Podcasting FAQ

For those of you who are new to this new phenomenon called Podcasting, here's what you need to know to get started:

What is Podcasting?
Well, if you'd like the extremely thorough description, including its history, check out the definition of Podcasting as is explained by Wikipedia.

If you want the short answer, Podcasting is internet radio by (in most cases) normal, everyday folk. Now, internet radio is nothing new, but the improvements over prior internet radio broadcasts are that you can:

a) listen to your shows whenever you want

b) be notified whenever there's a new episode of your favorite show available

Example:
You have a favorite radio show that you never want to miss, so you go to the show's website, locate their Podcast feed address and enter that address into your podcatching (AKA, aggregator) application. This process is also known as subscribing to a feed. The application will check the site every day, every week or even every hour, if you'd prefer, in search of a new episode and whenever one is made available, it will be downloaded for you automatically and added to your music jukebox software, like iTunes. If you have a portable music player, like an iPod, you can then listen to any number of your shows on-the-go.

I know it seems like a lot of really involved steps, but it's really very easy, and once you get started, your show library will start building very quickly.


Well, now that I know all that, how do I listen to the "Mean In Green" Podcast?
If you'd just like to listen to the show's audio directly through the site, just click on the Pupuplayer (I know, I know) graphic to start the jukebox player. You can also click any show's audio link and it should begin playing back in your browser. If you'd like to subscribe, you can click on the iTunes link (provided you're using at least iTunes 4.9) or you can click the Feedburner link. That will take you to a page explaining where to find some of the more popular podcatching software and also shows the address you'd need to subscribe to.

Will this cost me anything?
This is all free, unless you WANT to send me money. I wouldn't insult you by turning it down. That would just be mean.


Hey Aaron, since we trust you implicitly, what are your favorite podcatching programs?
Since Apple has added new podcasting features, you can't beat iTunes with a stick. It's free, easy to use, pretty and did I mentioned it's free?

What's that you say? You don't like Apple? Well, you will be folded into the collective soon. In the meantime, here are a couple of other really good free podcatching clients:

iPodder (Mac, Windows, Linux)
iPodderX Lite (Mac, Windows)

The ones listed below are two of the best applications, but that's probably because they require that money exchange hands:

NetNewsWire (Mac)
iPodderX (Mac, Windows)