The Wonderful World of Podcasting

Podcasting, like many Internet phenomenons, started small and burst onto the scene through word of mouth. What exactly is podcasting? Where do you find them? Can anyone create a podcast? We're about to tell you.

Podcasting Defined

Think of podcasting as Internet broadcasting. In fact, the word podcast is a combination of the words "iPod" and "broadcast." Podcasts are created and posted to the Web in the popular MP3 format. At its simplest, you can download the MP3 file to your computer and listen to it as you would any other MP3.

Where podcasting starts to differentiate itself from a standard MP3 is the show format of a podcast and the ease at which you can load the podcast to your MP3 player (it doesn't need to be an iPod).

Podcasts are best delivered through an RSS feed (to learn more about RSS, see Blogs, RSS and XML Explained). These feeds can be delivered in any number of ways, including to your feed aggregator, specialized software (such as iPodder), or delivered to an online service (such as My Yahoo!).

Getting Podcasts

There are a number of ways to find podcasts. Three of the most popular methods are to search using your favorite search engine, to visit an online directory of podcasts and to find them through one of the many online communities.

Searching for podcasts: Try entering some of these phrases into your search engine of choice and see what results appear:

• "[a favorite topic] podcast" -- for example,  "movie podcast" or "astronomy podcast"
• "popular podcasts"
• "new podcasts"
• "[music genre] podcast" -- for example, "country music podcast" or "rap music podcast"

Online directories and communities: Visit some of these popular podcast directories and communities: ipodder.org, PodcastAlley, Digital Podcast and Podcast Bunker.

New podcasts appear all the time and you never know what you'll find.

Creating Podcasts

The beauty of podcasts is that anyone can create them. Just like Web pages and blogs, there is very little start-up cost to creating your own podcast. All you need is some recording software, a microphone, a topic and a place on the Web to make your podcast available.

Your favorite electronics store will have the software and microphone you need. These are typically easy to set-up on most computers. Cost and quality of microphones vary, so read up on what's available in the marketplace and make the right decision for you.

The topic, of course, is up to you. Choose something that you're passionate about, whether that is a music show, book reviews, computer tips, or a comedy show.

Once you have your podcast created, get it up on the Web for everyone to find. There are a number of free and paid providers out there willing to host your Web site. You may even have some free Web space as part of your monthly ISP charge.

Podcasts and FTP

The most efficient way to post your podcast to the Web is using FTP. The podcast files can get quite large and FTP is designed to safely upload and download files.

WS_FTP Professional, in particular, offers a number of features that are beneficial to podcasts:

• Synchronize Utility: Synchronize your local and remote podcast folders so that you only upload new or changed audio files.
   
• Scheduler: Specify a time for WS_FTP Professional to transfer your podcasts.
   
• Hot Drop: Create a Hot Drop folder on your local computer, which allows you to drag and drop files into the folder without launching the full WS_FTP Professional every time you want to transfer.
   
• Remote View: Easily see the podcasts and other files on the remote computer (your Web space).

Learn more about WS_FTP Professional and download a free thirty-day evaluation at Ipswitch's Web site.

Next Steps ... Pod101 - From Ipswitch and featuring the popular WGBH Morning Stories podcast. FTPplanet.com Discussion Forums - Post FTP related questions or a link to your podcast in the discussion forums.