The beginner’s guide to podcasts
How do you use a podcast?
What is a podcast?
I have created one of the top podcasts on iTunes about NLP, but I know from the questions I’ve been asked that many people are not quite sure what to do with podcasts or why they should listen to them.
This is my very brief ‘idiots guide’ introduction to podcasts. I’ve written it in, what I hope is layman’s language, but please send any comments so I can improve it if needed.
What is a podcast?
Podcasts are a bit like radio or TV shows that you can listen to any time you want. One of the main differences is that you can only get hold of them by using something that connects to the Internet- such as a computer or smart phone. The other main difference is that anyone can create a pod cast which means that some of them are fantastic and some not so good.
Many celebrities, newspapers and TV channels have their own podcasts so you can catch up with what’s been going on at your leisure.
They are a great source of information, learning and new ideas, because you can listen to them when you want, unlike TV show or radio show, you can carry them around with you cause them and restart them at any point. They’re also ideal to listen to whilst travelling or doing household chores, because once you have them on your iPod, smart phone or computer they’re always available.
How do you use a podcast?
Firstly you need to make sure you’ve got the right equipment, and nowadays most people do.
You will need
a computer
and a Internet connection
If you want to listen to it on the move or away from your computer, you may also want to use a iPod- that’s one of those products that allows you to listen to downloaded music- or a smart phone, like an iPhone for example.
Follow these steps which walk you through the process of getting your first podcast
1) Make sure you have installed itunes onto your computer. It’s free and already on most computers- search in your programs or applications to check. If you need to get a copy of itunes click here
2) Now click on this link to visit iTunes. You can do this on your smart phone or your computer.
3) A new window should have popped up showing my smiling face that looks something like this
3) Click on subscribe, just beneath the picture. Now itunes will download all the episodes to your computer. You can listen to them itunes.
4) If you want to listen to them on your ipod or smart phone you will need to tell itunes to move them to there. Plug the ipod or smart phone in to the computer. Go to your ‘sync’ setting and click sync podcasts and then click ‘apply’ in the bottom corner.
5) Now you should be able to listen to them on you ipod or smartphone ( new changes in iphone software may mean you need to also download the podcast app from the app store- again its free)
I hope this helps, do ask any questions in the box below
Phil