Everything you wanted to know about podcasting
Podcasting FAQs
What is a podcast?
A podcast is a media file (ex: audio or video clip) that is distributed by subscription over the Internet for playback on PCs or handhelds such as Blackberry devices, iPods, or Treos. Podcasting is a way of publishing these files, or podcasts, to the web, allowing people to subscribe to receive new "episodes" automatically through an RSS feed.
What's the difference between a webcast and a podcast?
Users can visit individual websites to listen to webcasts, but with podcasting, they can subscribe to a podcast and have new content automatically downloaded to their computer or handheld device. Thus, content is aggregated and delivered on-demand so that the users can enjoy it whenever or wherever they like.
What is RSS?
RSS (Rich Site Summary) is a format for delivering regularly changing web content. RSS feeds can contain any type of media, including audio, video, graphics, and more. Many news channels, radio stations, and online media outlets syndicate their content as an RSS feed so that listeners can control when and where they hear their favorite programming.
How difficult is it to create a podcast?
Creating a podcast is easy. First, you'll want software on your Mac or PC to create your audio, video, or graphics files in virtually any format. Next, bring these files together. If you're on a PC, you can do this with software such as Audacity, a cross-platform, open source application for audio files and [TBD] for video files. If you are using a Mac, we recommend GarageBand to create your audio-based podcasts and iMovie for video files.
Once you have your media file created, you won't need anything else. There's nothing to install and no server/platform requirements to worry about to access SolidCasts. All you need is a current web browser with Javascript turned on and an Internet connection. SolidCasts supports IE 6 or later on the PC; Firefox on Mac, PC, or Linux machine; and Safari on Mac). Note: SolidCasts does not support IE 5.x on the Mac or PC. If you have IE 5, we recommend switching to Firefox. It's modern, fast, compatible, and like Audacity - it's free.
What software do users need to experience my podcasts?
Users can experience podcasts by downloading RSS reader software. Some popular feed readers include Amphetadesk (Windows, Linux, Mac), FeedReader (Windows), and NewsGator (Windows - integrates with Outlook). Once they have their RSS reader, it's just a matter of finding sites that syndicate content and adding that RSS feed to the list of feeds that their RSS reader software checks. This way all the latest content the user wants is automatically streamed to his computer or handheld device without him having to go out and look for it.
Where can users access my podcast episodes?
Simply use SolidCasts to post your latest podcasts to your website. Users subscribe to your podcast and automatically receive new podcast feeds whenever you post a new episode.
SolidCast FAQs
How do I track the number of people that have viewed my podcast?
Every time a users' iTunes or RSS reader accesses an episode we track it and add it to our logs. The download count located next to your podcast name on the Dashboard is the total number of downloads for all of the episodes in that podcast. You can also see the number of downloads of each episode by viewing the Podcast Info page.
How do I track unique subscribers to my podcast?
The best way to track unique subscribers to your podcast is to install a log analyzer on your website or blog that links to your feed. Most hosting providers offer statistics packages in your hosting contract. Speak to your hosting provider for more details.
How can I provide my users with direct access to view an episode?
You can provide direct access to listen to or view an episode on your website or blog without having to subscribe to the RSS feed. To do so, view the Podcast Info detail page to view the list of episodes in that feed. Right-click on the name of the episode and copy the link location. You can then use that link in the code of your website or blog entry to provide a direct link to the episode file. You can also embed the file to be played directly on your website or blog by using the following code:
<embed src="http://www.solidcasts.com/episode/xx/audio/xx/yourpodcast.mov" height=xxx" width="xxx" autoplay="false">
Make sure you replace the URL with your own episode URL and specify the video width and height.Why are there multiple charges on my credit card statement?
If you have a subscription to multiple products in the SolidSuite family, you will see multiple charges on your credit card. SolidSuite charges based on the activation of the paid subscription for a product. If you have more charges on your credit card than you do subscriptions please contact us at support@solidspace.com and we will be more than happy to resolve the issue.
Can I cancel a subscription?
Of course. It's easy to cancel any subscription at any time. Simply login to SolidSuite and select the Products menu item. Then click on the Edit button next to the product you wish to cancel and in the Current Plan drop-down, select cancel.
Why does a canceled product appear in my list of products?
We can't believe you'd REALLY want to cancel, so we'll keep your product-related data around for a minimum of 90 days in case you come to your senses, or you want to retrieve your data. Eventually we'll take the hint and delete subscription data of canceled subscriptions that are outside of the 90-day window.
Do you keep my credit card info if I cancel a subscription during that 90-day safe period mentioned?
If you have no active paid subscriptions to any of our products, we do not keep your credit card info. That is deleted immediately upon confirmation of cancellation.
Can I have more than one credit card on file?
At this time, no. SolidSpace believes in keeping things simple. The simplest action for our users is to have only one credit card on file for any of our products in the SolidSuite family. It is possible that some time in the future we may allow for multiple credit cards. If enough people request anything, we'll get it done.
Why do you make me confirm an e-mail address change?
We use your e-mail address as one of our main means of communication with you for billing and subscription-related conversations. In order to make sure we are talking to the correct person we need to verify that you have received our e-mails. We do not send unsolicited email or share your e-mail address with anyone.