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Technology and media are progressing so quickly that it’s hard to keep up. It seems like only yesterday that you purchased your first iPod and promptly shoved your archaic portable CD player in the bottom of the junk drawer. Apple even seems to release a new version of their iPod every few months. With that said, it’s very possible you’ve heard the term “Podcast,” but still have no idea what that part of your iTunes means.

Podcasts are giving a new meaning to the first amendment! Simply put, they are audio broadcasts created and stored digitally on the Internet. Instead of being broadcast over the airwaves once and lost, like with traditional radio, Podcasts were created to be stored and played at the user’s convenience. You upload the Podcast along with the an RSS (Really Simple Syndication) file to a server (your site) and listeners download using one of several programs that have been created to retrieve your audio file automatically, so that they can listen to your broadcast on their iPod or MP3 player.

Creating a Podcast could be beneficial for budding musicians, speakers, authors, or downright crazies. Really though, Podcasting is for anyone who wants to be heard, but you need to know how to do it right. That’s what “Premium How To Guides” is here for, just follow these simple instructions and you will be broadcasting your very own Podcast in no time!

The first thing you need to do is learn how to record your own audio and save it to an MP3 file. Many people who Podcast are using a free program called Audacity, which has simple tutorials to teach you how to record and edit sound. All you have to do is download the program and then follow their instructions. You will, of course, need a microphone. When you are done recording and saving your file, write down where you save it, and the exact file size so that you can easily upload it later. Just right click, and check the properties for this information.

The next step is to learn how to set up an RSS Feed. Check out an earlier Premium How To Guides post how to set up your own RSS feed for detailed instructions on how to do this. Also check out a site called Juice (formerly iPodder), it’s an RSS program specifically designed for Podcasting and allows users select and download audio files from anywhere on the Internet to their desktop, a “Media Aggregator” of sorts.

After you write the RSS feed, you need to write the “directions” that are inside the RSS file, and then upload the RSS “feed” and your MP3 file. The last step is to validate that the file is written correctly and will send a file correctly.

Bottom line, if you’ve got something to say, now you can. So go ahead, fulfill your life dream of being a radio DJ. Just know that not everyone might listen to your “show.”

***Picture Thanks to Financial Aid Podcast***