What is podcasting you ask?

Podcasting is a way of broadcasting messages over the internet.  It allows for subscription to feeds most commonly in MP3 format.  Podcasting is a way to automatically transfer files from server to client.  The files can be in several formats, images, text, PDF, almost any type which makes this type of broadcasting very flexible.

The term podcasting refers not only to audio files but refers to video files as well, therefore it is actually a “show” of different file formats. Podcasting does not require any “over the air” usage which keeps costs down.

The podcast feeds allow the users to use the audio broadcast on their own computer by downloading the “podcast”.The contents can then be read using an RSS or Atom Reader.

Using audio files within web pages is becoming more and more popular.

First you need to decide what type of audio content you will incorporate into your website. Then you will need to ensure all the proper hardware and software is available to accomplish this task.

For good quality recordings you will need a good quality microphone. Always check and make sure your microphone is compatible with your computer sound card. High quality microphones specifically geared toward the audio recording industry will work best.  Again compatibility needs to be checked.

Good quality audio software is also needed.  There are many software programs available for free on the internet, but best quality will be through more sophisticated audio creator software available online.

Some podcasting software packages available are:

Itunes , iPodder, jPodder, iPodder.  These software packages are available for the Mac, PC, Linux.  Again just like before check for compatibility with the computer operating system being used.

Most computers already come with audio recording software already installed. Many sound card manufacturers also provide audio recording software with the installation package.

Once you have located the software on your computer or installed the software you will need to adjust the settings to improve the quality. Use the help files within your audio recording software on how to accomplish this.