What is a Podcast?

 

The term podcast is a combination of the words iPod and Broadcast.  A podcast is comparable to a radio broadcast - but the listener can access the podcast on their own time.  Podcasts can also be watched on a website, such as this one (you may need specific media players, such as QuickTime, in order for objects on a website to play correctly).

 

Are there different kinds of podcasts?

 

Yes.  Podcasts can contain pictures, videos, audio, or hyperlinks to outside websites (internet connection needed) - or all of the above.

 

I don’t have an iPod, can I still listen to or watch a podcast?

 

Yes!  Most people only listen or watch podcasts on their computer anyway.  Depending on the capabilities of your personal media player (such as an iPod) it is possible to watch or listen to a podcast on your personal media player, however this option would require a subscription to a podcast series (see below).

 

What is the “subscribe” button I see on these pages.

 

When you subscribe to a podcast series (i.e. “community relations”) your podcast “catcher” (see below) automatically receives new podcast “episodes” in that series when they are made available.  Because these episodes are automatically downloaded, you don’t run into streaming problems with the web (such as long/slow loading times), and you can view the episodes at your convenience.

 

Do I need any special software to be able to subscribe to a podcast?

 

 

Why do I want to subscribe to a podcast?

 

When you watch a podcast from our website you are literally streaming it from one computer to another.  Depending on internet traffic, this stream can be very slow, or it can be jittery as it starts and stops repeatedly.  Subscribing to a podcast loads the file onto your computer “behind the scenes” so when you sit down at your machine it is already there waiting for you instead of you waiting for it.  You can start it, stop it, replay it at your leisure without being at the mercy of internet traffic.  We highly recommend subscribing to podcasts as the method of receiving our episodes.