Microsoft Word - Podcast Getting Started

8/14/2019 Microsoft Word - Podcast Getting Started

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Podcasting What its 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........................................................................................................13Subscribing 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 ............................................................................................17Directories............................................................................................................17

Mark Morley 2007


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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 peoples

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 (radiostation).

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 doesnt 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 yourclient 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 dont have to go and get it because youve 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 aboutand have time to sit down on a park bench and read it.


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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 usingpodcasts 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 lectureprogrammes, 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


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1. Start iTunes2. 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 touse 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. Thehome icon takes you to the iTunes Store entry page. As you navigate further


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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 subjectsor specific podcasts you are looking for.

6. Down the left hand side is a Categories list, which you can use to drill down tosubject 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


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7. In the centre is a number of different icon driven sections, some of which youcan 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.


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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 podcasts description page where you cansubscribe.


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9. Finally, above the Top Podcasts is a Quick Links box. The top two items inthis box provide other ways for you to locate podcasts of interest.

Browse provides a drill down categorised menu structure

Figure 11. iTunes Podcast Browser window

Power Search allows you to search using the podcast Title, Author, orDescription.

Figure 12. Search inputs


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When you select a podcast from the iTunes Directory youll see a page similar to:

Figure 13. Example Podcast description page

You can read information covering what the podcast is about; there may also be some

reviews. You can click on an item in the list at the bottom to hear an individualpodcast episode. If the podcast is of interest, you can click the Subscribe button

to add it to your Podcasts Library section of iTunes to receive future

editions. Currently, it is free to subscribe to many podcasts, (indicated next to the

Subscribe button). This may not always be the case. For some podcasts there is a

small charge.


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iTunes Subscribe using the URL

The other way to subscribe to podcasts is to copy the URL of the podcast feed into

your podcatcher. This may just be given in a web page, and usually ends .xml or it

could be provided via an icon you click on, similar to those shown on the left.

For example, if you want to subscribe to the BBC Radio 4 programme In Our Time,

you can go to that podcasts feed:

http://downloads.bbc.co.uk/rmhttp/downloadtrial/radio4/inourtime/rss.xml

Copy the feed URL into your podcatcher.

For iTunes:

From the Advanced menu, select Subscribe to Podcast

In the dialog box, paste the feed URL

Figure 14. iTunes Subcribe by URL

Many podcasts now have an iTunes one-click option, where you can click to

subscribe directly in iTunes to the podcast. There may even be an icon to click.


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iTunes Player

Listening to Podcasts

When you have subscribed to one or a collection of podcasts, you need to know how

to play them, download any back issues, and even unsubscribe.

Figure 15. Example of Podcasts in iTunes

In the left-hand menu, under LIBRARY clickPodcasts to access all your subscribed

podcasts.

The names of the podcast series are listed. If a appears to the left of the name then

clicking on it will expand the folder (a then appear) and the individual episodes are

listed. If there are downloaded episodes yet to be played a appears alongside the

podcast series name. You can update a podcast at any time by clicking the Refresh

button in the bottom right. Any new episodes will be downloaded. A

spinning orange icon appears alongside while a download is taking place.

Any episodes you have downloaded appear as black text. Other episodes that are

greyed out are available for you to download; simply click the icon and the

episode is downloaded. Downloaded items that have yet to be played are marked with

and once played the dot disappears. To play a podcast, double-click the dot, or the

space where the dot was to replay.


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To the right of the episode name you may see indicating a video podcast or toshow an Adobe Acrobat (.pdf) file (currently .pdf format is only supported in iTunes).

No icon indicates an audio podcast.

The other columns are:

Time, which indicates the running time of the episode; Release Date, when the author published the episode;

Description, the episode content.

Deleting Podcasts

If you no longer want to receive a podcast you can unsubscribe. Right-click on the

podcast series name and from the pop-up menu select Delete. You are asked Are you

sure you want to remove the selected podcasts and their episodes?, clickRemove.

You will then see:

Figure 16. Removing Podcast - Save Files?

Because podcasts are downloaded, the files are stored on your hard drive. These can

be quite large files so you may want to delete them from podcasts you are no longer

interested in; if so clickMove to Recycle Bin, otherwise you can keep the files.

Downloaded Files & Copying to mp3 Players

You can locate a downloaded file by right-clicking on an episode and from the pop-up

menu selecting Show in Windows Explorer. This opens the appropriate folder and

highlights the file of the episode you wanted. Dependent on your mp3 player, you can

copy the files across.


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Juice Podcatcher

Juice simply works as a podcatcher. Unlike iTunes, Juice requires an external media

player to play the podcasts.

The Juice software opens and looks something like this:

Figure 17. Juice software opening

You are automatically put in the Subscriptions section (tab) and there may be two

channels already subscribed, as in the example screen-shot above.

Subscribing to a Podcast using Directories

Clicking the Podcast directory tab to see a list of directories:

Figure 18. Juice Podcast directory tab


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Clicking on any of the directory names downloads its content to list available

podcasts. Click on a podcast, and its URL appears in the box at the top. Click the Add

button and an Add a Feed dialog box opens; click the Save button. The podcast is

added under the Subscriptions tab.

Subscribing to a Podcast using the URLIf you know the URL of the podcast feed, you can use that to subscribe directly.

Click on the Add New Feed button.

The Add a Feed dialog box opens. In the URL field paste the xml address copied

from the podcast website. For example, to subscribe to BBC Radio 4 Choice podcast

copy the URL from the BBC website, or simply type it in:

http://downloads.bbc.co.uk/rmhttp/downloadtrial/radio4/radio4choice/rss.xml

Figure 19. Juice subscribe by URL

Click the Save button. BBC Radio 4 Choice is now added to your subscriptions.

Figure 20. Radio 4 Choice Podcast added


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Feed Administration

A podcast feed can be removed by highlighting it and clicking the Remove selected

feed button.

Details of a highlighted podcast feed, like its name and URL, are available by clicking

the Properties button.

A highlighted feed can be checked to see if there are any new podcast items for

download by clicking the Check selected feed button.

Copying Files to mp3 Players

You can use the synch function in the mediaplayer software you are using to

synchronize your mp3 player.

Or, if you wanted to copy these podcast items onto your mp3 player, you can locate

the downloaded files by right-clicking on the feed name for a pop-up window, andselect Open downloads folder. The folder opens and you can copy the files to your

mp3 player.

Cleanup

These mp3 files may be very large, so you need to clean up any files you no longer

need.

Click on the Cleanup tab

Click on the drop-down menu arrow below Select a feed and choose the feedyou want to clean up, and then click the Refresh button

The items delivered in that feed are listed Select the ones you want to delete by checking the box alongside, or click the

Select all button to check all of them

Click the Delete button and the files are deleted

Figure 23. Cleaning up unwanted Podcasts


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New Alternatives

There are now other ways of accessing podcasts. For example, btpodshow.com a

major company in the whole podcast phenomenon has developed an online content

directory and player system.

Links

BBC Trial

BBC Podcast Trial

http://www.bbc.co.uk/radio/downloadtrial/

Podcatcher Software

Apple iTunes Podcast Page

http://www.apple.com/itunes/store/podcasts.html

Juice Podcatcher Software

http://juicereceiver.sourceforge.net/index.php

Directories

Podcast Alleyhttp://www.podcastalley.com/

Podcast Directory

http://www.podcast.net/

Podcasting News Directory List

http://www.podcastingnews.com/topics/Podcast_Directory.html

Microsoft Word - Podcast Getting Started

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