WHAT IS A PODCAST? Susan Whitall - Detroit News A podcast is an audio file that someone posts online. Listeners download the podcast onto an iPod or MP3 player, then listen to it whenever they please.
The world of podcasting
Here's where you can find some interesting podcasts:
• Podcastalley.com lists top 50 podcasts. You can also search for topics.
• East Detroit Radio, a Wayne State student spins indie rock, much of it from Detroit: www.eastdetroitradio.com
• General Motors' debut podcast: http://fastlane.gmblogs.com
• Podcasting pioneer Adam Curry's daily show: www.dailysourcecode.com
• The Dawn and Drew Show. Ranks as the top podcast, probably because Dawn uses any topic to drone on about sex: www.dawnanddrew.com/dnds.php
• The Spartan Podcast: Several MSU telecommunications/radio vets chatter about news of interest to Michigan State alumni: www.spartanpodcast.com
• NPR show "On the Media" offered as a podcast by originating station WNYC: www.wnyc.org
• The Vinyl Podcast, on which a fan plays "fair use of forgotten music," all old vinyl records: http://vinylpodcast.com
• Keener13.com: Music and talk about the '60s Detroit radio station.
• The Enlightened Spartan. Sorry Wolverines, we looked in vain for a U-M podcast. Here an anonymous Spartan rants and raves on the (so far) only college football podcast in the country: http://enlightenedspartan.com
Podcasting 101
To listen to a podcast
• If an MP3 audio file is available, you can listen from your computer simply by clicking and playing on your media player. Podcastalley.com lists the top 50 podcasts and offers a search option.
• To listen to a podcast on an iPod, you have to move the podcast from the Internet onto your iPod or portable MP3 device. For that you'll need an aggregator. Some of the major ones are iPodder, iPodderX or Doppler. Go to ipodder.org for information on how to download those programs.
To podcast
• To podcast your own program, you need a computer, an Internet connection and a microphone that you plug into the computer.
• Download the recording/mixing software. If you have a Mac, you can podcast with the GarageBand program that's on your machine. For PCs, you can download audacity free at http://audacity.sourceforge.net.
• Next, you need to teach yourself how to create a feed using RSS or XML, which enable people to download their podcast onto a device.
• For instructions on how to do that and other podcasting issues go to ipodder.org, podcastingnews.com or www.podcasting-101.com. |