Podcast Exercise
In this exercise, you will find podcasts and subscribe to them using your Google Reader or Bloglines account. If you are willing and able to download separate software, you can also try this exercise using iTunes or Juice (There is an attachment below of a handout with screenshots for using Juice.)
Exercise:
- Take a look at one or two of the podcast directories
listed below and see if you can find a podcast that interests you. See if you
can find some interesting library-related podcasts here like book
review podcasts or library news.
- Add the RSS feed for a podcast to your Google Reader or Bloglines account. How to do it for Google Reader:
- Click on the link for the podcast to which you want to subscribe. If you get to a user-friendly RSS page, you may be able to select Google Reader or Bloglines from a drop down menu to subscribe. If not, you will need to highlight the URL and hit CTRL-C on your keyboard (Windows) to copy it.
- Go to Google Reader and log in.
- Click the "Add Subcription" link in the left column.
- Hit CTRL-V on your keyboard (Windows) to paste the URL.
- Click the Add button.
- When you click on the title for one of the podcast episodes, a small media player will appear where you can stream the music. You can play the audio file from here or you can click on "Original audio source" to download it.
Optional Extra Credit Exercise - Create Your Own Podcast:
- Go to Odeo Studio and create an account.
- Connect a microphone to your computer. Click "Record Audio" to record a sample audio file.
- Save the audio file.
- Click "Set up a New Podcast" to create a podcast. Fill in the details of your podcast show (not for this particular episode, but for the entire show.)
- Click Submit.
- In the Upper left corner, click "Audio in Podcast" to view episodes for this podcast (nothing will be listed yet.)
- Click "Add Audio" to associate the audio file you created with this podcast.
- Check the audio file you want to add and click the "Add" button.
- To add subsequent files to your podcast, log into Odeo and repeat this process. However, instead of setting up a new podcast, you will just need to click the link to the existing podcast to add the audio file to the podcast.
- Post a comment to this page with the URL for your Odeo Directory page.
Hi Kathy! Since I am a Mac user with Itunes and and Ipod, I have already subscribed to podcasts through Itunes. So I guess I don't have to go through the Google reader exercise, correct? Also, it looks like Itunes has their own method for uploading a podcast. Is Odeo Mac compatible?
Hi Jane! Yes, you have already completed the major part of this exercise, so take a break for the weekend.
If you want to try creating a podcast, give Odeo a try. It's not software. It's a Web site and should not be impacted by your operating system. On the other hand, if you try Podifier, which I mentioned in my podcasting overview, I have heard from a fellow Mac user that it is glitchy.
iTunes doesn't actually allow you to upload podcasts and create the RSS file for you. What iTunes does is allow you to add an existing podcast to its directory, which I strongly recommend. A large percentage of people who subscribe to podcasts find them through iTunes, and your podcast is more likely to find an audience if you add it to iTunes.
Have fun!