How to listen to a podcast
The new Podium Community Portal provides a podcast player that supports both audio and video podcasts.
This means that in adding the new player to your website or blog, your target audience can listen to your podcasts there and then. Alternatively you can share your portal web page with your target audience so they can access all of the podcasts you have made public and listen to them there without having to even subscribe to the podcast. They could even just play one episode from the podcast if they wished.
Aside from the Podium podcast player here's how you can subscribe and listen to podcasts:
Step by step guide to receiving a podcast
There are three steps to set up your PC to receive a podcast:
1. Download software to retrieve and play your
podcasts
You will need a software tool, called an aggregator, which
will let you subscribe to a podcast and will download and
play the mp3 files. So, once you have subscribed to a podcast
this software will do the hard work of managing your subscription
by checking for and downloading any new episodes that have
been released. One common aggregator is iTunes but
there are many others.
 2. Subscribe to a podcast
To ensure that you receive the latest episode in the podcast
series you must subscribe. Once you have subscribed your
aggregator will regularly check for any new episodes. Subscription
is achieved by letting the aggregator know the location
of a file that contains information about the podcast.
For example it will tell the aggregator when each episode
was released, it will give a description of the episode
and also let the aggregator know where the mp3 file is
so it can download it.
When you visit a web site that offers podcasts you will
usually see either a button labelled 'XML' or 'RSS' and some
text that will look something like this: www.teachers.tv/news/feed/rss.xml
The text contains the location of the file that has all
the information that allows the aggregator to download the
mp3 files and manage your subscription.
To subscribe to a podcast with iTunes:
- Select the text that gives the location of the podcast
information file and copy it.
- Open iTunes and click on 'Advanced'
and click 'Subscribe to podcast'.
- A
window opens. Now, paste the location of the information
file here and press OK.
You have now subscribed to that podcast. You will notice
that iTunes is now downloading the information file and will
soon download the first mp3 file. Once it has finished a
black triangle will appear at the side of the podcast details.
Click this for more information about the podcast.
To subscribe to a podcast with Doppler
- Select the
text that gives the location of the podcast information
file and copy it.
- Open Doppler and click on 'Add feed'.
- A window opens.
Now, paste the location of the information file into the
URL text box and press 'Add feed'.
You have now subscribed to that podcast. Now click on 'Retrieve'
- the podcast episodes will now start to download. Once it
has finished a blue circle with a white arrow will appear
at the side of the episode details. Click on the episode
for more information.
3. Listen
In iTunes
To view the podcast details and to listen to the mp3 files
select 'Podcasts' from the menu on the left hand side.
Select a file and press the play button. That episode of
your podcast will play. If the file you want to listen
to has a 'GET' button next to it then press this to download
the mp3 file. This will happen if the podcast you have
subscribed to has already released several episodes.
In Doppler
Select an episode from the top right-hand window. The episode
details will display in the window below. Click on the
play button in this window to listen to the episode.
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