Podcasts: Listening for Pleasure and
Learning
See this post in the form of a mindmap.
What is a podcast?
Podcasts have recently celebrated their 10th birthday. For such a revolutionary
invention, they are an incredibly simple concept, consisting of 4 components.
1.
2.
3.
4.
Online audio file
Subscription protocol (called RSS or Really Simple Syndication)
Software to check subscription and download the file
Listening device
Popularised by former MTV DJ Adam Curry, podcasts changed a
simple online audio file into a radio station. All that a producer
needed to do was write a note about new audio into a special file
(called a feed) and everybody who subscribed to that feed with
their podcast software (podcatcher) would download the file
when ready.
Simply leave your podcatcher on overnight and you wake up to
hours of fun listening. Copy your audio on your portable music player and carry a
customised radio station with you.
The pod of podcast comes from iPod which was the most popular portable MP3
player 10 years ago. These days, most people have been listen to their podcasts
on their smartphone. This means they don’t have to worry about copying anything
to their player. The podcasts simply appear on their phone.
Why listen to podcasts
All the reasons for listening to audiobooks that I mentioned in the post on reading
with your ears apply to podcasts. But podcasts also help you:
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Keep up to date with news
Keep up to date on developments in technology
Catch up on your favourite radio shows
Learn new things from many areas
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Where to get podcasts
One of the things that made podcasts more mainstream was their inclusion in
Apple’s iTunes. Pretty much all podcasts can be found there. But the iTunes
software has become bloated so not everyone likes to use it. Luckily, there are other
places you can get podcasts:
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All podcast websites will have a feed icon and link you can enter in your
podcatchers
Most podcatchers have built-in podcast directories where you can find new
podcasts
There are online directories of podcasts (like iPodder or Podfeed)
2 examples of subscription options on a podcast website.
How to listen to podcasts
You can listen to podcasts in several different ways.
1. Smartphone or tablet
2. Portable MP3 player
3. Computer
In every case, you need a piece of software called a podcatcher. Let’s have a look
at the different podcatchers you can choose.
Smart Phone/Tablet
There are two main online platforms: iOS and Android. Most apps only work on iOS
or Android. Some like PocketCasts work on both. All of these podcast apps will let
you:
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Find and subscribe to podcasts
Download podcasts overnight
Listen to podcasts
They can also export and import podcast subscriptions making it easy to move
between podcatchers (I’ve used about 10 by now).
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PocketCasts (Android/iPhone/iPad – paid)
PocketCasts has been getting rave reviews from podcast experts because of its
beautiful design and ease of use. It has all the key features and for people who have
both Android and iOS device, it will sync between them. It is not free but has a 2week trial period.
BeyondPod (Android – paid)
BeyondPod is the podcatcher I use every day. It has lots of functionality that will let
you customise how you download and listen to every podcast. It plays at different
speeds and has lots of options for managing your playlist. It’s not difficult to use but
because of its many features, it is best for those who don’t mind learning new
software.
Stitcher Radio (Android/iPhone/iPad – free)
Stitcher has a great directory of podcasts. It allows you to build a number of “radio
stations” from different online podcasts. Unfortunately, its default setting is to stream
rather than download audio, so you have set that manually. It also does not have a
lot of settings. Still, it is quite popular.
AntenaPod (Android – free)
AntenaPod is a great, easy-to-use free podcatcher for Android. It has all the key
features but its main weakness is a relatively small directory of podcasts to subscribe
to.
Podcasts (iPhone/iPad – free)
Podcasts is the default app on iOS. It was split out of the old iTunes app but still has
full access to the iTunes podcast directory. It is a great choice for people who like
things the Apple way.
Computer / MP3 Player
If you want to listen on an MP3 player without app support, you first have to
download the podcast to your computer and then copy it to your portable device.
There are several free podcatchers for the computer that will do this very nicely.
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You can, of course, also listen on the computer directly – either inside the app or
with you favourite music player.
iTunes (Mac/Windows – free)
iTunes is a music player that allows you to not only purchase music but also
download free podcasts and even lecture. It has been criticised recently for being
slow and bloated but it has all you need (particularly if you have an iPod).
gPodder (Windows/Mac/Linux – free)
gPodder was the podcatcher I settled on before switching to listening on my
smartphone. It only does one thing – download podcasts – but it does it well. It is
best for people who prefer to find their own podcasts online.
There are many other applications out there. Some of them are listed here.
What podcasts do I listen to?
I subscribe to about 40 podcasts so that I always have queue of things to listen to.
Some of my podcasts are recordings of radio shows but most are podcasts.
Here are some of my favourites that I thought others might enjoy, as well. Let me
know in the comments what podcasts you like.
Technology
Most of my technology news seems to come from the TWiT network. There are
video versions of all of their shows.
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Tech News Today
TWiT (This Week in Tech)
This Week in Google
Security Now
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Windows Weekly
Education
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Stuff You Should Know
Freakonomics Radio
New Books Network (interviews with book authors from various disciplines)
Media Show
Start The Week
Science Friday
Fun
 Friday Night Comedy Radio 4 (BBC Radio’s satirical view of the week’s news)
 Wait, Wait Don't Tell Me (American counterpart to the News Quiz)
 Mark Kermode Film Reviews
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