About Podcasting

As podcasters, we’re often asked, “What’s a podcast?” Most people still don’t know about the world of podcasting, so we’ll try to explain it simply here.

To make it easy, we’ve broken the subject down into a few questions:

Q: What is a podcast?
A: A podcast is like a radio or TV show that has been converted into a small digital file that can be stored in a portable music or video player and easily shared with others on the Internet.

Q: What is a Podcaster?
A: A podcaster is someone who creates podcasts. OK, that was too easy. Podcasts, since they are like radio or TV shows, are assembled from many different elements including music and video, and are hosted by one or more people who bring all these elements together to form a finished program. These people, because they create podcasts, are called podcasters.

Q: How can I watch or listen to a podcast?
A: There are a few different options available if you want to watch or listen to a podcast. The easiest way is on your computer. No need to buy any special gear, just turn up your computer speakers and click “Play” in Windows Media Player or an equivalent digital media player such as iTunes. Another option is a portable digital music player, which are available in the electronics departments of stores everywhere. There’s a huge variety of players available, so there is something for every price range and technical know-how, including some cell phones which serve as digital music players. The simplest and most popular, but not the least expensive, is the Apple iPod, which is available in several different models, including those that play audio and video.

Q: Where do I find podcasts?
A: There are several podcast distributors on the Internet. The largest distributor of podcasts is iTunes, whose software makes it simple to subscribe to podcast shows and automatically download new programs as they are released. If you’re just getting started iTunes is the simplest way to go.

Q: Do I have to own an iPod?
A: Nope. You don’t need an iPod to watch or listen to podcasts. You don’t even need an iPod to use the iTunes software. All you need is your computer.

Podcasting brings you the variety that broadcast TV and radio can’t, and gives you the ability to pause, rewind, save and share programs with your friends. And the best part is that most podcasts are absolutely free, and usually don’t have any commercials!

If you haven’t done so already, give podcasts a try today. There are many excellent podcasts to choose from here at the Disney Podcast Network, so this is a great place to start. Plus, all of the podcasts here are about one of your favorite things - Disney!