Beldames’ Saloon

I remember when I first learned about Podcasting. It was via blog entries in Chris Pirillo’s blog and Leo Laporte’s blog. Both class act internet enthusiasts and both had a hand in making podcasting what it is today. However podcasting has become more of a business venture than the fun audio sharing that it was when it started out.

There are a handful of people that have alienated the idea of podcasting. The idea that anyone can share audio not just the big time internet junkies. Take, for example, Kevin Rose, the one time tech television star that downgraded his career to online multimedia. He does two podcasts, which there is nothing wrong with, but it’s the way that he presents himself and hounds users to subscribe.

There is nothing wrong with promotion. If you are just starting out promotion is a great way to get the word out, and maybe become the next big thing. But then there are people and organizations that over promote. Over promoting is when you are already popular and have a good following and then you keep plugging away and hounding users to watch or listen even more. A perfect example of this is Kevin Rose. Of his two podcasts, both are in the top 15 (This week in Tech, 4, Diggnation, 12). That’s great for him, but lets look at a post in his blog that was just a few days ago (while both were still in the top 15).

“Help out diggnation and subscribe today:
If you use iTunes:
- Subscribe to the audio feed
- Subscribe to the video feed
Odeo:
- Subscribe to the odeo audio feed
iPodderX or other podcasting clients:
- Raw RSS feed”

“Help out diggnation…”. Help Out! He’s the number 12 podcast on iTunes and that’s just not good enough. This is what I like to call greed. Greed to be better than everyone else, while not letting the little guy who’s just starting out get some promotion.

If Kevin Rose wants to help out podcasting and not be a selfish person, he should probably promote on of his favorite podcasts, if he even ventures out of his own. Maybe he should get out there and listen to some more, some that aren’t well know, that aren’t in the top 15, that are maybe in the 100’s. He may realize that there are some good podcasts that aren’t overly popular. Then promote them on his site. He’s got a good following he could get some people listening. Think of it as donating to the poor. You could just sit there in your mansion and suck up money while asking your maid to get you more hot tea. Or you could donate some money and feel good about yourself.

If you were to look in the archives of Kevin Rose’s Blog you’d realize that never once has he promoted someone else’s new feature or podcast, unless it was one of his “friends”. All I hope is that someday Kevin Rose will realize that he’s not the only human being on this planet; it wouldn’t hurt the help the little guy.

Some reading this article, may be wondering why I’m only focusing on Kevin Rose. The main reason is that he has a huge outlet of power, which he can thank TechTV for, and he uses it to only promote himself. While on the other hand, Leo Laporte and Chris Pirillo tend to steer away from their online careers and give a little insight on their lives, and isn’t that what blogging is for? While Leo and Chris may not promote the small guy, you won’t see them promoting themselves.

By just glancing at Leo and Chris’s blog you can see very seldom self promotion. Now compare them side by side with Kevin Rose’s blog. His is all self promotion, nothing looking into the life of Kevin Rose, nothing that helps the little guy, all self promotion so he can be number one at everything.

While I have the chance I’ll finish off my rant on Kevin Rose by pointing on one simple thing. On the podcast “Diggnation”, which I’m not subscribed to and dislike, they take the first three minutes to discuss beer. I hope they realize that the majority, or if not the majority a large chunk, of their audience is under the legal drinking age. I do not believe that a podcast like this is the time or place for discussing alcohol.

Jacob Bodnar is a senior writer and webmaster of http://www.p2btech.com. We writes technology and sports articles. This article originally premiered on p2btech.com in August.

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The word “podcasting” is used often around the internet these days, although many people are still not exactly clear on just what a podcast is! Simply put, a podcast is a blog (web log) that is made available in audio format. The audio portion is a standard MP3 file that contains a program or “show” that can be created by anyone. Think of it as a radio talk show that can be transmitted from a computer.

The podcast transmission uses Real Simple Syndication (RSS) technology. It may seem complicated but, as the name implies, it is actually fairly simple. There are many resources available to help people learn how to record and set up a podcast. The step-by-step instructions are easy to follow. In fact, with just a few easy to learn skills, some low-cost (or free) computer programs, and the basic computer equipment and internet connections that you probably already have, YOU can create a podcast and host your own show.

In addition to setting up a podcast, you’ll also want to provide a written blog that offers helpful, supplemental text for your podcast material. For example, you may briefly mention a topic in your podcast and then tell your listeners: “For more information on this topic, please see the web site….” In this way, you can expand the amount of information your subscribers receive from your transmission.

When you have set up a blog and website, anyone with an internet connection can subscribe to your show. Listeners will use an RSS “aggregator,” such as Doppler or Ipodder. Both of these are FREE downloadable program that allow others to subscribe to any podcast of interest. They’re easy to set up and can be pre-configured to check for new podcast updates at set intervals. In this way, a subscriber doesn’t have to be “tuned in” to your podcast at a certain time; he can just receive notice of an update that is automatically downloaded to his computer and then listen to it at his leisure. Subscribers listen to these files just like their music files, using Windows Media Player, iTunes, or any other similar audio program that is compatible with MP3 files.

Needless to say, the topics of a podcast are limitless. For example, maybe you have a special interest (even expertise) in fly fishing. What a great idea to have a podcast devoted to the art and adventures of this great sport! You can share techniques, stories, and even take live calls during pre-set transmission times. Podcasting offers you the opportunity to become a true “internet personality.”

Matt Bacak became “#1 Best Selling Author” in just a few short hours.
Recent Entrepreneur Magazine’s e-Biz radio show host is
turning Authors, Speakers, and Experts into Overnight Success Stories.
Discover The Secrets To Unleash The Powerful Promoter In You! Sign up
for Matt Bacak’s Promoting Tips Ezine ($100 value) just visit his
website at http://www.powerfulpromoter.com or http://promotingtips.com

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Podcasting is a new audio technology that can be attached
to RSS for easy delivery of audio files. Bloggers or publishers
can publish these ‘audio’ or ‘radio’ files which subscribers
can automatically download and enjoy.

The Free encyclopedia Wikipedia, defines “Podcasting” as
“making audio files (most commonly in MP3 format) available
online in a way that allows software to automatically
detect the availability of new files (generally via RSS),
and download the files for listening at the user’s convenience.”

Dave Winer, the RSS Pioneer and Innovator states “…Podcasting
works the same way (as RSS Feeds), with one exception. Instead of
reading the new content on a computer screen, you listen to the
new content on any capable mp3 player on the computer or hardware
player such as the iPod. Think of your player with Podcasting as
having a set of subscriptions that are checked regularly for updates.”

Podcasting comes from the two words: iPod and broadcasting.

Put simply, Podcasting is basically adding audio files to your
RSS Feed or Blog. It also turns your RSS Feed into a radio
broadcast, the only difference between it and regular radio
is distribution. Regular radio ‘pushes’ the signal out; in
Podcasting — the listener initiates or ‘pulls’ the cast with
their subscription and automatically downloads the audio file
or radio program.

Making a Podcast is also relatively simple.

First, you have to record your audio file, you can use any platform
or application to make your recording. One good choice would be
Audacity, (http://audacity.sourceforge.net/) because it’s free,
cross-platform and you can mix together multiple audio files with it.
If you’re using the Mac, GarageBand may work for you, it’s also free.
(http://www.apple.com/ilife/)

Make your audio file and convert it to MP3 format i.e. save it with
a .mp3 file extension. Upload it to your web server.

Next, create your Podcast RSS newsfeed — just describe your Podcast in
your RSS file and place a link in this file to your MP3 file.

Each ‘item’ contains an ‘enclosure’ tag as in this example of a
Podcast of a Grateful Dead song.

<*enclosure url="http://www.scripting.com/mp3s/theOtherOne.mp3"
length="6666097" type="audio/mpeg" /*> Remove asterisks in live
code.

You can also post and advertise your Podcasts on your website by
using the familiar orange xml with a speaker logo added.

Your subscribers can download and listen to your Podcasts on their
computer or thru their iPods. It should also be noted UndergroundMedia
has released Podcasting search plugins for the increasingly popular and
RSS friendly Firefox browser.

For further interest and research you might want to try some of these
handy links:

- Yahoo mailing list for Podcasters:http://groups.yahoo.com/group/podcasters
- The official iPodder website: http://www.ipodder.org/
- Podcast Alley, a large Podcast directory: http://www.podcastalley.com
- Podcasting News, Podcasting news site: http://www.podcastingnews.com
- Podcast.net, very comprehensive searchable list of Podcasts: http://www.podcast.net/
- Check out Dave Winer and Adam Curry; founders/facilitators of Podcasting http://radio.weblogs.com/

For Bloggers and RSS users, Podcasting adds an exciting new way to
connect with their subscribers and audience. Since it combines the MP3 format
and iPods; Podcasting will no doubt, add an explosive element to your
blogs and RSS Feeds. Early innovators or users of Podcasts can extend the
reach and scope of their blogs and/or RSS feeds by pulling in more subscribers
and listeners.

Don’t let this new innovation pass you by — give your Blog or Site the
competitive edge of audio. Start Podcasting…

To Put RSS On Your Site Within Minutes - Visit: RSS and Blogging Guide

Copyright © 2005 - Bizwaremagic.com

This article may be freely distributed if this resource
box stays attached. Visit http://www.bizwaremagic.com/blog
for more RSS/Blog information and resources.

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Podcasts have been popping up all over the Internet in the past year or so. I have come across podcasts on anything from the latest tech gadgets to gardening tips. With millions of listeners out there and plenty of new people listening to podcasts every single day, now is a great time to start your own podcast and make some money along the way.

So far podcasts sound pretty similar to an Internet Talk Radio Show, doesn’t it? Even though the two have many similarities, there are also quite a few differences. Podcasts are unusually not as structured as an Internet Talk Radio show. The tone of a podcast is very informal. Podcasts are usually on blogs and are also available for automatic download to your mp3 player through RSS. Podcasts also don’t have guests on every show. The host of the podcasts does a lot of the talking him or herself. Podcasts be shorter or just as long as a talk radio show, plus they can vary in length from one show to the next.

There is a little bit of both hardware and software you will need for a good sounding podcast. Podcasts are usually broadcast as mp3’s, so you need some sort of software to record your show as well as a decent microphone. Plantronics has some great mike’s available. You can either use software like Allrecorder or a complete service like Audio Acrobat that will also host your audio files for you. Having your files hosted through a service like audio acrobat has the added benefit that people listening to and downloading your podcast will not eat up your bandwidth. This may save you quite a bit of money in hosting fees. You also don’ t have to worry about troubleshooting when there is an issue with the audio files.

Let’s talk about how you can start making money with your podcast. Your two main sources of income will be paid advertising and affiliate programs. You can sell 30 - 60 second ad spots on your podcast, as well as advertising spots on the site that links to the audio file of your podcast. As far as affiliate marketing goes, you can promote related products on your website and mention them in your show. If a listener follows your recommendation and buys the product through your link you will make a commission.

Another, newer source of income for podcasts that’s starting to pop up is sponsorship. Companies will pay good money to be mentioned as the main sponsor of the podcast both on your podcast website and in the show itself. Once your podcast attracts some listeners and you start getting some publicity, it should be easy to attract a corporate sponsor. In the meantime you could contact a few small businesses in your target market that may be interested in sponsoring your podcast for a few months.

Now sit down, grab a pen and paper and come up with a great topic you can talk about for hours. Jot down a few ideas and start recording. Before you know it, your first own podcast will be up online.

Nell Taliercio is the owner of a leading work at home mom resource website packed full of unique information for the telecommuter, business owner and virtual assistant. Visit http://www.mommysplace.net today!

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In a thick British accent, the travel podcast hosts’ disembodied voices discuss camping and ‘caravanning’ in the UK, ‘how not to make yourself smell of grease for a complete weekend,’ and the Cocktail of the Week (the Mosquito - a Mojito with a bite!).

The two hosts, who sound a bit like Sean Connery and Julie Andrews, are bantering about camping spots in the UK and the best kind of cocktails to mix up once you’ve arrived at your prime spot at one of the gorgeous ‘lochs’ on their list.

Welcome to the world of the travel podcast.

Podcasting has come of age in a flash. Less than two years ago, the term wasn’t even invented. A year ago, there were perhaps 5000 individuals podcasting out of their basements, or from a laptop at a local pancake house.

This year, with major companies joining the podcasting passion and tens of millions of online listeners latching on, podcasting has come of age. So much so, that ‘podcasting’ is the Oxford English Dictionary’s Word of the Year.

When you dip your toe in the podcasting waters, you’ll come up with audio programs that range from exquisitely amateurish and poorly produced, to professionally produced shows with music, sound effects, high-profile guests and thousands of listeners.

Choosing which podcast is worth listening to is a bit like groping for the light switch in a pitch-black room. You have to knock over a few water glasses and stub your toe before finding one that is helpful to your travel itinerary.

In the past few days, I’ve listened to travel podcasts on the best roller coasters in the world, camping and caravanning in the UK, life in Japan for those who aren’t Japanese, life in rural Australia, budget travel (exploring the world one dollar at a time!), amateur travel, South African travel and tourism information.

And not only are individuals and small businesses jumping in the travel podcast stew, several travel companies are offering podcasts of their own.

Virgin Travel publishes several travel podcasts at virginatlantic.loudish.com, focusing on the specific locations of Cuba, Capetown, Johannesburg, Las Vegas, New York and Shanghai.

iToors.com is home to a gathering of some of the most professional sounding and most informative travel podcasts. Recently I took a travel podcast ‘toor’ of Prague, Czechoslovakia, where Wolfgang Mozart was loved and revered, his music ‘blowing down a storm.’ When Mozart died in 1791 at the age of 35, only a handful of friends and family showed up in his hometown of Vienna, Austria, and he was buried in an unmarked grave.

In Prague, though (as I learned from the podcast), 4000 people showed up for a funeral mass in St. Nicholas Cathedral, where the Mozart fans were overflowing into the street.

So not only do you pick up history and travelogues in a convenient podcast, you latch on to travel directions, listen to recordings of local bands or musical talents, and eavesdrop on chats with local shopkeepers or politicos.

The best way to find a travel podcast that suits your desire, whether its for a destination you’re traveling to, or to surreptitiously partake in a local culture, is to navigate online to any podcast directory and do a search for ‘travel’ or directly for your destination.

Since ‘travel’ is a specific genre, by pulling up everything in that category you should be able to easily sift through the myriad of travel podcasts, and find something that suits you.

My favorite podcast directories include:

• Podcastalley.com

• Podcast.net

• Podcasts.Yahoo.com

• Podfeed.net

• Podcast411.com

• PodcastPickle.com

• DigitalPodcast.com

• And of course, iTunes music software

You don’t need a portable MP3 player such as an iPod to listen to podcasts, think of the freedom you’d have while strolling the Champs D’Elysee, listening to the history of the famous Arc D’Triomph on your headphones. You may get a few goofy looks, but only from the tourists who just wish they had downloaded a few travel podcasts to carry along with them on their travels!

Listening to and subscribing to podcasts: a podcast is nothing more than an audio file (generally an MP3 file) that is distributed or published via an RSS file. RSS (which stands for Really Simple Syndication) is an online distribution tool that allows content to be delivered to your computer without the need for navigating to a website or downloading your email.

As the development of RSS technology progressed, it became possible to include ‘enclosures’ in the RSS feed, such as audio files.

With this technology, MTV pioneer Adam Curry helped pioneer the burgeoning phenomenon of podcasting in late 2004. By summer of 2005, Apple had incorporated the ability to subscribe to podcasts in its popular iTunes music software, which literally turned podcasting into a mainstream medium overnight (within 48 hours of the release of the podcast subscription capability, Apple announced that over a million of its users had subscribed to podcasts).

The easiest way to subscribe to a podcast is to use your iTunes software, although there are other podcast ‘aggregators’ (as they’re referred to in geektown), such as Juice and PodSpider.

Tim ‘Gonzo’ Gordon shows you how to create professional, high-quality audio on your home computer. With 25+ years of radio production, writing and voice talent, Tim can show you how to set up a small pro studio and create audio for fun and profit. Subscribe to his free newsletter Digital Audio Bits at http://www.digitalaudioworld.com Learn how to podcast with http://www.podcastingadventuresonline.com

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Before we answer that question, let’s take a quick look at what a podcast is. Audio programming isn’t revolutionary.A company called Audible.com has been selling downloadable content like audio books and radio shows for nearly 10 years. Now, thanks to the growing popularity and large storage capacity of Apple’s iPods and other such devices, tech experimentalists are considering anew the possibilities of downloadable audio. Now with new, easy-to-use distribution tools and cheaper storage capacity in addition to the millions-sold iPod market, podcasting is going mainstream.

The broadcasting part comes from syndication tools that allow listeners to subscribe to receive automatic downloads of new podcasts in episodes that interest them. People who produce podcasts use something called RSS (Really Simple Syndication) to create subscription feeds. Listeners point their podcatchers toward those feeds and receive their automatic updates. Apple’s iTunes software has built-in podcatching features, but you can also use other programs, like the free Juice Receiver. These podcatching programs transfer new episodes to your PC. Some software will then even deliver the files to your digital music player automatically using the RSS feed.

You can listen to podcasts without an iPod. Individual podcast shows are usually recorded in common audio formats like MP3, others are in AAC format. Some podcatchers’ auto-synch features only work with iPods, but you can listen to podcasts on any digital music player or on your PC with standard programs like RealPlayer, Windows Media Player or any of the myriad other programs available for download at no charge.

Your company can shape the message it delivers, and a podcasting series distributed regularly to customers is a great way to build their loyalty and create a bond with both customers and new sales leads. The trick is to offer content listeners will find useful. For some companies, the podcasting topics are more obvious than others. Music distribution services provider Nugs.net posts a monthly promotional podcast of samples from its archive while travel website Hotelbook.com offers podcasts full of travel tips. But companies that aren’t in the consumer services market can still use promotional podcaststhey just have to be more creative in figuring out what they have to offer.

If you’re ready to begin making your own podcast, Audacity is a popular, free program for recording and digitizing and editing sound. HOwever, pretty much any sound software will work. Once you have a recorded sound file, upload it to the internet on your website; if you’re creating a series, set up an RSS feed pointing to the site where new episodes will appear. That’s all there is to it.

Unless you’re aiming for top-quality production quality, podcasting is a fairly inexpensive undertaking. If you don’t want to go the trouble of doing your own production, services shops are springing up to handle podcasting chores. Some companies have a production staff and network of voice artists on tap to quickly convert scripts to ready-for-podcasting sound files. Others have a hosting and syndication service that handles podcast storage and RSS feed creation, with an unlimited bandwidth allowance. For marketers interested in podcasting, the obstacles to start up have never been smaller.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR:
Steve Wright (aka Podcast Dude)is the webmaster for http://www.findpodcasts.net and has been recording, distributing and listening to podcasts for many years. He can help you grow your business with news, information and consulting services.

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Podcasting slowly crept into the vocabulary and the internet marketplace in 2004 as the birth of the home radio show, where people can play music and talk about any subject they want with no rules and no regulations.

Later in 2005, Jeff Mills, author of the popular e-book, “Podcast Secrets Revealed” predicted “Podcasting” would be the most popular trend of 2005, just like “blogging” was in 2004.

As he was sitting in a Burger King restaurant, in late 2004, he first saw the word “podcast” in print in a USA Today newspaper.

It was an article about the GodCast Podcast, and how people were taking the messages of the Scriptures and sending an audio mp3 through the internet in an RSS feed that could be downloaded with enclosures and automatically put into your PC or favorite mp3 listening device, ALL AT ONCE.

For the non geeks, what that means is that audio files were automatically able to be downloaded and listened almost as easily as downloading mp3 files from any popular mp3 music site. Cool stuff!

What happened next was that in 2005 EVERY major news program, talk show, or superstar musician got into podcasting, or sending their audio content through their own home grown RSS feeds right into people pc’s and mp3 players.

Then iTunes and Yahoo got into the podcast business over the summer of 2005 and podcasting went main stream.

User’s mp3 players were suddenly filled with Rush Limbaugh, ESPN, Tech TV, talk shows, new music shows, even porn/sex shows, and many other mainstream media programs were sending out audio mp3’s to their loyal fans for free and people were filling up their iPod gigabytes faster than you could say “podcasting revolution.”

It has been a wild year for the word “podcast” and when you type it currently, at the time of this writing, into Google.com, “podcast” now has over 81,300,000 sites linked to that word.

Because of this the popularity of Podcasting in 2005, Erin McKean, editor in chief of the New Oxford American Dictionary, said: “The word has finally caught up with the rest of the iPod phenomenon.”

According to the New Oxford American Dictionary, “Podcast” is now the word of the year!

Right on the heels of Podcast making the word of the year, Yahoo quietly launched a new search function to try to corner the AUDIO search market.

As people were doing their last minute shopping and frantically getting ready for the holidays, Yahoo added a new search tab on their popular search menu called, “Audio.”

A Yahoo spokesperson said, “I wanted to spread the word that we’re turning up the volume a bit on audio search by adding a new “Audio” tab to the Yahoo! Front Page. Since launching Audio Search in August, user response has been great; proving yet again that the Web wants its audio. So, it is time that a larger audience gets to enjoy the sound…”

Whatever Yahoo isn’t indexing with its Audio Search can be submitted by the creators of audio files, so podcaster, you may want to quickly get your shows listed in there, and gain top spots, while the gettin’s good.

The company wrote a Media RSS specification that accompanied the debut of Audio Search. This spec better supports multimedia content; Yahoo also uses it for Video Search.

What is already on the radar for 2006?

Self produced video shows, like TV stations, will crop up all over the internet, as people begin to broadcast their own video/tv shows and play them on media players like the iPod Video Player and other devices. Google is paving the way for video, by allowing people to do searches for videos right from their search box.

iTunes is coming along quickly too, with Video Podcasts which might be a misnomer, but the arrival of the video podcast show is now here too.

Video Blogging or Vlogging is my prediction for the most popular word in 2006.

Jeff Mills is a former Youth Pastor of 9 years, who is now a full time internet information entrepreneur, book author, speaker, sales coach, and also an avid traveler.

Jeff has passionately pursued seeking the best aways to create podcast shows and is the respected author of the popular e-book, http://www.podcastsecretsrevealed.com.

At http://www.podcastsecretsrevealed.com, one will learn step by step what a podcast is, how to listen to one, how to make one and even how to make money from one’s podcast show.

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Podcasting has been around for a little while now and some people have the right idea. They have either built sites that host podcasts and allow them to be downloaded either for a monthly subscription price or as a per download fee.

As a broadcaster of a podcast the possibilities are endless on how to make money with this technology. Think of how many podcasters have been picked up by the major T.V. networks. They are now seen around the world on CNN and FOX. This explosion of news related podcasts occured tragically because of the December tsunami and the hurricanes in the Gulf of Mexico that slammed into Mississippi and Louisiana.

With all the stories available during this time and the news people being shut out of the area for a while podcasters were the only source of information during this time. The Net is content based and most sites are screaming for new content. Podcasting is a simple way to get the information that you would like to disperse to the public and the profit potential for you is huge if you set up a daily or weekly broadcast.

So you have two choices;

You are not limited to being a news reporter if you let your imagination soar. With the recent handheld popularity and desire to hear what they want and when they want it there is a market for the different formats these handhelds all use.

Matt Fox is a successful investor in the stock market, real estate market and in private deals with individuals and businesses.

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If there’s one thing the Internet is fabulous for, it’s giving virtually everyone the ability to be heard. Long gone are the days of controlled media messages sent out by the powerful few, information available only by way of the Tom Brokaw and Time Magazine. Thanks to the World Wide Web and an influx of user-friendly software, now even old Mr. Jones down the street can project his voice across oceans.

Podcasting is one of the newest, freshest ways for him to do that.

Think of it like an audio blog; a podcast is a recorded program similar to radio (sans commercials, of course) made available via mp3 files on websites or RSS feeds. But unlike radio, users can download these programs onto an iPod or any other mp3 device and listen at their own convenience. Also unlike radio, there are no FCC standards to regulate the content; a podcast can say anything about any topic at any time. It’s revolutionary, really.

And by following a few fairly simple steps, anyone can make them.

1. Get a Niche. Maybe you already know precisely what your podcast will cover: you want to host your own music countdown, promote your friend’s newest invention or discuss the nitty-gritty political issues of your home state. That’s great, get to it! But for those who aren’t so sure, who know only that they want to give podcasting a shot, it’s a good idea to check out what other hosts are up to. iPodder.org and Podcast.net are home to tons of podcasts on a variety of topics; download several shows on issues that interest you and see what’s being done and how you might do it differently. Don’t be afraid of creativity; try putting a new spin on an old issue or blowing the doors off a topic that’s only rarely, if ever, covered. Listeners will continually come to your podcast if you offer something fresh and vivid.

2. Get a Plan. Once you’ve discovered your niche, get down to details. Though the beauty of podcasting is the ability to buck the rules of traditional audio broadcasts, it sometimes helps to consider what made those rules so traditional in the first place; this will help you map your show much more effectively.

First, consider format: how long will the podcast be? Will you have guests or take phone calls? Will you play music of any sort? Think about how other shows similar to yours function, remember all the radio programs you’ve heard before. Keep in mind that while you can certainly forget all the rules, you want to keep your listeners listening; a you-only six-hour program about cheese might not be the easiest thing to digest.

Once you’ve figured out the format, divide and plan the show accordingly. If you’re hosting a talk show, for instance, decide how many (and which) topics you’ll cover and how long each topic will get. And don’t forget to break it up; since podcasts have no commercials, you’ll need a way to give listeners a breather between issues — consider using some sort of music or audio clip. Also, make sure to prepare opening and closing remarks for the entire thing, maybe even give listeners a sneak peek at the next program; identifying yourself, as well as referring to future episodes, is a great way to remind listeners to come back for more.

3. Get Tech. You’ve got the idea in theory, now get it into practice. You don’t need to be a tech genius to record your podcast, but you definitely need some basic recording equipment and software. First and foremost, you’ll need a microphone. While it’s entirely possible to use your computer’s built-in mic to record your voice, it’s a much better idea to invest in an external mic; the sound will be that much cleaner and professional. Shure makes several microphones perfect for voice recording (try an SM57 or SM58), and you can find these at very affordable prices on eBay or any music shop that sells pre-owned instruments. And while you’re scoping out microphones, grab a pair of headphones to track the sound; you’ll want some unidirectional that covers your entire ear. Again, eBay and used music shops are the best way to go for these.

Now you just need the software. Mac owners tend to use GarageBand, as it comes with the newest operating systems, but PC users or those with no recording software already on their computer tend to use Audacity, a free audio recording/editing program that can be downloaded online (audacity.sourceforge.net); it’s a fairly simple program, but tons of tutorials are available to walk you through its functions. Just remember to also download the free mp3 encoder as well; you’ll need that to turn your podcast into the most easily consumable file type.

Once you’ve recorded your podcast and edited out any mistakes (and added music or audio samples), you’ll need to minimize the file size (by either lowering the sample or bit rate), convert it to mp3 and upload it onto your website. Don’t have a website? No worries! Our media (www.ourmedia.org) has recently begun providing users with completely free bandwidth and storage for podcasts and other sorts of media. It’s a great way to get your podcast online while avoiding fees (if the podcast starts to gain a following, however, you’ll definitely want to consider creating a website for it specifically).

4. Get Heard. So you’ve got the first episode of your podcast recorded, edited, uploaded and ready to go. Now you just need some listeners — but how do you find them? The most obvious and widely used way of attracting listeners to your podcast is by submitting it to podcast directories and search engines, of which there are hundreds (run a Google search to find them). And while directories and search engines are a definite means to getting your voice out there, it’s sometimes worth looking into alternate methods of promotion if you really want to take your podcast to the next level. Get involved in online forums and blogs that are similar to your topic and trade links with like-minded people; there’s a whole community of podcasters out there eager to check out your program. And if your podcast has a regional slant, try getting some publicity in local papers or magazines. Though it may seem difficult, it’s often entirely possible to get mentioned in print media simply by asking. Create a press release and personal bio for your podcast and send it off to as many media sources as possible; you’ll be surprised at what may transpire.

Sonia Winters enjoys podcasting and writes for Andy Hagans Link Building ( http://www.andyhagans.com ), a link building service.

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Podcasting has all the ingredients to become a major technology trend. Podcasting has started with little fanfare but has the potential to become a giant wave due to a number of factors going for it. The word Podcast might have been roughly derived from iPod and broadcast (it sure sounds like that to me so don’t hit me if I am wrong! ).

The process works pretty much like radio except that the broadcast is done via mobile devices and the power of content delivery via the internet. This new form of broadcasting of information opens up tremendous opportunities for dispersion of information, entertainment and news.

Podcasting is a fairly new technology and people are building up refined applications to use this medium effectively. Advantages of Podcasting are making the proposition attractive enough for major companies to consider it a serious communication mode. RSS 2.0 is the chosen form for podcasts and newer versions of this feed system are expected soon.

Inherent advantages of podcasts are:

No need to invest in a new piece of hardware: Podcasts are easily available to all users of iPod and similar mobile .The sheer size of the iPod cult if I can call it that, is increasing at a scorching pace. All a user needs to do is choose the subscriptions which he or she would like to subscribe to and download the programmes.

New lease of live to radio programmes: Radio programmes have been revived by the new generation of podcasters. A number of old radio programmes which have had a mass following in their hey days are now being evaluated to be cast via podcasts. A huge chunk of high quality content becomes available thanks to this revival.

Can advertisers be far away? Advertisers have the ability to identify new advertising opportunities at the slightest whiff and Podcasting forums are already working hard to get the advertising industry hand in glove with the Podcasting community. Influx of advertising dollars will lend more credibility to Podcasting and this medium will be taken more seriously as well.

On demand broadcast: Podcasters and listeners rule this medium by offering a high level on-demand listening. You can use this service at the time when you want to, pretty much like video on demand but has greater success due to the low demand of bandwidth. This is probably one of the biggest advantage of Podcasting and might be the core reason for it to success phenomenally.

Your own Podcast studio and very little investment: So who are podcasters? A podcaster can be anyone who has access to the internet, a decent computer and some software knowledge. Podcasting requires very little investment by way of hardware and software. This advantage of Podcasting can thus be done by almost anyone who has an interest in it and has some content to share with the rest of the world,

Creativity is highly rewarded in the podcaster’s world: Content is king and high quality creative content is instantaneously rewarded by the Podcasting community which can be measured by the number of subscribers. Thus it is quite easy to gain overnight success if the content of the broadcast is unique and exciting.

Podcasting thus has number of benefits both the for the community within and without. A unique mass media which does not cost a lot to distribute and develop content for. Like all new technologies, the technology will have some teething issues but the force promoting it should be good enough to get the technology roaring with success in the very near future.

Matt Bacak, The Powerful Promoter and Entrepreneur Magazine e-Biz
radio show host, became a “#1 Best Selling Author” in just a few short hours. He has helped a number of clients target his specialty, opt-in email direct marketing systems. The Powerful Promoter is not only a sought-after internet marketer but has also marketed for some of the world’s top experts whose reputations would shrivel if their followers ever found out someone else coached them on their online marketing strategies.

For more information, visit Bacak’s site at http://www.powerfulpromoter.com or sign up for his Powerful Promoting
Tips at http://www.promotingtips.com

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