About

Logo for podcasting

What the word podcasting means?
The word ‘podcasting’ is a combination of the words ‘broadcasting’ and ‘iPod’. Podcasting is a means by which audio and video programs can be distributed via the internet by allowing users to subscribe to ‘feeds’. These feeds contain details and descriptions of the programs, which are logically displayed for the user, and provide an easy way to download the associated files for users to listen to at their leisure. By using a subscription model, the user can regularly check for new content to download to a computer and subsequently upload onto an iPod.

History
Podcasting has its origins in 2001 when David Winer responded to requests for a way to deliver audio and video using RSS feeds (Really Simple Syndication – explained in ‘Example’). He achieved this by expanding the specification of RSS.

The idea of aggregating and syndicating audio files using RSS exploded onto the mass market with the advent of the iPod (a popular, portable, audio player manufactured by Apple Computer), and this led to the creation of the terms ‘podcast’ and ‘podcasting’. However, the term podcasting now had a broader meaning as it does not have to involve an iPod

Example – The RSS feed

The key to syndication (i.e. making the content of one website available to other websites and applications) was for a producer to publish the available media via a Really Simple Syndication (RSS) feed.

RSS was a form of Extensible Markup Language (XML) and had historically been used by news websites and weblogs. As mentioned in the ‘Introduction,’ the specification for RSS was expanded to include an ‘enclosure’ tag, which provided the minimum extra information relating to the media file in the feed. Apple Computers had added further custom tags to create increased integration with their iTunes program, and similarly, Yahoo had also extended the specification.

An example of a simple podcast RSS feed:

xmlCopyEdit<?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8"?>
<rss version="2.0">
<channel>
  <title>Lorenzo's Everest Audio Blog</title>
  <link>http://7summits.open.ac.uk/everest/</link>
  <description>Audio blogs from Lorenzo Gariano on his 2006 expedition to Everest via Tibet</description>
  <lastBuildDate>Thu, 01 Jun 2006 16:43:40 +0100lt;/lastBuildDate>
  <docs>http://blogs.law.harvard.edu/tech/rss</docs>
  <item>
    <title>Everest - 14 Jun 2006 05:33</title>
    <pubDate>Wed, 14 Jun 2006 05:33:30 +0100</pubDate>
    <description>Final message in Italian for the Alpine Club and the charity.</description>
    <enclosure url="http://7summits.open.ac.uk/everest/sounds/Everest%20ICM000197.mp3"
                  length="2213084" type="audio/mp3"/>
  </item>
  <item>
    <title>Everest - 22 Apr 2006 11:35</title>
    <pubDate>Sat, 22 Apr 2006 11:35:49 +0100</pubDate>
    <description>Special message of thanks to Lorenzo's supporters around the world.</description>
    <enclosure url="http://7summits.open.ac.uk/everest/sounds/Everest%20ICM000130.mp3"
                  length="2854912" type="audio/mp3"/>
  </item>
</channel>
</rss>

As could be seen above, the start of the RSS code contained general details of the ‘feed’ such as its title, a URL to a website, description, etc. After this section was a list of each individual podcast (i.e. each section between <item> and </item>). Each item contained a title, date, description, and URL to the media (usually an MP3 sound file). The list of podcasts was in reverse chronological order, with the most recent podcast first.

The above example was from a podcast of live reports from a mountaineer attempting to climb Everest in 2005.

Practical Exercise

Using a Podcast

To use a podcast, consumers needed appropriate software on their computers to subscribe to podcast RSS feeds. This software displayed a list of items in the podcast feed and downloaded or played the selected content.

A common feature of podcast software was its ability to regularly check for new content. Many programs also worked with portable media players, allowing users to copy podcasts onto their devices. A well-known example of such software was Apple’s iTunes.

Viewing a Podcast Online

Users could view the Everest podcast in an online podcast viewer that simulated an Apple iPod. This viewer displayed the podcast feed and allowed users to enter other RSS feeds.

Creating a Podcast

The first step in creating a podcast was to produce an MP3 file. If users had the necessary software, they could create one on their computer. Otherwise, they could download recording software, such as a free trial version of RecordPad, which was available for 14 days.

After creating the MP3 file, users needed to upload it to a web server and generate an RSS feed to make the podcast accessible. This could be done manually using a text editor or through online portals like Rostra, which simplified the process with a web form. Once published, a podcast was automatically included in Rostra’s feed, allowing users to subscribe using an RSS link.

Expanding Podcast Availability

To make a podcast widely accessible, users could place a link to their feed on a website. Additionally, submitting the podcast to directories improved visibility. These directories helped applications categorize and display available feeds. Popular directories included iPodder.org, Podcast Gallery, and other educational or news-related platforms.

Enhancing MP3 Files

MP3 files could be improved with ID3 tags, which allowed users to embed metadata such as title, artist, album, and cover images. MP3 players used this data for display and organization. Some recording software provided built-in tagging features, while others required external programs like iTunes for editing.