So you want to have a podcast? There's been some demand for a simple,
non-techie guide to getting it working. I'm not some kind of super-techie
or coder. Even this page you're reading is being created with an old
version
of Netscape Communicator. I code only when necessary, and only then
with someone else's example to hack. If you end up doing it this way,
you'll find it's really very simple and you'll learn something. You
can also
choose to auto-generate a feed for your podcast with something like
feedburner. But honestly,
after you do this once it'll all seem easy from then
on out. And it NEVER takes as long as the first time.
Ok, I'll make this as simple as possible while at the same time getting
you into the
actual bones of it all without using much "star trek language"
as someone put it recently.
I use XP, so there ya go. This guide will refer to doing it with XP.
First you'll need a show. Record one and convert it to mp3.
Audacity is a good, free
program for recording.
Here's
a guide for installing a MP3 codec in Audacity from the Audacity WIKI
so you can export (convert) files to the mp3 format.
I'm going to assume some things here:
1. You already have a web site, a place where you can upload HTML, jpg,
mp3
etc files.
2. You know how to do that.
You can do one of two things at this point. You need a place for the
mp3 file to BE. In other
words a HOST or a place where the file can be made available for download.
If you choose
to HOST the file on a web server, be sure to check their bandwidth
policies. Your first week
of podcasting could generate GIGS of traffic. Be sure your provider
can support this and if
so, make sure you can afford it. I've personally seen what happens
when something I've done
has received attention and it's not pretty. If anyone out there knows
of a truly scalable,
affordable provider, let me know. I have a bug to eat and a wager to
settle. There's another
option, but it involves a little more effort on your part. Bittorrent.
It can seem difficult at first,
but once all of the pieces are in place it's fairly simple. HERE
is my guide for using bittorrent
to deliver a podcast.
If you've chosen to host the mp3 at your web site, upload your mp3 to
your web server (your
web site) using FTP. Make a note of the location. Is it in your main
directory?
If so, the URL would be something like:
http://www.yourdomain.com/podcast_filename.mp3
Once you have your podcast in mp3 (or torrent), and you've uploaded
it to your web server
you'll need to have what's called a...
RSS 2.0 with enclosures feed. This is simply a file that can
be edited in notepad that
contains information read by podcast applications (like ipodder) and
podcast directories/
lists like audio.weblogs.com .
Open up Notepad.
Copy and paste the text on THIS PAGE to notepad.
Now, leave that open and open THIS PAGE in a separate tab or browser window.
That second link is a guide for what needs to be changed to reflect
the specific information
related to YOUR podcast, for your RSS 2.0 with enclosures feed, which
is essentially a
text file with the filename extension .xml .
Edit that text you copied to notepad based on the examples and instructions
provided
in the second link. It's color-coded and fairly easy to follow.
Once you've edited your text, save the file with the .xml extension. Here's an example:
podcastfeed.xml
Now, you'll need a place to put the file. If you have a web site, use
FTP to send the
file to the web server.
Your podcast feed URL will now be something like:
http://www.yourdomain.com/podcastfeed.xml
THAT is your feed, the address you and your listeners will use to subscribe
to your
podcast.
Now grab your podcast program of choice, like ipodder and test your
feed. If it works,
you're done until your next podcast. And then it will just be a matter
of uploading a new
mp3, adding a new <item> above your old </item> and saving the
file.
Good luck and be sure to e-mail me if you have questions/comments/suggestions/corrections.