A-be-ce-darian

Saturday, September 30, 2006

Podcasting - What is it And How it works?

If you browse the net quite for sometime ,then you would definitely come across the word "Podcasting".Some quick questions in mind.........
  • What is Podcasting?
  • Do we need an iPod to listen to podcasts?
  • Will I be charged for listening podcasts?
Well,let's see about Podcasts in detail.Podcasting is a method of distributing audio content over the Internet,so that it can be listened to at the user's convenience.The term was was a contraction of "iPod" and "broadcasting".

Even though the term was derived from iPod,one doesn't require an iPod to listen to podcasts.You can listen podcasts on any MP3 player for that matter even on our computer.And its absolutely free.

Typically there are three steps involved in setting up your personal computer to receive podcasts.
Step 1:Download Podcast Software
To make our computer receive podcasts we need to download a software.This software automatically checks for updated audio content in your favourite website and downloads it for you.This software is usually free.
Some of the softwares are:
iTunes
Juice
Doppler

Step 2:Setup and subscribe to podcasts
Once you have downloaded the software setup it (some simple steps).Now you have to subscribe to the feeds of your choice as you just do for RSS Feeds.

Step 3:Listen to the audio
Once a new episode from your favourite site becomes available,the podcasting software automatically downloads it for you.You can listen it on the spot or later.You can also download it to your iPod or any MP3 player.

Related Links: Also Know About RSS

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Wednesday, September 27, 2006

A Simple Illustration of RSS for Abecedarians

RSS an abbreviation of "Really Simple Syndication" is a powerful way to distribute headlines to wide number of people.

If you are a beginner and willing to try "RSS" for the first time,then you may find this post helpful.Follow the below steps to get an overview of RSS

Step 1:Open the site you want to get updates or headlines.
For example Abecedarian

Step 2:Right click on the orange icon or the link which claims to provide the feed as shown in the figure and copy the link location using the "Copy Link Location" option.

Step 3:Now open Bloglines website which is one of the many "Feed aggregators".Sign Up with that site.It's free.

Step 4:Click on MyFeeds.Then click on Add option provided by Bloglines.


Step 5:Paste the link you got from your favourite website and click Subscribe button.

The rest will be taken care by Bloglines .It collects all the headlines with a brief introduction and displays it for you.If you like a particular article ,you can click on the headline link and navigate to your site.
You can unsubscribe from any feed at any time using the option provided by your respective feed aggregator.

Follow the above steps to add more feeds.

Related Links : Know About RSS

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Know About RSS - A Powerful Way to Distribute Headlines

Earlier if we want to keep updated ourselves with the articles of our choice or products of our interest ,we had to visit all the websites one by one - a very frustrating task.Or we had to subscribe to their Newsletters via E-mail - which is cumbersome.

So,how do we get information about our interests which is accurate,updated and which changes at irregular intervals?The solution is "RSS".RSS stands for "Really Simple Syndication".It is an easy way to distribute updated content/headlines to wide number of people.

How does RSS work?
RSS works like this
  • The website authors maintain a list of headlines on their website.
  • This list of headlines is called an "RSS Feed".
  • In order to read those feeds and organize them we have a special program(actually its an application) called "RSS aggregators".
How would I know whether a website offers its headlines as a feed?
Typically ,a website which offers RSS feed will have any one of the following
  • An orange button with the letters "XML" or "RSS"
  • A link such as "Syndicate this Site"
  • Buttons of different "RSS aggregators".
If you use firefox you can find an orange button in the address bar which indicates that site provides RSS feeds.

In case of button or link,we have to right click and copy the link with "copy link location" option.Once we have the link ,we have to submit it to RSS aggregator program.

Where can I get RSS aggregator program?
RSS aggregators are of two types
  • Desktop based(needs to be downloaded) such as FeedReader
  • Web based(we should register with it) such as Bloglines
In both the cases we have to submit the feed link ( which we got from the website of our choice ) in their respective add sections.Now ,the RSS aggregators do their job of collecting headlines from the website.

What if I don't want to receive feeds anymore?
You can unsubscribe from any feed at anytime in case you don't like it and don't want to receive headlines anymore from a particular site.

Advantages:
  • No need to visit each and every site.
  • Updated content.
  • Fast and reliable.
  • All related information at a single place.
Related Posts:A Simple Illustration of RSS , Also Know About Podcasting

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About This Blog

Hi.I'm Ramesh and I'm the guy behind this blog.I work for a reputed software company.I'm from India.

My aim is to provide good content that is really useful to others. This blog contains all technology related news,updates,tips and reviews. Also I would like to write about some interesting news. My blog will be helpful to beginners too.

I would be happy if you leave a comment on my posts. Please also suggest me if I can improve.