Listening to Podcasts
by Dan of Fear the Boot (http://www.feartheboot.com)
What is a podcast?
Podcasting is often described as "radio on demand". Artists (called
"podcasters") record a show about any subject that interests them. New
episodes are recorded on a schedule they choose and then uploaded to the
internet as the shows are finished.
Unlike radio or TV, podcasts are not streamed over the internet at a particular
time. You can download and listen to them whenever it's convenient for you. And
since the recording is in your possession, you can pause, fast forward, or
rewind as you desire. In this regard, podcasts are a bit more like CDs than
radio shows.
Podcasts are recorded in a sound file your computer is capable of playing back.
The most common type of file is called an "MP3", though some podcasts are
released in other formats. If you don't know much about computer sound files,
don't worry. All you need to know is that when people say "MP3", they're
talking about the files that hold the recorded shows.
There's also a breed of podcast that includes both video and sound. This
tutorial focuses on those that are sound-only. However, many of the exact same
principles can be applied to either type of podcast.
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Why listen to podcasts?
There are many reasons to listen to podcasts. Here are just a few.
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Convenience. After the show is created, it's delivered right to you. It then
sits and waits until you're ready to play it, guaranteeing you'll never miss an
episode. If something comes up while you're listening, pause and come back
later. If the show is boring, you can just skip past it and go directly to
something better. And if you're joining the show late in its life, you
can always go back and download the earlier episodes you missed.
-
Customization. There are many podcasts available, covering a wide variety of
topics and presented in diverse styles. You can find the shows that fit your
taste, cutting out everything that doesn't.
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Open access. Unlike radio or television, it doesn't take a lot of money or
clout to make a podcast. Just about anyone can create one, almost guaranteeing
the views and topics you're interested in are being covered somewhere.
-
Close association between listeners and hosts. Most podcasts have a website
that features forums and/or a link to an email address. Every host I've ever
talked to loves hearing from their listeners and getting feedback regarding the
show. This relationship helps the hosts tweak their show closer to perfection
while offering you (the listener) a way to make yourself heard.
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Do I need an iPod?
This question causes a lot of confusion for first-time listeners. The name
"podcast" obviously bears a resemblance to Apple's famous "iPod", so people
assume they're related. Though there's some debate over the origins of the word
"podcast", the words no longer have anything to do with each other. You can
listen to podcasts on iPods or similar portable MP3 players, but you do not
need any such device to enjoy a podcast. In fact, you can probably start
listening with nothing more than the hardware you're using to browse the
internet right now.
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What devices can I use to listen to a podcast?
You can listen to a podcast on any device that's capable of playing an MP3
sound file. Not sure what an MP3 is or which devices can play one? Don't worry,
because even if you've never heard of MP3 sound files before, you probably have
regular access to devices that can play them. Any recent Windows or Macintosh
computer can play MP3s, as can most sound-capable portable devices such as
the iPod, iRiver, Zen, and even some cell phones. If your computer doesn't
have an MP3 player, there are plenty of free ones out there such as Windows
Media Player.
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How do I listen to a podcast?
There are two primary ways of listening to a podcast. If you go to the
podcast's website, you'll likely see direct links to the MP3 sound files. You
can click on those to stream them over the internet or download them for local
play. While this is certainly an easy and viable method of listening to
podcasts, it takes away some of the convenience. Instead of having all of your
favorite 'casts brought to you, you must remember to visit each site
independently and download all of the recent shows whenever they're released.
A better option is to use a "podcatcher". A podcatcher is software that was
written specifically for listening to podcasts. They allow you to subscribe to
the show. Whenever a new episode comes out, your podcatcher will see the update
and download it for you. All you have to do is look at your inbox of sound
files and click the ones you want to listen to. As of the writing of this
document, the most popular podcatcher is iTunes. However, there are many
different software packages out there, so shop around until you find one that
suits you best. A sample listing of podcatchers can be found at:
http://www.podcastingnews.com/topics/Podcast_Software.html
Please keep in mind that MP3 files can be rather large. So when you click on a
podcast episode or queue it up for download, be patient. It may take a while to
load.
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How can I find more podcasts to listen to?
If you're reading this tutorial, you obviously have my web address in hand. We
hope you'll check out our show, but we're certainly not the only game in town.
What if you want to hear other gaming podcasts? And what about shows that
aren't even about gaming at all?
Finding podcasts can be a little daunting at first. Here are four methods to at
least get you started.
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Podcatcher programs like iTunes often have directories built into them. Try
hunting around those lists for shows. If you're not sure how to locate those
directories in your podcatcher, contact the company that made the software and
ask.
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Just as there are sites like Yahoo or Google that help you find webpages, there
are also online lists for podcasts. Unfortunately, there are simply too many
for me to list here, but I'll give you a few of the well-known ones:
http://www.odeo.com
http://www.podcastpickle.com
http://www.podcastalley.com
http://www.allpodcasts.com
There is no single list that has all of the podcasts, so you may have to check
multiple lists if you can't find what you want on the first one. Imagine if,
instead of one phonebook, your city had 100 phonebooks that had only some
overlap. That's exactly what podcast directories are like.
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If there are organizations you're particularly interested in, you may want to
check their website -- they may already be running a podcast. If they are,
they'll likely have a link to it on their site.
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Head over to Google (or your favorite search engine) and just type in the topic
you want to find and add "podcast" to the end of it. For example, try "pet
owner podcast" or "RPG podcast". As with all searches, you may not see what you
want on the first search, but it's still a great place to start.
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Need more information?
Did we not answer your question here? Are you still stuck trying to get your
first podcast to play? If that's the case, here are a few steps you can take to
get moving again.
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If you can't get podcasts to play using a particular program (such as iTunes)
or on a particular device (such as an iRiver), contact the manufacturer. They
likely have staff devoted to answering your questions. If this isn't the
problem you're having, keep reading.
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There are many communities on the web devoted to helping folks like you get
started on their podcasting adventure. For example, many podcast directories
(such as the ones I linked in the previous topic) have forums or groups you can
sign up for to ask for help.
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If all else fails, contact the podcasters who made the show you're trying to
listen to. In the interest of gaining another listener, they will likely
offer a few pointers to get you moving again.
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