About Podcasts

What are Podcasts?

"Podcasting" is a relatively new term that refers to recordings of conversations or monologues that are uploaded to the World Wide Web in MP3 format, a common type of file that is playable on most personal computers, as well as on portable listening devices such as iPods and the like. For more information or help, read our instructions or our Troubleshooting and FAQ section. You can also click this link to Wikipedia's definition to learn more about podcasts in general.

Instructions

To Play a Podcast:

When a podcast is available, we will provide a link to it. All you need to do, in most cases, is click on the link, which will bring up whatever software your computer has configured as its default MP3 playing software--such as RealOne player, iTunes, Windows Media player or WinAmp (there are others). More information is below, in the Troubleshooting and Frequently Asked Questions section.

Troubleshooting and Frequently Asked Questions

I can't hear anything!
Check your sound settings to be sure that you haven't set your speakers to mute. Make sure your speakers are plugged in. If using headphones, make sure they are plugged in.

When I click on a link, my software comes up, but then I get a message that it can't find the file!
This usually happens on RealOne Player. If it is in small mode, click >> then choose Tools. If it is in large mode, choose Tools. Then Preferences. Under Playback Settings, check "enable instant playback" and the file will stop trying to download.

I only want to listen to one particular podcast. How do I get
To listen to a single podcast, simply click on the link to the file you'd like to hear. Your computer's audio player should pop up, and begin playing the sound file. On some PC's, you may have to "right-click" (or control-click) with your mouse to bring up a menu of listening choices. Listening to an audio file without copying it to your hard drive is sometimes called "streaming audio." If you listen to internet radio stations, like National Public Radio in the U.S., you've already been listening to streaming audio.

I want to copy some of the podcasts to my hard drive, so I can listen "early and often." What do I do?
If you would like to have your own copy of a podcast, whether to refer back to it many times, or to "sync" the podcast to a more portable listening device (like an iPod or other mp3 player) or burn it to a CD, you will need to copy it to your hard drive of your computer.

Copy an individual podcast to your hard drive by "right-clicking" on your mouse, or by pressing ctrl + click (on some laptops) or "Control + Click" on Macs on the desired podcast selection. Select the option to save or "download" the podcast to your computer's hard drive. Once you have saved the podcast file to your hard drive, you should be able to open it using your computer's audio player. Procedures for synching the podcast with your particular portable digital media player will vary according to which media player you use. Mac users can also simply hold down the "Option" key while clicking on the file to download it.

I'd like to hear all of The Austin Connection's podcasts. What's the easiest way to listen to them all?

Podcasting is a way of using your computer to automatically download audio shows to your iPod (or other player)*, so that you've always got something new to listen to. It's an exciting alternative to radio, because you choose what shows you want to listen to, and when and where you want to hear them.

*(And you can listen to podcasts right on your computer - no other player is needed.)

To automatically sync files to your computer or other portable audio device (like an iPod), you'll need to use a podcast client. Many users use iTunes, which is free. Juice is another free, open-source client that is available for Mac OS X, Windows & Linux. You can download a free copy of Juice at their website: (http://juicereceiver.sourceforge.net/index.php).

By setting up a podcast client, you will be able to "subscribe" to RSS feeds, just in the same way you can subscribe to a magazine or newspaper. You tell the podcast client (also sometimes called a newsfeeder, or an RSS aggregator) to update your computer and download any new "issues" of your favorite programs that it happens to find. This way, you will be able to listen to fresh material from the Austin Connection, without having to remember to keep checking back on the website to see if we have new interviews since the last time you visited.

A free step-by-step tutorial on how to set up a podcast client and subscribe to your favorite podcast programs, complete with illustrations, is available at http://www.podcastingnews.com/articles/Getting_Started_With_Podc.html.

Here is the link for theAustin Connection Podcast "feed" (http://www.austinconnection.net/austinconnection.xml)

Do I have to have an iPod in order to listen to the Austin Connection Podcasts?

No! Even though the iPod inspired the name, a podcast is by no means exclusive to users of the stylish little Apple music player. Many users listen to podcasts by clicking the link on a podcast site and opening their MP3 software. Other listeners copy individual podcasts to their computers' hard drives, and listen to them on the computer, or transfer them to a digital audio device or burn them to a CD. Finally, if you know you'd like to hear all the episodes of a particular podcast (like theAustin Connection), you can have each new show automatically downloaded with the use of a podcast client, also sometimes called an RSS aggregator. (See directly above for more information on using an RSS aggregator.)

Some popular audio players include the iPod, the iRiver, the Rio, the MuVo, Creative Zen.... The new PlayStation Portable (PSP) can play podcasts, and there are even some fancy "smart" cell phones which can play podcasts!