Podcasting Talk Products and Links

Slides, audio and on-screen demo from the podcasting workshop:

Podcasting in Plain English video:

Podcasting in Plain English from leelefever on Vimeo.

Microphones:

Headphones:

Portable Digital Recorders:

Recording/Editing/Encoding Software: GarageBand (free on new Macs, part of the $49 iLife suite) Audacity (free, both Mac and Windows) The Levelator (free, both Mac and Windows)

Encoding to MP3: All2MP3 (free, Mac-only, does not require any additional software) Drop a Few My Way (Mac, requires iTunes, below) LamedropXPd and/or WAV to MP3 Encoder (Windows) iTunes (free, both Mac and Windows)

Skype (for remote interviews/co-hosts/panels): Skype (free for computer-to-computer, $2.95/month for dial-out, $18/3 months for dial-in, both Mac and Windows) How to turn off Skype “supernode” feature (Windows only; download the .REG file and double click it. Also turn off “Launch Skype at startup” in Skype preferences.) Skype Call Recorder ($20, Mac-only) Skype MP3 Call Recorder (free, Windows-only)

Podcast Hosting: PodBean (free for basic hosting) AudioBoo (if you will be doing only short shows, 5 minutes or less, and have an iPhone or Android phone, then AudioBoo is an extremely easy way to get into podcasting.  They handle all the web stuff and file storage needs for you; just download their free iPhone or Android app, press the record button, record your show, and it magically appears on your AudioBoo account.  You don’t even need PodBean or anything else.)

If you already have your own website, but need a way to create your podcast RSS feed, Google’s Feedburner is a free service that does this nicely. If you need a place to store your podcast media files, Libsyn offers very reasonable file storage and bandwidth costs.

Publicizing your Podcast: Here is an excellent article listing a ton of podcast directories, search engines, etc. where you can submit your podcast to.

Podcaster Conventions: If you really get into podcasting, or want to learn more from the pros, you might want to consider attending a blogger/podcaster conference. The biggest one is BlogWorld and New Media Expo. Held every year in Las Vegas, BlogWorld gathers the big names and the big brains of the blogger and podcaster communities together for several days of intense training, sharing of knowledge, and socializing.  If you’re looking for something a little less formal, take a look at PodCamp. These “un-conferences” are much less formal gatherings of bloggers, podcasters, and people interested in blogging and podcasting, to share ideas in a casual setting. PodCamps are spread throughout the world; you’re bound to find one whereever you live (or reasonably close to where you live).