Podcasting – What it’s all about Podcasting......................................................................................................................2 What it is................................................................................................................2 Current Uses...........................................................................................................3 Subscribing to Podcasts .................................................................................................3 iTunes Subscribe using the Directory....................................................................3 iTunes Subscribe using the URL .........................................................................10 iTunes Player ...............................................................................................................11 Listening to Podcasts ...........................................................................................11 Deleting Podcasts.................................................................................................12 Downloaded Files & Copying to mp3 Players ....................................................12 Juice – Podcatcher........................................................................................................13 Subscribing to a Podcast using Directories..........................................................13 Subscribing to a Podcast using the URL..............................................................14 Downloading & Playing Items.............................................................................15 Item Notes............................................................................................................15 Feed Administration.............................................................................................16 Copying Files to mp3 Players..............................................................................16 Cleanup ................................................................................................................16 New Alternatives .........................................................................................................17 Links ............................................................................................................................17 BBC Trial.............................................................................................................17 Podcatcher Software ............................................................................................17 Directories............................................................................................................17 © Mark Morley 2007 Podcasting What it is The word ‘Podcast’ is a portmanteau (or Frankenword) formed from broadcast and ‘iPod’ ™, the popular mp3 player from Apple Computer, Inc.™ The term was first used 12 February 2004 by Ben Hammersley in an article in The Guardian™ newspaper. Podcasting is really another way of downloading audio files to any computer or portable media device. The introduction of a new way of listening to media (mp3 players) caused a change in the distribution method. This in turn changed people’s expectations and placed them more in control of when and where they could access the media they wanted. This is why podcasting has really impacted. The benefit to you the listeners is that you have control over the information you want to listen to and when you listen to it, removing the time reliance on the media supplier (radio station). A podcast is a multimedia file (generally an audio file) that is distributed over the Internet using a syndication feed. Put simply, instead of you having to go to a web page to see if new files have been put up by the author, you can use some special software to register your interest (subscribe) and have any new files automatically downloaded for you, so you can listen when you want. Also, you can copy these files from your computer to a mobile device and listen where you want. The mobile device can be any mp3 player or increasingly a mobile phone (it doesn’t have to be an iPod™). RSS 2.0 and the enclosure tag underpin podcasting. RSS 2.0 is simply a coding that dedicated software can read, and is called the podcast feed. Within that code is an element that tells the software where to look for a media file, the software then automatically downloads it in the background. When all the new files are read, the podcasts are shown as available for listening in the client software. You can add multiple podcasts to your client and it will check all the URLs for updates and download files as appropriate. It is generally possible to download or stream the audio files from a host web site as well. Similar to the word radio, podcast means both the content and delivery method. The author of the podcast is called a podcaster. When you add a podcast into your client software it is termed subscribing, and the generic term for software used to subscribe is podcatcher. Podcast Analogy Say you subscribe to a magazine (e.g. BBC Gardeners World). You fill out your request form and send it in. The publisher receives your request and informs the distributor, who stores the latest copy. The distributor calls Royal Mail who picks up a copy the same day and delivers it to your mailbox. Now here is the good bit. You don’t have to go and get it because you’ve got a pet that picks it up and puts it next to your favourite armchair for when you might want to read it. Not only that, it makes a copy and puts it in your briefcase or bag for when you are out and about and have time to sit down on a park bench and read it. 2 Current Uses Podcasting is finding a range of different uses. • The majority are for talk shows covering a host of different subject areas. • Radio stations are also providing their content for podcasting or download. • Some local councils are producing podcasts for self-guided walking tours. • Art galleries and museums in America, and recently the UK, are using podcasts to inform about exhibits and even incorporate the opinions of visitors. • Other areas include stories for children or the visually-impaired. • It is being extensively used in US universities as a supplement to lecture programmes, and is finding a similar use in UK universities. • In business it is being implemented for ‘just-in-time’ training. Subscribing to Podcasts There are two common ways to subscribe to a podcast feed. The first and easiest is to use a directory of available podcasts to subscribe. The second is to type in the URL of the podcast feed into your podcatcher software. iTunes Subscribe using the Directory iTunes has a directory integral to the software, in its iTunes Store. Figure 1. iTunes Store Podcast section 3 1. Start iTunes 2. From the left hand menu, select iTunes Store Figure 2. iTunes left hand menu 3. From the next menu to the right ( iTunes STORE ), select Podcasts Figure 3. iTunes STORE menu 4. Once you are in this Podcasts section, there is a specific navigation system to use throughout. It is located near to the top of the page. Initially there are left and right arrow buttons and a house (Home) icon with Podcasts next to it. The arrows work like the back and forward buttons on a web browser. The home icon takes you to the iTunes Store entry page. As you navigate further 4 into the category structure, additional parts are added to the right of Podcasts to form what is called a ‘breadcrumb’. You can click on any of these breadcrumbs to get back along the chain. Figure 4. Example of breadcrumbs 5. The screen is now split into different sectioned to help you get to the subjects or specific podcasts you are looking for. 6. Down the left hand side is a Categories list, which you can use to drill down to subject areas you want; and the Featured Providers where you can quickly access podcasts or some major media providers, such as BBC, Guardian Unlimited, Times Online, and National Geographic. Figure 5. Categories List Figure 6. Featured Providers menu 5 7. In the centre is a number of different icon driven sections, some of which you can scroll through. These tend to feature some of the most popular podcasts or video podcasts. Clicking an icon brings up the description page for that podcast and allows you to subscribe. Figure 7. Highlights icon driven menu With the Highlights window you can scroll through the available windows of podcasts (four windows and eight icons per window) by clicking the arrows on the left and right of the window. At the top centre there are three circles and one dot indicating where you are within the four windows. You can click the See All in the top right to get a new window with more icons listed on one page. Figure 8. Featured Video icon driven menu The Featured Video menu gives access to some of the popular video podcasts. They are split into categories, which you can choose using the tabs at the top. Other navigation is the same as the Highlights window above. 6 Other areas of the central section have icons to take you to specific podcasts. Figure 9. Icons to specific podcasts 8. On the right hand side there is a list of 20 Top Podcasts . Figure 10. Top Podcasts featuring top 20 Clicking an item brings up the podcast’s description page where you can subscribe. 7 9. Finally, above the Top Podcasts is a Quick Links box. The top two items in this box provide other ways for you to locate podcasts of interest. • Browse provides a drill down categorised menu structure Figure 11. iTunes Podcast Browser