It looks as if there is a H4 contender when it comes to creating podcasts on the go! You get 1GB of integrated memory and recording time of over 275 hours in LP mode.

 If you go into stereo mode then you are still provided with 17 hours of high quality STXQ stereo! Use it on the go and even in a crowd you can still create a decent sounding podcast. Of course you can use it to download your own podcasts and (according to the makers - but what else will they say!) its easy to use with voice guidance or the intuitive menu system. http://www.olympus.co.uk/consumer/2581_DS-50.htm

Being in the UK every search in Google only provided UK results but I know it will be cheaper buying it in the states and having it shipped over if I decide to go with the Olympus one.

A Quiz: Test Your Podcasting Knowledge
By Sharon Housley

How much do you know about podcasting? Take the podcast quiz and test your knowledge.

Question: Are there any size limitations to podcasts?

Answer: There are no maximums or minimums when it comes to podcast size. Obviously, the larger files might intimidate listeners with a slow connection. Podcasts can be successful at any size, generally wise podcasters balance the file size and the quality of their show.

Question: What are ID3 Tags?

Answer: ID3 tags consist of meta data that describe the contents of the audio file (typically ID3 tags relate to MP3 files). ID3 tags generally contain information related to the audio file, including things like title of the audio file, the artist, album, or other relevant information. There is speculation that podcasting search engines and directories will use the information contained in the ID3 tags to categorize, search, and group podcasts in the future.

Question: Are Podcasts are always in the RSS 2.0 format?

Answer: No, while RSS 2.0 was the first version to support enclosures, RSS version 1 also now includes an enclosure tag for podcasting. While the current RSS 1.0 supports podcasting, RSS 2.0 is by far the more popular format for those podcasting. This is not only because RSS 2.0 was the first standard to support enclosures, but also due to the fact that Apple iTunes uses RSS 2.0 for it's podcasts.

Question: Can podcasts be restricted to a specific group of listeners?

Answer: Yes, while there are no provisions in the RSS 2.0 specification for passwords or protecting files, as with any web documents, podcasts can be password protected by placing it in a subdirectory. You can use any security mechanism available on the http server to protect the entire feed or the actual audio file.

Question: Are there any fee based podcasts?

Answer: Yes, while the model has not yet been widely adopted, some publishers have experimented with providing fee based "commercial-free" podcasts. Rather than charging advertisers to advertise in the podcasts, the publishers have monetized the podcasts by charging listeners for the contents of the podcast. Typically the audio file is password protected and only subscribers are able to download or listen to the file. The model is similar to that which the cable shows HBO/Showtime use, where they charge a fee for premium content. It is likely that educational podcasts, or language lessons will adopt this model.

Question: What file formats are acceptable in a podcast?

Answer: It really depends on what your definition of a podcast is. Initially the term podcast referred to any RSS feed that contained an audio file as an enclosure. The usage of the term podcast has expanded and now many people consider any RSS feed that includes a file in the enclosure field to be a podcast. In other words, many people use the term podcast to refer to an RSS feed that has a video file, or power point presentation or other enclosure.

Technically you can put just about any type of file in the enclosure field. If you are referring to a traditional audio podcast, for the sake of compatibility, most podcasters use either MP3 or M4a. The added benefit of using an MP3 or M4a file is that both formats are also supported by iTunes, which allow people to expand their podcast with iTunes tags and include it in the iTunes Music Store.

Interested in additional RSS FAQs visit the RSS Knowledgebase http://www.feedforall.com/podcasting-knowledgebase.htm or subscribe to the RSS knowledgebase feed http://www.feedforall.com/podcasting-knowledgebase.php

About the Author:
Sharon Housley manages marketing for FeedForAll http://www.feedforall.com software for creating, editing, publishing RSS feeds and podcasts. In addition Sharon manages marketing for RecordForAll http://www.recordforall.com podcast software for audio recording and editing.

Well, if it comes under the personal development area then I would love to include it on my site http://www.personalgrowthpodcastdirectory.com

And the great thing is once you have included it in one place there is nothing to stop you from including it in the following directories:

http://www.podblaze.com/

http://podcasts.yahoo.com/

http://www.podcastalley.com/index.php

http://www.digitalpodcast.com/

http://www.podcastempire.com/

http://www.getapodcast.com/

http://www.podcast.net/

http://www.podcastingnews.com/

http://www.podfeeder.com/

http://www.podnova.com/

http://www.blinkx.tv/

http://www.blastpodcast.com/

http://www.everypodcast.com/

http://podcasterworld.com/

There are loads of other places out there, this is a very small list but imagine your one podcast being listed in all those places! How awesome is that.

How Podcasting Works

The Big Deal About Podcasting

if you want to know how podcasting works then click the link to watch this audio to find out. After you can then discover what the big deal is !

Rss In A Nutshell: What It Is And What It Does

By By Chris Malta & Robin Cowie

You’ve probably heard the term “RSS feeds” before, but if you’re like most people, it doesn’t mean much to you. However, if you sell online, it’s high time you discover this powerful marketing tool and what it can do for your eBiz. According to Jeff Molander (http://www.ThoughtShapers.com), CEO of performance-marketing consulting practice, Molander and Associates, the potential of RSS as a promotional vehicle for online retailers is tremendous.

Really Simple Syndication—

That’s what the letters stand for, but RSS is actually just a web feed format, or a means of transporting data across the web. It’s often specified in XML (extensible markup language), which is simply the way the data inside a feed is structured. Says Molander, “Think of RSS as an internet plumbing system and XML as a standard way to transmit and receive data through those pipes.”

You may already be using RSS feeds and not even realize it. If you get news updates through an information portal like Yahoo, Google, or BlogLines, those updates are powered by RSS behind the scenes. Like your plumbing system, it’s in the background doing its job— you aren’t supposed to see it.

A Multi-tasking Medium

Currently, RSS feeds are mostly used for syndicated data, like news or sports stats, made available by publishers. But e-marketers are starting to catch on to the possibilities this technology poses:

• With RSS feeds, you can alert your customers whenever you’re running a special or adding a new product to your line-up. They can opt-in to receive updates and discussions about the products, in real time, so they’re not relying on receiving numerous emails.

• You can attach almost any kind of information to an RSS feed—podcasts, internet radio transmissions, blogs, etc. Some blogging services have made it as effortless as clicking a button to generate a URL that notifies users whenever you publish something new.

• For your customers who prefer to consume their news the old-fashioned way, you can use feed blitzes to turn your feeds into emails. They receive the same Instant Information Access; it’s just delivered in a different form.

Straight from the Source

There are a number of companies that can help you publish feeds, and advertise through those channels. Right now, it’s possible to monitor how many people are signing up for feeds, but it’s hard to obtain any relevant statistics about them.

Here are some great resources for educating yourself about, and utilizing, feeds:

• http://www.SyndicationGumption.com helps you assess and understand RSS audiences.

• http://www.TechCrunch.com gives you the latest news on who’s adopting RSS feeds and how they’re using them to innovate.

• http://www.MarketingStudies.net provides marketers with tips for capitalizing on RSS, as well as the latest developments surrounding it.

Hitting the Mark—Every Time

You can offer your customers RSS feeds as an alternative to traditional emails. Molander explains, “It’s a deliverability issue… [We’re] in a time where distributing desired or valuable information on the web is actually somewhat difficult, specifically for advertisers.” Unlike emails, which are often lost, or picked off by spam blockers, RSS brings news directly to your users. It’s 100% opt-in, so you know your users are not only getting it, but that they really want it as well. Once they subscribe to your feed, literally nothing stands in the way of your delivering it to them.

About the Author: Chris Malta and Robin Cowie of WorldwideBrands.com are the Writers and Hosts of The Entrepreneur Magazine EBiz and Product Sourcing Radio Shows. Click Here for more FREE eBiz info from Entrepreneur Magazine Radio!

Source: www.isnare.com

The Business Podcasting Expo starts tonight.
http://1.homecw.com/23 is the schedule
http://virtualpodcastingexpo.com has more info

There are three free sessions this weekend:

8pm Eastern USA tonight with John Havens the podcasting
guide at About.com
Navigating New Media:
What It Is and How It Can Transform Your Business

This covers social networking, podcasting and more. A must
for the progressive marketer of today.


3:15 pm Eastern USA Saturday with Alex Bellinger
on Business Podcasting

2:15 pm Eastern USA Sun. with Barry Bettman
ADD/ADHD - How to overcome it.

PLUS there are lots more great sessions if you buy a ticket
which includes a DVD of the audiovisuals as well as
library access to view on demand.

All you need to do to attend the free seminars is come
to the Studio LiveCast conference room
and enter with your full name and without a password.

http://1.homecw.com/23 also has a link

Over 10 days ago I ordered a wonderful Sennheiser PC150 PC Headset through a reseller on Amazon and it still hasn't arrived. It seems Royal Mail tried once and are obviously not up for trying again! They confess to leaving a card (which amazingly was not on my door mat!) and my patience is now growing thin.

I could continue to use my Logitech headphone but it keeps catching the kids playing World Cup Football on play station downstairs (well at least their shouts of "ggooooaaallllll" when their team scores). Omnidirectional mics (mics that pick up all sound are useful for podcasts where you having background effects - especially for radio shows - but aren't useful for fireside chats with your listeners!)

So when considering equipment, get yourself a mic that has nose cancelling technology. A uni directional mic will cut out the noise around you.

So in the meantime I am waiting, but that's okay because there's also alot of learning and reporting to do. I have taken down all my old audios and am trying to decide whether to re-create them as podcasts or just start again with my new headphone/mic and some decent equipment (I believe I have Adobe audition someone on my old laptop!)

When I visited the Doppler site today to find something that will explain them perfectly I read an announcement that over a million people have downloaded their software. Wow!

It is another podcatcher, or aggregator and it's free. But do the guys a favour and leave a donation!

Here is there explanation of what Doppler is

"Doppler is a podcast aggregator. It’s a tool to subscribe to RSS feeds which supply downloadable files. Doppler will go out and fetch the files enclosed in the RSS feed and will automatically add them to your preferred media player. And it does this in a very smooth unattended manner. It’s simple! Really."

That was taken from the Doppler site at www.dopplerradio.net

Go down, download it and start enjoying your podcasts

The world and its mother can create a podcast. If you think the music industry has not given you a fair shot at stardom you can create a podcast, if you think your novel needs to be listened to by the world you can do that in a podcast. If you want to share your business knowledge with anyone eager enough to listen you can do that.

Right now there is no official legal rules or dos and donts of what is acceptable or not. But that doesn not exempt you from other laws....

If you broadcast racial hatred or terriorism you will get yourself into trouble

If you decide to create a video to let us all know that you're too sexy for your shirt and you use the Right Said Fred tune you will be breaking broadcast laws and get yourself into trouble. Your hosting company will shut you down in a second because they won't want to be associated with you.

Yes, this is your chance to talk to the world, but please do have some sort of personal integrity about you when you are doing so. 

Also, if you are a listener you may want to cover your ears at some of the language you will hear (if that kind of thing bothers you)

A little caution may be needed from both podcasters and listeners to ensure this doesn't turn into a podcasting twilight zone!

Not only is iPodder known to have a great piece of software for subscribing to podcasts (known as an aggregator) but it also has an extensive range of podcasts too, although not as nicely laid out as Podcast Alley (in my humble opinion). Having said that it is the site that started it all, so I guess the god father of podcasts, and it is run by volutneers (doing a great job guys!)

www.ipodder.org

This was the first podcast site that I ever visited. It provides a great voting system that you  can use to pass your judgement on the podcasts you listen to and it includes a what's hot and what's not list. Of course that is a little like being a cinema critic and I have watched and loved films that the critics have written about as utter rubbish.

I mean lets face it, if you can get enough of your myspace friends to vote on your podcast to bump up its ratings (heaven forbid that anyone does that of course) then you're laughing!

But at least it gives you an idea of what might be worth listening to and what might not be. As with everything I do in life I say listen and make up your own mind!

www.podcastalley.com

The easiest way to find podcasts is to visit a website that will usually have a separate podcast portal or you visit a podcast directory  - e.g. www.podcastalley.com which will have a huge range of genre and titles to choose from. Or you find a blog that provides information about your area of interest (e.g. you find a blog on learning how to dance, which includes downloadable podcasts) or one liike http://historypodcast.blogspot.com

If you are going to download a range of different podcasts - both audio and video - then you will need a way of organising them into one neat place (unless you love just putting them anywhere on your desktop of course - not recommended!).

All you need to do is get yourself an aggregator (a bit of software that you use to go get the podcasts that you have subscribed to automatically). Which are also now called Podcatchers. There is one I like called feedburner.  Just like a CD burner, a feed burner burns a feed (don't figure!).

This really is simple! Let me explain it like having a house, with an address that anyone can find in the Yellow Pages....

So each podcast is given a url (just like a website has a domain name) - this url we will call the podcast address. It's official name is an RSS feed

Once you know what my address (RSS feed) is you go there and subscribe. You then tell the aggregator software (lets call it podcatcher, so much easier!) to go to my address and take a look at what podcasts are inside and automatically download them. 

Every time I create a new podcast which I place into my address your software will automatically update itself. So once you subscribe you never have to go to my site to see what's new because it will be downloaded to your podcatcher.

Lets say you have 10 different sites you download news, podcasts (audio and video) from, you can keep each website information in its own folder (like you do with your files on your computer).
Your podcatcher automatically goes and finds your podcasts and becomes your "yellow pages." A directory full of information that you want.

www.dopplerradio.net

www.feedburner.com

http://www.ipodder.org

I will create a category and list more for you.

If you already own itunes then you have your own podcast catcher, it can be used, but people usually prefer to use the ones I mentioned above because they provide more variety.

Own Your Own Podcast Directory in YOUR Area of Expertise!

If you have an area you love, either as a hobby or an area that you work in it can be a real pain trying to come up with a product that you can use to help you build an online business.

Sometimes the easiest way is to find a product that you can work with and will help you make money.  If you are on this site then you have an interest in podcasting. Which area of podcasts do you love? Comedy, information, discussion, debate, music?

Imagine owning a niche directory that focused on your particular area. You find other people who create podcasts to upload into your directory and you enjoy the income that you can generate from advertising on your site.

If you are excited about becoming the center of information for your niche topic with Articles, Forums, FAQs, Podcasts, Blogs and more. To find out more and start your own online business visit 

If you have a wordpress blog then there are two great tools you can upload to your wordpress blogs so that you can include audio and/or podcasts to them.

Mighty Seek has a plugin called PodPress and here are some of the features

• Full featured and automatic feed generation (RSS2, iTunes and ATOM and BitTorrent RSS)
• Preview of what your Podcast will look like on iTunes
• Podcast Download stats
• Makes adding a Podcast to a Post very simple
• View MP3 Files ID3 tags when your Posting
• Control over where the player will display within your post and what it will look like.
• Support for various formats, including Video Podcasting
• Automatic Media player for MP3, MP4, MOV, FLV, ASF, WMV, AVI, and more, with inline and Popup Window support.
• Preview image for videos
• Support for seperate Category podcasts
• Audio Comments

You can download this plugin by going to http://www.mightyseek.com/podpress/

The other useful plugin is by 1pixel out at http://www.1pixelout.net/code/audio-player-wordpress-plugin/#podcasting

You can download an audio plugin that also has a facility to create the podcast play image too.

Adding this to your wordpress blog is a great way to get started without any real expense. You create your audio, upload it to your hosting account and place the path to your audio into your blog. Finished!

Uploading this is easy too. Download them, using your ftpclient upload it into the plugin folder of your wordpress blog. Go to your blog and click on the plugin area, activate them by clicking activate.

Of course both sites have full instructions. Just follow them one step at a time.

I want to introduce you to the best podcast creation group in the podcasting landscape called, "Podcast Creation Mastermind."
It is the definitive, all encompassing mastermind group teaching lab about all thing related to how to Podcast and how to MAKE MONEY
with you podcast.  It is being developed and created by Jeff Mills and fellow Podcast Pioneer, Paul Colligan.

They are doing a 5 week class taking you through these 5 steps:

1. Dream it   
2. Create it   
3. Publish it
4. Market it   
5. Monetize it   

If you miss a call, don't worry, you'll get to listen via a podcast or online by visiting a special website.  Don't get hung up so much in the 'technology' or 'creation' elements of the podcasting world, that is actually the easiest thing to master. 

What Jeff and Paul teach you in sessions 4 and 5 is really where we go where no podcasters have gone before.  This is going to be exciting and cutting edge new stuff.  It is for beginners, newbies, moderates and vets of the podcasting sphere.  You are invited to join Paul and Jeff -  click here and listen to a free audio today!

A podcast is a media file that is available for download by subscribers. No more having to watch video and listen to audio online. Now people can download and listen/watch at their leisure.

Here are 7 reasons why if you haven't thought about creating podcasts you really should begin

Your podcast will be available to the world! Anyone, anywhere, at any time can download your work and listen to it at their leisure.

Do you have a half written book, or a thesis worth sharing? Maybe you have hundreds of articles that you haven't got round to using for fear of duplicate content.  Now you can take your previously un-used work and create it into an audio or video format that people will enjoy listening to.

Once you overcome the shock of hearing your voice through audio then podcasting becomes a fun and creative way to express yourself! Create cosy chats with your subscribers, tell them a story, open their imagination to what's possible using your voice.

You can generate extra revenue by advertising your product and/or service through podcasts. If people enjoy them enough they will be curious to find out about you, which could lead to sales in your service and/or product.You can also promote a particular product and tell your subscribers to go take a look.

You can increase your subscription base by getting people to sign up to your newsletter (like any good website you will want your podcast to give them an action at the end, something they must do after listening).

You can add it to my podcast directory! And the hundred others out there for extra visibility

Podcasts appeal to everyone, and particularly those who have a dominant auditory preference to learning. Rather than sit, read and become distracted they now have the opportunity to listen (watch) and learn.

Ultimately your success will depend on one thing, the number of people you have subscribing to your podcast. Make them entertaining, enlightening and fun and you will have no problem attracting a new world wide audience of past, present and potential clients and customers.

I have more information on podcasts within my self development forum.   I made a decision to write about this because as an owner of a podcast directory the more I can get practitioners in the personal development industry podcasting, the more podcasts I will have for my site!

The information I provide you can find anywhere on the web but my aim is to save you the hassle of looking and to provide you with as much information and choice as possible in one place.

If you currently create podcasts I recommend you add them to the personal growth podcast directory because it needs christening! :0)

If you have thought about creating a podcast but just don't know how to I recommend you watch the video series of how to do it and what equipment you will need

http://computershopper.com.com/4520-11293_7-6246557-1.html?tag=nav

My thanks go to Linnen Hodo from www.soulfoodandsoutherncooking.com who did a little research and found this for me.

Look out for my first podcast coming soon!

A podcast is downloadable digital media (either audio or video) that can be played on portable equipment like an ipod, zune or mp3 player.

The great thing about them is the fact that you can watch them at your convenience. With a TV or radio show you have to be home to watch/listen to it. If you miss it then unless you record it (or watch the repeats!) you have missed out.

But with a podcast you download it to your phone, or your handheld and even if it's 2am in the morning you can still watch it then.

This provides the opportunity for people to enjoy shows when it suits them, rather than when the radio/TV station says they have to.

When you listen to a podcast it will sound very much like a radio show, it may contain adverts, or an interview with someone, or even a live show with members of the public, or it could just be one speaker talking to you. I have listened to many podcasts ranging from 15 minutes to an hour so length varies.