Get Started with Podcasts in 3 Steps
If you've got an iPod or other portable media player, and are interested in getting free, unique content to listen to, podcasting is for you. 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.
Getting started with podcasting is easy. All you need is a computer with an Internet link and a portable media player. In fact, you can listen to podcasts right on your computer. Sites like Podcasting News provide links to the latest audio files from popular podcasts. This lets you preview shows quickly and easily.
To automatically sync files to your iPod, you'll need to use a podcast client. iPodder is a free, open-source client that is available for Mac OS X, Windows & Linux. This tutorial shows you how to download iPodder and configure it so you can sync shows to your iPod.
Step 1: Installing iPodder
Go to the iPodder (http://ipodder.sourceforge.net/) site to download the latest version of the application.
Select the download page, and look for the download links:
Select the right platform and you'll be taken to page where you can choose a download location. Select the closest server to download from:
Your browser should start the download automatically. If it doesn't, there's an option to manually download it.
Once the download is complete, find the iPodder installer and open it.
This will open the iPodder installer. Click Next to proceed.
Check out the license, and then click I Agree:
Now comes the toughest part of the install, choosing a location. If you don't care where it goes, use the default settings & click Next:
In the next window, the iPodder installer gives you the option to turn of the creation of optional components. You can deselect these if you like. Otherwise, just click Install.
Let the installer do its thing:
When the install is complete, the installer will give you a confirmation screen:
That's it!
Step 2: Using iPodder
Installing iPodder was a piece of cake, right? Getting started with it is just as easy!
Open iPodder from Start or the desktop icon. You should get a default screen that looks something like this:
There will be a couple of "feeds" set up by default. Feeds are text descriptions of podcast shows, and they give iPodder the information it needs to know when new podcasts are available. You'll want to add feeds for shows that you're interested in, and delete the others.
Find some podcasts that you're interested in. Here are some places to start:
Many sites will display a podcast icon to let you know that one is available. Here are a couple of common examples:
Often, sites will provide a test description of the podcast with a text link. Find a link to the podcast news feed, and copy the link. Paste it into iPodder, as shown below, and click Add:
iPodder will read in the news feed, and determine if any new shows are available. If so, it will automatically download the shows to your hard drive:
That's it!
Step 3: Sync & Go
When iPodder is done downloading, it will create a playlist in iTunes, listing the podcasts you've downloaded. It will be named with the feed's name, making it easier to keep your podcasts organized. Click on the play button, and you can check out the podcast right on your computer:
Now that the podcast is copied into iTunes, you can use it like any other audio content. Sync & Go!
