Podcasting Info
General: Podcasting is a new method of distributing digital content via the internet. Podcasters post digital media (i.e. MP3 audio files or .MOV video files) to the internet and then facilitate distribution by making their site content available for "pod catching" in an RSS feed. Podcatchers are pieces of software that can automatically download the podcasts that you subscribe to when new content is available.
A Bit About RSS: RSS stands for Really Simple Syndication. RSS is a text format invented by a gentleman named Dave Winer that allows people to make information about their posts to websites available to people who utilize news aggregators. A news aggregator is a program that checks the status of an RSS feed and updates when new content is available. Many news sites like Yahoo and The New York Times make feeds available for anyone who wants to grab them. Some popular news aggregators are NewsGator, Radio UserLand ,OnFolio and My Yahoo.
Dave Winer further developed version 2.0 of RSS which allows links to media to be embedded in the text of an RSS feed. In 2004, Adam Curry, an entrepreneur, disc jockey and former MTV Video Jockey (VJ) decided to create a program that could find a specific data feed on the internet, download the content linked to that feed and then transfer the content to a portable music device, like the iPod. Hence, podcasting was born.
Podcast producers create and distribute media using RSS feeds. Podcast listeners use "pod catching" software to download the content and listen either on their computer or a portable music player.
Pod Catching Software: If you're looking to automatically download podcast content then you should get yourself some software to make that happen. You can subscribe using a program that you install on your computer or use a number of web based services as follows:
Pod Catch Client Software: iTunes, iPodder Juice Receiver (Mac,Win,Linux), iPodderX (Mac), Doppler Radio (Win), jPodder (Win, Linux) or Nimiq (Mac).
Web Based Subscription: Yahoo Podcasts, Odeo, Podcast Pickle, Big Contact or PodNova.
For Podcast NYC Subscribers: To be a subscribed podcast consumer on Podcast NYC you take the following steps:
1. Download and install a podcast client.
2.
Look for the 
icon
on each podcast page.
3. Copy the link to the podcast feed by right clicking and saving the link location. You can do this in Internet Explorer by selecting the Copy Shortcut option. In Mozilla, the correct option is Copy Link Location.
4. Paste the link location into your Podcast client and start downloading.
On PodcastNYC.net you also have several ways that you can listen or download files directly from the web page.
1. Play
the entire channel in your browser -
By clicking the 
image
(or activating the flash music player) on each page
you will launch a flash based audio player that will
allow
you to
select
and listen
to
all shows
currently in the channel.
2. Play an individual show in your browser - Each audio post contains it's own flash based player for that individual show. Clicking the play button on the player will start the stream of audio and it should begin to play within a few moments.
3. Download the file to your computer - Each show has a link to allow the user to download the MP3 or MOV file to their computer. Click on the link and the file should begin downloading immediately.
For Content Creators: To be a podcast producer you need to take the following steps:
1. Develop an idea for your podcast channel.
2. Record your content to a digital format.
3. Post the content to a web server.
4. Add a link to your content in an RSS feed.
5. Take steps to publicize your feed.
Click here to visit a posting on The Front Page where this process is discussed in much more detail.
More Information and podcasting news is available at http://www.audiofeedforums.com.
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Happy Podcasting To All!