Getting the Word out [Archive] - The Church Webmasters' Forum

David Gillaspey

Sun., Jul. 9, 2006, 1:34 pm

Why would someone want to "podcast"?Hi Leonard,

Thanks for posting.

To answer that question, allow me to explain what podcasting is. As always, this is not just for your benefit (or not, if you already know what podcasting is), but for the benefit of anyone who reads this post in the future.

Currently, as you say, you are making .mp3 files available for download from your website. That's great ? every church should do this ? but here's the problem with this approach: 1) it requires visitors to your site, or members of your church, to hunt for and find the download page on a regular basis, 2) to find out if a new audio file has recently been added, 3) that matches their interests, and 4) actually take the time and effort to download it.

What if this whole process could be automated? What if it were possible to automate the process of informing visitors or members of your church that new audio files matching their specific interests have been uploaded to the server and are available for download? What if it were possible to automate the actual downloading of these files?

That's what podcasting is.

From your point of view, podcasting is: 1) creating audio content, such as .mp3s of sermons, 2) adding them to a server on a regular basis, and 3) for each audio file uploaded, creating and uploading an XML-formatted text file called an RSS (Really Simple Syndication) file that informs the world a) that you've uploaded a new audio file, and b) what the content (title, subject, author, date, length, etc.) of that file is.

From the point of view of visitors to your site, or members of your church, or fans of a hot new rock band (to make this more generic), podcasting is: 1) obtaining a software or hardware (e.g., iPod) media player that 2) is capable of automatically searching the internet (in general, or specific sites) for newly uploaded audio files that 3) match their specific interests (specified in advance), and 4) downloading those files.

How does such a software or hardware media player actually know about the existence of newly added .mp3 files, on given server? The key is the aforementioned RSS files. Being small text files, RSS files are quickly and easily searchable or downloadable, and enable the podcasting-enabled software or hardware to quickly determine which audio files on a site are new, that match the user's specific interests, and therefore should be automatically downloaded.

(More specifically, an iPod or other hardware media player, because it generally does not have direct access to the internet, relies on accompanying software on a computer to find and download new audio files from the internet. This software then automatically uploads to the media player any newly downloaded ? from the internet ? files, typically through a USB connection, the next time the hardware player is connected to the computer.)

To find out more about podcasting, search Google. A list of podcasting production software is found here, for example:

http://www.podcastingnews.com/topics/Podcasting_Software.html

among, I'm sure, many other such sites. While RSS files can be handcoded, podcasting production software make creation of RSS files far easier.

(Note also the link near the top of the aforementioned webpage for a list of software to receive podcasts, a different requirement.)

Amazon.com sells a number of books on the subject, including Secrets of Podcasting (http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0321438434) which I have in front of me now to ensure I answer your question accurately. It includes a guide to different podcasting production software.

Podcasting is often equated with broadcasting, as in, "broadcasting for the masses," but I think that analogy is inaccurate from a technical point of view, but the effect is the same.

Coming next: the video version of podcasting!

Hope the above helps.

Sincerely,

David Gillaspey
President
Great Church Websites