First Pod's -- Proof of Concept

Ok, I got my first audios up on the Internet. Setting up the various accounts was probably the most time consuming part. I will post later and in more detail about creating the podcasts.

I did discover that straight audio is a bit boring. You have got to jazz it up a bit. Here is my first podcast without music or cleaning: Greg's first podcast.

With music and cleanup, it sounds a lot better. Here is my second attempt: Greg's First podcast final cut.

My thought is that from here on out, I will make notes on my blog but link to audio files of important details. We will experiment and see if this gives a richer note experience or makes it difficult for the listener/reader/user to understand what is going on.

New Software Added to Podcasting Toolbox

On recommendation from Ourmedia, I have downloaded SpinXpress. This software helps automate the process of uploading files to Ourmedia and ends the frustrating battle of interrupted downloads that can happen frequently on the Internet. Easy to use, this software was actually quicker to use than the load page for the Ourmedia site because it doesn't actually load most of the page and html. You can also let it run in the background while doing other things. Amazing what you can learn when you read the instructions!

Passwords and Logins

I have spent most of today creating accounts for the various services that I need to make all of this work. One thought that came to mind was creating a login and password just for your pod casting and blogging. If you used a separate set just for this kind of creative work, you would not have to worry about remembering different passwords or using the same password that you use for banking and sensitive transactions.

I would definitely have a set just for this project.

Remember Creative Commons

As I started working on my first podcast this morning, I remembered Creative Commons. Creative Commons is a new open-source copyright. Many types of video, audio, and data are now licensed for use under CC. The CC licensing gives a lot more freedom for artists to allow their work to be used in creative ways. For example, I picked a song this morning to be used as my background track for my first podcast. Since I am not making any money off of this use, under the artists CC copyright, I can use it for free. I can also change and manipulate the recording free of charge.

As you learn to podcast, understanding copyrights becomes very critical. You cannot use what is not yours.

Getting Started

The firs steps are always fun and annoying. Installed all the software that came with my new web cam. Tons of stuff. I also installed the audacity software for making podcasts. This was a recommendation from the How to Podcast website that I have been following in learning to do this. The Audacity software at first glance looks pretty good. I think it's going to work really well as a podcasting platform especially since its free.