(Pod)Cast a Wider Net: Go Proactive With Your Own Podcasts and Your Web Hosting Account

The W3 marketplace grows more competitive each day and that means site owners have to do everything they can to gain the attention of prospective consumers of their goods, services or message. They have to go proactive. Sure, blogs are great. They create site stickiness, providing information worth coming back for. They’re also an easy way to update site content. Even so, blogs are still a passive means of developing a site “community” – a group of dedicated visitors.

Podcasts, on the other hand, allow you to reach out – way out – to touch potential buyers and pull them in to your site. But a lot of site owners – even the long-experienced webmasters (anyone who’s been online for more than 18 months) – lack the basics on how to create and use podcasting to bring more visitors to their sites. This article is provided by your web hosting firm located in Austin, Texas. We are here to help our clients get more out of their websites and become more successful. So let’s start at the beginning.

What Is Podcasting?

It’s simpler than it sounds at first so don’t be scared off by the jargon. Just as anyone can create a good looking website using template-based software, anyone can create a podcast using podcasting software.

The word itself is a back formation of the wildly popular MP3 player, the iPod, though an iPod isn’t required by users to hear your podcast. Any MP3 player will do and there are those who believe that other MP3s are more capable of delivering quality sound than Apple’s ubiquitous iPod.

In simple terms, a podcast is nothing more than a digital audio file, in the MP3 format, that can be downloaded through an RSS 2.0 feed. RSS stands for really simple syndication, or remote site syndication, depending on who you talk to. Many refer to it as audio blogging. In either case, the origin of any podcast (digital audio file) can be found in the enclosure tag of a file created using XML (extensible markup language). The XML enclosure tag protocol was created in ’04 so that podcasting could take place.

The RSS feed for a podcast is updated whenever you (the site owner) publish or broadcast the MP3 digital audio file. An RSS aggregator (OSS, free), used to collect feeds from other sites, is used to access your RSS feed. The aggregator – a piece of software – handles some content management duties, too, by automatically downloading digital audio of interest to site visitors, which is then synced up for compatibility with a digital audio player, in this case an MP3.

Using an RSS aggregator simplifies podcasting, eliminating many of the hassles associated with streaming audio and audio-blogging. In fact, with an RSS aggregator and some really basic tools, you can podcast your way to fame and fortune. (Well fame, anyway. Some podcasters have large followings among the technirati.) If you’ve ever wished you had your own radio show, podcasting will satisfy that urge.

The XML enclosure tag will handle all manner of digital files but not all RSS aggregators are equipped to recognize or download every digital file format. However, there are numerous open source software aggregators available for you to test drive this expanding technology.

The only other items you need to create your own “radio” show are a computer (you’re sitting at one now), a decent microphone (under $25 for a really good one) and access to the world wide web via a good web hosting company. It’s also helpful to have audio editing software such as Macromedia’s SoundForge, but you can use the editor that comes as part of your factory-installed Windows package, Windows Media. It’s pretty basic but it’ll do the job just fine – at least for now.

If you’re getting sleepy from all of this techno-babble, don’t worry. Once you get into it you’ll see just how easy it is to create and broadcast your own “radio” show everyday. That’s proactive marketing on the cutting edge of digital technology. And it delivers proven results.

Creating Your First Podcast with Help From Your Web Hosting Provider

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• One good way to start is by downloading a piece of software called Audacity. It’s open source, cross platform and available with various bells and whistles, most of which you won’t use but they’re nice to have as you become more comfortable with the creation of podcasts. Audacity is simply a better digital sound editor (better than Microsoft Media) that equips you to quickly edit out the “Ums”, “ahs” and other less than scintillating podcast content. Audacity provides a visual representation of the sounds you record with a simple microphone. You see the sound waves on your monitor. By highlighting certain sections of this wave graphic you can delete and/or move content to create a cohesive program that MP3 owners will want to hear. This software can also save audio in several formats though you may need conversion software to create a podcast in a format compatible with MP3 technology. (More on that in a minute.)
• Next, decide on the content of your first podcast. It can be anything from your opinions on politics to your own songs to a discussion group. Anything you hear on a radio can be developed as a podcast so let your imagination expand your creative limits. Remember, not to infringe on other's copyright. But feel free to create your own, original content.
• To create the content, open your audio editing software. Click on <File>, then <New>. A blank “timeline” will appear on your monitor. This is your blank canvas waiting to be filled with your thoughts and favorite tunes, if that’s the way you want to go.
• Test sound input levels before you start recording. You’ll read sound levels as an automated bar graph. For best results, you want the sound level to peak in the “red zone” but only peak. Most of your recording should come in just under the red peak indicator. This will provide the strongest audio signal without creating distortion, sure to turn off any podcast listener.
• Once volume settings are in place, simply click on the Record button and start talking or playing some of your favorite oldies. You can also advertise your site in between cuts, rants or screeds. That’s one of the good parts – free advertising.

Getting Out the Word with Podcasting

Once you’ve created your first podcast audio file, it should be edited to eliminate mistakes and technical glitches. Again, highlight the section you want to delete and press the delete button. How easy is that?

Okay, so now you have an edited (and perhaps mixed) audio file of your first podcast. Depending on the audio editing software used, the file will probably be saved as a .wav file though other formats are available.

• Next, upload the edited file in a format compatible with MP3 players. To do this, you may have to download another piece of OSS called LAME. LAME converts a .wav file or other formatted audio files to a format compatible with MP3 players.
• Once properly formatted, you’re almost there. All you have to do is upload that digital audio file to your website and you’re ready to podcast.
• If you’re just doing a test run, contact some friends with MP3 players equipped with podcatcher software. Podcatcher software is also OSS and is required to capture podcasts from your favorite pod jockeys.
• So, for your first test run, call a couple of friends with podcatcher software and ask for a critique – constructive criticism. Change accordingly.

Going World Wide

Your audio file, properly formatted, is now available to any visitor to your site with a simple click. Technically, your program can be picked up on remote MP3 players equipped with podcatcher software, or it can be broadcast directly through a site visitor’s computer speakers.

• If you really want to (pod)cast a wide net, you can upload your podcast as an enclosure to virtually any open blogging site. One popular site among podcast aficionados is blogger.com. If you want even more, worldwide exposure, checkout podcasting.com, which will distribute (broadcast) your program to any interested listeners.
• You can also register with the gigantic iTunes – Apple’s music download site at itunes.com. iTunes maintains a huge (really huge) podcast directory. Depending on the topics or music you broadcast, you’re sure to pick up some new listeners here due to the curiosity factor alone.
• Finally, if you plan to podcast a daily or weekly program to start building your fan base, you’ll need to create an RSS feed off of your site. This RSS feed will allow other webmasters to aggregate (collect) your feed along with other RSS feeds for delivery to their site visitors.

Why Podcast?

In a word – recognition. It’s harder and harder to get noticed on the W3. Each day 6,000 new web sites are launched, creating the fastest-growing, most competitive marketplace in the world.

Regular podcasting (it really doesn’t take long once you’ve created one or two) expands your presence on the web. Your content – your opinions, your music, your poetry – whatever you want to distribute – will be available on sites far removed from your own when other webmasters add your RSS feed for the convenience of their site visitors.

It also provides site owners with another means of reaching their target markets You can reach them when they’re not at their computers. (Cool) You can reach them in Zimbabwe (Hot). You can reach anyone who owns an MP3 player with podcatcher software, regardless of where they are or what they’re doing. (Neat)

Today’s tech-savvy MP3 owners will continue to fuel the creation of podcast content because content can be segmented to appeal to a very narrow market – a very narrow range of listeners. Your listeners.

It’s really low-cost for both podcaster and listener. The only caveat is to make sure you sign up with a web hosting provider that can handle podcasts by providing their clients with sufficient bandwidth to handle heavy digital .wav files, which use much more bandwidth than simple .doc or .txt files. You will need sufficient bandwidth to make your podcasts available directly to your growing audience or to other site owners who pick up your RSS feed through their own aggregators for distribution to locations unknown.

It’s not difficult to do, it’s low cost and high tech, and it’s a great way to let web users know you’re out there. It expands your site’s presence on the world wide web, bringing in visitors from sites that might be six or seven generations removed from your own site.

Think of podcasting as free advertising. And whether your podcasts reach MP3 owners directly through your site, through other site’s blogs or through an RSS feed accessed from a remote site, you will drive more traffic to your site – especially if your podcasts are interesting, informative and helpful.

So give it a try. You probably already have everything you need, and if not, you can download OSS audio editing and podcasting software free. So, cast a wider net and increase your site’s on-line exposure.

Podcast your way to success and have fun doing it.