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Hosting considerations
Is a podcast a Web site? It is clear that podcasting uses HTTP hosting so it needs a Web server. Strictly speaking, though, you don't need an HTML site to podcast. Assuming they find you through a podcast directory and subscribe directly with a podcasting client to your RSS feed, listeners might never see your site.
Still it's a good idea to provide a Web site, if only to offer a description of the podcast and instructions to subscribe. Many podcasters also offer an option to listen to the podcast and to collect comments on their site.
Many podcasters maintain a blog as a companion to their podcast. Indeed, with their support for RSS, comments, and archiving, blogs are the most natural platform to support a podcast.
Using a blog, you do not need to write the RSS feed manually. Another option is to use an RSS editor or blogging software to manage your feed.
If you're not using a blog, or if you set up a new server, make sure you configure the content type correctly. The official content type for RSS feed is
application/rss+xml, but it is not well
supported by browsers. Until browsers improve, serve RSS feeds as text/xml.
Podcasts consume more than their share of bandwidth, so plan to grow the hosting from the start. Some hosts have specialized in podcasting and offer good deals for podcasters.
You do not need to host your MP3 file on the same machine
as the RSS feed. You can even host the MP3 files on several machines!
There is no restriction on the enclosure element
in RSS. It can point to any host.
Some podcasters take advantage of this to publish their MP3 under a creative commons license and benefit from the Internet Archive's free hosting of creative commons files. Others use several free hosting accounts to share the load. Hosting everything on a solid Web server remains the most reliable solution.
Regardless of where you decide to host your podcast, publish the URL under a domain name that you own. This is not e-mail. The feed is the entry point to your podcast. Lose it and you'll lose subscribers. So don't take any chances -- make sure you control the URL to your podcast.
You do not have to pay hosting fees to use a domain name. Most registrars offer free redirection and every serious podcasting client honors the 302 redirection, meaning you can publish your feed under your domain and redirect to a free or cheap hosting site.
I cannot stress enough the importance of owning the domain for your feed. Since I joined podcasting forums, it seems almost every week, I hear from a podcaster who has lost a large chunk of his/her audience, is discouraged, and quit. In every single instance, the problem would never have occurred had they owned the domain name.
As a podcaster, you consume a lot of bandwidth and, if the podcast is successful, your needs grow. It is not uncommon for a podcaster to be kicked out of a host because the bandwidth consumption is too high or to want to change hosts to save money or improve hosting. When that happens, unless you control the domain for your feed, you lose subscribers.
I chose to host Declencheur with the same reliable host I have been using (for other projects) since the end of last century. Still, I registered a domain name (as discussed above, the availability of a domain was one of my criteria for the name), not only to retain control over the feed, but because I wanted a memorable address.
I edit the RSS feed with an RSS editor. I have written a simple PHP script to generate a Web site from the RSS feed. Comments are managed and stored in a database. I chose a custom PHP script primarily because I had the code base already. XSLT would have been an alternative.
If you made it this far, congratulations. Podcasting is still new so the field is wide open with possibilities. I wish you much success with your project.
Special thanks to Sebastien Stomarcq for taking the time walk me through recording options when I launched my podcast
Table of contents
- Before you start
- What is podcasting?
- Thinking the podcast
- Planning the podcast
- Coming up with a winning formula
- Recording gear
- Recording levels and compression
- Recording and encoding software
- Planning the episode
- Recording, mixing, and encoding
- Really Simple Syndication (RSS) sharing
- iTunes extensions
- Hosting considerations
- Download
- Resources
- About the author
Local resources
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