Contents
What is Podcasting?
How to Listen to Podcasts
How to Build a Podcasting Studio
How to Plan a Podcast
How to Record a Podcast
How to Edit Your Podcast
How to Publish Your Podcast
How to Promote Your Podcast
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How to Listen to Podcasts
You could listen to podcasts by surfing the web and checking your favorite sites on a regular basis to download each new episode. But it’s much faster and easier to subscribe to and automatically receive new podcasts using a podcast aggregator, which you’ll first have to download and install on your computer.
Podcast Aggregators
There are many different podcast aggregators available. Two of the most popular are iTunes® and Juice®.
How to Subscribe to Podcasts on iTunes
iTunes is Apple computer’s free digital jukebox, which works in tandem with Apple’s iPod digital music player and is available for both Macs and PCs. iTunes is far and away the most popular podcast-subscription program because it combines the functions of a podcast aggregator and media player—you can use it to subscribe and listen to podcasts. If you don’t already have iTunes, you can download it for free from www.apple.com/itunes.
How to Subscribe to Podcasts on iTunes
To subscribe to a podcast using iTunes, follow these steps:
- Open iTunes and go to the iTunes Store.
- Click on Podcasts in the iTunes Store menu.
- You’ll be brought to a directory page that lists new podcasts, featured podcasts, and most popular podcasts. It also organizes podcasts by category.
- When you find a podcast that interests you, click on the title or associated image to go to its main page. Near the top of this page, you’ll see a Subscribe button, which downloads the most recent episode and establishes a feed to download future episodes automatically. On the lower half of the page, you’ll see a list of recent episodes along with a Get Episode button. This button downloads only the episode of the podcast that you choose.
How to Manage and Listen to Your Podcasts with iTunes
To manage and listen to your chosen iTunes podcasts, click on “Podcasts” in the Library section of the main menu on the left side of the iTunes interface.
This page lists all the podcasts to which you have subscribed, as well as the individual episodes that have downloaded. When you subscribe to a podcast, only the episodes that are published after you have subscribed will download automatically. Earlier episodes will be listed in a grayed-out font and can be downloaded manually just by clicking on them. Every listed podcast and podcast episode will have a title, time, release date, and description.
From the iTunes Podcast Library page you can play or delete any episode or unsubscribe from any podcast. If you unsubscribe from a podcast, you won’t lose any episodes of that podcast that have already downloaded, but no new episodes will download.
How to Load Podcasts onto Your iPod
Your iPod can be programmed to download podcasts automatically from iTunes each time it’s connected. To do this, connect your iPod, open iTunes, then select the “Podcasts” tab from the main screen. Click the “Sync” checkbox, then select the podcasts you’d like to sync. You can modify the options to sync all, most recent, or unplayed podcasts.
Juice
Juice is an aggregator that’s used solely for subscribing to podcasts. You can then listen to the podcasts using any of the major media players, such as Quicktime® or Windows Media Player®. Juice works on both Macs and PCs. If you already use iTunes to manage and play your digital music, you’re probably best off using it as your podcast aggregator as well. But if you’d prefer to use a media player other than iTunes, Juice is a great choice. To download Juice for free, go to http://.juicereceiver.sourceforge.net.
How to Subscribe to Podcasts on Juice
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To browse podcasts: Click the Podcast Directory tab. You’ll see a series of category folders—click on one to expand it. When you find a podcast that you’d like to subscribe to, click on it in the directory, then click the Add button. An Add a Feed window will pop up. Click the Save button to add your new podcast subscription.
- To download a podcast episode: Click on the Subscriptions tab—this tab lists all the episodes of the podcast you selected in the Podcast Directory. Select the checkbox next to the episode you’d like to schedule for download. Then click the green Check for New Podcasts button to download.
- To play the episode: Click on the Downloads tab, which lists all downloaded podcast episodes. Right-click a podcast episode and choose Play Episode in Mediaplayer—the episode will play in whichever player you have set as your default media player.
Using Podcast Directories
In addition to the directories built into aggregators such as iTunes and Juice, there are also many independent websites that provide directories of podcasts organized by category. Three of the most prominent podcast directory sites are:
- Podcast Alley® (www.podcastalley.com)
- Podcast Pickle® (www.podcastpickle.com)
- Odeo® (www.odeo.com)
These sites allow you to browse podcasts by category and read brief descriptions of each. To subscribe to a specific podcast, click on the “Subscribe” or “RSS” button next to the podcast’s description. When you click on “Subscribe” or “RSS,” you’ll see the podcast’s URL, or website address. To subscribe to the podcast, copy and paste the URL into your aggregator by following these steps:
- In iTunes: Go to the Advanced menu and choose “Subscribe to Podcast.” Paste the URL into the window that pops up.
- In Juice: On the Podcast Directory tab, paste the URL into the window next to the Add button, then click the Add button.
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