An interesting experience when you create your first podcast.

I had decided I did not need a script as I felt very confident I knew what I wanted to say.

So off I went. It ended off being 7MB and lasted about 7 minutes. I discovered that even with pointers of what I wanted to say, if I wanted a tight recording, I did need a more scripted approach. I found that I was repeating myself at times and the ending was very weak.

So I wrote a script and recorded it again. This time it was about 3MB and 3 minutes (hmm, around 1MB per minute?). Despite being half the length, I still covered the same content. Just in a less waffly way!

So here are my first two attempts:

Without scripting:          With scripting:    

Once you have recorded your mp3 file for your podcast you can either:
– Put it on a site that supports an RSS feed.
or
– Put it on your own site if you have one and create an RSS file that will then allow people to subscribe.

So what is RSS? Really Simple Syndication content can be read easily by software that will collect all your downloads for you. Once you have subscribed to a feed (by entering in the feed’s link into the reader or by clicking an RSS icon) the software will check regularly for updates and download anything new. Clever heh!

Here’s the Commoncraft explanation:
.[kml_flashembed movie=”http://www.youtube.com/v/0klgLsSxGsU” width=”425″ height=”344″ wmode=”transparent” align=”center”/]

You can also see it at: http://www.commoncraft.com/rss_plain_english

The most common formats for feeds are RSS and ATOM (although I rarely saw Atom mentioned anywhere). All web feed formats are based on XML (Extensible Markup Language) which is a text-based language used to describe and distribute data. If you are familiar with HTML at all, it is not too difficult to work out what is going on in XML code.

Why did I decide to go down this path? Wouldn’t it be easier to just upload my files to a podcasting site where all this RSS stuff is done behind the scenes?

Yes it would be. But as I run a subscription based site I really wanted my audio files, like my video files, to be hosted on my site rather than an external site. I already have my own site, space is not an issue. If you didn’t already have a website I don’t think you would bother going down this path. But every month we currently have to check anything that is on an external site as we have had issues with links changing, things no longer working and so on. By creating my own RSS file I would have much greater control over my content (not that I am a control freak, ok, maybe a little bit of a control freak). I could also choose how I wanted the files set up and how I wanted them formatted.

So I worked out that I needed to create an RSS file and upload that file and my audio file to my website. Some sites save the file as .rss but the majority save the file as .xml. I decided to go with the majority.

I found that a number of sites offer a service where you type in your info and it will supposedly create the RSS file for you. Lovely! Well none of those worked perfectly (the best was probably http://www.feedforall.com/) but when I looked at the code from these I started to see a pattern. So I checked out the code on some more sites that offered podcasting and eventually worked out a basic structure. I much prefer if I know what the code is doing as it makes it much easier to then change.

 Here is my version of the code (cobbled together from multiple sources!) if you’d like to try. You would work on this file in something like notepad and save it as an .xml file.

 <?xml version=”1.0″ encoding=”UTF-8″?>
<rss xmlns:itunes=”http://www.itunes.com/dtds/podcast-1.0.dtd” version=”2.0″ xmlns:atom=”http://www.w3.org/2005/Atom”>
<channel>
<atom:link href=”LINK TO YOUR XML FILE” rel=”self” type=”application/rss+xml” />

<title>YOUR PODCAST PAGE TITLE</title>
<description>DESCRIPTION OF YOUR PODCASTS!</description>
<link>YOUR WEBSITE</link>
<language>en-au</language>
<copyright>Copyright 2008</copyright>
<lastBuildDate>Wed, 23 Aug 2006 00:56:00 GMT</lastBuildDate>
<pubDate>Sat, 25 Mar 2006 11:30:00 -0500</pubDat>
<webMaster>YOUR EMAIL ADDRESS (MAY ALSO HAVE TO PUT NAME IN BRACKETS)</webMaster>

<item>
<title>FIRST PODCAST TITLE</title>
<link>LINK TO THE PODCAST PAGE</link>
<guid>LINK TO THE MEDIA FILE</guid>
<description> DESCRIPTION OF PODCAST</description>
<enclosure url=”LINK TO THE MEDIA FILE” length=”36864″ type=”audio/mpeg”/>
<category>Podcasts</category>
<pubDate>Sat, 25 Mar 2006 11:30:00 -0500</pubDate>
</item>

<item>
<title>SECOND PODCAST TITLE</title>
<link>LINK TO THE PODCAST PAGE</link>
<guid>LINK TO THE MEDIA FILE</guid>
<description> DESCRIPTION OF PODCAST</description>
<enclosure url=”LINK TO THE MEDIA FILE” length=”36864″ type=”audio/mpeg”/>
<category>Podcasts</category>
<pubDate>Sat, 25 Mar 2006 11:30:00 -0500</pubDate>
</item>

</channel>
</rss>

You would enter in all your own info in the CAPS sections. You would also need to change data like the length of the file and the date information (I have left the date info in the format you need to include it – the last bit refers to time with reference to GMT time). To add another new podcast, you’d just copy and paste the section between <item> and </item> and change the relevant info then upload the RSS file again and the new media file.

It took some time, like many many hours, to come up with the above code.

It is also a good idea to test that your code works and there are free sites that let you do this. I got some strange errors from some of these, then one that worked best for me was: FeedValidator.org at http://feedvalidator.org/

 Of course, nothing is ever simple, even though my code was supposedly valid it still wouldn’t work. Eventually I worked out it was the password protection on the site causing the issues so changed the location of my xml file and then had no problems.

 I tested the feed three ways:
1. By clicking on the RSS feed and checking it worked in Internet explorer.
2. By subscribing via my aggregator (Netvibes).
3. By selecting ‘subscribe to a podcast’ through iTunes.

Because iTunes is one of the most popular ways of managing audio files, I decided to do all I could to make my feeds iTunes friendly.

This meant adding additional code:

 Just before the each first item I added:
<itunes:author>Study Skills Handbook</itunes:author>
<itunes:subtitle>Podcasts about study skills. </itunes:subtitle>
<itunes:summary>Podcasts about study skills. These podcasts cover the skills you need to be successful at school. </itunes:summary>
<itunes:owner>
<itunes:name>Study Skills Handbook</itunes:name>
<itunes:email>info@studyskillshandbook.com.au</itunes:email>
</itunes:owner>
<itunes:explicit>No</itunes:explicit>
<itunes:image href=”http://www.studyskillshandbook.com.au/images/additionals/icon3.jpg”/>
<itunes:category text=”Education”>
<itunes:category text=”K-12″/>
</itunes:category>

and for each item, after the publish date tags but before the </item> I added:
<itunes:author>ELES Study Skills Handbook</itunes:author>
<itunes:explicit>No</itunes:explicit>
<itunes:subtitle>Study Skills </itunes:subtitle>
<itunes:summary> All about study skills.</itunes:summary>
<itunes:duration>00:24:30</itunes:duration>
<itunes:keywords>education, studyskills</itunes:keywords>

 Some more resources on this topic:
http://www.rss-info.com/
http://www.rss-specifications.com/rss-specifications.htm
http://radio.about.com/od/podcastin1/a/aa030805a_3.htm

 Now if this all seems like WAAYYY too much effort for you, the next post I will look at what I think is the best option for the non-technies among us, iTunesU.

 

I thought I’d share all the resources I found most useful when exploring podcasts:

HOW TO PODCAST TUTORIALS AND ABOUT PODCASTING:

I think these are my favourites:
– http://aquaculturepda.wikispaces.com/podcast
– http://www.how-to-podcast-tutorial.com/00-podcast-tutorial-four-ps.htm
– http://www.abc.net.au/rn/podcast/help.htm
– http://radio.about.com/od/podcastin1/a/aa030805a.htm

But these have some good stuff too:
– http://ourmedia.org/node/273304
– http://www.podcast411.com/page5.html
– http://www.guidesandtutorials.com/podcasting-tutorial.html
– http://www.macworld.com/2005/04/secrets/junecreate/index.php?pf=1
– http://homepage.mac.com/ilife06/learn/learn-to-podcast.xml
– http://learninginhand.com/podcasting/index.html
– http://learninginhand.com/blog/2006/03/videos-about-podcasting.html
– http://chatt.hdsb.ca/~magps/boylit/Podcasting%20in%20Education
– http://reviews.cnet.com/4520-10163_7-6246557-1.html?tag=nl.e404
– http://www.stager.org/podcasting.html
– http://schoolofpodcasting.com/
– http://www.jasonohler.com/storytelling/storytech.cfm#power_of_music
– http://www.bbc.co.uk/wales/audiovideo/sites/about/pages/recordingothers.shtml

AUDACITY RESOURCES:

– http://audacity.sourceforge.net/download/
– http://www.teachertube.com/view_video.php?viewkey=ccc0b7577fcc340bb99f
– http://audacity.sourceforge.net/manual-1.2/tutorials.html
– http://aquaculturepda.wikispaces.com/Podcast4
– http://etc.usf.edu/te_win/movies/audacity.html
– http://audacityined.wikispaces.com/
– http://www.audacityteam.org/wiki/index.php?title=Audacity_Wiki_Home_Page
– http://audacity.sourceforge.net/help/faq?s=install&item=lame-mp3
– http://www.lifelonglearner.us/other/audacity/
– http://www.guidesandtutorials.com/audacity-tutorial.html
– http://www.how-to-podcast-tutorial.com/17-audacity-tutorial.htm
– http://altec.colorado.edu/howto/audacity/aud_hlp01.shtml

GARAGEBAND:

– http://www.apple.com/ilife/garageband/
– http://www.apple.com/support/garageband/podcasts/

MUSIC

– http://iodapromonet.com/login.php
– http://www.freesound.org/
– http://www.sounddogs.com/
– http://freesound.iua.upf.edu/
– http://www.shockwave-sound.com/
– http://www.pbtmlive.com/
– http://www.sounddogs.com/
– http://www.musicbakery.com/
– http://www.soundsnap.com/
– http://bumpermusic.blogspot.com/
– http://www.podsafeaudio.com/
– http://magnatune.com/
– http://www.archive.org/audio/
– http://www.archive.org/details/opensource_audio
– http://www.podsafeaudio.com/
– http://www.cinemavolta.com/daily/index.html
– http://www.pdxbands.com/podsafe/
– http://ruccas.org/
– http://www.resources.bravenet.com/audio_clips/
– http://www.jamglue.com/
– http://www.audionetworkplc.com/
– http://ourmedia.org/learning-center/open
– http://delicious.com/kolson29/freemusic
– http://collaborationnation.wikispaces.com/Music+and+Sounds
– http://freeplaymusic.com/
– http://soundtransit.nl/search/
– http://www.flyinghands.com/
– http://www.archive.org/details/etree
– http://incompetech.com/m/c/royalty-free/
– http://www.soundclick.com/default.cfm
– http://www.artistserver.com/music.cfm

HOSTING

– http://www.odeo.com/
– http://www.podomatic.comand
– http://www.blip.tv/
– http://www.houndbite.com/
– http://www.divshare.com/
– http://www.easypodcast.com/
– http://www.esnips.com/
– http://www.gcast.com/?nr=1&&s=90753817

PODCASTING DIRECTORIES

– http://www.ipodder.org
– http://www.itunes.com
– http://www.podcastalley.com
– http://www.podcastcentral.com
– http://www.podcast.net
– http://recap.ltd.uk/podcasting/index.php
– http://epnweb.org/
– http://www.learnoutloud.com/Podcast-Directory
– http://www.podcastbunker.com/
– http://teacherspodcast.org/

PODCASTING EXAMPLES

– http://www.heppell.net/bva/bva3/sandaigschool.htm
– http://mylcpodcasts.blogspot.com/
– http://grammar.quickanddirtytips.com/default.aspx
– http://www.englishcaster.com/idioms/
– http://www.meaghersphysics.podomatic.com
– http://meaghersclasses.podomatic.com/
– http://www.abc.net.au/rn/podcast/
– http://kinderteacher.podomatic.com/
– http://www.abc.net.au/rn/edpod/
– http://www.summahistorica.com/podcast-archive.htm
– http://itunes.stanford.edu/
– http://www.adrianbruce.com/acekids/index.htm
– http://thedowns.edublogs.org/category/podcasting/
– http://mrmayo.typepad.com/podcasts/
– http://www.mpsomaha.org/willow/radio/index.html
– http://bobsprankle.com/blog/
– http://web.mac.com/michael_cowling/
– http://www.radiowaves.co.uk/
– http://bhwilkoff.podomatic.com/
– http://podcastbangla.blogspot.com/
– http://www.mpsomaha.org/willow/radio/index.html
– http://web.mac.com/michael_cowling/Classy_IT/Podcast/Podcast.html

SOME TECHNICAL STUFF

– http://ourmedia.org/node/273297
– http://digitalmedia.oreilly.com/2006/10/26/quickstart-digital-audio-editing.html
– http://www.profcast.com/public/index.php (a more professional recording tool)

LEGAL GUIDES

– http://wiki.creativecommons.org/Podcasting_Legal_Guide
– http://wiki.creativecommons.org/Image:Podcasting_legal_guide.png

PODCASTING READER

– http://juicereceiver.sourceforge.net/

After immersing myself in podcasting sites and info for the last six weeks I have come to a number of conclusions:

– There is a huge amount of information on the web about podcasting (too much!).
– Most of the sites pretty much say the same thing although some make the information clearer than others.
– As with most things on the web, there are very fewstandards and multiple paths you can take to reach similar outcomes.
– Podcasts vary widely in quality, content and style and purpose. As one site aptly explained, you could cough into a microphone each week and upload it and call yourself a podcaster.
– There are many levels of complexity, you can choose either not to worry your pretty little head too much or you can delve deep into the complexities of codecs and compression and all sorts of audio quality issues.
– The best podcasts are those where the style is most suited to the content and the audience needs.

So here is my summary for those who don’t know much about podcasting:

A podcast can now refer to both audio and video files that are available on the web for listeners to subscribe to. If you just upload an audio mp3 file to your website for people to download then technically it is not really a podcast. The term podcast implies that it is part of a series of media that is uploaded over a period of time and that it gives the listener the ability to subscribe the subsequent podcasts so that updates are taken directly to the listener (rather than the listener having to come back all the time and check if there is anything new available).

Of course, Commoncraft gives the best explanation:

.[kml_flashembed movie=”http://www.youtube.com/v/y-MSL42NV3c” width=”425″ height=”344″ wmode=”transparent” align=”center”/]

Here’s a short version of what you will find on the web about how to podcast:

i) Plan first what you’d like to cover in your podcast.
ii) Record any audio files (most popular applications appear to be Garageband and Audacity).
iii) Edit the audio file, adding or deleting elements (but being careful of copyright).
iv) Save the audio file into mp3 format.
v) To host your podcast you can either upload your audio file to a site that supports podcasting or create an RSS file that will allow people to subscribe to your podcasts and upload the audio file and the RSS file to your own site. (Don’t know what RSS is? Don’t worry, more on this in the next post.)
vi) Decide what supporting material and evaluation/comment process you might provide.

On my next post I will be explaining my trials and tribulations of what I discovered when I chose to walk down the RSS path myself (I may need to wear a wig for awhile until all the hair I tore out in frustration has grown back….).