thirtyonethree

You could win a 30GB video iPod or a ticket to An Event Apart event.

Over a year and a half ago, I did a post on setting up a podcast. Essentially I just shared what I had learned in the process of setting one up myself. I had found out that it is not very complicated.

Today I got a phone call from someone asking me this question. Since my previous post, I have switched to a Mac and I have read several articles on the subject. I am also now a regular subscriber to a couple of podcasts and have seen some good and bad points.

So what do you need to do to pull off a podcast?

Plan your program and content - what is your podcast going to be about? What issues do you want to address? What is your plan for having fresh content?

Record and encode your podcast - The second step is to record your content and encode that audio file as an MP3. If you are using a PC, Audacity is a good freeware program that accomplish both of those tasks. For Mac users (lie myself), GarageBand is the program of choice. You will need to purchase one piece of equipment, a microphone to record your voice. A noise canceling microphone would be your best bet. You might also need a portable digital voice recorder. This would give you the freedom to not be stuck inside or give you the ability to “interview” others in the field.

Publish - you are going to need server space in order to publish your audio file on the Internet. Most likely you already have a Web site that will tie in with the podcast. Next, you need to create a podcast feed. A content feed will automatically update the content on your subscriber’s computer. The feed is really makes make a podcast a “podcast” and not just a MP3 file uploaded on a server. FeedForAll is a software program for both Windows and Mac that can assist you in writing a feed for your podcast.

Promote - let’s face it, unless you promote your podcast, you are not going to build an audience for it. So how do you promote it. There are several different podcast directories that you can submit to, including iTunes. I have included a list of some of the directories below.

Podcast Directories

• iTunes - go to the Podcast page. Find the “Learn More” box at the bottom left corner. There is a link entitled, “Submit a Podcast.” The next screen will ask for the URL of your podcast.
• indiepodder
• Podcast.com
• Podcast Alley
• Yahoo
  

Other Helpful Articles

• You Want to Make Me Shout from Dynamic Graphics - this article provided the basic framework for this post
• My first post on podcasting

I saw Martha Stewart’s new Web site for the first time tonight. I was pretty impressed by what I saw. The site takes advantage of Flash video, sIFR, and Javascripting that all contribute to experiencing the Martha Stewart brand online.

You can take a tour of the new features which uses Flash video. It combines screenshots, animation, video of Martha and her voice over. I was wowed by the first experience I had with the site. I particularly liked a “Photo Gallery” module that uses CSS and Javascripting. I would love to learn how to do that.

This comes from Jared Spool on BrainSparks:

Usability answers the question, “Can the user accomplish their goal?�

User experience answers the question, “Did the user have as delightful an experience as possible?�

Read the full post by Jared (one of my Web design superheroes)