Transcript Slides - Kate Kosturski, MSLIS

Kate Kosturski, @librarian_kate
Podcaster, The Knitting Librarian Podcast
Pratt Institute School of Information and Library Science
LIS 680, Instructional Technologies
November 8, 2010
What is a Podcast?
 Collection of self-created files (audio, video or both)
on a host server.
 How do these differ from other audio or video files?
 RSS transmits new content when it is available.
 You don’t have to do anything (or next to nothing) to get
the new content – it will download automatically!
 As of December 2009, over 150,000 podcasts are
available in iTunes for download.
What is an RSS Feed?
 Format (XML) used for publishing frequently updated
works
 What does an RSS feed include?
 Full published file
 Metadata
 Examples of RSS Feeds:
 http://feeds.kexp.org/kexp/musicthatmatters (KEXP Music
that Matters Podcast)
 http://knittinglibrarian.libsyn.com/rss (The Knitting
Librarian) (shameless self-promotion)
Why Do People Make Podcasts?
 Preserve content that may have historical or cultural
significance
 Build speaking/presentation/technical/software skills
 Gives those who may not have a voice that voice
 Ex. Radio Rookies (WNYC)
Why Should Libraries Make Podcasts?
 Teaching tool
 Opportunity to participate in library instruction without
being present (distance education).
 Review concepts covered in a seminar or class that may
have been difficult
 Excellent marketing tool for your library
 Show off new collections and services
 Record library events
There’s a Podcast for Everything
No. Really. There Is.
 Public Radio: Car Talk, This American Life
 Music: KEXP Song of the Day, IndieFeed
 Humor: Jay and Silent Bob Get Old, The Ricky Gervais
Podcast
 Sports: ESPN’s Pardon the Interruption
 Tech: This Week in Tech
 Lifestyle: Various language courses, Grammar Girl, The
Splendid Table
(As of September 2010, these are all available on iTunes!)
You Convinced Me. Let’s Make One.
So How Do I Do It?
 The stuff – what do you need to make the
podcast?
 The know-how – how do I record, edit, and
upload the podcast?
 The name – Marketing the Podcast
The Stuff – What do You Need?
 Microphone
 Digital Audio Recording/Editing Software
 Computer
 Recording Studio
 Internet Connection/ISP
 Server Access
 Podcast Receiver
 But before all this you need….
The Big Idea!
 What’s your Podcast Going to be All About?
 Develop one theme for your podcast
 Have regular segments
 Don’t be boring!
 Keep it simple and short
 Stay Consistent with Your Theme but Have Room for
Experimentation (listener feedback might be helpful!)
More on The Big Idea
 Some questions to ask yourself when prepping podcast
content….
 What aspect of my life/organization am I passionate
about?
 What do family/friends/colleagues ask for help about?
 What can I speak about on a expert level?
 What services would my organization like to promote?
Exercise: Creating Promo Content
 Working in your library groups, spend 10 minutes
outlining what you want in your library podcast. Use
the questions and thoughts on the previous slides as a
guide.
 General or specific (i.e. specific product or service)?
 Supplement to a library class or event?
 How long do you want it to be?
10 Minute Break
Questions?
The Details (The Other Stuff)
 The Microphone
 USB or line-in, desktop v. headphones.
 Newer Macs also have built in microphones.
 Good idea to have different mics for different purposes
 The Computer
 Duh. 
 Digital Recording/Editing Software
 Cleans up sound and saves it to the right format
 GarageBand (Mac), Audacity (PC & Mac)
More Details
 The Recording
Studi0
 This can be
anywhere.
 Open space, quiet,
little echo
 Stable Internet
connection and
power sources
 This is where I record. 
And Still More Details!
(Really, I Swear this is Easy Stuff.)
 Internet and Server
 The podcast’s home and how the podcast gets
home.
 The Aggregator
 How your fans will find your podcast if not on your
website
 Examples: iTunes, iTunesU, Juice
Time to Make the Podcasts
 Create Content
 Edit and Save Content
 Upload to a Host Server
 Subscribe in iTunes with RSS Address
Creating Your Content
 Audio
 Video
 Interviews
 Screenshots
 Audiobooks
 Live video
 Promos
recording
 Photo slideshow
 Speech
 Conversation
Always remember copyright!
Scripts (Not the Web Kind)
 It’s extremely important to have a script!
 Scripts keep you on schedule
 Scripts organize your content
 Scripts make great show notes
 Scripts will help groom your confidence as a
public speaker.
The Tech Side of Creating Content
 Sample Rate – The speed at which your
audio comes in to your microphone and the
editing software. Measured in kb/sec.
 Mono v. Stereo – how much audio info are
you collecting?
Tech Tips
 Watch your volume – this may take trial and
error.
 Keep speakers turned down to avoid feedback
 Hold your microphone about six inches from
your mouth
 Remember what Mom told you – Speak
clearly and Speak up!
All About Audacity
 Open-source, free audio recording and editing
software (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Audacity)
 Compatible with PC, Mac and Linux
 Download from sourceforge.net:
http://audacity.sourceforge.net/download/.
 Use Version 1.2 for this class.
Getting Started with Audacity
(Demo)
The (Rather) LAME Encoder
 The LAME Encoder Audacity to convert Audacity
projects to MP3 files.
 Why MP3? These are small and universal.
 MUST BE DOWNLOADED!
 http://audacity.sourceforge.net/help/faq?s=install&ite
m=lame-mp3
Next Week
 Come to class with the following:
 Podcast promo
 Background music/sounds (resources will be on the
wiki)
 Bring headphones to class
 Save the pieces of the promo on a USB drive, Dropbox,
etc.
 Next week…
 Putting the promo pieces together
 Uploading, creating the RSS feed and marketing
Useful Resources
 “Podcasting: Making Noise The New Fashioned Way.”
Presented by Thomas Dopko and Dow Jones at the 2009
Special Libraries Association Conference, Washington, DC:
(Slides available on request.)
 Cochrane, Todd. Podcasting: Do-It-Yourself Guide.
Indianapolis, IN.: Wiley Publishing Inc., 2005
 Wikipedia
 Podcasting: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Podcasts
 RSS: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/RSS
Contact Info
 The Knitting Librarian Podcast:
http://knittinglibrarian.libsyn.com
 Email: [email protected]
 Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/librarian_kate
 Blog: http://www.librariankate7578.com