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Podcasting is broadcasting an event and make it available for download on the internet. Podcasts are generally in audio format but have been moving towards audio and video and sometimes even PDF documents with the advent of portable media devices that support video.
Podcasts are referenced through an XML feed. Each individual file within a podcast is called an episode.
Uploading
Before you upload your episodes, make sure you have secured the necessary rights to them. If you include music in your podcast, be sure that you have permission to use it, whether it is officially declared podsafe, licensed through a Creative Commons license, or paid for with royalties (see Webcasting/podcasting your ceremony).
Be sure that each episode is in a format that can be read in an iPod or other portable media player, such as MP3. You will have to upload each episode to a publicly accessible URL that can be direct-linked. Paid Web hosts, as well as Ourmedia, which is a free archive service for both uploading and downloading, work well for this.
Syndication
After you upload the episodes, you will have to find a way to syndicate them such that they can be automatically downloaded through an electronic RSS feed.
Blogs
Several blogging services support subscribable XML feeds, which is how podcasts work. Podcatchers, or podcast receiving software, download files which are referenced as enclosures within the feed.
Blogger
This Podcasting News article shows how to syndicate podcasts with Blogger and FeedBurner. It's as simple as posting an entry in Blogger with a link to your podcast episode and having FeedBurner point to your blog.
iTunes
Before syndicating your podcast through iTunes, you'll need to write an XML feed in RSS format. The iTunes podcast technical specification explains everything you need, but writing an RSS feed may take some time, especially if you aren't too comfortable with scripting.
After you complete your XML feed, upload it to a publicly accessible URL that can be direct-linked (just like with your episodes), then test it with Subscribe to Podcast in iTunes. If it works, go ahead and submit it to iTunes, which will screen it for approval. Upon approval, it will be made available through iTunes.
Downloading (Podcatching)
You may want to guide your listeners to the various podcatching software products out there. For those with an iPod, iTunes can send these files straight to an iPod. There are several other programs, such as Juice, that can do this and possibly support other portable media players as well.
See Also
External Links & Sources
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