If you have ever hit the web to explore the world of Podcasting, you’ve seen the myriad of information out there. Here we will attempt to consolidate the wide range of information on the subject into an easy to understand summary on the use of Podcasting in a corporate environment.
What is Podcasting?
Simply put, Podcasts are short audio, video, or print broadcasts that you can listen, watch, read on your computer, or download to a portable player. You can use special software, sometimes called “Podcatchers” to subscribe to individual programs so that new installments are automatically downloaded when they become available. Podcasting is a take-off on the word broadcasting, and gets its name from Apple’s methodology of pushing audio and/or video content to it’s wildly popular iPod mobile entertainment device.
Podcasting consists of two parts. Part one is the content that is created and saved in a specific file format for delivery and playback. Part two is the method of distributing content to the end user once it has been made.
How are companies using Podcasting?
One of the most common uses of Podcasting in the corporate world is training, where content is being produced and then distributed on iPods. The trainee can hold the iPod in their hand at the location where they will be working and watch a training video on a specific task at that location. While they are performing the training task, the trainee may pause the video or audio to complete a task, and continue when they are ready to move on. If the trainee needs to review a step, they can simply rewind the clip and watch it again.
Other uses for Podcasting in the corporate world include information distribution to groups who are spread out across large geographic regions. Field technicians and account reps that are on the road can be brought up to date quickly by connecting to the internet on the road and downloading the corporate Podcast while they’re out of the office. When viewed on a computer, podcasts can also include hyperlinks to webpages that contain additional material on the subject at hand. Technical bulletins can also be distributed in the PDF format via Podcast as well.
How do I play a Podcast?
There are many portable hardware players in the market for playing Podcasts. The most common player is Apple’s iPod. Other players include the Creative Zen, Sandisk, and the iRiver player.
The aforementioned portable players will play .mp3 audio Podcasts, however at the time this is published, only the iPod Video Players will play video Podcasts. Some PocketPC’s, Windows Mobile Smart Phones, and Palm Pilots are also capable of playing Podcasts; however most of these players will only handle .mp3 audio Podcasts or specific file formats native to the portable players operating system. Podcasts in .mp3 format may also be downloaded and burned to audio CDs for playback in standard CD players.
In addition to hardware players such as Apple’s iPod, there are software programs that allow you to play Podcasts on your computer. Apple’s free iTunes software is the original and currently the most prevalent. Other software like WinAmp and Juice may also be used, however most other players are not as robust as iTunes. It is important to note, you should always keep your player software up to date to allow for maximum compatibility with new Podcasts and associated file formats.
What makes up a Podcast?
Audio Podcasts are audio files on a web server. The most common audio file format used is the .mp3 format. Other formats used are .wav, .wma, and .acc however .mp3 is the most common format and will have the most compatibility with software and portable players.
Video Podcasts are video files on a web server. The most common video format is .m4v (iPod Video). Other formats used are .mov, .wmv, .and .mpg. At the time of this publication, the only portable player capable of playing a video Podcast is the video iPod. The video iPod will only play .m4v files. However if you produce a Podcast in other file formats like .mov or .mpg, iTunes can be used to convert the file to the .m4v format for playback on the iPod by using the “Convert selection for iPod” under the Advanced pulldown menu.
Print Podcasts are PDF documents on a web server. When downloaded, the PDF can be viewed using the Adobe Acrobat reader. Currently, PDF documents can not be viewed on an iPod, however they may be viewable on a portable device running the Windows Mobile operating system with Adobe Acrobat installed.
Along with the actual Podcast in .mp3 or .m4v file formats, you may desire to display artwork (like a company logo) on the screen during your Podcast. A simple JPEG file may be stored on a web server and used to display during the playback of your Podcast. The artwork can also be used to showcase your Podcast in the iTunes Store and some other Podcast aggregator websites.
How do I distribute a Podcast?
RSS (Really Simple Syndication) is the magic that makes Podcasting work. Essentially, RSS is a file posted on the internet that you tell your computer to monitor (subscribing to a Podcast). The RSS file (feed) tells your computer when/where/how to download the latest Podcast content to your hardware (like iPod) or software (like iTunes) playback device.
Distribution of a Podcast can be broken down into 3 parts: RSS File Creation, RSS File Posting, and Publication of your Podcast’s availability.
DISTRIBUTION PART 1 – RSS FILE CREATION
RSS is a family of web feed formats, specified in XML and used for Web syndication. Web feeds provide summaries of web content together with links to the full versions of the content and other metadata. RSS in particular, delivers this information as an XML file called an RSS feed. In addition to facilitating syndication, RSS feeds allow a website's frequent readers to track updates on the site using special software programs called aggregators.
In the case of a Podcast, we’re using RSS to facilitate syndication of our audio or video content and using an aggregator or Podcatcher such as iTunes to track the updates to our Podcast.
A Podcast RSS has 4 parts to it, The Header, Channel, Episode, and Closing. The Channel and Episode information are the parts of the RSS that tell subscribers about your Podcast and the different episodes of your Podcast.
The Header and Closing are merely technical formalities in the XML specification.
There are software packages available like Feed For All, Easy Podcast, and Podcast RSS Buddy (visit http://www.download.com/ and search “podcast” for more RSS Creation software) that can assist in creating the above XML information using a GUI, however you many need to open up the XML file created by the software to add additional information that the software does not include.
DISTRIBUTION PART 2 – RSS FILE POSTING
After creating the Podcast XML file and associated audio, video, or print files, we would save the files on a web server.
DISTRIBUTION PART 3 – PUBLICATION
Just creating a Podcast and putting it on a server is not enough. Akin to all media content distribution, you must let potential viewers know it exists and provide a simple method for them to subscribe to your Podcast. There are three typical methods of making your Podcast available to potential viewers: Public, Semi Private, and Private.
Method 1 – Public
Using a public RSS feed service like feedburner.com, you can submit the location of your Podcast XML file and the service will distribute the feed across the web to multiple directories and web based aggregators.
If you are looking to submit your Podcast to Apple, you will need the iTunes software to submit your Podcast. You can find the link to submit a Podcast to apple here. https://phobos.apple.com/WebObjects/MZFinance.woa/wa/publishPodcast
Method 2 – Semi Private
You can post the XML file to your own website. This involves creating a HTML file (a web page) to reference your Podcast. You can see an example of Semi Private publication by visiting http://www.dvs.com/university
Method 3 - Private
Limiting distribution of a Podcast may sound counter intuitive, however, in certain cases, you may only want a select group of people to see or hear your Podcast.
The best way to limit and protect your Podcast is by password protecting the Podcast. There isn’t a quick and easy way to password protect your Podcast. With different web servers using different security methodologies, it can be difficult. Unix web servers for instance use an .htaccess file to password protect files and directories. Windows based servers use a number of security methodologies.
If you haven’t heard of an .htaccess or know what type of server your website is hosted on, it’s probably best that you work with your IT department or Web Master to assist you in the modifications needed to protect your Podcast using web security.
To see an example of Private Podcast distribution visit http://www.dvs.com/university. Look for the "Private Podcast". The UserID and Password for the Private Podcast is, “password” without the quotes.
Tracking Podcasts
How do we know how many times our Podcast(s) are being viewed or heard? There are a couple different ways of tracking your Podcast(s).
Web Stats
If your Podcast resides on your web server, you should have access to Web Log Analysis software. Common Log Analysis software is 123 Log Analyzer, Urchin, and Web Log Expert. By looking at the stats displayed in the reports generated by your analysis software, you can see how many times your Podcast(s) have been downloaded, and if you’ve password protected your Podcast, who is downloading.
Feedburner
Feedburner.com is a free, all in one Podcast publisher, RSS generator, and Stats resource. It is a great resource for Public distribution of your Podcast feed.
Closing
Corporate Podcasting is a great way to distribute your company information, both publicly and privately. Once the initial setup of your RSS feed has been completed, updating and adding additional episodes to your Podcast is easy and quick.
For more information on Podcasting, or to help you get your Corporate Podcast going, contact Dave at Digital Video Services – dave@dvs.com.
References:
The information contained in this primer was collected in part from the following websites: www.wikipedia.com, http://www.potionfactory.com/, http://www.apple.com/itunes/podcasts/, http://www.javascriptkit.com/, and http://www.feedburner.com.
Copyright 2006 Digital Video Services
