About Podcasting

Podcasting. It's a name you've heard, but what is it? Podcasting, as we know it, is a very recent development. The pioneers of this technology have worked on it for many years, but the true floodgates were opened when Apple iTunes 4.9 was released to the masses and included built-in support for Podcasts.

So, back to the original question; what is Podcasting? Simply put, it is a "media-on-demand" service. Most Podcasts today are audio based where the audio information is contained in an MP3 file. However text, video and other file types can all be utilized in the same way. The vehicle that makes Podcasting possible is RSS (Really Simple Syndication). RSS can deal with most any file. A Podcaster is someone that "pushes" the information to people that subscribe to it. So what's the big deal? Don't we already have streaming audio and video on the web? Yes; but the ingenious part of Podcasting is that it brings all the pieces together and allows us to synchronize our data (I like to sync or update every day during the early morning hours) and then either listen to it right on our PC's or automatically sync it with our portable media device. This way, you can listen to Podcast "shows" while jogging, on the airplane or during your drive to work. You decide when and what you find interesting.

RSS was created as a vehicle to "push" constantly changing information to many sites easily, without having to type or copy/paste information. RSS allows information based services, such as News sites to constantly update and "publish" information that, in turn, is "pushed" or syndicated to other sites. RSS enclosures are coded in a page or site and form the foundation for publishing or pushing information to people that subscribe to that service. For example, the DEF News organization publishes news articles to the web two times a day. They have thousands of "subscribers" that will automatically be updated with those new articles when they are published. Cool huh? RSS News readers are available as separate clients that catch the feeds based on your interest and what "Blog" you want to read.

It didn't take long before individuals took this technology and started writing online diary type Blogs. Blogs are as easy to update as a word processor, using Blogging software and your update Blogs almost immediately update your subscribers.

So, you want to be a Podcaster? It's easy, but first you'll want to listen in on a few shows and get an idea of what people are doing and saying.

Listening to Podcasts

Podcasts cover an almost unlimited number genres and topics. Podcasts have grown overnight to a worldwide phenomenon. Just think if everyone with a computer and internet connection were given a radio station to program however they like. This is what has happened with Podcasting.

So, how do you start listening in to Podcasts? You will need a client application that allows you to "subscribe" to a cast and will automatically download media content (usually an MP3 audio file) and play it. Of course, the client also allows you to sort, add/remove and manage your library of Podcasts.

We will take a look at 2 popular clients for listening to Podcasts; Apple iTunes and iPodder. There are many more great clients out there that you may like better, but we will take a look at these 2 for our demonstration purposes.

iPodder

IPodder can be freely downloaded for many platforms and is distributed under the GNU licence. Visit www.ipodder.org.

Here is a look at the main iPodder screen after you download and install it. You will notice a few default subscriptions in the top pane of the windows and a small "play" icon below that actually plays the MP3 file. You will also notice a "synchronize' icon and many other features that let you jump right in to subscribe, download and play Podcasts. Please see the programs Help file for more details on running iPodder.

Apple iTunes 4.9 (or greater)

Starting with version 4.9, Apple iTunes (a free download at www.apple.com) included support for Podcasts.

Try clicking the "Podcast Directory" button and you can browse/search for thousands of Podcasts. Have fun!