how to make podcasts

all this talk about podcasts recently has got me thinking....how the hell do you make a podcast? What software do you use?

Can anyone help please?

cheers,
Luke

Great question. I have actually thought about doing a weekly or bi-weekly podcast myself. But I have no idea how to begin.

A podcast is nothing more than an mp3 audio file. You just need a mic and something to record your voice. Once you have your file you create an XML file with the RSS tidbits so that people can subscribe. Once you have the XML file with the pointers to the MP3, you can submit that rss feed to places like iTunes.

Oh, is that all?

what about video podcasts?

cheers,
Luke

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Chilihost

what about video podcasts?

cheers,
Luke

---

All these people with these new ipods. my ipod is like gerneration 1. How good are these videos on these new ones??


Jimmy

I put up a PodCast in October and have had 300 hits... took over 2 months to get added to the directories.

Making the .mp3 file is easy... but then you need to get it onto a Host that does the RSS feed.

http://www.nickbaer.libsyn.com/rss

There are YAHOO Groups dedicated to making PodCasts.

I have not yet published a Video PodCast, although that is next for me.

Now that all of my video catalog is up on VOD, going Video PodCast with the tame stuff is next.

I would be interested in working with you, if you wanted to reply.

"get it onto a Host that does the RSS feed."

I was under the impression it was just a matter of loading up a php script that ran the RSS feed. This thread is very interesting and educational for me!

cheers,
Luke

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by nickbaer

There are YAHOO Groups dedicated to making PodCasts.

---

Now that sounds like fun. I could see myself doing that. I saw one podcast from a guy who did nothing but talk about all the guys he's had sex with. And there's an update at least every other day if not more. I listened to two of them and I thought, I don't want to sit here and listen to you gloat about being such a slut. Especially when I ain't been gettin' any. To hell with that. LOL!

Okay, I would laugh if my last post was the winning one. LOL! Don wins huge prize by complaining that he never gets laid. Great.

we do a daily podcast , it last 5-15 mins and gives our members a roundup of the events happenig at the houses. it has proved very popular.

its so simple to make, the "secret" is the "rss code" basically a real simple web type html page .

this is ours

http://www.collegeboyslive.com/podcasts/cbldaily.xml

dont get worried by the cseeming complexity a load of it is copied over and over for each show.

you drop this into a podcast reader like itunes and it goes and gets the mp3 files needed to download.

here is a basic step by step guide.

1: on your web server create a diretory called podcasts
2: using an audio encoding program , create the content, music, talk whatever, then save it as an mp3 file. lets call it test.mp3

3: upload that to your podcasts directory where it can be accessed by anyone
4: next open notepad or other basic text editor

5: put the following text in there:




http://www.yoursite.com

Gossip, daily happenings, whats coming up, chat times and general banter and fun between the gay boys of Collegeboyslive.com

en-us
℗ & © 2006 your sig inc
Fri, 03 Feb 2006 10:00:00 EST
Fri, 03 Feb 2006 10:00:00 EST




Zac's daily update from collegeboyslive dot com

http://www.YOURSITE.com/podcasts/test.mp3
Fri, 03 Jan 2006 13:45:00 GMT
Podcasts



6: save this file as podcast.xml
7: upload it into the same directory as the podcast

thats it, now all you need to do is goto say itunes, open up the rss feed box and drop in the link to podcast.xml so it would be http://www.YOURSITE.com/podcasts/podcast.xml

8: itunes will read the xml file which basically tells it where to get the audio files and when they were updates. it then goes and downloads them for later listening.


Thats a very basic overview. you can add more tags in for players such as itunes so you can be listed in theire directories and stuff, but you get the basic idea

zac

Wow, cool setup info. Thanks!

Jimmy

Oh cool, i really thought there was a lot more to it than there actually appears to be too :)

Thanks for the breakdown Zac :)

Regards,

Lee

Zac,

A quick question for you to if i may..

Would we need to create one of those .xml files for each and every mp3 file?

For example, file1.xml, file2.xml or just the same one?

Im really interested in this as it has been something ive been looking at doing for a while now i just thought there was a lot more involved than what it actually looks like is involved.

Also, what is BW usage like for, say a 15 minute pod cast? I presume we'd have to host the audio file for each user or, does that get handled by iTunes or whoever downloading it and storing it on their end?

Regards,

Lee

Yeah it really is simple, i just keep adding each day th ethe one RSS file and uploading it to the server.

this is the dierect link to our morning podcasts

http://phobos.apple.com/WebObjects/M...03085&s=143441

It has been picked up by a load of padcast servers and mirrored, I dotn knwo if it is generating any new sales form it or just entertaining our existing members, but its fun

Zac,

Sorry stupid question, i just want to clarify, you re-add the SAME .xml file each day or a new one?

I think im reading your reply wrong as it sounded like you just keep re-adding the same file1.xml over and over again.

Regards,

Lee

Hello Lee,

You just keep adding to the same XML file.
You need one container for each podcast episode



blah blah blah

http://www.YOURSITE.com/podcasts/test.mp3
Fri, 03 Jan 2006 13:45:00 GMT
Podcasts




blah blah blah

http://www.YOURSITE.com/podcasts/test.mp3
Fri, 03 Jan 2006 13:45:00 GMT
Podcasts




blah blah blah

http://www.YOURSITE.com/podcasts/test.mp3
Fri, 03 Jan 2006 13:45:00 GMT
Podcasts

Ah okay cool thanks bud :)

So that then gets updated along with all previous 'archives' in their system i presume?

Now for my next question..

http://forums.gaywidewebmasters.com/...ad.php?t=14967

LOL

I presume there must be some way to create a bunch of casts at once and have them update every day automatically.

Regards,

Lee

Be sure to check this page for a complete overview of podcasting. Pay special attention to the iTunes tags. They have some specific tags that you'll need to insert that aren't part of a normal XML feed. You have to have them to get listed in iTunes though.

http://www.apple.com/itunes/podcasts/techspecs.html

Also services like feedburner can help make things easier and check your syntax before you submit:

http://www.feedburner.com/fb/a/publi...1D35744B.app1#

Okay cool thanks for that additional info :)

Guess i have a lot of reading to do the next couple of weeks LOL

I appreciate all the info in this thread as im sure our other community members who are looking at podcasting as a branding option do :)

Regards,

Lee