So You Wanna Do a Podcast?

Podcasting is one of the hottest topics around. More and more people are getting hooked on their iPods and downloading music, video, and other broadcasts – known as a podcast.

You may have downloaded music or videos to your own iPod. You may even be ready to take the next step – creating your own podcast.

Creating a podcast is simple. The hardest part is probably figuring out what you want to broadcast. Using these simple steps you can be podcasting in under an hour.

Here’s how to get started …

Step One. Find a Good Web Server

Podcast files are accessible on the Internet when they are stored on a web server. That means you may want to look in to opening an account with a web host. For a small monthly fee, you can host your podcast files as well as your own website – which you may want to do to help you promote your podcasts. Some web hosts provide other features such as email addresses and database support.

You’ll need to have direct access to the server to be able to upload files. That means that you might not be able to use your blog or a free web hosting service to create and distribute your podcast.

You’ll also want to check into a web host very carefully. Some charge you extra when your bandwidth capacity goes over a certain limit. Bandwidth is used every time someone downloads or uploads a file from your web host.

Since multimedia files (and podcasts) can use a lot of bandwidth, you’ll want to make sure you have enough bandwidth initially and check into how much extra bandwidth will cost as you as more people find out about your podcasts.

The web hosting service I use and highly recommend is www.best-value-web-hosting.com. They have all the features you’ll need at a really reasonable price – less than $5.00 a month. They have support for podcasting and streaming media.

Step Two. Register Your Domain Name