Part radio, part TiVo, literally bringing the voice of the everyman to the world, podcasting is an incredible phenomenon that’s sweeping the globe… and one self-described geek right here in Hawaii has written the first definitive guide. Honolulu resident and veteran podcaster Todd Cochrane was tapped by global publishing powerhouse John Wiley & Sons, Inc. to write “Podcasting: Do It Yourself Guide.”The 300+ page book covers every aspect of podcasts, from finding and listening to them, to creating, improving, and promoting your own audio show. Due out in June, the book will be on store shelves before the podcasting phenomenon itself is barely a year old.
Podcasting lets you listen to audio content anytime, anywhere, whether on your iPod or MP3 player, at your computer, or even through your cell phone. Simple and free software lets you subscribe to get new shows automatically. And the wide variety of podcasts puts the conventional radio dial to shame. In addition to audio content from mainstream outlets like Newsweek and the BBC, you can listen to home-grown technology reviews, grass-roots political talk, independent music, personal rants and reflections, or even the sounds from a random street corner on the other side of the globe.
And who creates all this diverse content? Anyone can. And “Podcasting: Do It Yourself Guide” can help you do it, too. Step-by-step instructions explain:
- Creating a podcast with just a PC or Mac
- Building a more professional recording studio
- Integrating on-air phone calls, interviews, music and more
- Dealing with copyright, music ownership, creative commons, and RIAA issues
- Integrating advertising into broadcasts
- Hosting and distributing podcasts
- Understanding the geeky stuff- RSS, XML and Enclosures
Podcasting has taken the online and radio world by storm. Leading radio conglomerate Infinity Broadcasting launched an all-podcast station in California just last week. Former MTV veejay and “godfather of podcasting” Adam Curry recently inked a deal with XM satellite radio to do a podcast show. The explosive growth of podcasting prompted Wired magazine to declare “The End of Radio.”
And while celebrities and traditional media companies are podcasting, so is the couple up the street. In Honolulu, there are nearly a dozen podcasters expressing themselves to a global audience, covering everything from Macintosh computers to local politics to family life.
Todd Cochrane is the owner and host of Geek News Central, a popular technology news hub that serves more than 250,000 weekly visitors. Always on the cutting edge, Todd’s podcasts, which began in Oct 2004, were among the first, and after only six months had nearly 10,000 listeners with the audience growing at about 15 percent per month. The popularity of his podcasts has drawn the attention of Fortune 500 companies, and he was one of the first to actually have advertisers on his podcast.
PODCASTING: Do It Yourself Guide
By Todd Cochrane
Published by Wiley
Publication Date: June 6, 2005
$19.99; Paperback; 314 pages; ISBN: 0-7645-9778-7
ABOUT WILEY: Wiley is a global knowledge company with a diverse portfolio of technology, business, consumer and how-to brands, computer-based learning tools, Web-based products and Internet e-services. Wiley’s best-selling brands and imprints include Jossey-Bass, For Dummies, Betty Crocker, Culinary Institute of America (CIA), Bible, CliffsNotes, Howell Book House, Frommer’s, Unofficial Guides, Visual, Weight Watchers, Wrox, JK Lasser, and Webster’s New World. Wiley has thousands of active titles in 39 languages and also owns the Websites cliffsnotes.com, dummies.com and frommers.com.
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