio network NPR. The NPR, because its workis created by a variety of different groups, treatspodcasts differently from show to show. The NPR show"This American Life" distributes a podcast of the showthrough a site called audible.com, which allows feedlisteners to subscribe to the feed for a small fee anddownload the show . The NPR Hourly News show, onthe other hand, shares a short 5 minute broadcast thatsummarizes the news for free. Since the NPR is taking aradio show and converting it into a file that isdownloadable by the user, little is lost in the translation.

The sound is designed to convey the entire story, and sopodcast subscribers are able to treate the podcast asnothing more than TIVO for the radio. ABC's podcastof the news show Nightline, on the other hand, issimply the sound track from the television show.

This has been one of the criticisms of the Nightline podcast,because by merely stripping the sound from what isdesigned as a television show, much information is notgiven to the users. Listeners have problems telling who is who because they miss the visual cues that weresupposed to be there, and there is no truly easy way toconvert the shows.

For this reason, some news showshave been moving from audio podcasts to video ones.They can take the video information directly from theshow that is broadcast, lower the visual resolution toshrink the file, and distribute it online as a podcast.

Downloading a Free Podcast

2006-03-24T08:32:00.000-08:00

Its easy to find and download a free podcast. The bestway to find free podcasts is probably to check a podcastdirectory. A podcast directory is a listing of many,sometimes thousands of different podcasts. The podcastdirectory will usually organize the podcasts by topic andgenre, making it easy to find the type of podcast that issought. In addition, podcast directories often allow thevisitors to comment on the podcasts listed, and providea list of the favorite podcasts on the site, making it easyfor users to find the best podcasts available. Thesepodcast directories can be used to browse through,introducing users to many different podcasts theyotherwise would not have found.

Once a podcast has been found that interests the user, itis necessary to download the free podcast. The vastmajority of podcasts will be free, but there will be a fewthat may cost a small amount of money. The process tosubscribe to and download the podcasts is the same ineither case. First, a podcast client needs to be found andinstalled. There are many free podast clients available,all providing a slightly different user interface and rangeof options. They come with many different names, suchas Podscape, or Nimiq, and searching for 'free podcastclient' or something like it will turn up manypossibilities. When the podcast client has beeninstalled, inputting the feed address will allow thepodcast to be downloaded. The podcast client willcheck the address given for a small, machine readablefile called an RSS file. This file will containinformation about the podcasts, perhaps some textabout the individual episodes, as well as the location ofthe episode file. Once the podcast client has beenlocated the file referred to in the RSS feed, it will bedownloaded and stored on the users computer until thewant to view it.

Sometimes, of course, access to a personal computer isnot available, but it is still necessary to check a certainpodcast. Fortunately, many podcast directories offerbuilt in podcast readers in the site. Not only do theyoften show each recent episode that is available, theymay also offer a way to view or listen to those podcastepisodes from within the site. By using the viewercontained within the site, it is no longer necessary toeven download the podcast episodes. However, theability to move and share the episodes afterdownloading is one of the wonderful things aboutpodcasting. The files can be placed on almost andmedia player, ranging from iPods to the new PlayStation Portable. This flexibility is one of the reasonspodcasts have succeeded, despite other technologieslike streaming music and video. The desire ofconsumers to have control over technology cannot beover estimated.

Comedy Podcasts

2006-03-24T08:29:00.000-08:00

Many podcasts are available to subscribe to and watchin a variety of genres, and one of these is the comedypodcast. Every small scale wannabe writer has a chanceto become a comedian through podcasting, since thelow entry cost allows people to start podcasting withminimum effort and money. To find some of thesecomedy podcasters, check a podcast directory. Apodcast directory is a listing of many, sometimesseveral thousands, of podcasts submitted and dividedinto categories. A podcast directory will probably havea large number of comedy podcasts available tosubscribe to.

These comedy podcasts are usually created by a smallteam of people who do the work in their free time, as ahobby, not as a source of income. Because it is a hobby,they're more willing to give the work away for free, fornothing more than recognition, probably in the hopesthey can parlay that recognition into a more mainstreamjob. Some more corporate groups also put togethercomedy podcasts, however. The satirical comedy website TheOnion.com puts out a regular comedy podcast,featuring readings from their fake news site.

Placing a comedy podcast on the Internet has severaladvantages for the creators. They get to showcase theirwork, easily distributing their art to many people. Thisfollowing is likely to be be unusually passionate,following the artist with more enthusiasm than theartist's average audience. The comedian has a chance tobe more open with the audience, engaging in a sort ofdialogue with them. The comedian broadcasts the files,which enter the computer of the user, already a morepersonal level than simply hearing the jokester on theradio or on television. Compedy podcast subscriberswill often then write back to the podcaster, or leavecomments on the blog which often accompanies apodcast site. This can give them a degree of input andconnection with the writers of the comedy podcast thatis far removed from other styles of comedy distribution.

The writers and producers of a comedy podcast thusbenefit from several advantages of the podcast form. Itis cheap and easy to set up, and uses a distributionmechanism that is also easy to use. The way the podcastform is designed, as well, creates greater connectionbetween the producer and the subscribers. The comedywriter has a greater ability to interact with thesubscribers and to find out what they appreciate or donot. Because podcasting is so simple to get involved in,requiring only a small investment to get started, manyamateur comedy writers have begun starting their ownshows and distributing the feed. It is likely, because ofthe unique connection podcasting offers between writerand listener, that we will see at least some of theseamateur comedians make the leap to the professionalstage.

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Podcast Clients

2006-03-24T08:28:00.000-08:00

A podcast client is the software used to access anddownload podcasts. Podcast clients are also known asmedia aggregators, programs designed to automaticallyaccess an online file, or feed, and download the audio orvideo file associated with it. Hundreds of theseprograms exist, with names like IpodderX, Juice,Nimiq, and PodSpider. These podcast clients are easy tofind, and because there are so many available for free, itis easy to find one that suits an individuals needs andstyle. These programs run on the users computer,periodically downloading a small RSS file from sitesthat it has been told to monitor. The file tells theprogram about an audio or video file stored on theserver, and the podcast client then downloads that filefor the user to view or listen to.

The podcast client thus allows the user to viewinformation on a wide range of topics from theircomputer, without even using a web browser. Just likeblogs let people find writers they enjoyed for any nichetopic they were interested in, podcasts let people dothem same for audio and video. Its as if a thousands ofradio and television channels were created to serveevery possible interest, and more were made every day.Using the podcast client to access and download thefiles makes it as easy to keep up with the sites one likesas it is to publish the feed.