Podcasting: Take radio with you

Podcasting is awesome! No, you do not have to have an iPod to do it. Any MP3 player will do. In fact, if you just want to listen to internet radio on your computer, an MP3 playback software, like iTunes (Mac and Windows), will work nicely. You can fast-forward, rewind or listen to it over and over. It's like Tivo for audio!

So here's how it works. A Podcast is an MP3 of someone's content (e.g. music, talk radio, whatever) that's posted on the internet using what's called an RSS feed. Don't worry about the technical stuff, it's really quite easy. You can get these MP3 audio files in two seperate ways: 1) go the the website of the podcaster (content provider) and download the file, or 2) get an aggregator program to subscribe (free) to any podcasts you might be interested in and have IT download it for you. You can even schedule your downloads! It's great. For aggregators, visit PodcastAlley.com's software site. My personal favorite is Doppler Radio.

Once you have the software, you can browse the Podcast directory to find podcasts you are interested in and subscribe to them. More podcasts are being added all the time. Doppler Radio even allows you to search by keyword, not just by category!

PodcastAlley has a Top 10 and Top 50 lists and you can vote for your favorites. Here are some of MY favorites:

One Big Head -- Reflections of an educational technologist
In The Trenches - Discussions of an IT specialist
Leo Laporte's KFI show --- A great tech help call-in show
The MacCast -- News and discussion from a "Mac Geek" for "Mac Geeks"
GodCast -- Daily Scripture verse

Go to PodcastAlley and find out all about these podcasts and MANY more. You are sure to find something to your liking. Podcasting has made my commutes to work much more enjoyable (who needs more "news"?). I get to learn something new everyday about stuff I care about! Give it a try!!!!