POD-201: Creating Your Own Podcast

In a recent article entitled “POD-101: Introduction to Podcasting”, I described the history of talk radio and how it has transformed into the Podcasting we know today and how users can begin finding and listening to podcasts they might like. Now I will be showing you how to create your very own podcast for the world to listen to.

For the uninformed, a podcast is an internet radio show that can be downloaded for listening after the podcast is recorded, often on a personal media player, such as an Apple iPod or a Creative Zen Vision. However it should be noted that podcasts are not limited to these devices and can play on practically any computer. Usually a podcast offers an RSS feed, which is a listing of all the recent shows. The RSS feed can be connected to specific programs called podcast receivers which will automatically download the latest editions of the podcast and place them on your portable media player or on your computer.

First, you will need to decide what your podcast is going to be about. Generally podcasts with specific topics in which the broadcaster has expertise in are more successful because the podcaster can offer a more unique insight for people to listen to. It is definitely a good idea to come up with an introduction to be used every show, and a general script to go off of, so that you are not caught without anything to say.

You will also want to find some music for a introduction that goes well with your podcast. You can find these at any number of places online; it is a good idea to use public domain and creative commons music to avoid any copyright issues. Some localities allow podcasters to use 30 seconds of a copyrighted song as a theme, but you should check the legality of doing this where you are at before doing this.