In case you missed it, “podcast” was declared 2005 word of the year by the New Oxford American Dictionary. The concept is simple and yet profound. Podcasts are audio files – talk radio with music thrown in – that you can download, “unhook” from the Internet and carry away with you in an iPod or other MP3 player to listen to at your convenience.
And who’s creating them? Everybody, it seems, from Fortune 500s like Whirlpool and IBM to, no surprise, NPR. They’re a marketer’s dream, really. Whether you’re sponsoring a podcast or creating one of your own, you can follow your customer just about… anywhere.
But here’s a dirty little secret… while it’s easier than ever to subscribe to podcasts via iTunes, podcasts are still not as easy to create as are blogs with their one-click publishing tools.
I’m still trying to figure out how climbing the learning curve on how to produce a podcast from scratch. [Update: as soon as if and when I get there I will publish a quick “how-to” for newbie podcasters. Or maybe I’ll be lazy and get someone else to handle the techie part for me.]
I’m just the teensiest bit techno-phobic when it comes to audio
tools. I’m looking for a one-click (OK, I’ll go to three clicks) system
to record, produce and post a podcast with an RSS feed.
Haven’t found it yet. It’s possible that I used up too many brain cells finishing the manuscript for The Corporate Blogging Book over the past three to four months. And so I’m missing something.
But more likely I suspect, there are others in my shoes, scratching
their heads and not quite sure how to “mix” the recording, add the cool
intro music, upload the podcast file so that it becomes part of an RSS feed, etc.
Stephan Spencer helped me produce my first podcast last
October. But truth be told I haven’t dived back in to figure out how
to… edit Garageband myself, “capture” a Skype interview so it’s part
of the recording and so on. (I did finally order a Logitech headset.)
I haven’t had time to explore Apple’s release yesterday of “podcasting” as part of iLife 2006. I did find an explanation on the Garageband pages which is too technical and detailed. Too many steps.
Anyone want to lend a hand or offer an easy pointer? Am I just being lazy??
Useful Links
Creating a mini podcast in 30 minutes (how I did it with Stephan Spencer of NetConcepts)
Beginner’s Guide to Podcast Creation
The Real Beginner’s Guide to Podcasting [courtesy of Ryan Irelan]
Blogging & Podcasting Resources v. 2.0 [my compilation]
Rok Hrastnik on the lack of easy tools for podcasting and videocasting