Preproduction

I feel that I am to the point in my research that I need to actually experiment with creating a podcast to test whether production is actually as easy as it seems.
I learned the following info from Learing In Hand by Tony Vincent. (see links)
Much planning is needed before you step up to the microphone. Preproduction usually takes over 3/4's of the time to produce a podcast. Keep your audience in mind. Who will listen to the podcast? What age group? What education level? What state? Is your audience personal or the public? All of these questions will help you to better focus the podcast and make it more enjoyable and beneficial for your audience.
Your podcast will then need a name. The more creative the better! This is going to be tough for me since I haven't come to a conclusive decision about my podcast. I'll most likely do oral pathology, but I can't remember what unit 1 was about so I'll have to name mine later.
Next, who will actually be heard in the recording? For now, just me. Other questions to consider: Should you have a host? What segments do you plan for the show?
When planning you need to consider the length of your podcast. This should be based on content and audience.
Practice out loud what you will say. Practice enunciating every word and find an appropriate volume and speed.
Tony Vincent recommends using a USB headset microphone like the ones made by Logitech. If using Macintosh, he suggests using the included Garageband software for recording and postproduction. For Windows users he suggests using the free software Audacity.
One last suggestion for production is to record the introduction last to introduce exactly what you have already included in the podcast and you will sound better due to the practice you've had recording the podcast.
Postproduction:
Edit the audio as necessary; make sure all clips are arranged properly, clips can be trimmed to delete unnecessary pauses or interuptions. Music and sound effects can be added in postproduction. If you use music, make sure it is "podsafe." Podsafe music can be legally used in a podcast and freely distributed online for others to download.
Once the podcast sounds just the way you want it, it's time to send it to iTunes. You can do it from the File menu in Garageband, or you can export to an AIFF or MP3 in Audacity and then open the exported file in iTunes. Now you select the file you imported in iTunes and select Get Info from the File menu. Complete the fields. It's best to make sure this information is consistent in each podcast produced. Once you've filled in all of the fields select OK. Next, choose "Convert selection to MP3" from the Advanced menu. FInally, select the file in the iTunes list and drag and drop in onto the computer's descktop. Now your MP3 file is there and you're ready for publishing.
Publishing
This is the most technical part of the entire process. You need access to a web server. You'll copy the MP3 file to the server. Also, a podcast needs a web page and an RSS feed. For the web page, use your favorite HTML editor (like Dreamweaver or FrontPage) or put the podcast information into a blog posting, (such as this one).
You might need software that creates the RSS feed if your web server doesn't create on for you. Feeder ($29.95) for Macintosh and FeedForAll ($39.95) for Mac and Windows are great pieces of software for making the RSS feed. It's somewhat complicated, so be sure to use the help menus or read the user manual. Once you input the information for your podcast into one of these software applications, it will have you upload the RSS feed to a web server. A free alternative for the RSS feed is to use the Blogger and Feedburner method (see link) for publishing the web page and RSS feed for a podcast
Submit the web address of your RSS feed to podcast directories, including iTunes, to tell the world about the podcast!
Linking to iTunes (see links): Learn how to link to your podcast in iTunes so web visitors can easily subscribe.

Joni
2 hours