What is a podcast?

By Colleen AF Venable

1) What is a podcast?
2) Which programmes can help me to download podcasts automatically?
3) How long will it take me?

4) How do I adjust the configuration of a podcast catcher - a programme that automatically downloads podcasts?
1) The podcasts that interest me are downloadable TV and radio programmes that I can watch or listen to when and where I want to. By the looks of it, POD is short for play on demand. (Check it out here). CAST comes from broadcasting (cf British Broadcasting Company).
2) One can download a podcast manually. But it just takes a lot of clicks. It is much more convenient to have a programme do it for you (podcast catcher o aggragator). The ones I know are iTunes and Juice, and gPodder for Linux.
3) Well, now it takes me about 10 to 15 minutes to download new podcasts and get them on my mobile phone that serves me as my MP3-player. With iPod + iTunes the whole process is automatic. As with everything, at the beginning you do need a bit of time. I'd say about 30 min to an hour to surf, find and change the settings. What do you have to do?

a) Download the software onto your computer

b) Find podcasts that interest you - I'll try and help with this.

c) Change settings (important so as not to fill up the hard drive with audio documents you don't want to listen to any more.).

d) If you don't want to listen to them / watch them on the computer, you have to drag them onto your MP3 player.

e) Find the time to listen to it all ;-)

As I said, once you get going it'll take about 10-15 minutes, and iPod + iTunes do everything automatically for you.
4) Changing the settings is not complicated. In another blogpost I'll explain how to do this.