Podcasting How-To
Welcome to PodFly.com. We’ve created the
easiest podcasting “how-to” on the net. In just three short steps you’ll be
ready to deliver audio content to the MP3 devices of millions of people
worldwide (click here for
more information on the new technology of podcasting)
So if you’ve got a mic and a PC, follow these three steps and you’ll be
podcasting in no-time.
Step 1: Record your podcast
Recording audio is actually pretty easy in both Windows and Mac. As far as
hardware goes, your standard sound card will more than likely work just fine.
Any microphone will do, but I suggest picking up a good-quality headset. Radio
Shack sells one for around $30.
What really makes recording a podcast fun and “pain-free” is the free,
open-source program Audacity.
Download it now! For the most part, it’s pretty easy to use. There’s a bunch
of support documentation for when things get confusing.
It’s important that we select “Stereo Mix” from the drop down box of input
settings. This way Audacity will not only record our voice from the microphone,
but it will also capture any other audio that plays on our computer. Now, the
songs or sound clips we play on our computer get recorded along with our witty
discourse. We can always go back and edit our show, but recording live is easier
and much more fun.
And that’s all there is to it. Just hit record and start talking! Click
here for some
tips on recording high-quality audio content.
Step 2: Set up your website
Now let’s sign up with a web hosting provider. We need someplace to (1) upload
our MP3 files and (2) set up an online front for our podcast.
I’ve scoured the net for the best website hosting package and I think I’ve found
it in BlueHost.com’s hosting plan for just $6.95 per month. It’s a complete web
hosting solution for under seven bucks per month. They’ll give us a free domain
name, a bunch of email addresses, enough bandwidth and storage space to last us
a while, and tons more.
The package comes with free blogging software so we can set up our homepage in a
weblog format like Adam Curry, or we can
simply create a informative homepage for our podcast like
BlogosphereRadio.
Step 3: Publish your podcast
Most podcasters out there
are enclosing the MP3 of their podcast in the RSS of their blog postings. Thanks
to Ryan at
Another Hungry Mind to Feed, we have a much simpler alternative to
publishing our podcast. He created
dirCaster,
a simple php script, to easily produce a podcasting feed. When an MP3 file is
uploaded into a folder containing this script, dirCaster generates an RSS feed
suitable for iPodder (or any other podcast
receiver) based on each MP3 file in that directory. It couldn’t be easier!
To let others know about your new podcast,
add your feed to the
PodFly Directory.
That’s it! You’re now a part of the podcasting revolution!
Email me with any questions or comments.
Have Fun!
Print This Article
