Podcasting!

[pzarquon]

Anyone else here into or curious about podcasting? Essentially amateur internet radio, everyday folks (and, er, Adam Curry) distributing MP3s of audion programming, often optimized for playback on MP3 players like iPods.

We have a handful of podcasters here in the islands, and having caught the bug, helped create the Hawaii Association of Podcasters. The site features news about podcasting here and in general, and of course, a list of local podcasters.

Todd Cochrane's tech-oriented podcast, Geek News Central, is the 800-lb. gorilla of local podcasters, with 7,000 listeners downloading his twice-weekly technology chatfest. Scott Waters' MacHelp From Maui show also touches on computers, but adds a distinctive island flair. And there are podcasts out there from all over the world on every conceivable topic.

I think this stuff is great, whether "shows" are about a topic (politics, technology) or just about the person talking. It's adding more voices to the Internet - in this case, quite literally - and that's a good thing. I hope there can be more Hawaii folks out there. We've got a lot of color and culture to share.

[kimo55]

Re: Podcasting!

Anyone else here into or curious about podcasting

I am and am just not quite getting the grasp of it. Appears to be web sites with audio files...
can you define it?

[pzarquon]

Re: Podcasting!

That first link to the Wikipedia entry on podcasting is a great place to start. But yes, at the core of it, it's nothing new -- posting audio files, usually MP3s, on the web. You don't need an iPod, and you don't even need a "portable music player." You can just visit these sites with your web browser, download the files, and listen to them at your desk.

Right now, it's definitely verging on "fad" status, at least among geeks. See the various articles on the phenomenon that've appeared as of late. The New York Times has done at least a couple of write-ups. The Honolulu Advertiser ran a wire story on it a week or so ago... but sadly, just verbatim, with no effort to highlight any local producers. Talk about missing the boat. Hopefully, the Star-Bulletin will bring the idea back home.

The explosion is due in part to the whole blogger thing (expression and independent media bypassing the entrenched "mainstream" industry), into the explosive growth in MP3 player sales, and in the quick integration of RSS syndication -- basically, an efficient way for software to track site updates, and, in the case of podcasts, quietly collect and download new "shows" and save them on your PC or player automatically, say, overnight. "Like TiVo for Audio," as many say.

Thing is, "podcasting" - taken altogether, the providing of audio files in syndicated feeds that can be automatically retrieved - is picking up even in the "mainstream" world. NPR's excellent "On The Media" show is provided this way, as are other "regular" radio programs. A lot of Internet radio stations that do "streaming" - listen as it comes down to your PC - are adapting by posting their programs as individual files.

So, not a new idea neccessarily, but a new focus or excitement about what can be done. Everyone can be a deejay. There are shows about jazz, about cooking, shows that are just recordings of street sounds. Sure, maybe 99 percent is crap (my plans will definitely fall into that category), but finding that 1 percent, that gem that never would've seen the light of day were it not for alternative distribution channels, makes it all worthwhile.

[Glen Miyashiro]

Re: Podcasting!

It's the "automatic downloading and saving to your player" part that intrigues me the most. I have spent a lot of time going to radio websites (like This American Life, for example) and manually downloading their shows for later listening. Sometimes I've had to use "illicit" programs to capture streaming media that wasn't meant to be saved. What a hassle. It's the convenience of having a software package that will automatically do all that for me that's the real story.

[Erika Engle]

Re: Podcasting!

There's a bit of a story in today's Radio Ink about it.

As one might expect, the URL is radioink.com.

[pzarquon]

Re: Podcasting!

I think this is the direct link to the North County Times piece. (Though there's another piece from Business Week listed as well.) Looks like Radio Ink just wraps other sites in a frameset... not particularly appreciated by most web sites.

This is all well and good - see my 'various articles' link for a fresh Google News search - but I hope our local media check it out as well.

Podcasters are no threat, really! Heh heh heh.

[Palolo Joe]

Re: Podcasting!

Hopefully, the Star-Bulletin will bring the idea back home.

It's in there today...

http://starbulletin.com/2005/03/07/features/index1.html

[Pomai]

Re: Podcasting!

When I first saw the title of this thread "Podcasting", I took it in the most literal sense - as in broadcasting out using your own personal Apple iPod.

Case-in-point: A co-worker of mine recently bought an iPod. So one day, he comes in and tells me to tune my desk radio to some weird radio call number - like 106.9FM or something. He bluffs me by saying, "Check out this cool new Honolulu rock station!". As I tune in, my radio shouts out a few tracks from Van Halen's Fair Warning album... I'm like, "whoah! cool station!". He starts laughing and reveals that he just bought an iTrip FM transmitter for his iPod so he could listen to MP3's on his car radio.

The iTrip is way cool. It's a lipstick-sized device that plugs into the port on the top of the iPod (which also provides power to the device). It broadcast your MP3's in "CD quality" stereo to any FM radio within a limited range (not sure what the spec is). All you do is specify the FM station that you want to use (<FCC> rules apply). We were able to receive crystal-clear reception to my office radio from his iPod from more than 100 ft. of visual range. To top it, the signal-to-noise ratio and frequency range are exceptional. Only a pure audiophile could find any complaint about it.

Imagine if you could tweek this device with a super-amplified signal. Jam your own MP3 playlists from your iPod on some arbitrary station and call it, "106.9FM The Rock" for anyone who wants to tune in at say.. Ala Moana Beach Park! Then I guess you'd have to call it "iPodCasting".

Seriously though, if anyone has an iPod and wants to enjoy their tunes in a car or home stereo, I would highly recommend the iTrip. For the price ($30) and convenience, can't beat it!

[pzarquon]

Re: Podcasting!

We use the iTrip, too. Actually, my wife does for her iPod, and I use the Monster iCarPlay. I'm getting sick of all the iStuff names, but, at least they're good products.

I didn't think of that as a possible guess as to what "podcasting" is, but it works! I wondered what would happen if I put my iCarPlay FM frequency on my car's window, if other people would follow and tune in.

Your immediate though that "podcasting = iPods only" is a very common misconception, and something that annoys podcasters a great deal. They'd rather this "packaged audio shows via subscription feed" model be called something else, like, "audio blogging." Of course, I imagine it wouldn't have taken off like it has or had the "cool factor" it does in some circles without invoking the iPod name.

You can listen to podcasts with any audio player, or even at your desk, like any other audio content online. The only "magic" is the way some podcasting software can automatically find new shows and get them to your portable device without you having to lift a finger.

I imagine some other, less trendy name than "podcasting" will eventually take hold... but then again, I always hoped the word "blogging" would go away, too.

Meanwhile, I just recorded a couple of interviews for my next podcast. NPR it ain't. I'm such a dork!

[mokunui]

Re: Podcasting!

Meanwhile, I just recorded a couple of interviews for my next podcast. NPR it ain't. I'm such a dork!

ok so, pzarq, you just record and drop onto your web page, any mp3 file?
and ipodder and the like finds it?
Do you have to put up the mp3 file with any suffix? or save it any special way? or just as mp3 sound file?
t'aaanks!

[pzarquon]

Re: Podcasting!

ok so, pzarq, you just record and drop onto your web page, any mp3 file? and ipodder and the like finds it? Do you have to put up the mp3 file with any suffix? or save it any special way? or just as mp3 sound file?
t'aaanks!

Ah, Mokunui, if you're interested in joining the podcasting ranks, my first suggestion would be to join the Hawaii Association of Podcasters. Despite the fancy name, it's just a bunch of folks who do this (or want to do this), chatting about it primarily on a mailing list.

But, to answer your questions specifically...

Yes, MP3 is the most common format, and most basically, it just needs to be on a web server, linked from a web page. However, for the real magic of podcasting to happen, you need to have an RSS feed - basically a simple text file that is a "map" or "excerpt of latest items" of what's on your site (or show). Every time you add an MP3 file, you update your RSS feed to point to it, and software programs like iPodder that automatically check that RSS feed will notice a new item and download it, then pass it to your iPod, MuVo, Zen, or just your hard drive on your PC to listen to at your desk.

If you just had the file and the link, people could still get it, and probably get it onto their players, but, it's the end-to-end, automatic trick that makes podcasting so exciting.

The good news is, blogging software like WordPress, which is free, can run your website, and automatically generate the RSS feed for you on the fly.

You can use WordPress to upload the MP3, describe it in a blog post, and voila, both your post and MP3 are online and the RSS feed is updated to point to it for the benefit of podcast listeners (or users of other programs that track site updates, also known as news aggregators).

Have I helped, or merely confused you more?

[mokunui]

Re: Podcasting!

Have I helped, or merely confused you more?

no, dass a big help! I am assuming wordpress is like html?
Can't seem to pull any info from the site.
Does aloha.net support wordpress?
mahalos!

Ah, Mokunui,

and you can call me Kimo55. cuz dass who I am.
just can't seem to log on as my old self.
t'aanx!

[pzarquon]

Re: Podcasting!

no, dass a big help! I am assuming wordpress is like html? Can't seem to pull any info from the site. Does aloha.net support wordpress?

WordPress is a content management system. In other words, a custom script or program that runs on your web server. It uses PHP to display the site, and MySQL to store all the content in a database. Once you got WordPress installed, you wouldn't need to mess with HTML.

But, sadly, Aloha.net does not support WordPress. Most small ISPs won't give you stuff like PHP and MySQL. You'd have to go with a company that does web hostingspecifically for the best price and support.

Here's the thing. I'd be happy to set you up with a WordPress site. But you'd probably have to host your MP3s yourself, probably via your ISP.

What, Kimo/Mokunui, you thinkin' of hittin' the podwaves? Now that would be a show...

[mokunui]

Re: Podcasting!

WordPress is a content management system. In other words, a custom script or program that runs on your web server.

So, aloha.net must have it on their server?

Here's the thing. I'd be happy to set you up with a WordPress site.

cool. How would that work? What's it entail?

But you'd probably have to host your MP3s yourself, probably via your ISP.

You mean upload it to my web site? I do alotta this with other junk via fetch (ftp software)

What, Kimo/Mokunui, you thinkin' of hittin' the podwaves? Now that would be a show...

whachooo mean?!

[pzarquon]

Re: Podcasting!

So, aloha.net must have it on their server?

Right. It looks like Aloha.net offers bare-bones goodies in the form of a CGI site counter and form-mail script, but that's it. Most ISPs won't bother with custom scripts, because they know you're with them for internet access, not web hosting - giving you a little sandbox to play with is about all they'll do.

cool. How would that work? What's it entail?

Head on over to HawaiiStories.com, my blog community and blog hosting site. Poke around some of the "Tenant" sites. If you're interested in moving in, just drop me a line! This would mean, though, that you'd be joining (tangentially) the ranks of bloggers. The horror!

You mean upload it to my web site? I do alotta this with other junk via fetch (ftp software)

Exactly. If you can get your HTML pages up, you can post a MP3 as well. Of course, a MP3 is thirty times larger than a web page, if you're lucky. My podcasts are about 11MB each, as an example. How much space does Aloha.net give you?

whachooo mean?!

Only good things, Kimo. Only good things. I think there's a deejay/talkradio host inside most everyone, just waiting to get out. And some of those promise to be more interesting than others!