I’ve never done a podcast before or really had a clear understanding of how it works but today, I did my homework. Apparently, podcasting does not involve any new technologies that wasn’t already available a few years ago. All it is, is a mp3 file of the podcast and an RSS feed to publish it. In fact, you can even publish it without RSS but RSS is ideal for subscriptions. Apple coined the term in 2005 but you can listen to podcasts on your computer or any mp3 player, doesn’t necessarily have to be your Apple iPod.

Here’s A Sample Podcast Recipe I Found:

• Shoot for a show length of 20-30 minutes.
• Keep topics moving, and limit topic coverage to 5-8 minutes.
• Try to use guests as a way to break up the conversation, pace, and tone of your shows.
• Use musical backgrounds (known as jingles) or other non-music interludes to transition between topics. These topic breaks are typically described as bumpers or sweepers, giving your listeners the time they might need to digest the content you just presented.

Here’s an example outline of how your show should flow:

1. Show intro monologue (who you are, what you’re going to talk about): 30-60 seconds
2. Intro music jingle (repeat for each show so listeners identify the jingle with your show): 30-60 seconds
3. Topic 1: 5 minutes
4. Topic 2: 5 minutes
5. Interlude (music or break): 30 seconds
6. Topic 3: 5 minutes
7. Topic 4: 5 minutes
8. Closing remarks (thank the audience for listening, thank guests, talk about the next show briefly): 2 minutes
9. Closing music jingle (suggest same as Intro music jingle): 2 minutes

Now there are a few things that you need in order to produce a podcast, a computer, a microphone and software to record. Then you just upload it to your server as a mp3 file and submit the RSS feed to iTunes or Yahoo Podcasting directories. The software I’m planning to use and I’m sure most podcasters use is Audacity, it’s a free open source recording tool. One more thing, don’t forget the LAME plugin so that Audacity can export mp3’s.

So everyone, watch out for my first podcast celebrating my first month as a blogger soon!

Sit tight and enjoy some music: Josh Groban