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Tuesday, 11 August 2009
Thursday, 28 June 2007
Battle of the podcast directories
Seems like Yahoo! and AOL are both keen to get on into Podcasting. So why isn't Google doing it? Well, I'm not going straight into a "why this, why that" talk because I couldn't care less who does what - that's their call and it's nice to be diffrent. Oh, no. The reason I bring it up is because - whilst hugely succeful business heads - Google generally get the technology working before launching it, even in beta. The likes of AOL, Yahoo! frankly don't and this is certainly the case when it comes to Podcasting.
My guess is that Yahoo! see podcasting as another excuse to grab listeners (especially young, fashionable hip hop fans) and guide them towards their Launchcast music site and music organising client(s) in the hope that they'll buy a few downloads and click on some ads. Fair enough, no back to the reason behind the rant - this eagerness on the business side must surely be the reason why podcast submissions to the Yahoo! podcast directory are lost in a big black hole. A directory needs some good technology and a good team of people to work and they seem to have neither.
AOL, meanwhile have a podcast directory which they admit is (very) beta. This is a more ambitious project, so perhaps we should cut them a little slack. Why? Because they are using Podscope's audio and video search technology (similar to Everyzing) to look for phrases within the podcast episodes.
I hope to be proven wrong, but I have submitted 5 podcasts to each podcast directory and never seen any of them published despite meeting all the requirements. Meanwhile excellent directories such as iTunes, Podcast Pickle and Podcast Alley have a good turnaround and don't seem to find it a problem at all.
Tuesday, 10 April 2007
What is a Podcast?
A podcast is a series of audio or video files available for download over the internet. The files are normally released for download at regular intervals, for example daily or weekly. You can subscribe to a podcast using special software, which is usually free. When you do this, the software checks the podcast and downloads any new files that have been released. You can listen to (or watch) the downloaded files on your computer, or move them to a portable device (like an mp3 player or mobile phone) to listen to while you're out and about.
What's so good about podcasts?
Podcasts are brilliant for a number of reasons:
- Most podcasts are free. You can get the whole series of BBC Radio 4's The Now Show for absolutely nothing!
- There are thousands of podcasts available on such diverse topics as: gardening, learning Italian and praying! You're bound to find something you're interested in.
- Podcasts are an easy way to download audio and video. With some free software and a couple of clicks you can have a whole series of shows. It's easier than downloading individual files, and you never miss an episode.
- Podcasts are popular, and getting bigger by the day. Famous names such as Ricky Gervais and David Walliams are now rubbing shoulders with the enthusiasts. Even movie studios are getting in on the act by podcasting film trailers and interviews with actors.
What's the downside?
The downside is that audio and video files can be rather large, so if you're using a modem you need to be patient. A 15 minute radio show could take 45 minutes to download. However on broadband it might only take three minutes.
What do I need to get podcasts?
- computer internet connection (preferably broadband)
software which can subscribe to podcasts - Do I need an mp3 player? No, just a computer.
What software can download podcasts?
There's a variety of software available that can subscribe to podcasts and download their files. Here are a few of the most popular:
There are lots of other packages out there. Here's a list of podcasting software from podcastingnews.com. If you recently purchased an mp3 player, it probably came with software for downloading podcasts.
How do I subscribe to a podcast?
There are several ways to subscribe to a podcast.
Websites that offer a podcast give you a URL like this:
Type (or copy and paste) the URL into your podcasting software, and you're subscribed. See the help section of your software for detailed information.
A number of sites give you a link which you click on to subscribe to the podcast. This is very convenient, but only works if you have iTunes. Here's an example: subscribe to Ever Wondered About Food podcast
Some software has a built-in podcast directory, which makes subscribing easy. You browse the directory and click on the podcast you want to subscribe to.
Whichever method you use to subscribe, your podcasting software downloads the most recent episode of the podcast. Thereafter is checks the podcast at regular intervals and downloads other episodes when they're released.
How do I find podcasts? On Open2.net we have the following podcasts:
· Ever Wondered About... Food?
· Talking Languages
Watch this space, there are more podcasts on the way.
There are some great podcasts on bbc.co.uk. There are a number of podcast directories, here are some of them:
Yahoo podcasts
podcast.net
Podcast Alley
Some podcast software, such as iTunes, has a built-in directory of podcasts.
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