The three primary steps to getting your podcast up and running are:
- Setting up your blog or website
- Storing your media content
- Getting your RSS feed going
To begin we will set up a blog. There are a number of both free and pay blog services available. I use Blogger from Google. This is a free resource which is very easy to set up.
After creating the blog, we need to store our podcast on a server. Our Media a component of Creative Commons, offers unlimited free media storage.
Once your media is stored and linked off your blog, you just need to set up an RSS feed. Go to feedburner and enter your webpage, click the button which says "I'm a podcaster" and you're done!
1. Set Up
There are a number of ways to host podcasts. Any web page with a RSS 2.0 feed can host podcasts, but to make it easier I tend to use blogs to host my podcasts. Blogs, are essentially web pages designed to be easily updated.
At Blogger begin by clicking the orange "Create Your Blog Now" arrow. This leads you to the account page. Where you create a username and password, a name to be displayed on your blog and an email. Be sure to click the "Acceptance of Terms" check box and hit continue.
Finally select a template from the list provided (you can tweak the code of the blog if you know how and personalise the look).
2. Media Storage
Now that your blog is set up, the next step is to prepare your content storage location. I use Our Media but if you have lots of media to store check out my article on subscription services below. Our Media will allow you to host unlimited files and connect to them through your blog.
1. Go to the Our Media home page and click the "Register Now" link to begin setting up your account.
2. After entering the information, click the submit button at the bottom of the page. You will now be redirected to create an account at archive.org using the same email address.
3. At archive.org look for the small "join us" link in the upper right side. This link will take you to the log in for your virtual library card. As you enter the information, be sure to use the same email for this account which you used for Our Media. When you are finished click the "Get Library Card" button.
3. Create a Feed
Now that you've created a blog you need to create a feed for subscribers - use a service called Feedburner.
1. Begin by entering the address of your website into feedburner. As we are posting our podcasts to our blog, we will input the address of our blog created earlier. The address would be something like: http://yourblogname.blogspot.com/
2. Be sure to check the "I am a podcaster!" box. On the next screen you will be able to personalise the feed title and address which your audience will subscribe to your podcasts with. When you click the "Activate Feed" button in the lower right corner, your feed will be up and running.
3. Feedburner provides a confirmation screen with the feed, customisation options, and a link to manage your feed. At this point all the set up is done. Now you need to publicise your feed and post your first podcast!
In iTunes, after you’ve added your video to the library, right click it. Select Convert Selection for iPod. iTunes will let you know if your video is already in the correct format. If it’s not, your video will slowly be converted to an H.264 video. iTunes will keep your video proportional - and your new video’s dimensions will, in almost every instance, be 320 pixels wide by some number equal to or less than 240 pixels high.
Open your movie and, in the file menu, select Export… and in the export drop-down, select Movie to iPod (320 x 240) and click Save. QuickTime’s slow conversion process can take several hours. If you’re an inexperienced user, I recommend using QuickTime Pro or iTunes because they’re absolutely foolproof. However there are other free applications for converting your videos.
These Sky Vodcasts are great - just the right balance for news on the move.
