This Weblog was developed with the purpose of introducing others to the exciting, and innovative World of Podcasting!

As you explore the content of this blog, you will find information regarding the definition of a podcast, as well as, the steps involved in the creation of the same. These include:

Planning your podcast;
Recording its content;
Editing your material;
Publishing and/or Uploading your podcast.

Needless to say, you also find information in regards to the equipment and software needed to create a Podcast.
Here's to hoping the content of this Weblog will be useful to those who are interested in exploring the World of Podcasting!

Sincerely,

Maria Cecilia S. Pereira


*DISCLAIMER: The content of this blog is mainly based on information attained from Internet sources, which were appropriately credited.

Link to Podcast Manual

Begginer's Tutorial For Audacity . 11 Febuary 2008 . http://podcasting.about.com/od/podcastingsoftware/qt/Beginaudacity.htm.

Blogger. 8 March 2008. http://www.blogger.com/blogoptionsfeed.g?blogID=966172662331755513.

Create Your Blog in 3 easy steps. 1999-2008. 8 March 2008 https://www.blogger.com/start.

Fariwar, Cyrus. Give your podcast professional polish with Audacity. 22 aPRIL 2005. 7 March 2008 http://www.macworld.com/article/44413/2005/04/junecreateside.html.

—Start your Own Podcast. 22 April 2005. 11 February 2008 .
http://www.macworld.com/article/44413/2005/04/junecreateside.html.

Feedburner, Inc. Feedburner. 2004-2008. 8 March 2008 http://www.feedburner.com/fb/a/home.

Gunter, Donna. 7 Steps to Creating Your Own Podcast. 12 October 2006. 11 February 2008 http://www.selfseo.com/story-19174.php.

Lexico Publishing Group, LLC. Podcast. 2008. 11 February 2008 http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/Podcast.

Wikipedia Foundation, Inc. RSS. 7 March 2008. 7 March 2008 .
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/RSS_feed.

So, it is finally time to look back, and reflect on the topics that have been discussed throughout this Weblog. We began by defining a podcast, and listing some of the benefits offered to its users. Among which were:

1. The ability to host your own web-based radio station;
2. The ability to interview experts in regards to subjects that are of interest to your intended audience...and so on (Gunter).

We also addressed the fact, that there is a direct correlation between the amount of time spent in the process of planning a podcast, and the level of quality and/or receptiveness by its audience . In addition, the steps involved in recording a podcast, as well as, the soft ware needed to do so were also described within this Weblog.

Furthermore, the editing procedure was the fourth subject to be discussed. It was mentioned that Audacity can not only be used as recording software, but also as an editing one. In addition, it was noted within this Weblog, that Audacity provides its users with various editing options. These include: The ability to delete unwanted noises, awkward pauses, as well as, the freedom to add a musical background to your podcast in order to give a more “professional polish” to it (Fariwar, Give your podcast professional polish with Audacity).

Lastly, the publishing process was described. In short, the uploading and/or publishing process involves the creation of a Weblog, and an RSS (Blogger). It was discussed, that the fastest and easiest way to do so, is by using a “blog-creating” software also known as a Blogger.

Once your blog is up and running, create an entry, then click on the “Link” button to add a link, and include your MP3 file(s) in your blog post(s). Keep in mind, that once one creates his/her posts and selects the “Link” button, the computer will prompt the individual in question, to provide a URL for his/her MP3 link (Making a Podcast with Blogger and FeedBurner). When the previous step is completed, follow the steps listed below to create an RSS feed:

1. Click on settings; located on the right-hand side (Blogger).
2. Then go to Site Feed, and look for a FeedBurner link (Blogger)
3. Type your blog’s address into the prompted box (Fariwar, Start your Own Podcast). Don’t forget to check the box located slightly further to the right, entitled “I’m a podcaster.”

4. The computer will then prompt you to identify your feed source. Make sure to choose the RSS source. Then, click Next (Feedburner, Inc.)

5. Provide the information requested. When finished click on Activate Feed (Feedburner, Inc.)

6. Congratulations! You have successfully created an RSS feed.

Now that the RSS feed has been created, one can return to the blogger page, click on the "customize" feature, then click on "Layout" and select "Add a New Page Element." Once that's done, the computer will prompt you to provide a feed address. Once the feed address is recognized, click on "Save Changes." Lastly, develop/create a new entry. One can also choose to add a label to his/her post, as well as, other information regarding the content of his or her podcast, in addition to, “technical data;” file size is a perfect example of a piece of technical information one might consider including in his/her entry (Fariwar, Start your Own Podcast). Once the previous step is finished, you can pat yourself on the back, because the publishing process is completed!

Once the podcast is converted into an MP3 file, you need to create a Really Simple Syndication feed; also known as RSS feed/document (Fariwar, Start your Own Podcast).

An RSS feed is nothing more than “a family of web feed formats used to publish [and/or upload] frequently updated content; such as, blog entries, news headlines, and [of course], podcasts (Wikipedia Foundation, Inc)”. The easiest and fastest way to create an RSS feed, is by means of a Weblog (Fariwar, Start your Own Podcast).

You can easily create a blog by going to http://www.blogger.com/. When the webpage is opened, it will prompt you to follow three easy steps to create a blog. Here they are:

1. Create an account;
2. Name your blog;
3. Choose a template (Blogger).

The next step is to create a fade; (optional). The “fade in” feature, allows its users to determine when the background music will begin (fade in) and when it will end (fade out) throughout the time intervals of the podcast. Here is how a “fade in” can be incorporated into the musical background:

1. Highlight[4] the first couple of seconds of your musical track.

2. Then, click on “Effect”: (Fade In).

3. Lower the volume level at the end of the music track; so it slowly fades way as it overlaps with the beginning of your voice track.

4. Click on the Envelope tool (it looks like a blue line with arrows) located in the toolbar in the upper left hand corner. Click on the upper edge of the music track’s waveform; select the point where you want the fade to begin.

5. Adjust the narration track so it begins at the appropriate moment. Select the Time Shift Tool (the double-pointed arrow) then click-and-drag the narration track, so that it is lined up with the spot at which one wants his/her background music to begin playing.

6. Lastly convert your edited audio file into an MP3 file before uploading it to a website. This can be done, by opening Audacity’s File Formats: preferences, and selecting the option that applies from the Uncompressed Export Format menu. Then, open that file in iTunes and convert it to an MP3.



[4] Source in reference to steps 1-6: (Fariwar, Give your podcast professional polish with Audacity)

This portion of the Weblog focuses on how to use the editing software-Audacity- in order to give a podcast a polished and professional finish. One of the first options mentioned in this Weblog is the ability to combine multiple tracks together, and edit them in such a way, that the audio sounds as fluent as it possibly can. That is to say, the goal in “mixing” multiple tracks together, is to extract the best of each track, and delete whatever is unwanted (Fariwar, Give your podcast professional polish with Audacity). So, here is how it can be done:

1. Open[3] the “Project Menu.”

2. Click on “Import Audio.”

3. Go to “File browser” to locate the file/audio you wish to import.

4. Repeat steps 2 & 3 to import multiple files/tracks.

5. Once the importing process is complete, get rid of unwanted material by highlighting the sections of “waveforms” you wish to keep, then press the “delete” button.

You can also add a musical background to his or her podcast if you wish to do so. However, you must consider adding a subtle musical background. That way, the audio contained in your podcast, will not be overpowered by it. Let’s begin describing the process:

1. First, you must open both the section of the narration to which you wish to incorporate the musical background, and the chosen musical track to be incorporated into the podcast (Fariwar, Give your podcast professional polish with Audacity).

2. Be aware that the section which contains your narration must be the top track, and the musical track should be located on the bottom.

[3] Source in reference to steps 1-5: (Fariwar, Give your podcast professional polish with Audacity)