Blogging: Thinking Locally, Acting Globally

The phenomenon of the Internet is something of a paradox, as it fosters worldwide intercommunication while encouraging personal expression and customization. Online journals—also known as weblogs (“blogs” for short)—are one example of personal expression gone global, and since 2003 they have become a significant part of the public’s technological awareness.

Such personal journal-keeping is by no means a new craze, as people have been building personal websites since the Internet become part of the public consciousness in the mid-90s. But whereas most of those sites, especially in the early days of the Internet, were made and updated by hand using HTML code, blogs are built on the principal of dynamic content. Such content is generated and displayed in a consistent format using data that is submitted by the author through simple web-based forms.

In other words, updating a blog can be as simple as follows: the author logs into his or her blog through a standard web browser (such as Internet Explorer), enters an update in the boxes provided, and clicks on “submit.” The date and time are posted automatically with the update, so the blog appears as a series of time-stamped text entries ordered from newest to oldest, like a diary where the most recent entries are at the top. Blog subjects may vary from personal to political, and readers may or may not be encouraged to comment. But blogs usually follow one theme by one author from post to post, and thus have a more linear and focused structure than bulletin boards, chat rooms or other forms on online communication.

Blog entries are published on a regular basis by their authors, and readers can either visit the blog to read new entries or subscribe through newsreaders that check subscriptions for new content, such as SharpReader, FeedDemon, or any other application that supports atom or RSS (Really Simple Syndication) formats that are commonly used in blogs to syndicate content and enable users to “subscribe” to updates.

Thanks to the popularity and flexibility of the blog format, a number of blog services have emerged which provide free webspace for people to create blogs of their own, including livejournal.com, blogger.com and xanga.com. But even large organizations such as aol.com are now offering blogging services to their paying customers. So as long as you have access to a computer and the Internet, you can create a blog of your own.

From Blogs to Pods

So what does all this blog talk have to do with Podcasting? Well, the two are intimately entwined, since a Podcast is built on exactly the same framework as a blog. The major difference is that, whereas a blog update is composed mostly of text and images, a Podcast update is an audio file (most often an mp3) that may or may not be accompanied by a text description. The RSS specification is used for Podcasts just as it is for blogs, and though different applications are used to handle subscriptions, the general methodology is the same.

Because the ability to make, distribute and receive Podcasts is available to anyone with a computer and an Internet connection, there is literally no limit to what can be communicated in a Podcast. Granted, there are legal implications to distributing copyrighted material through Podcasts without permission, and Podcasts with incendiary or controversial content are likely to generate hatemail, but there is no regulatory body that oversees Podcast content (unlike radio). This makes Podcasting one of the only remaining forms of truly free speech, and with a global range to boot.

Tuning in: Listening to a Podcast

A quick glance at the number of programs available on ipodder.org (one of the largest Podcast directories available) shows that there are hundreds of Podcast programs to choose from, with more being created and updated every day. Once you have found a program you would like to listen to, write down the URL (uniform resource locator, or http:// address that is listed for the Podcasting site). You’ll need this address for when you are setting up your subscription.

The term Podcast is simply a hybrid of “iPod” and “broadcast,” and though the name implies that an iPod is required for listening, practically any audio player that can handle mp3 files—including hardware mp3 players as well as computer applications like Windows Media Player or iTunes—can be used to hear downloaded Podcast content. Make sure you have a media player for mp3 files before you go any further. ITunes (available at http://www.apple.com/itunes/download/) is available for both Mac and Windows and works well with Podcasting.

The last thing you will need (other than an Internet connection and speakers or headphones) is a Podcast aggregator, which is an application that you can use to subscribe to Podcast feeds. There are several to choose from, including iPodder, Doppler and PlayPod just to name a few. A quick search on www.versiontracker.com for “podcast” will take you to the software you need, but I recommend iPodder for Windows and iPodderX Lite for Macintosh, both of which are free.

Download and install your aggregator of choice as well as iTunes, then open both applications. You will want to set the Preferences in your aggregator (iPodder or iPodderX Lite) to use iTunes as a media player. Once you have that set, then select the option to add a new feed in your aggregator. In the window that comes up, type in the URL that you found when browsing for Podcasts, then hit Enter. This will add a subscription to the Podcast you have chosen. Check for new content from your subscribed Podcast, then download it when prompted. An mp3 will be downloaded to your hard drive and will then open in iTunes and play.

Congratulations, you’re officially a Podcast listener. Browse for more content, add new feeds, and be sure to refresh your subscriptions so you’ll always hear the latest content from the Podcasts you’ve chosen.

Pump Up the Volume: Making Your Own Podcast

So you’ve listened to what’s out there and you’ve decided you want to throw your hat in the Podcasting ring. Here are some of the things you’ll need before you get started:

1. An idea for content. This can be practically anything: a talk show, a one-act audio play, your own original musical compositions, a political rant, a comedy routine, whatever you want to do. Just make sure to steer clear of copyrighted material or you could potentially face legal troubles down the road.
2. Microphone. You’ll need a way to capture your audio, and a $20 microphone plugged into the line-in jack on your computer is a simple way to do just that. Remember though that the quality of microphone you use will directly affect the quality of your Podcast.
3. Audio recording software. If you don’t already have a way to record sound that comes into your computer, a visit to www.versiontracker.com will help you locate a free utility that you can use to capture audio.
4. Webspace to host your mp3s. Podcast updates point to mp3s that are stored on a server somewhere, so you will need to have some webspace of your own and be familiar with uploading files to that space in order to get your Podcast off the ground. Most ISPs (internet service providers) provide space for their paid clients, and chances are they also have a web utility to help you with maintaining that space and uploading files. Check with your ISP for details, but if you have other webspace and are familiar with how to upload files, use that space instead.

It should be noted that this introduction to Podcasting assumes you are already familiar with how to record audio as an mp3 using your computer. Additionally, if you’re going to be making a Podcasting feed from scratch, you’ll also need a degree of technical expertise in programming to handle the HTML, XML and RSS coding required to make a Podcast function. Such programming is outside the scope of this introduction, but if you just want to try using the technology, here is a very simple way to do it that requires minimal technical knowledge.

A Simple Approach: Blogcasting

First, create sign up and create a new blog at www.blogger.com. Once you have one created, go into the configuration section of the blog and click on the “Template” tab. In the box where you can edit code, clear out all text found there, then paste the following code into the box:

<?xml version="1.0"?>

<rss version="2.0" dc="http://purl.org/dc/elements/1.1/">

<channel>

<title><$BlogPageTitle$></title>

<link><$BlogURL$></link>

<description><$BlogDescription$></description>

<language>en-us</language>

<copyright></copyright>

<lastbuilddate></lastbuilddate>

<blogger>

<item>

<blogitemtitle><title><$BlogItemTitle$></title></blogitemtitle>

<blogitemurl><link><$BlogItemUrl$></link></blogitemurl>

<description><$BlogItemBody$></description>

<pubdate><blogdateheader><$BlogDateHeaderDate$></blogdateheader></pubdate>

<blogitemurl><enclosure url="<$BlogItemUrl$>" length="666" type="audio/mpeg"/> </blogitemurl>

<guid><$BlogItemPermalinkURL$></guid>

</item>

</blogger>

</channel>

</rss>

Click on “Save Template Changes.” You will then be asked to republish your blog in order to see the changes you’ve made. Select the option to do so.

Next, click on the “Settings” tab and select “Site Feed.” Make sure that the option “Publish Site Feed" is set to OFF. Then select “Formatting” and make sure the “Title” and “Link” sections are set to ON.

Viewing your blog at this point will reveal little more than the blogger.com banner at the top of the page. This is because the code we have used in the template is not meant for normal blog use. Most Podcasts have an accompanying website that describes the content as well as the creators, but the method we have chosen here is designed strictly for use by Podcast aggregators, so there will be little reason to visit your blog on the web.

Now you are ready to begin Podcasting. Record your program using your microphone and audio recorder, then upload the resulting mp3 to your webspace. On your blogger page, create a new post. Fill out the fields as you wish, but remember that the “Link” field is where the mp3 file resides. You must copy the full file path (http:// and all) into this field to make the Podcast work. Click on “Publish Post” and your Podcast will be ready for listening.

Testing Your Creation

Open your chosen Podcast aggregator and add a new feed. For the URL, use your blogspot address (http://yourblogname.blogpost.com). Once your feed is added, check for new content. Your new post should come up as available for download, and the episode title will be the same as what you typed in the “Title” field of your post. Feel free to download the file and listen to it through iTunes to complete the test, but seeing the new content is enough to confirm that you have set up a rudimentary Podcast of your very own.

Thanks go to Tom Higgins (http://blogcasting.blogspot.com/) for discovering this simple Podcasting method.

Advanced Blogcasting

If this “blogcasting” method is too simplistic and restrictive for your purposes (i.e., you would like to have a website to support your Podcast), there is a way to trick blogger.com into allowing you to post normal text updates without interfering with your Podcast feed or cluttering your page with extra gunk generated by the blogcast script.

Return to the “Template” section of your blog configuration and select a new template. Republish your blog, then select “Template” again. Under the section of the template called /* Profile, add a new CSS element called “hideme” as follows:

.hideme {

visibility : hidden;

}

Now copy and paste the original blogcasting code into the section of the template called “#sidebar”. It is better to place it at the bottom of the sidebar since each entry will add code to the page and could potentially displace elements that are underneath where you place the code. I placed mine at the end of my “Links” section and it has worked just fine, but you may need to do some experimentation depending on the template you have chosen.

Once you have placed your code, add a div element directly before and after your code to call the “hideme” attributes:

This effectively makes any unwanted text created by the blogcasting script invisible. Save your template changes, republish the blog and you should now have a text-based site to support your Podcast. You can test this by posting a new Podcast file and opening your aggregator. If the aggregator finds your update, all is well.

There are of course more interesting and complex ways to approach Podcasting, but this method will at least get you started. You’ve got the tools; now it’s up to you to make something worth Podcasting.

External Links:

• iPodder.org - The definitive Podcasting resource and directory
• Download iTunes from Apple.com - Use this link to get iTunes from Apple
• VersionTracker.com - Freeware, shareware and software updates.
• Blogger.com - A free blogging host
• BlogCasting - Tom Higgins' guide to BlogCasting