Podcasting: Enhance your website with audio26 July 2005
Over the past few months, the broadcasting of audio files online has become dominated by the use of MP3 files. This practice has been dubbed 'podcasting' - a moniker that can be misleading, given that you don't need an Apple i-Pod in order to participate.
The attraction of making audio files available on a business website is that visitors can download them and listen at their own convenience on their PCs or portable players.
MP3 tracks of any length are large files and take a long time to upload and download. But with the increased availability of the fast connections offered by broadband, podcasting has come into its own.
What can you use audio for?
- You could provide an audio feed with news about your industry or updates about developments within your business, in much the same way as websites already provide articles and short news items.
- Audio files can be used to explain the technical details of how to use your products, through a series of practical audio tutorials that customers can download.
- Supporting manuals and printed instructions with an audio file can reinforce their impact.
- Audio files can also be incorporated into a longer training course or seminar.
- Podcasting has obvious advantages when it comes to making your website accessible to blind or sight-impaired visitors.
Getting started
- To create a professional-sounding podcast, you'll need a quiet place in which to record your audio file, a good microphone, and audio software for recording in the MP3 format.
- The same rules apply to podcasting as apply to public speaking. Prepare what you want to say, practice and, when it comes to recording, speak slowly and clearly. The great thing about recording directly to your PC is that you can edit the sound file later and erase mistakes or hesitations.
- Audio files can be recorded in the MP3 format using inexpensive software and a microphone attached to a PC. See Daily MP3 for software reviews and guides to creating MP3 files.
- Lastly, create an RSS feed with a link to the audio file and upload the file to your website. Making an RSS feed involves using a very short piece of code describing what your audio file is and what it is about. This Podcasting news article offers a step-by-step guide to creating a feed, and offers an example specifically designed for a podcast. And see this BBC guide to RSS for practical tips on how the technology works.
- Listeners can either save the files when they visit your website or subscribe to your RSS feed and download them automatically.
This information is meant as a starting point only. While all reasonable efforts have been made, the publisher makes no warranties that the information is accurate and up to date and will not be responsible for any errors or omissions in the information nor any consequences of any errors or omissions. Professional advice should be sought where appropriate.
