Today I go through some numbers to give you an informed idea if you want to use “donations” as your primary form of having the podcast pay for itself. Last month I urged listeners to help me celbrate my 45th birthday and chip in on a Kindle from Amazon.com I used a service at chipin.com to show the progress. I was shooting for $300 and I got $170 Please note I am not complaining. I love the Kindle and becuase of my listeners I could afford one. I’m just a stat freak and took notes during the whole thing.

Here are some stats:

I promoted this on many of my podcasts including Building a Better Dave, Weekly Web Tools, Logical Weight Loss, and the Musicians Cooler and in February I had around 9,505 downloads. 53% of that was the Logical Weight Loss podcast. The School of Podcasting represented 26%. 14% was from the Musicians Cooler. Weekly Web Tools accounted for 523 downloads, and building a better Dave had 128 listeners for the one episode I put out.

Who looked at the site to possibly donate?

Logical Weight Loss represented 81% of the clicks
School of Podcasting sent 9%
Twitter represented 8% of the clicks
Building a Better Dave represented 2% of the clicks

When you look at all the downloads and divide it by the number of people who actually donated it turns out to be .24% (not 2.4 that’s .24). So if you had 1000 people, and you wanted them to donate $1, you would end up with $240.  Does donations represent audience connection? Would love your feedback on that. It’s not fair in some ways. Times are tough, and there are much better things to donate to (Haiti, New Orleans, etc).

Playing in Traffic Part II

I tried to start a podcast with tie in from magazines to feed me content. In the end they didn’t jump in. I started the Jillian Michaels Podcast becuase she is very famous. She used to have a radio program that people were looking for, and I am filling that gap. I am still passionate about that topic (health, Jillian Michaels), and the other thing I like about Jillian is she has many products (all available with an affiliate program).

There is more than one way to record a phone call without expensive equipment or a skype out account. Today I explain that if your cell phone has a headphone (ear buds) jack. You can purchase a cord that goes from 1/8″ jack to 1/4″ jack and plug it into your mixer. This also gives you the ability to add some bass, treble, and adjust the volume control of the person.

So how can you record a phone call for your podcast? Well if you have a phone with a headphone/headset jacks (and most phones do today, even if its not an iphone or a droid, etc). In this case I purchased a 1/8″ stereo y Cable to RCA (which in theory could go into the TAPE IN jack of the mixer). But I purchased a RCA to 1/4″ adapter so I can plug in into the mixer so I can adjust the tone, pan, etc  in addition to the volume.

FREE PODCASTING WEBINAR
WHEN: Tuesday February 23rd  at 9:30 PM EST
HOW?: Sign up at www.schoolofpodcasting.com/webinars and you will receive directions to a website where we can all discuss via chat window and live talking (via microphone, and potentially phone), and you can ask any questions you want. Last week we had fellow podcast consultant Ray “The produce picker” (http://thepodcastersstudio.com/)

SPECIAL THANKS TO EVERYONE WHO IS HELPING WITH THE FEBRUARY FUND RAISER

To help contribute go to www.schoolofpodcasting.com/birthday

Linda Pearson
David Nixon
Cathy Henderson
Shaun Collier
Carol Miller
CARRIE JACOBS
Robert Fishbune
Gregory adams
Nichole Stockdale
Amy Chastain
Marie Dimitriadis
Sallie Goetsch
Kathryn Plessing
Dwayne Martin
Querida Long
Mary Susan Leoniy

This is show 209 originating from www.schoolofpodcasting.com

The good news about Wordpress is it is free, and it is being developed on a constant basis. You get new features like the ability to search for plugins, upgrade automatically, etc. The bad news is sometimes they add new features that don’t agree with old plugins.

A plugin is like the air conditioning on a car. The car is basic. The air conditioning makes it better. However an air conditioning unit from a 2009 model car may not work with the 2010 version of the car. Likewise, some times the plugins don’t work when Wordpress is upgraded. So what do you do?

Well you will get an error that shows (yourwebsites/wp-content/plugins ……) has an (error) on line (line number) Unless you are a coder, you are out of luck. In the past you had to use an FTP program to get into the “Back stage” area of your blog/podcast to delete/add files. I use www.coreftp.com

Now (one of the new features in Wordpress) is the ability to delete a plugin from the Dashboard of wordpress. UNder appearance there is a “plugins” section. Find the plugin you are having an issue, deactivate it (if its activated) and then you can choose the “delete” option. It will ask you if you are sure, and when you confirm the deletion it is deleted. Now go back and check the “front” of your website and see if the front page comes back. If you have other bad plugins, they may now cause an error. If they do, delete them.

This is not a typical issue, but it does happen every now and then when the person who develops the plugin does not update it to work with the new version of Wordpress.

The worst case of this for me happened when I used semiologic (a theme creation tool) which later turned into a tool you had to “renew” (to the tune of $300) every year. When I quit using it, the plugins eventually become obsolete and caused issues.  If you are looking for a tool to create or customize a theme I recommend the Thesis Theme (although you need to be somewhat geeky) or artisteer.

This show was produced, recorded and published in 27 minutes.

As I have mentioned in the past, the easiest way to get a podcast up and running is to use Wordpress. This way when you update your website, you update your RSS feed, which updates your iTunes, etc.

I’m not sure if this has always been the case, but as I’ve set up a few new podcasts, I have noticed that the default setting under privacy is to have your website visible to the public, but BLOCKED by search engines. Obviously you want to set this so that search engines CAN find your website.

You can check these setting by going to Settings > Privacy in Wordpress. If you are looking for a web host where you can install Wordpress in about 7 mouse clicks, I suggest Host Gator

No Wave Out Recording on A Laptop

In the past Iv’e talked about the different styles of record and producing a podcast. One is to record the voices first and mix in the music later (which is how this podcast is produced). This gives you exact control over volumes, fade ins, fade outs. The bad news is there is a “compiling” step where you put it all together. For this podcast it takes about 5 minutes.  The other way is to record “live” where you mix in the sound effects, music, as you go. The bad news is if you mess up, or your volume settings are wrong, you either leave it, or in some cases go back and start from the beginning (in some cases you can go back and edit it out).  There is no compiling time, but you do have to make sure your volumes are set before hitting record.

Well I wanted to record podcasts on my lunch at my job using my laptop. Tim Dewey from the Sled Dog Podcast told me a while ago that manufacturers had been pressured into taking away the ability to record what is known as the “wave out mix.” In normal English, the Wave out mix is whatever you hear coming out of your speakers you can record. This is what podproducer.net uses (my favorite “live” recoding software). In a nutshell without the ability to record the wave out mix on a laptop, you can’t use Podproducer. The only option I have now is to send the output out of my headphones into a portable recorder like the Zoom H2, or H4 and use podproducer to play all the music, etc. Then I have to transfer the file from the recorder to the computer, tag it and upload it.  As the intent was to save time, this doesn’t really cut it. I just wanted to let you know that if you plan on using a laptop as your main recording device, you are probably going to have to use Audacity, mixcraft, Sony music studio music studio to assemble your podcast.

Help Dave celebrate his birthday at www.schoolofpodcasting.com/birthday

I was chatting on Catherine Kames www.myspace.com/goosenotchicken and she had given up on trying to create a podcast. Where did she get hung up? Creating the RSS feed. Catherine is getting hung up on the same part that most people get hung up on (so don’t feel bad). The good news is there is an easy solution.

Well the easiest way to create an RSS feed is to use Wordpress. It’s free, and if you order hosting on a service like Host Gator, you can have this free software installed in minutes (tutorials available at the school of podcasting). Once Wordpress is installed, if you have the skills to use a word processor as well as copy and paste – YOU can create a podcast.

Listener Email

Ustream.tv question

Michael at says, “I enjoyed your podcast. One of the few that I listened to all the way through.

I think that broadcasting through Ustream is the way to go. Just wanted to ask why you wanted to record the live show on something other than Ustream. They also have a record button so you wouldn’t have to run the other program. Maybe their record quality isn’t good enough, but since you didn’t mention recording or not recording using Ustream’s record feature I wasn’t sure.”

Here is a question from Mike:

Michael Britt here from The Psych Files podcast.  Just wanted to let you know that I love your School of Podcasting podcast and have for a long time.  I’ve been podcasting for almost 3 years and people sometimes
contact me and ask questions about podcasting.  Finally I decided to create a map that contains information and links to various books, software, equipment, etc., that I think interested folks will find helpful.  Just wanted to let you know that I have a link to your site from this map because I feel confident that you would be the go-to guy if
someone wanted to start or build their podcast.  Here’s the link:

http://www.thepsychfiles.com/how-to-blog-or-podcast/

You don’t have to put this link on your site (I’m not asking for a link back or anything).  I just wanted to let you know that I think you’re doing great work and I’m happy to send people your way.

Take care,

Michael

What Makes You Unsubscribe?
Maurice from the Netherlands (www.intralog.nl) states that with some podcasts, when you first find them they are great. However, years later the show just doesn’t “do it for you” like they did when you first found them.

Podcasting News
Podcast Pickle is closing (most of it) at the end of January. More information Are podcasting message boards a thing of the past? One way to make a “mini board” is to install the “subscribe to comments” plugin for wordpress and now people can be notified when a new comment is posted. For more information check out the plugin’s website

My Birthday is Next Week

I’m trying to raise money to buy a kindle (which I would use to read books and get more content for podcasts). Any funds will help.

Every time I hear “Talkshoe” or “Blog Talk Radio” I know the following show is going to have awful quality in terms of audio production. The last show I listened to was “book your self solid” and I couldn’t take the scratch static in the line, the constant buzzing, etc. So I decided to see what was the difference between a blog talk radio program and one of the shows I listen to.

Blog Talk Radio uses a bit rate of 11,025. Think of this is how long a person takes to look at a picture they have to do a report on. The longer the look, the more detail they will remember. The problem is, we aren’t talking about picture, we are talking about making a representation of  your voice. So with a low sample rate, it is “garbage in.”

The sample rate of blog talk radio is 11.025 Hz and 32 kbps. I’ve described 64 kbps as “AM radio sounding” and their rate is HALF that.

A bit rate is how you describe the painting to others. This is how much time you take to describe the painting. Obvious the more time you take the more details you can reveal. Well the picture again, is your voice, and if you’ve done a good job of recording at a proper sampling rate (44.1) you can stay at a high bit rate (Like 128 kbps which is near CD quality – great for music podcasts), opt for a more “FM quality” which is 96 kbps (which is what this show is produced at ), or if you have a long show (like www.noagendashow.com) and are mainly talk you can produce your show at 64 kbps (AM Radio). Blog talk radio produces their show at a bitrate of 32kbps.

So they didn’t take long to “look at the painting” and they are processing at a speed that leaves little time for details. This is an analogy to try and explain the technical side of audio. It’s not exact, but I feel its close enough to get the picture. The bottom line is record at 44.1 sample rate, and produce your show at least at 64 kbps

How Do You Broadcast Live and Take Calls?

Some people are attempting to use ustream.tv to “broadcast” which has a chat window built into the chat (or you can use a service like chatango.com You can use Skype as your “phone” and either call people on their phone using a Skype Out number, or you can purchase a Skype In number and have people call you. Then to record the skype call you can use software such as www.powergramo.com or a portable recorder (which may be more reliable) like the Zoom H2 You might also try a service like www.dimdim.com which is what I use to do my webinars.

Podcast Cruise

I talk about a cool “unconference” for podcasters on a cruise ship. You can read the details here. If you decide to go, be sure to mention my name

Today we talk about two shows who had their fans say “Stick to the topic.” The good news is many people don’t give that kind of feedback (they just unsubscribe). So when you are planning your podcast be sure to think about how wide a topic you want to go.

Charley Hays has started www.wphelpcentral.com where his podcast will focus on the end user of Wordpress. He originally was going to just talk plugins, then he added themes, and now its all things Wordpress. He had a niche (wordpress) and has a wide range of topics. If he had called it the “plugin cast” then wanted to talk about themes he would’ve been going off topic. So take some time to plan your topic so you feel there will be enough material to talk about it.

The two shows we talked about (both of which I listen to on a regluar basis) are The Podcast Answer Man at www.podcastanswerman.com and Edgy Podcast Reviews at www.edgypodcastreviewes.com.

Today we have a quick show with some podcasting news. First we hear that

Radio Industry blog Radio Survivor has named podcasting one of the most important radio trends of the last ten years. They state that RSS podcasts feeds made it much easier to index podcasts and create easily searchable online directories organized by genre and keyword.

 I also found another blog post from Shel Hulz who does the podcast For Immediate Release. He (along with Nevile Hobson) has been doing it since 2005 and he recently put together a “looking back” post as they recorded their 514 show on their fourth anniversary. Here are some of the ways that Podcasting is helping Shel.

 Loyal Listeners – His show is published twice a week on a very regular basis. His fans are so loyal that when he was hours (not days) late he got email They have come to depend on his show.

 Mutual Respect – By having a co-host Shel and Nevile know the other person is working hard on gathering material, and they don’t want to let the other person down. It keeps them on pace, and it allows each other to share the load.

 Staying Current – They have started a fountain of knowledge. Shel checks over 100 blogs for information for the show, and he gets input from his audience as well. Consequently, he and Nevile are completely up to date with the latest happenings (and I would guess they have a good idea on what trends are coming).

 Client Work – By being so up to date, they are experts and this leads them to get more consulting clients.

 Because of these benefits Shel is committed to podcasting. How committed? He spends 14 hours per week preparing, recording, and editing his show. The best part if Shel says that all the work is worth every minute.

 You can read the full blog here

Where is Podcasting Going in 2010?

Well I’m going to state the obvious. Yes iPods and portable media players are wildly popular, but after purchasing a Droid phone, I now see clearly how everything is going to end up on your phone. I’ve known this for years, but didn’t really “get it.” I used a program called “Google Listen” on the droid to stream (and download) podcasts. No iTunes needed, no computer synchronization. It wasn’t super easy to subscribe (so that hasn’t changed), but I can see now where everything is heading. I just see it getting there faster. There is talk of the droid phone really taking off in 2010, I guess well see.

What this means is I’m sure there are some plugins for Wordpress that make your site ready to view on a phone. I’ll be looking into those, as more and more people will be browsing the web on their phone. With more ways to consume our content, we can start thinking of ourselves as “content producers” not so much as “podcasters” as eventually ipods and phones may be one and the same (they kind of already are).

Lastly, I’ve had many people come through school of Podcasting. I had one person ask why the registration fee has gone up over the years. The answer is simple: there is more information at the school than there was in 2005 when it started.

But what about those students that have “graduated?” If they were to resubscribe they would have to sift through the previously viewed material to get to the new stuff. “Hmmm…” I thought. So I had an idea of creating a “sister” site to the School of Podcasting. Instead of having all the tutorials available for a monthly fee, you could order lessons on a per title basis (allowing people to only pay for what they want to learn). This sounds like a good idea to me, but I’m curious to see what your thoughts are on the subject?

Take the poll by clicking here

I have always been (and still am) a fan of libsyn.com For $12 a month, I get unlimited storage of my back catalog, and unlimited bandwidth (meaning 1 million people can download my podcasts and it doesn’t cost me any more. It’s still $12). I also use them for their stats. I can login to my account (no external software needed), upload my media, copy the URL of the file, and paste it into my worpdress.

Amazon S3 is hosting from amazon.com It offers really inexpensive hosting. You pay for what you use. It’s .15 per gigabyte of storage. It’s .10 per gigabyte of transfer. What does that mean? Well I’ve got about 200 episodes of my logical weight loss podcast, plus some “Students Only” podcast, some videos, and more. In the end about 400 media files.  Here is my break down as of 12/14/09 (click on image to zoom in).

Amazon S3 Bill

So what do I get? I don’t get stats, but I get cheaper hosting ($9.59 but the month is not over). At the current rate (9.59/14) X 31 days means my bill maybe 21.24 by the end of the month (hence twice as much as Libsyn.com ). Last month my bill was $6.42, but this month has seen a large increase in downloads (and I’ve uploaded more stuff).

But what if you want to use Amazon S3 and you want Stats? The first thing is you have to use Firefox (with the Amazon S3 organizer plugin) or something like the Cloudberry Explorer (free). You need to configure these programs to see your account. Once those are configured there is a free service at www.podtrac.comThey offer many features for podcasters, and the one I use the most is their stats (they also have surveys, and pop up audio players). You have to put a “redirect” in front of EVERY media file (mp3 in my case). Well this is kind of a pain, but there is another fee tool. The blubrry Powerpress plugin (my favorite for putting audio players on websites). Under the Services and Statistics settings you can enter this redirect ONCE, and it will make sure to put it in front of all your media.

Blubrry Plugin Redirect Settings