Transcript PODCASTING 101 - Alberta Council for Global Cooperation

Alberta Council of
Global Cooperation
Podcasting
Workshop
ICE-BREAKER
 NAME
 ORGANIZATION
 WHY YOU
WANT TO LEARN TO
PODCAST
 ONE INTERESTING THING ABOUT
YOURSELF
 “WELCOME TO MY PODCAST”
WORKSHOP OUTLINE


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What is Podcasting?
Podcasting and International Development
Important Jargon/Definitions
Planning Your Podcast
Optimizing Your Podcast
Music and Podcasting
Creating a Basic and Free Podcast
Step-by-Step Tutorial
Polishing Your Audio
Video Podcasting
File Hosting and File Transfer Protocol (FTP)
Adding Widgets
Taking Your Podcast to the Next Level
Microphones and Other Equipment
OBJECTIVES
Understand the podcasting medium
 Understand how podcasting can be used to
benefit organizations within the field of
international development
 Learn how to tailor a podcast to fit your
organization’s goals and resources
 Learn how to optimize podcast usability
 Learn the skills needed to create a basic podcast
 Learn the basics of using audio recording
software
 Create a functioning blog and podcast using
Blogger, Feedburner, and Audacity.

WHAT IS PODCASTING?

“Podcast (noun): a series of audio (or video)
programs delivered through a static URL
containing an RSS feed that automatically
updates a list of programs on the listener’s
computer so that people may download new
programs using a desktop application.
Programs can be delivered to the listener
automatically or when they choose to
download them.” – The Podcast Bible
(Ratcliffe and Mack)
PODCAST
Permanent, On-Demand, webcasts.
 Series of online audio or multimedia (video,
images) episodes that are automatically
distributed to individual subscribers.
 Episodes can be saved forever, and watched
an endless amount of times without
streaming.

PODCASTS
Even the Pope is podcasting!
 http://www.radiovaticana.org/index.html

REALLY SIMPLE
SYNDICATION
PODCATCHERS
BEFORE RSS
WITH RSS
WHY PODCAST?
 Allows
you to reach a global
audience
 Inexpensive
to produce, inexpensive
to subscribe to
 Easy
to make, easy to subscribe to
DEFINITIONS
AND JARGON
PODCAST

“A podcast (or non-streamed webcast) is a
series of digital media files (either audio or
video) that are released episodically and
often downloaded through web syndication.”
- Wikipedia
PODCASTER

The author and creator of the podcast.
WEB SYNDICATION

Distribution and sharing of online content (podcast, blogs,
news articles, etc.) to multiple websites, usually through
an RSS feed
XML
eXtensible Markup
Language
 Computer code, like
HTML, that podcasts use
to store, read, and
deliver information
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RSS
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Really Simple Syndication
Specialized XML file that is programmed to look for specific
information on a website to send to a podcatcher or a
‘reader’ in a standardized form
By subscribing to an RSS feed, updated information from
the site is downloaded to and organized in your reader or
podcatcher
Surfing is done for you
News sites, podcasts, blogs, etc.
PODCATCHER


Program or software
capable of downloading
new episodes
automatically once a
podcast is updated
Vehicle by which podcast
episodes are downloaded
and transferred onto
iPods, cellphones, and
other devices
EPISODES
A
single and
distinct audio or
multimedia file
within a podcast
 Return of the
Jedi, not Star
Wars
WEBHOST/WEBSPACE
A webhost provides, usually for a price, room on a
internet server to upload content that can be
accessed by internet users everywhere.
 This room is known as webspace
 Your podcast content will be stored in webspace
provided by a webhost
 Webspace includes storage space (total content
stored) and bandwidth (amount of content
transferred to and from users per month)
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AUDIO
RECORDING
SOFTWARE


Program used to
record or create audio
or multimedia files
that will eventually be
uploaded to a podcast
Price, quality,
complexity, and
interface usability
vary vastly
WIDGET/CHICKLET

A “widget” or a “button” that is found on
blogs or podcasting websites that, when
clicked, link the user to an RSS feed, which
can be subscribed to
PLANNING YOUR PODCAST
 What
is your podcast’s purpose?
 What are your podcast’s objectives?
 How will you achieve your objectives,
fulfill your purpose, AND build an
audience
 Entertaining, captivating, educational
 Format
 Interviews, debates, lectures
OPTIMIZING YOUR PODCAST
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Interesting Content!
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Fill a niche
Make sure your podcast is captivating, engaging
Balance creativity with familiarity
Try new things, but ensure continuities
 Subscribers, just like radio-listeners or TV-viewers,
desire a sense of familiarity

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Create a brand
Imagery
 Music
 Themes
 Features
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Update often, and regularly
THE ONION
PODCASTING AND
INTERNATIONAL DEVELOPMENT
Capacity
Building
Collaboration
Awareness
Engagement
CAPACITY BUILDING
Providing the tools, resources, skills, and
knowledge to individuals and organizations
dedicated to international development around
the world.
 Podcasting offers an opportunity to offer
capacity-building resources online, equitably and
free
 Developing a common and unified set of skills for
participants around the world.
 http://www.namac.org/node/12192

COLLABORATION
Moving partnerships and organizational
interaction online, where it can be displayed for
all, explained to all, and strengthened by all.
 Collaborate in ways that previously would have
been time-consuming, expensive, and logistically
demanding.
 http://sic.conversationsnetwork.org/series/interna
tionalDevelopment.html
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AWARENESS
Podcasts as educational tools
 Providing detailed lectures, stories, discussions,
or videos about a specific or broad issue,
educating viewers on topics not typically
discussed in mainstream media or news
 Broad:
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http://itunes.apple.com/ca/podcast/developmentagenda/id374443607
Specific:
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http://www.iranhumanrights.org/category/podcast/
AWARENESS

Daily or weekly alternative news updates that
focus attention to certain topics or issues
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http://itunes.apple.com/ca/podcast/democracy-nowaudio/id73802554
Disseminate information about an organization,
its objectives, resources, and ways in which
subscribers can get involved.
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http://blog.redcross.org/category/podcast/
ENGAGEMENT
Podcaster/Subscriber interaction
 Potential to engage viewers in exciting ways that
traditional media could not.
 Direct Engagement - organizing political rallies
or protests, organize lobbying events, letter
campaigns, or even boycotts
 Developing sustained and meaningful
engagement that other social media often lacks

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http://itunes.apple.com/ca/podcast/greenpeace/id4153
70164
LABELLING YOUR PODCAST EPISODES
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Concise and consistent – easy to navigate, organize
Labelling determines how your podcast is ordered in
podcast directories, and on subscribers’ computers
and media players
By date
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By episode number
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ACGCPodcast-001.mp3
ACGCPodcast-002.mp3
By theme
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ACGCPodcast-2011/06/21.mp3
ACGCPodcast-2011/07/21.mp3
ACGCEfficiencyWorkshop-01.mp3
ACGCLectureSeries-2011/06/21.mp3
No spaces!
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ACGCPodcast%20%2011/06/21.mp3
INTEGRATING MUSIC INTO YOUR PODCAST
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Uses of music in podcasting
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Podcasts about music
Theme Music
Narrator/Voiceover
Segues
Sweepers/bumpers/stingers
Purposes for music in podcasting
Familiarity
 Branding
 Transitioning
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FINDING AND USING MUSIC WITHIN
COPYRIGHT LAW

Royalty-Free Music
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Once purchased, can be played an unlimited amount of
times
Podsafe Music
No royalty fees, no initial purchase required
 For podcasting only
 Public Domain – intellectual rights have expired or do
not exist
 Creative Commons – artists choose which rights to
reserve or which conditions make the music podsafe (ex.
crediting the artist in the podcast)
http://www.jamendo.com/en/
http://www.creativecommons.org/
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Collaborate with local musicians – Win-Win!
Purchase copyrighted music with web licences.
CREATIVE COMMONS LICENCES
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http://creativecommons.org/licenses/
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Creative Commons: Attribute – ShareAlike:
CREATING A BASIC AND FREE
PODCAST
DYNAMIC RANGE COMPRESSION
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More commonly called “Compression”
A podcast can sound unprofessional or abrasive if there are
unexpected jumps or inaudible sections of audio volume.
“Smoothes” or “flattens” out your audio’s dynamic range
Audio above a chosen threshold is compressed (diminished in
volume) by an amount determined by a chosen ratio.
Compressors can boost overall audio volume (output gain) after
compression has been applied
COMPRESSION EXAMPLE
REVERBERATION
Effect that emulates
the sound of a room or
a reverberant space
(enclosed area)
 Adds echoes to your
audio
 If used properly, can
make your audio
sound more natural
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NOISE REMOVAL
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Removal of
background noise
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Computer fan, air
conditioner, etc.
Noise Removal Tool
in Audacity
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Creates a ‘gate’ at a
that only lets through
sounds that register at
an amplitude above a
set noise floor
FILE HOSTING AND
FILE TRANSFER PROTOCOL (FTP)
FILE HOSTING AND
FILE TRANSFER PROTOCOL (FTP)
Podcasting requires a web host to store your files
 Free sites like Ourmedia are slow, limited, and
unreliable
 Two Alternatives

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1) Upload files to your own webspace using FTP

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Use the free program FileZilla
2) Pay for a web host to store your files

Libsyn, Podbean, Podmachine, Globat, etc.
FTP

To transfer a file from your hard drive to you
webspace, you will need a FTP program
(FileZilla), and access to your website’s ftp:
ftp.______.com
 FTP username
 FTP password

If you do not have this information, contact your
web provider
 Once connected to a remote host, drag and drop
your carefully named files to a folder created for
your podcasts
 Find your URL
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http:// www._____.com/newfoldername/___.mp3
VIDEO PODCASTING
More and more podcasts are including video
content
 Once video content is produced, uploading it to
your podcast is essentially the same
 Only difference lies in formatting

VIDEO PODCASTING
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Produce digital video
Use a video editor with built-in converter that can
create podcast/iPod//smartphone compatible feeds
Download or purchase a converter to export your files
from a .AVI or .MPEG file into a MPEG-4.
iMovie, Final Cut Pro, Quicktime
http://www.streamingmedia.com/Articles/ReadArticle
.aspx?ArticleID=64813&PageNum=4
To embed video into your blog, use YouTube or
VEVO.
These sites provide embed links that can simply be
pasted into your blog entry.
USING FILEZILLA
ADDING WIDGETS TO YOUR BLOG
Embed the link code into the HTML template for
your blog
 <a href="URL FOR THE WEBSITE TO BE
LINKED TO"><img src="LINK TO IMAGE TO
BE USED AS WIDGET"/></a>
 Embed code below the code for the RSS feed
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USING GARAGEBAND
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http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RimJ6BfQaTE
If you own an Apple computer, GarageBand is perfect for
beginner podcasters
Tracks automatically formatted for vocals
Royalty-free jingles
Add images, video
Auto-Ducking
Easy export
Blog/podcasting platform provided
Still requires webspace
Potential downside: a GarageBand podcast can look and
sound like a GarageBand podcast.
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Solution: use GarageBand as your audio recording software only.
TAKING YOUR PODCAST TO THE
NEXT LEVEL

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Blogger/Feedburner provide you with full podcasting
capabilities for free, but remain limited
Affordable podcasting alternatives for serious
podcasters:
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Libsyn
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Wordpress
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
http://wordpress.org/download/
Podbean
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
http://libsyn.com/3/plans-and-pricing/
http://www.podbean.com/podcast_hosting_audio_video_b
log_hosting
Podcast Machine

http://podcastmachine.com/?PodcastMachine.html&gclid
=CNmEtfzRl6kCFQsCbAoda11_uA
AUDIO RECORDING SOFTWARE OPTIONS

ProTools ($200 +)
Industry standard
 Requires interface
 Rather complicated to use

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Logic Studio/ Logic Express ($400/$200)
Apple owned
 More music-oriented
 Easy-to-use (similar to GarageBand)
 Easy to transfer GarageBand work

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Cubase ($500)
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Professional Quality
MICROPHONES
Range vastly in price, quality, purpose
 Choosing the right kind of microphone plays a
large role in making your podcast sound
professional

MICROPHONES:
DYNAMIC VS. CONDENSER
Many types of microphones
 Dynamic and condenser the two most popular
 DYNAMIC
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Diaphragm attached to a coiled spring, wrapped
around a magnet
Rugged, do not break easily, cheap
Most common type of microphone
Less accuracy and clarity than condenser
Does not register transient sounds as well as
condenser mic
Does not require electrical power
Handles louder or ‘heavier’ instruments better than
condenser (will not distort the sound)
MICROPHONES
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CONDENSER
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2 metal plates vibrate, charges capacitor, creates
electric charge
Requires electrical power (battery or external power)
to power its built-in pre-amp, boost the electric signal
Delicate, can break easily
Highly accurate and clear sound if sound being
recorded is not at a high volume
Sensitive and responsive to subtlety in sound and
frequency
Ideal for vocals, ‘soft’ or ‘delicate’ sounding
instrument, high frequencies, or sounds with detailed
harmonic content
DYNAMIC MICS
PROS
CONS
RUGGED
LACK ACCURACY
RECORDING SUBTLETIES
CHEAP
LACK CLARITY AT HIGH
FREQUENCIES
BATTERY POWER NOT
REQUIRED
SLOW REGISTERING
TRANSIENTS
VERSATILE
LONG-LASTING
CONDENSER MICS
PROS
CONS
HIGHLY ACCURATE
DELICATE
CLARITY AT HIGHER
FREQUENCIES
EXPENSIVE
QUICK TRANSIENT
RESPONSE
REQUIRE ELECTRIC OR
BATTERY POWER
NOT VERSATILE
MICROPHONES
DIRECTIONAL PROPERTIES

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http://www.mediacollege.com/audio/microphones/
directional-characteristics.html
Omnidirectional
Pattern:
MICROPHONES
DIRECTIONAL PROPERTIES
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Cardioid
Pattern:
Hypercardioid
Pattern(Shotgun):
MICROPHONES
DIRECTIONAL PROPERTIES
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Bidirectional Pattern (Figure 8)
POP FILTER
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When speaking or singing
into a microphone, bursts
of air that enter the
microphone creates a
‘popping’ noise in your
recording.
Pop filter cuts out these
‘pop’ sounds by preventing
bursts of air or breath
from reaching the mic
Also prevents the build-up
of saliva on the
microphone
MICROPHONE OPTIONS

Audio-Technica Cardiod Condenser Mics
AT2020 ($99)
 AT2020 USB ($155)
 AT2035 ($160)
 AT2050 ($250)
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Shure SM58 Dynamic Handheld Microphone
($100)
MICROPHONE OPTIONS
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Samson C01U USB ($85)
MXL 990 Condenser Microphone with
Shockmount ($80)
Logitech ClearChat Comfort USB
($34)