New They Might Be Giants Song!

"Take Out The Trash" (mp3)
from "The Else"
by They Might Be Giants

Muppets Swedish Chef

Here is the Swedish Chef making meatballs.

The Ferris Wheels

Re-uploading video of The Ferris Wheels playing in front of AT&T Park

Download File

Cops endure hazardous conditions...

Burger King Cops

Download File

Two moments in Time

Audio of Blog Post

MP3 File

Podcasting Basics

What is a podcast?

A podcast is an audio or video program uploaded to the internet along with a specific type of text file about the uploaded media file. This text file allows the audience to subscribe to the program.

Podcasts can be any length, range from having professional-sounding production value to none at all, and their subject matter can be anything. Some popular topics include news & politics, art, literature, music, travel, comedy, cooking, technology, education, fashion & beauty, UFOs, and podcasting.

How does one create a podcast?

1. Record an audio or video program
Some computers come with built in microphones, others even have built in video cameras -- using these tools an easy and quick way to create your media file. Using these tools in conjunction with full-service podcast hosting/media creation sites like Hipcast or SwitchPod. If your computer has a microphone and/or video camera attached to it, these services allow you to record audio and/or video right through your browser, and you can skip steps two and three below.
For higher quality and greater mobility, consider using a digital camera in movie mode, a digital video camera, or (for just audio) a digital audio recorder. Of course if your choice is analog recording, any media can be digitized and transfered to your computer, you'll just need some extra equipment and time.
Once you have your media file recorded you may want to edit it. For audio files, Audacity is simple software that is absolutely free. For talk-only podcasts I use Amadeus Pro, and for mixed talk and music podcasts I use Audio Hijack Pro, which lets you "hijack" and mix together any audio coming through your computer. If you plan to do phone interviews, AHP enables you to record voice-over-IP (VOIP) conversations via iChat, Skype, or whatever you use. QuickTime Pro is simple, inexpensive editing software, and iMovie (part of Apple's $79 iLife package) has even more flexibility and power. At the high end you could work with professional video editing software like Final Cut Pro. Simple edits like removing unwanted noise from the audio or adding in a brief musical introduction can go a long way to making your podcast more appealing.

2. Convert the media file to a web-friendly size and format
Most of the aforementioned software has this capicity built-in as a Save As... or Export As... function. Another easy way to do this is to import the media file into iTunes. Once it's in your iTunes library, select the file and under the Advanced menu select Convert Selection to MP3 (for audio) or Convert Selection for iPod (for video).

3. Create an RSS feed with enclosure to describe the media file
An RSS feed is a text file that acts as a roadmap to where your podcasts (media files) live, how often they are updates, and allow people to subscribe to your podcast so that every time you post a new episode, the media file is automatically delivered to them. Podcast-creating software like the free VODcaster, or the $30 Podcast Maker will do the heavy lifting for you. All you need to do is tell the software where on the internet your files will live (in a folder on your own site, or at a podcast host), and fill in as much other descriptive information as you'd like, and the software will generate the feed code for you. You can also use this online RSS feed generator, or if you want to learn how to create your own podcast feed check out this annotated .XML file.

4. Upload the media file and RSS feed file to the internet
If you are using a podcast host like Libsyn or Hipcast, you can upload your files through their web interface as easily as uploading photos or attaching documents to e-mails. If you are hosting the files on your own server somewhere, you will need a piece of file transfer protocol (FTP) software like Transmit (feature rich, $30) or Cyberduck (functional, free).

5. Let people know you have made your very own (life-changing, oh-my-stars you gotta hear this, amazing) podcast
Get your podcast listed in podcast directories like Podcast Alley, Podcast.net, PodShow, and iTunes. There are others, but if you only have time to list your show with a few at first, these are a good place to start.
Post to your blog about your new podcast (and include a link to the feed so that your readers can subscribe), and send an e-mail to everyone you know that might enjoy your show.

Now that you have a podcast online and ready to go, and it is listed in the directories, and you've informed your blog readership and your e-mail list about it, what's next?

Produce another episode. Make yourself a podcast creating and publishing schedule and stick to it so that your audience knows that it can rely on you to produce solid content every day/week/month, whatever time frame works for you.

If you plan to include music in your podcast, be sure to get persmission from the rights holder of the music, even snippets. Artists can often be contacted through their websites, and they will refer you to the person (usually the record label) who can grant the necessary permission. Another way to incorporate music is to find "podsafe" music that has been pre-cleared by the rights holder for use in podcasts. Podsafe Music Network, IODA Promonet, and Podsafe Audio are three sites that aggregate podsafe music.

Once you get a following if you'd like to offset your costs, you can consider accepting direct advertising within your podcast, or you can sign up with podcast ad-insertion services like Kiptronic or Blast Podcast. Don't expect to get rich right away, but some popular podcasts certainly can provide their creators with some advertising income.

Audio Moblog

This is an example of what one can do with mobile blogging, also know as "moblogging" -- through a service like Hipcast one can call a phone number, type in a PIN, record an audio message, and have that message assigned and posted to your blog.

This could be useful if one found themselves at the scene of a newsworthy event and felt like being a citizen journalist. One's audio messages from the front lines could be heard by anyone on the internet within seconds of being recorded.

MP3 File

Podcast recorded with hipcast

This is a podcast.  The difference between a podcast and an audio blog is that with podcasts, media files are delivered to the subscriber, whereas with an audio blog the media lives within the blog. 

Click the orange XML "chicklet" to subscribe to this podcast series.

Video from Hipcast

This is a piece of video recorded on Hipcast, through a browser, using a built-in laptop mic and camera.  Video podcasts are just like podcasts, except that the enclosed media file contains video.

Click the orange XML "chicklet" to subscribe to this video podcast series.

First podcast

Here is a link to the podcast we made in class and uploaded through Libsyn. To subscribe to this series, click the link Libsyn in the sidebar under Podcasts.

Blogger Responsibilities

In her book, “The Weblog Handbook: Practical Advice on Creating and Maintaining Your Blog,” Rebecca Blood was one of the first to publish guidelines for bloggers to remind them of the responsibilities they have to their audience, their blogging peers, and the integrity of the medium as a whole:

1. Publish as fact only that which you believe to be true.
2. If material exists online, link to it when you reference it.
3. Publicly correct any misinformation.
4. Write each entry as if it could not be changed; add to, but do not rewrite or delete, any entry.
5. Disclose any conflict of interest.
6. Note questionable and biased sources.

Track Your Readership

Want to know how many readers came to your site this week? This month? This year? Want to look at graphs that show your readership trends? Want to know where your readers are, and who referred them to your site? You need metrics! Here are a few sites that provide free and/or pay metering for websites/blogs:

Sitemeter

Statcounter

GoStats

Google-Analytics

pMetrics

Monetize Your Blog

Once your blog has a dedicated following, why not make a few pennies a month from your work?

Here are a few places that can get you on the road to earning milk money (eventually):

Text Link Ads
AdSense
AuctionAds
Bidvertiser
BlogAds (requires invitation and minimum average weekly visitors)

Blogs of Note

Here is a preliminary list of blogs of note for beginning bloggers -- you can learn something from each of them, including tone, layout, content, organization, and subject matter. This list (with additions) will be placed in the Blog Roll section of the sidebar.

The Sneeze Humor Gorilla vs. Bear Music State of the Day Politics Daily KOS Politics Crooks And Liars Politics Birdmonster Band Cupcake Blog Baking well-tagged and organized 52 Cupcakes Baking fun writing, good photos Mimi Smartypants personal journal-humor Boing Boing general wackiness Tom Paine.com politics Stuff on My Cat humor, pets Questionable Content daily comic strip Perez Hilton.com celebrity gossip Pink Is The New Blog celebrity gossip Go Fug Yourself celebrity gossip, snark Dooce personal journal (start with the about page, or the faq)

Directories: Promote Your Blog

General directories
Yahoo Directory - $300 annually, $600 for adult content
Best Of The Web - $80/yr. $240 one-time fee
Open Directory
Blog Flux
Eatonweb

There are also niche directories -- search for ones that suit your blog and submit your blog to them.