Podcasting is one of the innovative Internet technologies quickly going mainstream. Podcasting, despite its name is not tied to Apples iPod; though, it can be used with an iPod.

Podcasts, simply put, are regular, on demand, talk radio like shows, delivered over the Internet. If you're thinking this is a repackaged old idea you would be right but, there is a twist. What makes this technology different is the delivery method. With radio shows you have to both go out and find the show and listen to it when the show airs. With podcasts once you find the show you want to listen to you subscribe to that show and never have to go back listen to the show. When there is new content you are notified and the content is downloaded for you to listen to. No more going out to find the show. No more listening to it only when the show airs.

"What does this have to do with the church?", you might be asking yourself. With traditional talk radio style shows you had to have quite a bit of resources to develop, produce, and broadcast a show. In comparison podcasting is inexpensive and simple enough for a church to do.

Think of the possibilities. Podcasting is another channel to outreach. Podcasting is a way to reach your members during the week. Podcasting can take your Sunday morning bible study to all those people who didn't make it.

So, let's dig deeper into this innovative and cost effective technology that can help your church.

Listening To A Podcast

Listening to a podcast is really simple. There are many programs to listen to podcasts with so we will describe the most common program to use, which is Apples iTunes.

First, download and install iTunes. You can get the newest version here.

Second, subscribe to a podcast. There are three ways you can do that.

1. On many podcasting sites there is a link that looks like:
   http://phobos.apple.com/WebObjects/MZStore.woa/wa/
viewPodcast?id=147904450 or simply an iTunes icon.
   Follow this link or click the icon, iTunes will launch, and add the podcast.

   For an example of this look at the top right corner of this site for the iTunes icon. Click that link and the Geeks and God podcast will be added to iTunes.

2. iTunes has a directory of podcasts. In iTunes, under your Library in the left sidebar select Podcasts. At the bottom there will now be a link to the iTunes podcast directory. In the directory you can look up podcasts.

3. RSS feeds for podcasts are the 3rd way to add podcasts to iTunes. Drag a link to a podcast feed to an open iTunes window and the feed will be added. You can test it out but dragging this link to an open iTunes window.

Creating A Podcast

Creating a podcast is not a difficult task and once you have all the pieces in place it can be a rather quick task. We think a great way to learn about podcasting would be to listen to our series on podcasting. The episodes are:

• How to Podcast #1: Recording
• How to Podcast #2: Editing and Authoring
• How to Podcast #3: Publishing

Recording and Editing Tools

There are a large number of editing tools available. In the episode How to Podcast #2: Editing and Authoring we talked about using tools like Garageband or Audacity. While, these free tools do provide recording and editing capabilities; professional tools are not out financial reach for many churches. In a recent episode we talked about using Pro Tools to record and edit your podcast. This is what we use and the episode even talks about costs and specific tools.

A good sounding podcast is more than just good equipment. It's using that equipment well. Last year, Bob wrote a series of posts about using compressors and EQ.

• Audio Series: EQ part 1
• Audio Series: EQ part 2
• Audio Series: Compressors #1
• Audio Series: Compressors #2

Publishing Tools

The publishing platform we use is drupal, the popular open source content management system. We recently went thought a series on building a site with drupal if you are interesting in using a setup similar to ours. We even went into specifics on podcasting with drupal.

Other tools you can use are wordpress, blogger, and Joomla.

Feedburner

One free service we recommend using is Feedburner. This service helps with formatting your podcast feed, tracking your feed, and helping your feed work for as many people as possible, just to name a few features.

Questions?

Do you have any further questions about podcasting? The Geeks (and the very helpful Geeks and God community) are here to help you get your church podcast off the ground! Visit our forums and ask for any help you may require. No question is too simple or "dumb". We have lots to tech-newbies here and we help out people from all skill levels.

Need some 1 on 1 help? Contact us personally and we'll give you a hand. Usually, we're able to offer better, quicker help in the forums, but we get around to answering all emails eventually.

So, don't be shy! Ask your questions about podcasting, get them answered, and move your church into a whole new way of sharing The Old Story!