Beginner's Guide to Podcasting
Apple has done more than just invent great products, or nouns, they have spurred a revolution of new verbs as well. Their most popular creation by far is the iPod portable music device. Their bundled iTunes software popularized "ripping," or copying the tracks from your CDs and placing them within the iPod. The associated Music Store advocated downloading tracks 99 cents at a time. But nothing fills the storage void of an iPod faster than subscribing to Podcasts. This made-up term does not yet reside in the Merriam-Webster dictionary but the world's encyclopedia, Wikipedia, calls it "a method of distributing multimedia files ... over the Internet" using a syndication format which automates the delivery of these files.
Podcasts can be audio interviews, music remixes or even video clips. These can have a duration of two minutes to two hours or longer. The only limitation is the amount of content that you want to create or the length of time that you want your audience to spend downloading and storing the files. Since the most popular clips on the Internet clock in at just a few minutes, I suggest not going over the 20-minute mark to keep the time demands of your audience low.
Subscribing to Podcasts is a relatively easy process that does not even require an iPod. Just open or download a copy of iTunes and click on the Music Store icon in the left pane. Then click on Podcasts within the new window that opens and a list of new and top shows will appear. Those of you with no desire to tie yourself to the Apple software product can head to podcast.net to search and use a browser-based player.
Here's how you can produce and publicize your own Podcast:
- You need a way to capture audio on your PC. This means a microphone, but don't bother with the one built into your PC. Next on the list is a pair of headphones to give you a noise-free way to listen while editing.
- If your co-host and guests are not nearby, then use a Skype for a two-person call, or a Skypecast to get everyone together to chat. You will then need software to capture this audio. Mac users can check out virtual audio cables like Audio Hijack Pro or Ecamm's Call Recorder while PC users can use PrettyMay.net or HotRecorder - some create a file that you can edit and others let you capture that audio directly into an editor.
- For recording yourself with a microphone or editing your file, if you have a Mac the included software Garage Band is the place to start. If you are on a PC, then Audacity is a free audio editing program that gives you an easy interface and recording time-line to tweak and cut a copy of your digital voice. Download it at http://audacity.sourceforge.net/
- Once your audio file is edited and sounds great on your PC you will need to compress it into a format to make the file smaller to transfer. Now there are a lot of tricks and tweaks to this process but MP3 is the format of choice. The thing to remember is that voice recordings can be output at or below 32kbps in mono to make the file smaller but music will sound better at that rate or higher in stereo. After it is saved, you can right click on the file in the Windows Explorer interface and add descriptive tags under the properties field to name and explain your content.
- Now you need to post the file on the Internet where everyone can download it. To be a real Podcast, this has to be done via an automated process called Really Simple Syndication or RSS. Even traditional blog and hosting sites like typepad.com or the annoyingly noisy godaddy.com can host your file and syndicate it. If you want to host the media for free, check out ourmedia.org and talkshoe.com - but realize that you usually get what you pay for.
- Once it is posted you need to get the word out that your content is available. Launch iTunes and submit your Podcast then hit up feedburner.com to publicize and tweak your RSS feed. Mac users can use a file called Feeder from Reinventedsoftware.com to automate the process of publishing and notifying the indexes.
There are many steps to building a Podcast and tons of tweaking that can be done along the way. Start out by creating short Podcasts then learning through trial and error for a few weeks before you start adding complexities such as Skype conferencing. You may also want to add music clips at the beginning and end of the show to give it a more professional flair.
Dave started placing multimedia files on the Internet a decade ago but hasn't hosted a regular Podcast yet. His television Webcasts and radio interviews can be found at www.davemathews.com.
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Tips for a great Podcast
- Share with others what you are passionate about. Let your love of aluminum foil balls, kittens or laser tag show through by speaking knowledgeably and with interest.
- Less is more. Don't rant on about nothing and change the subject when it gets stale.
- Saying "umm" frequently puts your listeners to sleep - Do not fall back on the use of crutch words.
- Editing is your friend. Use the software and timeline to cut your repetitive segments.
- Two's a party but ten is a crowd. Too many people chatting at once is confusing to the listeners.
- Scripted shows are boring but bullet points are a necessity. Think through the flow of your show.
