Audio and Video Podcasts

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Podcasting is a means of publishing audio

and video content on the web as a series

of episodes with a common theme. These

episodes are accompanied by a file called

a “feed” that allows listeners to subscribe

to the series and receive new episodes

automatically.

Some people use the term “podcast” to

refer to any distribution of audio/video

content on the Web, but technically speaking,

the feed and subscription model of file

delivery is what differentiates podcasting

from simply posting files on the Web.

Think of podcasting like setting up

an automatic bank draft to pay bills.

For expenses that occur regularly over

a prolonged period of time, like utility

bills, the initial work of setting up a bank

draft is worthwhile because it saves time

and effort in the long run. If the expense

occurs with less regularity, it is probably

easier to just write a check.

Setting up a podcast is similar. For

content that is published on a regular

basis, like weekly homework reviews,

the initial steps to create a podcast are

worthwhile because they save students

some effort in the long run. But for

content that will only be published a few

times during the semester, it probably

makes more sense to simply post the files

on a course web site—without the extra

effort of setting up the feed and having

students subscribe.

There are three general categories of

activities and equipment involved in

podcasting: file production, podcast

publication, and delivery and playback.

File production

Generating appropriate and compelling

content for a podcast is typically the

most time- and labor-intensive part of

the process. This step includes planning,

writing, and recording content, as well as

audio/video editing and file compression.

Production requires recording hardware,

like digital microphones and digital cameras,

and software for editing audio and/or

video segments.

In addition to the relevant audio/video

files, the creator must generate an RSS

feed. A feed is a simple XML file that lists

the location of podcast episodes. It also includes

information about the podcast, such

as publish dates, titles, and descriptions of

the series and of each episode. The podcast

creator can write the feed manually, or use

software that generates the feed file. A list

of useful resources for creating podcasts

appears in the Appendix.

Podcast publication

The audio/video file and RSS feed are then

posted to a Web server. For the first podcast

in a series, and for ongoing series that

are always open to new subscribers, the

podcast creator must notify the audience

of the existence of the podcast by publicizing

the location of the RSS feed. Many

podcasters post a link to the RSS feed

on their blogs, Web sites, or other public

Web spaces. The podcast creator can also

list information about the podcast in one of

many directories that categorize podcasts

alphabetically or by topic.

More about Audio and Video Podcasts

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