Podcasts

What’s a podcast?

OK, so you’ve heard the word “podcasting”.  It’s popping up everywhere these days and even mainstream media like BBC, CNN, and NBC are in on it.  But what is a podcast?

A podcast is nothing more than a digital audio file, just like any other song or MP3 file on your computer.  There’s nothing special about it, it’s what’s inside the file that’s causing all the buzz.



It’s basically a radio show, just like the 'Today' show on BBC Radio 4.  The real difference is the variety. Mainstream radio has to appeal to broad audiences to cover the cost of licenses and transmitters, whereas podcasts can cater to any niche you can imagine. Anyone can make a podcast about anything they like, there are no rules and no limits, all you need is a computer and a microphone.

Thousands of podcasters around the world are out there right now making shows about what they feel passionate about – everything from sports to financial tips, inspirational ‘Godcasts’ to shows about popular TV series.  You name it, there’s probably a podcast about it.
There is even a thriving "podsafe" music scene.  Thousands of independent musicians and an increasing number of record labels are seeing the power of podcasting and are making it possible for podcasters to legally play their music on podcasts.

And did we mention podcasts are FREE?

But I don’t have an iPod

Despite the name, you don’t need an iPod to listen to podcasts. All you need is an MP3 player.  Any MP3 player. In fact the computer you are using to read this is a MP3 player.

There’s nothing stopping you burning a podcast to a compact disc and playing it on the CD player in your lounge or your car.  It’s audio entertainment when and where you want it.

Subscribing


So now you’ve found some podcasts you like, why not subscribe?  When you subscribe to a magazine a copy arrives through your letterbox every time a new issue is released.  Subscribing to a podcast is just the same, but instead of a mailbox, you have an aggregator – a program that runs on your PC and automatically downloads your favourite podcasts ready for you to listen to.  iTunes (no you still don’t need an iPod) and Juice are the best known.

That’s it!   You now know what a podcast is, how to listen to it and how to have it automatically downloaded for you every time a new episode becomes available.

Get listening

So what are you waiting for? Get out there and find some podcasts about the things that matter to you.  There are plenty of places to find podcasts.

To help get you started, we've created a page with links to Catholic Podcasts.  Click here and then click on the rotating banner - this will take you straight to the subscription button you need to press to begin subscribing for free!.