FAQ's
(Click on a question)
(Click on a question)
I don't use a Mac - Can I still podcast?
Yes, but it's not as straightforward. The Mac has
some great tools for podcasting, especially the
program Garageband. Windows
users have programs that work too, like
Audacity.
What bit rate do I use for my MP3 files?
Use
the minimum bit rate that provide good results. Here
are some suggested settings:
- 48 - 56k Mono - sermons, audio books, talk radio
- 64k+ Stereo - music, music & talk combinations
- 128k Stereo - good quality music
How do I make an RSS (XML) file?
You
can use a program to create the file (and do the XML
coding) or you can hand code the file with any plain
text editor.
For a brief introduction of to RSS, check the article Understanding RSS Feeds. For details on RSS, check the RSS 2.0 Specification. The specification includes an example file that can be used as a starting point for creating new RSS files.
For a brief introduction of to RSS, check the article Understanding RSS Feeds. For details on RSS, check the RSS 2.0 Specification. The specification includes an example file that can be used as a starting point for creating new RSS files.
How can I learn more about RSS? (Geek alert!!)
Most
podcasters use blogging programs or other
applications to automatically generate newsfeeds.
You can edit your RSS file with any text editor to add the enclosure tag.
Click here for an example
RSS newsfeeds normally feature news items that contain a title, link, and description of each episode. Each item in a news feed provides information about a URL on the web. In a podcast newsfeed, each Item describes the content of an audio file referenced by the enclosure URL. Save your RSS file with a .rss or .xml extension.
You will want to have one news feed file that contains all of your recent podcasts, ordered from newest to oldest.
You can edit your RSS file with any text editor to add the enclosure tag.
Click here for an example
RSS newsfeeds normally feature news items that contain a title, link, and description of each episode. Each item in a news feed provides information about a URL on the web. In a podcast newsfeed, each Item describes the content of an audio file referenced by the enclosure URL. Save your RSS file with a .rss or .xml extension.
You will want to have one news feed file that contains all of your recent podcasts, ordered from newest to oldest.
What do I do if my feed is not working?
How do I let people know about my podcast?
1. You can put a link to your XML file on your
website/
2. You can also publicize your podcast by adding your feed URL to a Podcast directory. There are many podcast directory sites out there. You can even submit it to the iTunes store.
2. You can also publicize your podcast by adding your feed URL to a Podcast directory. There are many podcast directory sites out there. You can even submit it to the iTunes store.
I would like to get a Mac. What do you recommend?
If you are a first time Mac user, I would recommend a
Mac Mini or iMac. If you already have a keyboard,
mouse and monitor you are happy with a Mac Mini is a
great choice. If you are starting over or want an
all-in-one unit, I would recommend an iMac (desktop)
or any of the Macbook lines (laptops).
I have been using Macs since 1992 (my first computer!) and have never looked to use any other OS. I can do many creative and work-related things very easily and don't have some of the typical problems that PC users encounter (viruses, spyware, etc.).
I have been using Macs since 1992 (my first computer!) and have never looked to use any other OS. I can do many creative and work-related things very easily and don't have some of the typical problems that PC users encounter (viruses, spyware, etc.).
What makes Macs so special?
They are reliable machines with fantastic
pre-installed software. The iLife suite is great and
comes with iMovie, iPhoto, iDVD, iTunes, iWeb, and
Garageband.
What does Feedburner do?
From the Feedburner.com website...
* Publicize your podcast and make it easy for people to subscribe.
* Optimize distribution so that your content is properly formatted for all of the major directories and can be consumed by subscribers wherever they are.
*Analyze your traffic to learn how many subscribers you have, where they're coming from and what they're downloading.
* Publicize your podcast and make it easy for people to subscribe.
* Optimize distribution so that your content is properly formatted for all of the major directories and can be consumed by subscribers wherever they are.
*Analyze your traffic to learn how many subscribers you have, where they're coming from and what they're downloading.
How do I submit my podcast to the iTunes store?
Check out this FAQ by Apple for more information on
this...
http://www.apple.com/itunes/store/podcastingfaq.html
http://www.apple.com/itunes/store/podcastingfaq.html
I have more questions. Can you help?
How did you make this website?
I have an amazing program called RapidWeaver. It's a
Macintosh-only program that makes beautiful
websites very easily and also includes a
blogging/podcasting feature. It's about $40
and is worth every penny.
I might also recommend Apple's iWeb, a program that comes on every new Mac or is available in the iLife suite of software ($79.00). It too makes websites look beautiful, is easy to use, and includes podcasting.
I might also recommend Apple's iWeb, a program that comes on every new Mac or is available in the iLife suite of software ($79.00). It too makes websites look beautiful, is easy to use, and includes podcasting.
How did you learn to podcast?
An interesting story...
My principal at my former job as orchestra director at Winter Park High School mentioned podcasting and how cool it was. Being curious, I did a little research on the topic. I figured out how to do it by searching the web for ideas and how to's and began creating a podcast for the school's orchestra program. It became a big hit with my parents and students.
I also began teaching online courses in music appreciation at Valencia Community College in Orlando. What better way to distribute my lectures than via podcast??
My principal at my former job as orchestra director at Winter Park High School mentioned podcasting and how cool it was. Being curious, I did a little research on the topic. I figured out how to do it by searching the web for ideas and how to's and began creating a podcast for the school's orchestra program. It became a big hit with my parents and students.
I also began teaching online courses in music appreciation at Valencia Community College in Orlando. What better way to distribute my lectures than via podcast??
What about copyright?
You should follow all copyright laws! When creating
your podcasts. Please see the website www.copyright.gov for more
information.