What exactly is a podcast? According to About.com:
I think of a podcast as a special radio talk show about a specific topic, that I can listen to whenever I choose. Whenever I am ready to listen, there is an episode to listen to, of a topic that I choose! Now that's convenient! Most podcasts that I listen to are less than 60 minutes per episode, some as short as ten minutes per episode. It works great for me - with my 50 minute commute to work. All the podcasts I've listened to have been free. Podcasts can be audio or video. I generally only listen to audio podcasts.A podcast is an audio or video program formatted to be played on the iPod and made available for free or for purchase over the Internet.Podcasts are shows, similar to radio or TV shows, that are produced by professionals or amateurs and posted to the Internet for download and listening or viewing. Many podcasts are made available for free, though some must be purchased.
What topics are available? You name it! Almost every topic you can think of! Over several years, I've listened to podcasts about gardening, permaculture, agriculture, food freedom, healthy living, sustainability, homesteading, bee keeping, music, music/audio recording, mixing live music, music instruments, bluegrass bands, computers, databases, backpacking, canoeing, dog training, product reviews (e.g. cars, phones, computers, guitars, etc.), American history, world news, and politics, just to list a few.
Where are the podcasts? In general terms, a podcast is a collection of episodes. It is common for a podcast to have a new episode on some kind of schedule (e.g. weekly, monthly, quarterly, etc.). When someone creates a new podcast episode, it can be "published" in a couple different ways. The most popular place to publish a podcast is to the Apple iTunes Store. The iTunes Store contains an staggering quantity of podcasts. These podcasts can then be subscribed to and down-loaded from the iTunes Store.
Here is a link to preview the Apple iTunes Store Podcast Directory.
A note about the Apple iTunes Store: In order to access the iTunes Store, you will need an Apple ID account. You can create this account for free. You do not need to use an Apple iPhone or iMac computer to use the iTunes Store. You can access the iTunes Store from a variety of devices (e.g. iPhones, other smart phones, Apple iMac computers, Windows computers, etc.). The process of creating an account leads you to believe you must provide a credit card to complete the process. If you do so, the credit card will not be charged unless you purchase something from the iTunes Store. And, they do make it pretty clear when you are about to purchase something (as opposed to downloading something that is free). However, there is a way to create an Apple ID account without providing a credit card. Follow this link to learn how.Another way to publish a podcast episode is to put it on a specific web site that you author and control. Other people can then go to your website and play or download the podcast. An example of this can be found at the Farm-To-Consumer Legal Defense Fund website. On the main page of this website, they maintain a list of news topics. Some of the news topics are actually links to specific podcast episodes. From there you can listen to the podcast (streaming over the internet to your computer), subscribe to the podcast, or link to the iTunes Store. Another example of this publishing method is the NPR (National Public Radio) Podcast Directory.
How to get podcasts? I mainly get and listen to podcasts on my Apple iPhone, but you can get podcasts on most other smart phones and computers also. First you need to find the podcast, then you can either "subscribe" to the podcast, or simply pick an episode and listen to it.
This is how I do it with my Apple iPhone:
- I went to the Apple website and created an Apple ID Account. Here is a link.
- On my iPhone, I went to the Apple App Store and downloaded the free application "Podcasts" made by Apple. This application will allow you to connect to the Apple iTunes store, find podcasts, subscribe to podcasts, manage your podcast subscriptions, and actually listen to podcast episodes.
- From the "Podcasts" application, I can search for podcasts by entering key words/phrases (i.e. "organic gardening", etc.), or browse thru categories of podcasts (i.e. Arts, Business, Health, Music, Technology, etc.), or browse thru featured podcasts.
- Once I find a podcast that looks interesting, I can either subscribe to it, or select an episode and listen to it. Generally, I listen to at least one episode to decide if I'm interested. If I like it, then I subscribe to the podcast.
- After I subscribe to a podcast, I can configure the settings of that specific podcast to download episodes as I specify - or I can simply use the defaults. Since I have an unlimited cell phone data plan, I'm generally fairly liberal with my download configuration. I usually set it to download new episodes automatically, and keep all un-listened-to episodes on my iPhone. After I listen to an episode it is automatically deleted from my iPhone. If I didn't have the unlimited data plan and needed to be more frugal with data downloads, I would set the podcasts to download manually, and I would only download episodes when I have access to free wi-fi (e.g. at a coffee shop, library, etc.). I could even only download specific episodes based on episode title and description. However you get the podcast episodes to download, you can then listen to them any time you want to.
- I can connect my iPhone to the USB port in my car and listen to the podcast episodes with my car stereo. This works great for my commute to work. This also works great when we go on road trips across South Dakota, Wyoming, or Montana where Internet access is not available and radio stations are not cutting it.
This method of getting podcasts (e.g. using the Podcasts app to subscribe to podcasts in the iTunes Store) takes all the work out of it! It becomes an automated process. All I need to do is listen. Nice!
Here is a list of my favorite podcasts right now. These are all available on the iTunes Store by searching for the podcast name. Or you can go to their associated websites by clicking on the links below.
- An Organic Conversation - An actual radio talk show based in San Francisco, that also gets published to a podcast. They cover health, food, environmental, and gardening topics. Great show! This is Michelle's favorite!
- The Permaculture Podcast - Permaculture education and interviews
- Terra Informa - Each week Terra Informa delivers coverage of breaking environmental news from across Canada and around the world. From corporate wrongdoings to tips on living a little greener, they are your source for the news that the mainstream media missed.
- Homesteading and Permaculture by Paul Wheaton - Sometimes Paul is very direct in making a point, and often uses adult language, but his content is very useful.
- The Organic View - The Organic View Radio Show, part of The Organic View Radio Network, is a unique, live, interactive, Internet talk-radio show that features key leaders, scientists and educators who work within industries that involve organics, environment, technology, pollinator health, wildlife, and clean energy.
- Sustainable World Radio - Ecology and Permaculture Podcast
- Food Rights Hour Podcast - The podcast about: small-scale farmer, consumer, and producer rights; effects of genetically engineered crops and foods; farm raids; nutrient-dense traditional foods; homeopathy; raw milk laws; sustainable agriculture and more!
- The Agroinnovations Podcast - Provides people with information about permaculture, organic agriculture, appropriate technology and other strategies to further relocalization and regenerative ecosystem management.
I hope this information helps you get started with the wonderful world of podcasts! Please feel free to contact me with any questions, comments, or suggestions you may have.
Rick Grosek
Bear Butte Gardens
Sturgis, South Dakota
