Climate Hawk’s Companion - Podcast on Podcasts

It was fun to present a short session on ‘How to Make a Podcast’ at the MCAN/TAC conference. If you are interested in podcasting, but need to have some of the mystery removed, listen here for tips that we have learned in working on the “Climate Minute” and “A Climate Hawk’s Companion” podcast series. Note that we’ve included some of the slides from the talk as part of the podcast (if you download the file and play it in your own media player -- just as an experiment!) This blog is mostly links. You can find the context for them in the podcast. Just click on the icon to listen, or subscribe to us on iTunes. Good examples of podcasts that you might want to imitate:

• Mike Duncan's "A History of Rome" is a compelling ‘monologue’ format.
• BBC's "A History of the World in 100 Objects" is in the documentary style.
• Slate's Gabfest. is a group discussion.
• All Songs Considered is a highly focused ‘interview’ show.

Some links to get you started:

• Apple describes GarageBand.
• Make a podcast with GarageBand.
• Apple's advice on podcasting.

Download Audacity if you use a Windows based computer. The Blue Yeti Microphone is a good choice, although a “USB Headset” from Staples is an easy place to start. We use WordPress as a location for our podcasts. PodBean helps us get the podcast onto iTunes. Some information on legal questions:

• The Fair Use Doctrine.
• Stock photos.

If you know more about the legal issues of who and where you can record, what permissions you need and how much you can ‘borrow’ from the internet, please comment on our blog. Good Luck, and let us know if you are successful!

….Ted McIntyre