What is a Podcast?
What is a podcast?
You might think of a podcast as a pre-recorded radio show. Rather than performing their show live on the air however, podcasters record each episode in mp3 format and then post them online to be retrieved by their listeners.
Do I need an iPod?
Actually, no. Since podcasts are recorded in mp3 format, any device that plays mp3s can handle a podcast.
What does it mean to ’subscribe’ to a podcast?
It’s easy! Podcasts have little files associated with them called ‘feeds’ which keep track of updates and let you know when new content is posted. The most common type of feed is an RSS feed, which stands for ‘really simple syndication.’ You’ll find feeds in many other locations too such as on blogs or any website that is frequently updated.
There are two ways to subscribe to a feed. The easiest way to subscribe is by email. Our website, as well as many others, offers you the chance to submit us your email address and get updates of the show or of the blog sent right to your email address.
There are also subscription applications called ‘podcatchers.’ Once you have subscribed to a podcast with a podcatcher, the application will automatically look for updates and download them when they are posted.
So if you want to subscribe to a podcast, a blog, or any website that uses a feed, either enter your email address or just click wherever it says ’subscribe!’
So I don’t need to get a podcatcher?
Probably not. Chances are, you already have one! iTunes, for example, is a very common podcatcher and most internet browsers these days have podcatchers built into them (except many versions of Internet Explorer). There are also applications like Google Reader which are called ‘RSS aggregators.’ Aggregators will read feeds from many sources like blogs and podcasts, and bring all the new updates into one place for you. Many times, internet browsers have this capability as well.
With iTunes, podcasts can be found in the iTunes Store and easily subscribed to (just search it and hit the subscribe button). You’ll know if your internet browser has a built in aggregator because a small (usually orange and white) picture of an RSS link will show up in your address bar when you have navigated to a page that uses an RSS feed. You can also look for various ’subscribe,’ ‘RSS,’ or ‘Atom,’ links throughout web pages to click on. Your podcatching application will do the rest!
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