Category - Internet/Media
Topic - Podcasting
Issue - Podcast know-how
Tiptoid -
The other day, HaJung and I were looking for some obscure indie polka from the late 70's, and after a routine Google search of the topic, we came across a podcast. “This is madness!” HaJung exclaimed. “No, it's just a podcast!” I said. I then explained to HaJung what a podcast is, and how you produce one.
So what is a podcast? Many of you have heard of the term, but not everyone knows exactly what one is. A podcast is an audio file set up like a radio show. A lot of podcasts play music just like a disc jockey does. Some are set up like talk shows, focusing on particular topics. All you need to produce a podcast is a computer with internet access, a microphone, an audio editing program, and some mp3s if you want to add music.
You also need an idea. A podcast can be based on music you like, things you want to talk about, or a celebrity crush you're obsessed with. You could conduct interviews with people, talk about community issues, or discuss social agendas.
Next, you need to set up your production equipment. Microphones are easy and cheap and can be purchased at a local electronics or computer store. There are countless audio editing programs that can be downloaded from the internet. One of the most commonly used audio editing programs is Audacity. It's an open source program that can be downloaded for free, and is very popular due to its ease of use and editing. If you are using mp3s in your podcast, the mp3s can be inserted into Audacity with the LAME mp3 encoder.
A screenshot from the Audacity recording program.
RSS Feeds are also used to help publish your podcast on the internet to get it out to the world. An RSS feed is basically a news feed that updates regularly and can be viewed from a web browser such as Mozilla Firefox or several other types of RSS viewers. When you create a new podcast “episode,” you update your RSS feed. This allows your viewers to know when you have a new podcast.
Podcasting is a great way to get your voice heard. Podcasts give you the opportunity to say what you want, discuss issues that matter to you, and play music you enjoy. The possibilities with podcasting are almost endless. Just ask HaJung. She has already produced three podcasts on her favorite topic – Japanese anime!
Glossary -
MP3 - code that allows audio files to be read by computers
RSS (Really Simple Syndication) - a feed that is read by a computer
LAME - audio MP3 encoder that turns the MP3s into a file that can be read by the Audacity program
Mozilla Firefox - web browser
Find Out More -
“Blogs, Wikis, Podcasts, and Other Powerful Web Tools For Classrooms” by Will Richardson
http://digitalmedia.oreilly.com/pub/a/oreilly/digitalmedia/2005/07/20/WhatIsPodcasting.html?page=1
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Podcasting
http://www.indiepodder.org/whatIsPodcasting
http://www.apple.com/itunes/store/podcasts.html
http://www.apple.com/ilife/tutorials/itunes/it5-2.html
http://www.podcastbunker.com/Podcast/Podcast_Picks/Producing_the_Best_Podcast
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Submitted by - Ian Mills and HaJung Kim
Site Manager - Chris Ricci
June 2007