In 2005, "podcast" was named the "word of the year" by New Oxford American Dictionary and with the growth of podcasting , it's easy to see why. The word podcast is used to refer to a non-musical audio or video broadcast that is distributed over the Internet. What differentiates a podcast from regular streaming audio or video is that the delivery method for podcasts is often done automatically through RSS.
Podcasts take many forms, from short 1-10 minutes commentaries to much longer in person interviews or panel group discussions. There’s a podcast out there for just about every interest area and the best part about this technology is that you don’t have to have an iPod or a MP3 player to access them. Since podcasts use the MP3 file format, a popular compressed format for audio files, you really just need a PC with headphones or a speaker.
Now it's time for you to explore podcasts! For this discovery exercise you will learn a little more about podcasts and take a look at some popular podcast directory tools. iTunes, the free downloadable application created by Apple is the directory finding service most associated with podcasts, but if you don’t have iTunes installed there are still plenty of options.
Things to Do:
- To find out more about podcasts, start with Your Guide to Podcasts from MediaShift.
- If you haven't already, check out the podcasts on WCPL's website.
- There are many, many podcast directories and finding tools out there. iTunes, the free downloadable application created by Apple is the directory finding service most associated with podcasts, but if you don’t have iTunes installed there are still plenty of options. Here are just three of the more popular ones that don't require a software download. Take a look at one or two and see if you can find a podcast that interests you. Not sure what to look for? See if you can find some interesting library related podcasts like book review podcasts or library news.
- Try adding a podcast feed to your Bloglines account (remember Bloglines from Week 3?). If you can't find a feed to add, try the one from SirsiDynix Institute. Here's the URL you'll need to use: http://sirsidynixinstitute.com/podcast.xml
SirsiDynix Institute provides free web seminars intended to foster professional development in the library community. Even if you don't subscribe to the podcast feed, it's worth taking a look at their upcoming events and their archived events. Many of them are related to Web 2.0. - What? You want to learn how to be a podcaster, too? You can easily do it with a microphone and some free software. If you're interested, take a look at these instructions for creating your own podcast created by Heidi from WRL.
- Add a comment to this post telling us about your podcasting experience. Did you find any interesting podcasts? Were you able to subscribe to a feed in Bloglines? Did you create a podcast of your own? Tell us all about it!
11 comments:
I've done podcasts before. I learned in a podcast workshop offered to the YS department. It wasn't hard at all and I actually had a great time!
Rita @ CRY
I took some podcasting training with Heidi here at WRL last year. I really like listening to them and think that Robert & katrina @ CAM have a great job with theirs!
~ Dan @ WRL
I've not tried podcasting myself. I enjoy listening to what others do. One of my favorite podcasts is called "Coverville" a show made up of different cover versions of an original band's work. I really hope to be able to learn how to podcast.
Marci @ Duraleigh Rd.
Robert and Katrina produce their podcasts in the room I work in, so if you hear someone talking on the phone or coughing during their presentation, it's probably me. Hey, anything for fame :)
Denise @ CAM
History lover check out:
History according to Bob
http://www.summahistorica.com/
Natalie @ FUQ
I knew Robert and Katrina were doing podcasts, but I had no idea there were so many others on our web site. I especially enjoyed the clips from audio books--a great way to preview new titles and narrators.
Sue Scott @ CAM
I'm so glad WCPL website has podcasts! I'm a big audio bk fan and like to use the audio clips of new audio to see what to listen to next.
Bridget @ WRL
I am glad we have Podcasts on WCPL's website! I enjoyed listening to some of the titles that I liked. It is good to listen to the new Audio's that come out so we can choose what we like.
Farida at HSP
we have employee earbuds for listening to podcasts now at SER. now we just need off desk time to experiment w/ this listening/advertising tool. seems like a great one, though- particularly for the technologically savvy.
We have done one podcast here at ORL and hope to do more in the future if time and schedules permit.
I've experimented with recording things using Audacity, but never made anything worth publishing. I like listening to podcasts better than making them! My favorite is Barnes and Nobles' Meet the Writer. I subscribe to it in iTunes, but I also added the RSS feed to Bloglines to try that out.
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