Please scroll down to find answers to the following frequently asked questions. What is a podcast? How is podcasting different from streaming? What is a feed? How do I get started? How do I listen to a single podcast? How do I subscribe to every episode of this series? With iTunes? Without iTunes? Tell me more. How do I create a Podcast? (Coming Soon) What is a Podcast? Podcasting is a method of publishing and distributing audio and video files on the internet for listening on mobile devices and personal computers. The term podcast, like "radio", can mean both the content and the method of delivery. The term podcasting is a combination of two words: “iPod”, Apple’s popular portable audio device and “broadcasting”. However, it is not necessary to have an Apple iPod to enjoy podcasting. Any portable device that supports the mp3 audio file format is compatible. If you prefer to listen from your desktop, a mobile device is not required at all. Back to top Back to CODcast main How is podcasting different from streaming? What distinguishes a podcast from a simple download or real-time streaming is the user’s ability to subscribe to a podcast for notification or automatic downloading of new content as soon as it is available from the provider. Back to top Back to CODcast main What is a feed? The method for delivering continuously updated content through a subscription uses a syndication scheme that employs a few lines of HTML-like code called XML. The method itself is called Real Simple Syndication, or RSS. The code associated with the RSS for a particular podcast is referred to as a feed. Usually, a particular feed features podcasts with one type of content with new episodes made available either sporadically or at planned intervals such as daily, weekly or monthly. Subscribing to a particular podcast allows the user to select a feed of content that is most interesting or valuable to them while enjoying the ease of automatic updates. Back to top Back to CODcast main How do I get started? All you need to get started is podcasting software, sometimes called a feed aggregator. Once you download and install the software, simply add one of our podcast feeds. The podcasting software will automatically check for updates and download the files to your computer for immediate listening, or you can load them onto your portable device. Here is a listing of some of the most popular software: http://www.apple.com/itunes/ "No iPod needed" iTunes (Windows/OS X) Apple’s iTunes is a good application but it also comes with many other features and options that are not necessary for enjoying podcasting. http://juicereceiver.sourceforge.net/index.php "Cross platform software" Juice (Windows/OS X/Linux) Juice is excellent software and will work with most portable devices as well. http://jpodder.com "Open source software" jPodder (Windows) jPodder is an open source program and one of the first podcast aggregators ever written. To listen to downloaded content on your computer you must have a player installed, and computer speakers or headphones. Back to top Back to CODcast main How do I listen to a single podcast? To listen to a single podcast, you simply click the link marked “Listen” located at the bottom of every podcast listed at this site. Clicking this link will initiate a download of the associated podcast in your browser. Typically, you will be able to listen right in your web browser, without need for any additional software. Back to top Back to CODcast main How do I subscribe to every episode of this series? If you wish to subscribe to a series of podcasts you must use a podcast aggregator - a small application that checks your subscriptions and downloads the most recent episodes to the computer without any additional input from you. (See how do I get started?) Currently the easiest program to use is iTunes, because it performs all of the functions in one program. It’s an aggregator that will maintain your subscriptions; it’s a good index site to search for podcasts that interest you; and it has a built in player to allow you listen to a podcast without leaving the application. iTunes If you use the iTunes program, simply click on the iTunes side of the “SUBSCRIBE” icon located above the program listings on the right side of the page. Clicking on the iTunes icon will cause the iTunes program to start. The listing will be loaded into your program list and the most recent episode will download to your computer. Non-iTunes If you use another aggregator program such as Juice, open the program now. Click on the RSS subscribe side of the icon. Clicking on RSS will open a web page filled with XML code. Ignore the code; you are only interested in the URL address displayed in the address bar of the web page. Highlight that address, press control-C to copy the address, and paste the address into the URL blank of the “add a feed” window. Click save. Now click your “download now” button and the most recent program will download along with a list of recent episodes. Back to top Back to CODcast main Tell me more. Podcasting is free, widely used and gaining in popularity as an efficient and cost-effective method to instantly deliver informative and entertaining programming to a large audience. Colleges and universities across the country are quickly realizing the benefits of podcasting as a powerful communication tool and instrument of higher learning. Multimedia Services appreciates your input and we encourage you to contact us at podcast@cod.edu with suggestions on how to make this new service work for you. In addition to podcasts we invite you to view “Images”, College of DuPage’s monthly video news magazine, at this location http://www.cod.edu/multimedia/images.htm . Many other streaming media programs are available at the college’s streaming media site http://www.cod.edu/it/streamingmedia/ . Back to top Back to CODcast main Do you have other Questions? please e-mail them to podcast@cod.edu http://www.cod.edu/multimedia/podcast/CODcast/FAQ.html%23Welcome.htmlhttp://www.cod.edu/multimedia/podcast/CODcast/FAQ.html%23Welcome.htmlhttp://www.cod.edu/multimedia/podcast/CODcast/FAQ.html%23Welcome.htmlhttp://www.apple.com/itunes/http://juicereceiver.sourceforge.net/index.phphttp://jpodder.comhttp://www.cod.edu/multimedia/podcast/CODcast/FAQ.html%23Welcome.htmlhttp://www.cod.edu/multimedia/podcast/CODcast/FAQ.html%23Welcome.htmlhttp://www.apple.com/itunes/download/http://juicereceiver.sourceforge.net/index.phphttp://www.cod.edu/multimedia/podcast/CODcast/FAQ.html%23Welcome.htmlmailto:podcast@cod.eduhttp://www.cod.edu/multimedia/images.htmhttp://www.cod.edu/it/streamingmedia/http://www.cod.edu/multimedia/podcast/CODcast/FAQ.html%23Welcome.htmlmailto:podcast@cod.edu?subject=FAQshapeimage_1_link_0shapeimage_1_link_1shapeimage_1_link_2shapeimage_1_link_3shapeimage_1_link_4shapeimage_1_link_5shapeimage_1_link_6shapeimage_1_link_7shapeimage_1_link_8shapeimage_1_link_9shapeimage_1_link_10shapeimage_1_link_11shapeimage_1_link_12shapeimage_1_link_13shapeimage_1_link_14shapeimage_1_link_15shapeimage_1_link_16shapeimage_1_link_17shapeimage_1_link_18shapeimage_1_link_19shapeimage_1_link_20shapeimage_1_link_21shapeimage_1_link_22
 
Frequently Asked Questions