All About Podcasting and How to Subscribe!
November 24th, 2006 by 
chris
New to Podcasting? Read on!Topics Below:
No iPod RequiredSo, first, what is a podcast? Its a show! A podcast can be audio only, like radio, or video, like television. A podcast, however, is not broadcast on its own schedule. Instead, its posted to the internet so that you can download and enjoy it on YOUR SCHEDULE! Pretty cool, huh? Our show is audio only. You can listen to it on your computer, take it with you on your MP3 player (the most popular of which is Apple’s iPod - thus, ‘PODcast’ - clever, eh?) or even burn it to CD and listen to it on any CD player. There are many different types of audio and video content on the web, but podcasts are special. They include an XML document (called a feed) that allows the podcaster to syndicate their show by allowing you to subscribe to the show, and receive regular updates. This means that once you’ve found a podcast, you can just subscribe (kind of like bookmarking it) and not worry about tracking it down again every month, week, or day. The two most popular syndication methods are RSS and ATOM. |
Already a Podcast Afficianado?Know all about podcasting and just need the subscription links? Here they are: Subscribe using iTunes - ummm… the iTunes store is currently pointing to a broken feed, and we are working on fixing it. Until that happens, though, you can subscribe directly by clicking here. It will open iTunes and subscribe you automatically. Subscribe using another Podcatcher - Using a podcatcher other than iTunes? Make a choice based on your player and preferences:
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You say I can Subscribe for Free?
You betcha! So, you’ve found our podcast, now how do you subscribe? Well, there are these great little applications call ‘podcatchers’ that you can use to track your favorite podcasts. Every time you start your podcatcher, it will dutifully check to see if any new episodes of your favorite podcasts have been released, and if so, it will download them to your computer for you. A list of popular podcatchers (try saying THAT 10 times fast) is listed below.
Also, if you don’t want to use your own podcatcher, some podcasting directories have their own built-in systems that do the same thing, you just have to be connected to the internet to use them. PodShow, for instance, allows you to set up a free account, subscribe to podcasts, and listen to them all online from one place. The disadvantage is that they won’t automatically download your shows to your computer for you. The upside, though, is that you can log onto your shows from any computer.
Invasion of the PodCatchers
Need a PodCatcher to download and play your favorite podcasts? Try these. iTunes is by far the most popular, and among the easiest to use, but there are plenty of others:
iTunes (Mac & Windows)
Juice (Mac & Windows)
Transistr (Mac)
XCast (Mac)
Doppler (Windows)
Nimiq (Windows
I have my Podcatcher, how do I subscribe to Answers for Freelancers?
iTunes - For those using iTunes, just click here. This will launch your copy of iTunes and automatically subscribe you to our show.
other podcatchers - If you are using a podcatcher other than iTunes, you’ll have to look at its documentation for details, but generally, the process is the same. First, you tell the ‘catcher that you want to subscribe to a new feed, then you either type or paste the feed address into the appropriate box, and that’s it. Oddly enough, some of these PodCatchers don’t actually play the shows, they just download them for you, so you’ll have to open them using another player, such as quicktime or windows media player, or by playing them on your mobile MP3 player. Choose the appropriate link below for your catcher.
- RSS2 - http://www.answers-for-freelancers.com/index.php/feed/rss2/
- ATOM - http://www.answers-for-freelancers.com/index.php/feed/atom/
How do I find other Podcasts?
Well, you’ve already found this podcast, so the most important part of your job is already done. 
However, there are literally thousands of podcasts on almost as many topics, so if you have interests other than being an artist or designer, you are sure to find podcasts for those as well. There are a number of podcast directories on the internet, and chances are, your podcatcher has links to directories already built into it. A comprehensive listing of directories can be found on Rob Walch’s site, Podcast 411.
Cool. I want to know more about Podcasting.
Check out these links for more information on podcasting:
Podcast 411 -:- Wikipedia -:- Podcast Alley
Posted in Podcasts | 