Daily Podcast News

grafedia: words written anywhere, then linked to images, video or sound files online.

How it works: you send an image by MMS to yourword@grafedia.net. You publicise it by writing the word you choose anywhere in the real world in blue with an underline (just like a hyperlink). The person sees it on a street corner gets out their mobile and sends an MMS to theword@grafedia.net. To anyone else it may be graffiti put to people in the know it’s a link into a wider community.

Example: Lets say you take a picture at 4am of your friend lying outside a church. You take the picture and send it to holygirl@grafedia.net. The next day you write holygirl@grafedia.net on notice boards, on printouts, on street corners etc People take notice and can get the picture by sending a blank MMS to holygirl@grafedia.net. If they do this the image is sent to their mobile phone. This service also works from your computer where you send a blank email to holygirl@grafedia.net.

So let us relate this to Podato.com, the single person can send in their recordings as usual, we then get their name and make a email like emma@grafedia.net, we/she can add the link to where ever possible for people to see. The single guy can see this and use his mobile on the spot to send an MMS to emma@grafedia.net and is soon sent her recording to his mobile and no data is swapped between the two people.

Test it out - Send a blank email to podato@grafedia.net and see what happens.

http://blog.360.yahoo.com/irishpodcast

Update - The RSS feed does not support enclosures so podcatching will not work. I would generate a url from mfeeds but that service is currently down.

I had so much fun at the Triangle Bloggers Conference at the University of North Carolina that I thought Podcasters needed their own event. So I set the ball rolling for PodcasterCon.org. My hope is that Podcasters will work together to make this event.

• Quote from Brian Russell

Here is the statement of purpose as of now:

PodcasterCon is a free users conference about podcasting. The focus will be on learning. In effect it is an anti-expo without swag, without product promotion, and a way to keep podcasting fun!

How will it work?

This podforum is now available from podcasteurope.org.

Got a Shuffle for playing your Podcasts? The ideal item for you is the iShirt.

PodShirt offers specialized apparel designed to show-off your iPod shuffle. Using a patent-pending magnetic clasp system, the iPod shuffle attaches seamlessly to the clothing to become part of the apparel design.

Sizes come in Medium, Large and X-Large with a price tag of $28.99.

The technorati tags have hit it off big time over the past few months. Now Paramagnus have set up podcasttags which will actually become a large, podcast directory, it can place your podcast in many different categories. This is very handy because not everyone’s podcast is based on the one subject, the categories are now unlimited. In most podcast directories at the moment they lack many categories such as relationships (were our podato podcast should be) To change this you have to email people to ever get a podcast listed over at ipodder.org. But now with the tagging service it can update as soon as you post your podcast. The site currently features 22 categories but over the next few weeks should reach well over 100.

This post is tagged as Ireland.

Dave Winer has just registered two new websites. They are independentpodcasters.com and indiepodcasters.com, which will probably be a place for podcast lovers to go and get noticed.

The other podcasters (money grabbers) can sign up with Curry and put adverts in their podcasts.

CNN will have a feature about podcasting on its Next@CNN show. It will be shown tomorrow Saturday at 12:30 and again later at 18:30, if case you arrived late and missed it there is a repeat Sunday at 21:30.

It wll focus on Grape Radio, PodcastAlley and of course what podcasting is.

Thanks to the use of a site meter over at Podato we have learned an awful lot. We can see if their browser supports png (portable networks graphics) images, what operating system they are currently on, how long they stay and what location they are from. 14% of users have arrived directly by typing the url, 8% from Ireland thanks to the work of the technorati tags. We have also received hits from New Zealand (1.3%), Japan (1.2%), Switzerland (1.2%) and from the UK (2.5%).

Nearly half of the visitors are using Window XP, 23% are still using ‘98 like myself, 15% using 2000, just 9% are using a Mac and 6% arriving from Nokia Phones.

Also to my excitement over 60% of arrivals are using Firefox, with IE 6 making up 26% and 1.2% of people are still using IE 5. Opera users accounted for 6% with Mac Safari coming in at 5%.

Podthings is a website dedicated to finding the best information regarding podcasting, it’s a very useful tool to get all the content I miss, he currently has are great links to items regarding paycasting and podcatchers amoung other things.

Also, he has great links on the right hand side to help new users to understand what podcasting is.

So head along to Podthings.com (check out the cool logo also). I’ve already subscribed, so why don’t you?

Single? Try out Podato - A dating site with a difference, you don’t fill out a profile, you don’t sign up and pay €20.00 a month. (more…)

Great to see more activity in the podcasting world, with more and more people becoming aware of it brings new ideas/applications. Podr.com will be an easy to use podcast download application using bitorrent which will be a handy feature for people still on dial-up to get their favourite show faster. Which can only be a good thing.

After finding out about PodLot two nights ago I decided to give it a test run. It offers unlimited bandwidth at $4.00 a month and domain hosting is only an additional $2.00. This is dead handy for people who have a large following.

So I signed up for the trial run (5 days) to compare it to Slapcast and LibSyn. At the sign up page you are greeted with the contact details which is always a good sign, especially when you can get in contact via mobile, IM and Skype, so if you have any problems they are ready to assist you. (more…)

Major thanks to James Lewin who got in touch to ask a few questions about PodDate. He runs a great podcast resource over at Podcasting News. It’s a nice piece and will get more interest from others.

I had included James Corbett (who came to me with the idea) in the reply:

The idea came about after I had made a post about using gmail as a storage space for people who just want to try to record a podcast and don’t want to pay for storage. I already have three people after trying the service in a week, which is great – hopefully they will keep it up. This lead to James Corbett writing this post, after leaving a comment he got in touch by emailing me details of his idea.

The article can be viewed at Podcasting News, and the PodDate site is up and running, ready for singles to become part of the community.

Also posts over at PodcastPlayer.org and Largehearted Boy.

A new arrival in the PodHost market is Podlot.com. They offer hosting packages which gives you unlimited bandwidth each month.

They offer three different packages:

Standard Lot ($4.00 a month)

150 megabytes of storage unlimited bandwidth domain hosting*

(more…)

Following my daily visit to Adam Curry’s weblog I noticed he had made a post saying that ipodder.org had been updated. Of course I popped along to see the new look, it’s nice and simple (just the way every site should be). The newest podcasts will still be posted on the main page along with links to each category. The links are now placed on the right hand side, the logo is very strange, I don’t know what the meaning of it is (if there is one), maybe cutting the wires from radio and moving to podcasts?

But the biggest difference to the site was the inclusion of an advert for podshow.com, I clicked and was greeted with a heading saying “Making Podcasting Better”. What will this site be? Well it’s part of a group venture between Ron Bloom and Adam Curry as part of BoKu Communications (but more about that soon). The ideas is to get advertisers involved (much like what podcastAds was set up for) and give them placement in podcast shows, this is called targetcasting. Other areas covered are an information centre/application to help podcasters get off the ground and to help you make money from your podcast. For listeners this probably will just be details of how they can listen to podcasts and how to subscribe to shows, not only this but they may even have a pod player ready for distribution (see the bottom segment of the site for more details). Also if interested you can sign up to be informed of the latest news. You can also listen to details about PodShow from Adam Curry from the pod player.

These two sites now form the bases for bokucom a company set up with the following goal:

BoKu is in the process of expanding its podcasting system into a network that is enabling thousands of producers to cost-effectively create compelling content to fit the needs and desires of millions of users, with marketers benefiting from the connection. This dynamic audio and video content marketplace has a reach that extends beyond the computer into a fully mobile environment comprising communications, content and commerce.

Thought Out has designed a pedestal for your iPod family. This allows you to keep your desktop tidy and also keep your iPod out of danger of falling or having drink spill on it (perish the thought).

Thought Out has teamed up with MacCast (A show for Mac geeks by a Mac geek) to offer the iPed at just $19.99 a piece. This is the first step of co-operation between podcasting and companies, teaming together and giving special deals, in return for being heard on the show.

Thought Out offers exclusive iPed Discount for MacCast listeners.

It’s a very sleek design comes in Gloss Bright White, Off White or Grey and usually retails for $25.99.

Subscribe to MacCast

Over the past three days I have been in contact with James Corbett via email to discuss his blog post regarding PodDating.

With so many Irish people now turning to the web in search of a partner, there is now a way to include podcasting in this process.

How you may well ask, the answer is simple by the use of their mobile phone. People can attach their voice clips in an MMS/Email message and send it to podato@gmail.com, it is then manually converted to MP3 (the problem with mobile phones is that they record in .amr) but while converting it gives us the chance to check the content, change the ID tags, and begin the blog entry where the MP3 file will be placed (add optional advert e.g. visit poddate website at the end).

The website is currently at podato.com, users can subscribe to three different feeds, one for each sex or if they want they can listen to both sexes. If people don’t have MP Players they can just listen to the content on the website. Now the blog comes in handy at this stage, it allows people to give feedback on the voice (podclip) they have just heard: either asking for more information or wanting to get in contact with the person via email etc. a listener may even send a podclip aimed at the person they have just heard.

Unlike many dating websites there are no profiles so everyone starts on an even playing field, the problem with dating sites is that viewers look at the content and judge in fives seconds that this person is out of the question or if they have a picture this can have the same effect.

With these podclips people can feel secure and sell themselves at the same time. They needn’t feel embarrassed as no one will know them (they can make up a nickname when they start).

Also subscribe to the feed on the site so your can listen to single guys/girls on your way to work!

Yesterday I travelled alongside Bernie Goldbach with Mike Kiely at the wheel to help out at the Schoolworks at Tipperary Institute programme. On arrival we travelled around the campus looking for an ideal location for recording, luckily we had a choice of many rooms because of reading week. We found a rectangular room which became my home for the day. I set up my recording equipment and positioned them in the following layout:

The students sat down along the left hand side with Bernie asking questions from the right, the microphone stayed closer to the students because they had a quieter voice and Bernie is used to lecturing and his voice carries well. I used my iPod ear buds to listen in during the recordings, I would advise people to use larger headphones but the location was so quiet I felt the need not to.

The students had already designed images to coincide with what food they ate for St. Patrick’s Day. Only 3 out of the 14 have typical Irish Meals. But while recording them speak about the food they ate I learned that most people eat out for St. Patrick’s Day which is unheard of in this household.

The students also read a chapter of Blink by Malcolm Gladwell so during the recording session they were asked by Bernie about their thoughts on the book.

The first student to enter was Siobhan Scarlett who made some great images in Adobe Photoshop. She talked about her ideas and how she documented items for her portfolio work, along with her thoughts on the week long programme and why she choose her Patrick’s Day food.

The next two students to arrive in were Ronan and Christina. They had read an item relating to Kenna and how people judged him on first appearance and didn’t give him much chance even on the radio. They also talked about the food they most enjoyed to eat on St. Patrick’s Day.

Finally Paddy Murphy and Amy were next in the hot seat. They talked also about first impressions relating to the college. They also talked about and why they eat pizza and SuperMacs for lunch.

Most people nowadays not only just have a normal mobile phone, it is not uncommon to see a class full of students with camera/video features built it. The functionality allows them to record a Podcast. To do this via your mobile phone, record a sound clip and insert it into a MMS/Email message. Next step is in send it to your email address. Once you log-in to your email you will see the message and your number to go along side it. Click to open and view the attachments. Now you will see the recorded .amr file along with the smil file. This smil file is just data and is sent with all MMS messages - so take no notice of it. All you have to do is click the download button and choose the folder that you will to save it in. Remember to save under all files, it save as 3GPP you will be unable to convert to wav. (more…)

Check out NuParadigm DrizzleCast. This new application is for Windows and uses Microsoft BITS technology to download RSS enclosures using your idle bandwith. It’s a very simple and easy to use podcatcher, just what we need to get the latest podcasts.

Download it from NuParadigm

Thanks to James Corbett over at Eirepreneur for mentioning podhost and for sending a podclip from his Nokia 6600. He also had the following news:

I think I’ve finally convinced a friend of mine to start his own podcast, one which I believe will offer a very valuable service to a specific subsection of the community. Stay tuned….

Login into gmail and have a listen for yourself.

login: podhost password: ipodder

I just so happened to come across a podcast site from South African while browsing through google. It’s a website specifically for South Africans to come and learn all about podcasting and also place their podcast in the directory much like what I’m doing here. It has got some very informative content which is worth checking out.

I’m sure many Irish people have heard about podcasting and want to get involved in the process. Many wouldn’t want to pay hosting site to upload their MP3 files and maybe that’s why they haven’t started, well to make it super simple and free just email your MP3 file to podhost@gmail.com and maybe add the show notes in the body of the email. Now all people have to do is login to the gmail account > click and listen on their computer. Now anyone with a voice can start a podcast, It will be very interesting over the next few months to listen to a wide range of Irish people share their views/experiences.

Just send your MP3 file to podhost@gmail.com, people can listen to the shows by logging in with podhost and password: ipodder.

I remember back to when I was in 6th year in school wondering which college to go to. All I heard on the radio were adverts for Dublin, Waterford and Cork and I like most students was too lazy to visit the websites one by one and look at what they had on offer. In the end I choose TippInst for a number of reasons, it was in an ideal location, the course offered a great range of items (that I was already interested in) and the campus was nice and cosy.

But if TI is to get more students each year it needs to attack the right market just like other colleges. Each evening back then I would usually tune into 2FM and stick with it throughout the night. Then along came Beat FM and I soon switched (to a more local show, bigger chance of being heard).

The only radio I hear now is when the radio is on in the background while I’m having my daily meals.

I choose not to listen to radio, even when I am sitting in front on my computer (the room has no TV), I never turn on the radio, not even to hear the chart run down. Podcasting covers all these topics for me, although it’s not yet localised to my situation, it soon will be (give or take a few months). So if Podcasting really does catch on and I’m positive it will (thanks to the amount of MP3 Players that people now have). So wouldn’t it be worth placing little adverts in podcasts to extend your reach. You never know who may be listening.

After three hours of fiddling and lots of coffee, I finally have bbpress installed and in working order. I want to be able to implement the stylesheet so it will blend in with this site, but that’s for another day. The overall package of bbpress is amazing, it’s so simple but so very addictive, just like wordpress. Again it is open source so you can have a go at installing it and changing it as you see fit.

I can safely say that this is the first bbpress forum dedicated to Podcasting. It’s nice to have it up and running and to know that it will hopefully be a great resource for Irish people especially, to come and post and interact with other podcast enthusiasts. So why not pop over and help the Irish Podforum grow.

While looking through my previous webspace I found a few useful items, one in particular brought a lot of memories back. I remembered back to November when I explaining to my mother what my project was about and I tried to explain podcasting to her so she could realise what I was doing. To do so I got out my DVR and ask her to speak for a minute or so, my mother and technology don’t really mix. Have a listen for yourself, you won’t find it difficult to understand why I didn’t get to show her the whole process.

After 129 posts this blog is going public, allowing people to register and write an article. This can range from the first podcast you listened to after hearing about podcasting, the podcasts you listen to, what equipment to use, problems you had with podcasting or even useful items you have seen on the web or in the press relating to podcasting. Anything of interesting as long as it relates to podcasting.

Another new site under construction is Podbat, which will be geared towards podcasters and podcatchers. This should really be a great for podcasters if it has all of the below functionality.

Base: login/register and get your podcast news and feed. Subs: manage your feeds and downloads. Box: manage you podcasts, shownotes, tag manager (recording area coming soon). Bat: upload you podcasts, update RSS feed and file manager.