What is a podcast? Explained in a simple and understandable way
Almost everyone has heard the word podcast. However, less is known exactly what is behind it. In our article we explain what a podcast is and how it works.
Podcast - what is it?
A podcast contains a series of media files, i.e. audio or video files that you can subscribe to.
- The term is made up of broadcast (German: Rundruf) and iPod. The iPod as an MP3 player from Apple is primarily responsible for the success of the podcasts.
- Podcasts are offered, for example, by radio and television stations. Various website operators also offer content as a podcast.
- An example of a podcast is comedy contributions on the radio. All contributions to a comedy series are often offered as podcasts. As soon as a new post appears, it will also be added to the podcast.
- You can subscribe to a podcast. You then do not have to access every post on the website. Instead, use an RSS feed to download the posts in a program like iTunes.
- Podcasts are generally free of charge. They are financed by the operator through advertising or through your radio contributions.
Subscribe to podcast: how it works
- To subscribe to a podcast, you need a suitable program, a podcatcher.
- Well-known podcatchers are iTunes, gPodder and Winamp.
- You can find podcasts on websites such as Youtube, Podcast.de or Podster.de. A podcast directory is integrated in iTunes.
- On the websites of the podcast providers you can copy the RSS address of the desired podcast and call it up in a podcatcher.
In the next practical tip, we will show you how to create your own podcast.