Streaming Podcast Option is Easy (and Needed)

[Cookiepuss]

I have written a quick howto on offering your podcast as a stream as well as touched on the fact that this otion is needed. Since many people unfamiliar with podcasts visit show sites and are too impatient to wait for a 10, 20+ meg file to download in order to hear what "this podcasting is all about". So by making it as user friendly as possible the better!

Read the howto HERE (http://undergroundmedia.org/streaming-podcast-option-is-easy-and-needed/)

(You will be kicking yourself for not offering the option sooner. . .) :D

[allthewhile]

I think my solution is a tad more universal:

http://musicplayer.sourceforge.net/

check it out on the right side of my page.

It can automatically read an rss file, so it's great for podcasts.

-jayson

[zemote]

This is a bad idea. Streaming is dead. Educate the users instead. Streaming is meant for realtime not past shows.

-z

[allthewhile]

zemote, it's nice to think that way, but for all practical purposes, podcasting is still not very easy for the layman to understand. It took me a while to get the hang of it, and I've been fussing with computers for years.

Furthermore, sometimes I'm somwhere without my podcatching software (like the computer lab), and I'd simply like to stream the show. I think the client I refered to is pretty cool. It's open source, flash (97% universal), and even plays the music according to your rss feed.

It's an option, you know; choices.

[Cookiepuss]

I will check out that flash player you mentioned. It looks a lot like what Radio Blog (http://www.radioblogclub.com/) offers. Or there are many .fla source files you can find for customizing a streaming mp3 player in Flash. I will check it out.

I also agree that on-demand streaming is certainly not dead. If I want to just listen to one show it is the best way to do it. For the sake of arguement you could point out that direct download is soooo 90's. ;)

People reading all these nice articles in the mainstream media on podcasting do not know an iPodder from an RSS to a Wordpad fot that matter. They just hear of this new thing and want to hear what it is all about. The typical user is not interested in waiting the time it takes to download a large mp3. Most people have a painfully short attention span. So they want immediate satisfaction.

[Funtime Ben]

I think this might be a really interesting option, especially if it has a picture of cookiepuss as a player. On demand streaming sounds good, but I too would love a "player" instead of a .m3u file which downloads into my iTunes - which I hate.

Thanks for the heads up.

[Cookiepuss]

I have gone ahead and posted part 2 of the howto for those interested:

Read Part 2 Here (http://undergroundmedia.org/streaming-a-podcast-option-is-easy-part-2-bpost/)

I decided to expand it to three parts since the response has been so good. I wil be mentioneingthe various ways to integrate Flash players into your site in part 3. Which should be done tomorrow. . .

[theFerf]

Keep your eyes peeled, the podcast alley player (using the flash player listed here) will be out very shortly!