What the heck is a podcast?

A Podcast is a prerecorded audio program, a lot like a radio program that you listen to on your computer. Because it’s prerecorded, you can listen to it any time you want. Although everyone calls it “Pod”casting, you don’t need an Apple iPod to listen to it… any computer that can play an MP3 music file can play a podcast! (Of course, if you do have an iPod or any other MP3 player, you can listen to it on that, too.)

So, what software do I need?
You can just download the podcast like any music MP3 file, and play it using whatever program you like, but the really cool feature comes if you use a Podcatcher or Aggregator. This lets you subscribe to the podcast, and be told automatically when a new episode has been published.

More information on subscribing to podcasts…

Our favorite podcatching software is Apple iTunes. It works great on both Windows and Macintosh OS machines, and you don’t need an iPod; it works great all by itself. Be sure you have at least version 4.9; that’s the version with podcasting support in it.

Other software programs for podcast aggregation are iPodderX and iPodder.

Creative Component consults other companies on the art of podcasting. If you’re interested in learning more about this, the future of web publishing, then please contact them!

How do I subscribe to the Bionic Genius Roundtable’s podcasts?
Each different podcast aggregator has its own way to subscribe to a podcast, but you always need the “feed URL.” The feed URL for the Bionic Genius Roundtable’s podcast is: http://feeds.feedburner.com/TheBionicGeniusRoundtable

In iTunes or Yahoo, you can search for “Bionic Genius” and you’ll find us there.

Or, just copy and paste the above URL into the appropriate place in your podcatcher, and you’re all set! In iTunes, for example, select “Subscribe to Podcast” from the “Advanced” menu, and type or copy-and-paste the URL above into that box.

Does it cost anything?
Never! the Bionic Genius Roundtable’s podcasts are always free. Most podcatching software is free, too.

Does “subscribing” mean I’ll get spam?
No! Although they call it “subscribing,” it’s really just “downloading.” It’s completely anonymous. We won’t even know you’ve subscribed.

I still don’t want to subscribe. It sounds scary.
If you’d like to download each episode separately, without subscribing, you can use the direct download link in the episode description. You’ll get the MP3 file downloaded directly to your computer.

Is it work-safe?
Yes. All of our content is great for all ages.

I can’t make it work!
For more technical information about podcasting and podcatchers, check out Podcast Alley and iPodder.org.

While we can’t provide technical support for every possible computer and podcatcher, we’ll help if we can! Drop us a note at podcast@creativecomponent.com.

Enjoy!

MORE THAN YOU WANTED TO KNOW…

Podcasting
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.

Podcasting enables independent producers to create self-published, syndicated “radio shows,” and gives broadcast radio or television programs a new distribution method.

In the podcasting model, the publisher publishes a list of programs in a special format, known as a “feed”, on the web. A user who wants to see or hear the podcast subscribes to the feed in special “podcatching” software (a type of aggregator), which periodically checks the feed and automatically downloads new programs as they become available. Typically, the podcatching software also transfers the program to a desktop or portable media player.

Most podcatching software facilitates copying podcasts to portable music players. Any digital audio player or computer with audio-playing software can play podcasts. From the earliest RSS-enclosure tests in 2000-2001, feeds have been used to deliver video files as well as audio. By 2005 some aggregators and mobile devices could receive and play video, but the “podcast” name remained most associated with audio.

“Podcasting” is a portmanteau that combines the words “broadcasting” and “iPod.” The term can be misleading since neither podcasting nor listening to podcasts requires an iPod or any portable player, and no broadcasting is required.

Aware of that misleading association from the beginning, some writers have suggested alternative names or reinterpretations of the letters “p-o-d”. One alternative is “blogcasting”, which implies content based on, or similar in format to, blogs. Another is “audioblogging.” Yet another is “rsscasting”.