Getting Started in Podcasting
Podcasting is easier than you may think and it's free (or at least very inexpensive). There are two distinct aspects of podcasting: (1) finding and listening to podcasts that interest you, and (2) creating your own podcasts for others to find and listen to.
What is a podcast? Think of a Podcast as a radio talk show. A podcast can be any length and on any topic. Want to learn more about gardening? You can find hundreds (or thousands) of podcasts on the subject. Rather than having to wait for a specific time for the show to come on the radio, you can download a podcast 24 hours per day at your convenience. It's like your own personal radio station for the topic you are interested in. There are a number of programs that help you manage this process of finding and listening to podcasts.
Can I create my own podcasts? Just as you can listen to podcasts that others have produced, you can easily create your own podcast with very little effort. Many people are producing podcasts for free via software and services that are readily available through the internet. Simply record an audio session and publish it to a web site. Listeners then subscribe to your podcast and download new sessions as they become available.
Just as you tune your radio to a specific frequency to listen to a radio show, you post your podcast to a specific web address so that others can subscribe to automatically receive new podcasts that are posted to that address. It's just like having your own radio station frequency and call letters.
The most common use of podcasts in churches is to publish weekly sermons. Each week as the new sermons are posted, a person's podcast software will automatically download the new sermons that become available. Some church leaders are beginning to post regular podcasts on specific topics of interest to listeners (e.g. digging deeper into a sermon topic, updating members on key issues such as land and building plans, reinforcing values and beliefs, etc). A podcast essentially gives the church its own radio station with control over the programming.
How do I get started podcasting? Start simple. Consider doing the following:
- Read our tutorial on blogging and podcasting. There is an entire section on podcasting. Click here to download a copy.
- Get itunes. It's a free podcasting management program from Apple (and it's free). Simply go to www.itunes.com and download the free program. Itunes allows you to download and manage podcasts. You can also search by keywords within itunes to look for podcasts on the World Wide Web.
- Consider starting your own podcast. Depending on your computer, you may already have the equipment needed to get started. If you want to test the waters with producing a podcast, all you need is:
a. Audio Recording Software - You can download Audacity for free from http://audacity.sourceforge.net. This is free software is more than adequate for producing a podcast.
b. Microphone - You will need a basic microphone. Many laptops now come with microphones built in. If not, you can purchase one for under $20.
c. Hosting - You need to put your podcast on a web server so that others can download the file. The company that hosts your web site may also allow you to maintain your podcasts on the same server. There are companies such as Hipcast (www.hipcast.com) that offer low price podcast hosting (starting as low as $5 per month).
Our tutorial gives a more detailed step by step guideline for producing your own podcast.
