The internet is full of buzz words these days. You have your blogs and tags and feeds. Then come the initials: RSS and XML. For busy parents, making sense of these trends can be confusing and difficult. But understanding them is an important skill for parents to master. Why? Because they’ll open a whole new world of useful content. The latest trend, still in its infancy, is podcasting. Many parents have heard of podcasts, but few understand exactly what they are or how to use them. Let’s take a closer look.Podcasts are audio shows. They range in length from 5 minutes to an hour or more, and while a few of them contain music, most are spoken programs–like radio talk-shows. Committed podcasters (the hosts) release new episodes of their show at least weekly. And they usually concentrate on a niched theme. So if you’re interested in gardening, listen to a gardening program. Want to plan a great vacation? Find a trip-planning podcast. Are you looking to lose weight or de-clutter your house or improve your parenting skills? You can find shows on these topics too. In fact, with an estimated 55,000 podcasts currently in production, you can find a show on just about anything.So what’s out there for parents? Lots. Here are a few examples:101 Uses For Baby Wipes - Billed as the DaddyCast, this program devotes only a slice of time to disposable cloths. The bulk of the program features news, commentary, interviews, and mixed-in music from up and coming artists.Dr Fitness and the Fat Guy - This program takes a look at fitness and weight loss. Despite the light-hearted tone, it offers sound advice and motivation.Tacoma Cat Hospital - If you like cats, you’ll love this program.The Radio Adventures of Dr Floyd - Listen with your kids! It’s like an old-time radio show, complete with funny voices and sound effects.Pediacast - Okay, shameless plug time–I’ll make it quick. Pediacast is the podcasting arm of Pediascribe. If you like our column, consider giving our podcast a try.There are many other podcasts out there. But how do you find them? Several directories, each arranged by category, will help you find the program that best matches your interest. iTunes has a great podcast directory. Even if you don’t own an iPod, you can download iTunes to use as a podcast search tool and player. Podcast Pickle has a huge online directory of podcasts. You’ll find support forums there as well. Other popular directories include Podcast Alley, Podcast.net, and Yahoo! Podcasts.Okay, so you’ve found a podcast that matches your interest. How do you listen? The easiest way is from your computer. You can listen right from the directory where you found the program or you can listen from the show’s homepage (directories usually provide a link to the program’s website). Of course, you can do other things while you listen–check email, surf the web, pay bills, cook, fold clothes, work on a project, or whatever else strikes your fancy.For a truly mobile experience, you’ll want to download the show to an MP3 player. If you have an iPod, iTunes makes this easy. For those of you with other players, it’s not that difficult. Simply download the program’s MP3 file and transfer it to your device. But keep this in mind: Podcasts are big files so if you have a dial-up connection, pack your patience and find something else to do while the program downloads.Keeping up with newly released episodes of your favorite podcast is another skill you need to master. This is done through an RSS (really simple syndication) feed. This isn’t as complicated as it sounds. The podcaster keep an XML file on the program’s site, which includes details about the show’s latest episodes. You simply “SUBSCRIBE” to the program from one of the podcast directories or from the show’s website. If you’re not using iTunes, you’ll also need an account with a podcatching service. Examples of these include Podnova, Newsgator, Netvibes, and Odeo.Once you have an account with a podcatcher, subscribe to any show you like. In your podcatcher, select the option to add a new podcast subscription. You’ll need to know the show’s RSS feed. To find this, look for a little orange square with a dot and two arcs on the show’s website. Click on it. Don’t worry if a page of foreign code appears. Look up at your browser’s address bar. That’s the address of the RSS feed. For example, the Pediacast feed is http://www.pediascribe.com/podcast/feed. Copy the feed address and past it into the appropriate box in your podcatcher. That’s all you have to do.The beauty of a subscription is that your podcatcher will periodically check your program’s RSS feed. When the podcaster releases a new episode, your podcatcher will catch it for you! And the next time you log into the podcatcher, the current episodes will be waiting for you.So how much will this cost? Well, that’s another beauty of podcasts–they’re free. Really, the only expense is a computer and internet connection. If you want the mobile option, you’ll also need an MP3 player. If you don’t already have one, consider an iPod—iTunes really does make this process simple. There is no charge for using iTunes or any other podcast directory. Podcatchers are free, and subscriptions are free. You can’t beat that!As a trend, podcasts are really catching on. Commuters can listen in their cars. Stay-at-home moms can listen while toddlers nap. You can listen while you exercise or walk the dog or fly in a plane. And that’s the advantage they have over radio. You can listen to the program you WANT to hear WHEN you want to hear it. So don’t be intimidated by terms like RSS and XML and feeds and podcatchers. It really is worth taking the time to learn. You’ll be amazed at the variety and quality of available shows. If you’d like to know more of the technical details, there’s a great guide called Feed 101 at FeedBurner.com.So what are you waiting for? Get on out there and give podcasting a try!COPYRIGHT 2006 - MIKE PATRICK JR, MD

Link to RSS Feed for comments on this post