The goal of this module is to tie up some of the loose strands from other modules.
After completing this module, you should be able to:
build a new media presence to host and distribute your podcast series by setting up a web package or personal space.
Introduction
Any teacher of instructional design is happy to see that a product they helped to create, lives on past the class. That the design project gets realized and implemented for its intended use in the world. I believe that the real world is the ultimate arbiter of design evaluation. You have indeed designed a good quality podcast if you attract and hold an audience. In this module I'll go over some of the ways to think about implementation of your podcast for real.
Distribution and Promotion
In order to fully implement your podcast, you will not only need your episodes, but also a plan for implementation. By this I mean, your plan for how to get the audience you described in your design document to both listen and learn from your podcast. As you know, the "true" podcast means getting your audience to subscribe through iTunes or other podcatcher. Part of your implementation plan might include how you teach your audience to subscribe. Another strategy might be to forgo subscription and post your content to a webpage. By putting a simple link to a webpage, your audience can just click and download each file.
To learn more about the options for promoting and distributing your podcasts, read the following four main sections inFarkas, Ch 5, pp. 238 to 273: (Remember: when you get to GMU's Safari Books Online type Podcasts into search field and limit search to Book Titles Only)
How to Promote Your Podcast, p.238
Farkas suggests a few options for letting the world know you exist by submiting your podcasts for inclusion in popular podcast directories. See the list of directories in Module 2. Upload your files to an audio service and then their visitors looking for educational podcasts can subscribe to your feed.
iTunes. In the iTunes Store > Podcasts, click on Submit a Podcast. You will be asked for the feed. From what I understand it takes about 6 months to get approved. But if you do get through, expect a very large audience.
Alternative Podcasting Distribution Options, p.244
RSS Syndication vs. Streaming
Syndication - To subscribe or not to subscribe? That is the question. For the purposes of this course, many of you have chosen an audience that is well-defined and for the most part closed. By this I mean, your intention is not any and everyone who might stumble upon and subscribe to your podcast. However, if you were interested in gaining a larger audience with minimal extra effort, syndication is the way to go. RSS is designed for little old you to become a media powerhouse with an audience of millions. But there are other ways to go about distributing your podcasts. While syndication defines a "true" podcast, in practical parlance, "...any audio file that is available as a download from a hyperlink on any website is considered to be a podcast." (Farkas, 2006, p.245).
Linking or Embedded Web Player If your website is the hub for your show content and listeners come to your site for other things, then there are a few options for adding players to your website for those who don't want to subscribe now and just want to sample quickly.
Link to file
Link to other sites
Embedded web player examples:
RSS Feed Software Options, pp. 249-254
Automated RSS Feeds For the purposes of this course, I required that you write an RSS feed by hand to demonstrate your competency in podcasting. However, writing a feed can be a pain, it would be like hand coding each web page in HTML. There are an increasing number of tools that seek to make creating and maintaining your RSS feed an easier process.
Google's Feedburner -- You can set it up to grab the RSS feed for each new blog post that contains a link to an audio file and Feedburner will generate the correct XML enclosure tag understood by podcasting software. Feedburner updates your feed automatically. No more writing XML. And improves your feed's appearance in most web browsers and makes it easier to subscribe to (view it in Firefox) Example from my blog used in exercise 4
You can also use it to manage your hand-made feed from exercise 3 and make a nice page for public distribution with several nice features including an embedded player version. You may also set up some optional traffic stats tracking and podcasting services. See this example
Web-Site Packagers, pp. 264-269
Farkas discusses some turn-key solutions for publishing your podcasts and making them available to the public. In the previous section Farkas reviewed the benefits of iWeb, a Mac oriented service, for building a podcasting web presence. He then covers some podcast hosting companies that are typcially fee-based services that build, publish, and promote your podcasts for you. For example, I have heard good things about LibSyn
Free Podcast Publishing Sites:
iWeb and .Mac helps you create a website and is partially free but you do much of the work.
Internet Archives which is now connected through OurMedia can serve to store audio/video files, but you can not easily, freely, or completely set up a syndicated podcast publication site.
Module 5: Implement
Table of Contents
http://askaninja.com/episodes
The goal of this module is to tie up some of the loose strands from other modules.
After completing this module, you should be able to:
Any teacher of instructional design is happy to see that a product they helped to create, lives on past the class. That the design project gets realized and implemented for its intended use in the world. I believe that the real world is the ultimate arbiter of design evaluation. You have indeed designed a good quality podcast if you attract and hold an audience. In this module I'll go over some of the ways to think about implementation of your podcast for real.
Distribution and Promotion
In order to fully implement your podcast, you will not only need your episodes, but also a plan for implementation. By this I mean, your plan for how to get the audience you described in your design document to both listen and learn from your podcast. As you know, the "true" podcast means getting your audience to subscribe through iTunes or other podcatcher. Part of your implementation plan might include how you teach your audience to subscribe. Another strategy might be to forgo subscription and post your content to a webpage. By putting a simple link to a webpage, your audience can just click and download each file.To learn more about the options for promoting and distributing your podcasts, read the following four main sections in Farkas, Ch 5, pp. 238 to 273: (Remember: when you get to GMU's Safari Books Online type Podcasts into search field and limit search to Book Titles Only)
How to Promote Your Podcast, p.238
Farkas suggests a few options for letting the world know you exist by submiting your podcasts for inclusion in popular podcast directories. See the list of directories in Module 2. Upload your files to an audio service and then their visitors looking for educational podcasts can subscribe to your feed.Alternative Podcasting Distribution Options, p.244
- RSS Syndication vs. Streaming
Syndication - To subscribe or not to subscribe? That is the question.For the purposes of this course, many of you have chosen an audience that is well-defined and for the most part closed. By this I mean, your intention is not any and everyone who might stumble upon and subscribe to your podcast. However, if you were interested in gaining a larger audience with minimal extra effort, syndication is the way to go. RSS is designed for little old you to become a media powerhouse with an audience of millions. But there are other ways to go about distributing your podcasts. While syndication defines a "true" podcast, in practical parlance, "...any audio file that is available as a download from a hyperlink on any website is considered to be a podcast." (Farkas, 2006, p.245).
Linking or Embedded Web Player
If your website is the hub for your show content and listeners come to your site for other things, then there are a few options for adding players to your website for those who don't want to subscribe now and just want to sample quickly.
RSS Feed Software Options, pp. 249-254
Automated RSS FeedsFor the purposes of this course, I required that you write an RSS feed by hand to demonstrate your competency in podcasting. However, writing a feed can be a pain, it would be like hand coding each web page in HTML. There are an increasing number of tools that seek to make creating and maintaining your RSS feed an easier process.
Example from my blog used in exercise 4
See this example
Web-Site Packagers, pp. 264-269
Farkas discusses some turn-key solutions for publishing your podcasts and making them available to the public. In the previous section Farkas reviewed the benefits of iWeb, a Mac oriented service, for building a podcasting web presence. He then covers some podcast hosting companies that are typcially fee-based services that build, publish, and promote your podcasts for you. For example, I have heard good things about LibSynFree Podcast Publishing Sites:
Selected New Media Site Examples
Now review some (mostly) educational and corporate sites that have a good new media podcasting presence:Continuing the Learning
Join a community to learn more or contribute.Assignments
You're done with this module if you: