Podcasting

What is Podcasting?

Podcasting is the method of distributing audio and/or video files over the internet through a a variety of channels such as Apple’s iTunes Music Store. Typically, there is no charge for podcasting services and the content available ranges from the formal (lectures and tutorials) to the avante garde (personal television shows and music videos). Podcasts can also be distrubted through personal websites and just about any other online content management system. A podcast can be audio only or audio and video (sometimes referred to as ‘Vodcasts’). The terms podcast and podcasting are interchangeable in terms of context and/or intent. Typically, audio files are in the .mp3 format while the video files are usually in the m4v format.

The term Podcast is a synthesis of “iPod” and “broadcast.” Podcasts, then, can be thought of in terms of “episodic” content - meaning that they are usually part of a series of shows or regulary published media.

RSS Feeds

RSS, in its current incarnation, stands for Really Simple Syndication. Websites that publish new content on a regular basis can alert ’subscribers’ through RSS Feeds which provide a brief description of the new content with a link(s) to the new content. In order to track updates to a web site via RSS feeds, the end user (audience) is required to have a RSS news reader (also known as an aggregator) and have a ’subscription’ to the website(s). All websites who with RSS feeds enabled will provide a link for people to subscribe to. A particularly good news reader is NetNewsWire. It comes in both professional (purchase) and basic (free) packages.

Download the basic package for Mac OS X

Download RSS Bandit (free) for Windows

Globalization Studies and Podcasting

If you have a iPod Video you can download and watch the Globalization lectures whenever you choose. Globalization Studies publishes its podcasts through the iTunes Music Store and the iTunes application is required to access the podcasts.

Download iTunes