Tuesday, January 26, 2010

How to Create a Podcast & Downloading a Free Podcast

Podcasting is easy to get involved in for anyone whowants to create a podcast. The first thing necessary isaccess to a web server. The user needs to be able toupload files to the server itself, so podcasting can't bedone from a simple blogging or journal site. It'sprobably best to register a domain and find a host forthe site. Once the site has been set up and the user hasaccess to the host server, a small program calleddircaster.php should be customized for your site, andcan be used to automatically generate the RSS feed thatthe subscribers will download.

The mp3 files should beuploaded to the proper directory after all theinformation about the file has been attached. After theyare in the directory, the address of dircaster.php, as longas it is in the same directory as the mp3 files, willgenerate an RSS file that will tell your subscriberswhere to download the latest podcasts from. To updateand and a new episode, create and upload the new mp3file to the same directory. When dircaster.php isaccessed, it will recognize the new file and relay theinformation on to your visitors.

With these steps, it is easy for anyone to create apodcast with a small expenditure of time and effort. Thesite is easy to set up; domains and hosting are nowcheap enough almost anyone to have a small site, andthe programs necessary are all easy to find and use.

Downloading a Free Podcast: Its easy to find and download a free podcast. The bestway to find free podcasts is probably to check a podcastdirectory. A podcast directory is a listing of many,sometimes thousands of different podcasts. The podcastdirectory will usually organize the podcasts by topic andgenre, making it easy to find the type of podcast that issought. In addition, podcast directories often allow thevisitors to comment on the podcasts listed, and providea list of the favorite podcasts on the site, making it easyfor users to find the best podcasts available.

Thesepodcast directories can be used to browse through,introducing users to many different podcasts theyotherwise would not have found. Once a podcast has been found that interests the user, itis necessary to download the free podcast. The vastmajority of podcasts will be free, but there will be a fewthat may cost a small amount of money. The process tosubscribe to and download the podcasts is the same ineither case. First, a podcast client needs to be found andinstalled. There are many free podast clients available,all providing a slightly different user interface and rangeof options.

They come with many different names, suchas Podscape, or Nimiq, and searching for 'free podcastclient' or something like it will turn up manypossibilities. When the podcast client has beeninstalled, inputting the feed address will allow thepodcast to be downloaded. The podcast client willcheck the address given for a small, machine readablefile called an RSS file. This file will containinformation about the podcasts, perhaps some textabout the individual episodes, as well as the location ofthe episode file. Once the podcast client has beenlocated the file referred to in the RSS feed, it will bedownloaded and stored on the users computer until thewant to view it.

Sometimes, of course, access to a personal computer isnot available, but it is still necessary to check a certainpodcast. Fortunately, many podcast directories offerbuilt in podcast readers in the site. Not only do theyoften show each recent episode that is available, theymay also offer a way to view or listen to those podcastepisodes from within the site. By using the viewercontained within the site, it is no longer necessary toeven download the podcast episodes. However, theability to move and share the episodes afterdownloading is one of the wonderful things aboutpodcasting. The files can be placed on almost andmedia player, ranging from iPods to the new PlayStation Portable. This flexibility is one of the reasonspodcasts have succeeded, despite other technologieslike streaming music and video. The desire ofconsumers to have control over technology cannot beover estimated.

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