Since UK Pensions Guru Steve Bee joined Paradigm there has been a gaping void where his podcast used to be. With the start of Jargon Free Pensions it was only a matter of time before we got the show back on the road (and Paradigm had Steve back on the road).

The new Retirement Radio podcast is published by UK investment experts Citywire and features a familiar line-up of Steve Bee (expert), a series of special guests from pensions experts and academics to members of Parliament and our very own "man on the street" Stephen Ballard to ask the questions we'd all like to know.

Hi all, Robin here with an update on podcast directories.

Podcast directories are a difficult one to nail down, but broadly speaking there are three types around that can help listeners find a podcast. Depending on the directory, there could be a host of additional functionality that the listener use if they choose and, of course, if they understand concept.

• Podcast directories accessed from within software eg. iTunes
  Load up your iTunes and look in Music store, not everything is paid for! Some websites provide one click subscription "chicklets" for iTunes. If you have iTunes installed, these will automatically open up your software and take you to the approriate page eg. BeeHive pension podcast.
  
  
• Podcast directories on the web eg. Podcast Alley, Podcast Pickle, Podcast.net
  These podcast directories help listeners find new podcasts using their usual web browser (IE,Firefox,Safari). Many offer "one click" subscription buttons to allow listeners to subscribe to podcasts using iTunes, PodNova, Bloglines. Podcasts are classified by their subject, sometimes using the predefined iTunes categories but mostly their own classfication to help browsers tune in to podcasts of interest to them. For example, Look under "business" and "investing" in most podcast directories and you will find the BeeHive Pension podcast.
  eg. Podcast Alley.
  
  Other directories such as Odeo and Blubrry use the more powerful "tagging" mechanism to help listeners find podcasts with keyword links.
  
  
• Podcast subscription portals eg. PodNova, Bloglines
  Create an account and log into these portals to manage subscriptions to podcasts, play them with embedded payers and find new podcast to subscribe to. Being an online account, you can sign in on any computer with a modern web browser and tune in eg. Click BeeHive Pension podcast to try subscribing with Bloglines.
  

In addition to these, the all of the big names such as Google, Yahoo and AOL, Live (Microsoft) have various forms of podcast support. Google, in particular have added podcasting support to their RSS reader, Google Reader. Google Reader is a good way for business and office-bound listeners to tune in to podcasts because is provides an embedded player and organisational tools for "tagging" episodes.

Many online Blog and RSS readers also provide podcast support too, and those that don't already are starting to catch on. One worthy of note is Bloglines, which we also put under online podcast organisation tools in out classification above. Why? Because they adapted well to the test - audio shift, after all podcasting started off as "audioblogging".

Finally, there is virtually no limit to what they developers, podcasters and bloggers on the net are up to. It is possible to create your own podcast feed by compiling epidodes from other podcasters together. I'll leave this to you to discover for yourselves.

If you are interested in Podcast production techniques and applications for business marcomms, then tune in to our very own brand new Podcast, Podcasting for business.

Podcasting for business subscribers will get tips on how to use Podcasting to get the most out of this exciting new medium, how to promote their Podcast and other useful information.

You can subscribe to Podcasting for business using the chicklets below.

RSS 2.0 -
Google -
iTunes -
Odeo -

Note that Odeo doesn't work too well in Internet Explorer 6.

How many times have I heard the uniformed claim that an mp3 file is the same as a Podcast? An mp3 file is not a Podcast; it is an audio file that has been compressed using an mp3 algorithm.

In order to convert and mp3 file into a Podcast, additional information has to be attached to the audio file using iTunes tags. These tags refer
to the information contained within the Podcast that are recognised by the mp3 player.

Next, the appropriate xml code must be written to produce an RSS feed. It is this RSS feed that structures a series of episodes into a Podcast series and tells the Podcast subscription software and Podcast directories that the Podcast exists. It is only after inserting these tags into the mp3 file and writing the xml code for the RSS feed that the Podcast episode can be published to your listeners and the Podcast directories. Only then will the Podcast become visible within the World Wide Web.

Getting the information right is not as easy as you might expect. So to all those who feel that Podcast production is a straightforward exercise, be warned it is not!

In the early days of domain registration, it was possible to register the domain of a commercial company. Indeed, many did - for in the early days of the web, companies were slow off the mark to protect their intellectual property by registering there own company domain names. In those early days entrepreneurs made a great deal of money by selling the domain names to those companies who had been lethargic in their domain name registration.

Some will remember the legal cases that ensued where cyber squatters attempted - and in some cases where successful - in blackmailing companies for domain names they had registered. Of course, that was in the days prior to the legal framework and precedent which helps prevent this type of fraudulent activity. Today domain name registration is carefully monitored by leading institutions, so that if a domain name reflects an established company’s trademark there is legal recourse.

The same is not true for Podcast names, for as in the early days in the domain registration not registrative framework exists for naming. In order for companies to protect their ip they must ensure that a podcast reflecting their company name is represented in a leading podcast directory. This means that firstly a Podcast must be produced, and secondly the name must be claimed in the defacto largest podcast directory - right now that's iTunes. Having secured the podcast name on iTunes, that same name should be claimed on the plethora of other podcast directories such as:

Podcast Alley, Podnova, Podcast.net, Podblaze.com

Of course, producing one Podcast is not enough to maintain “ownership” of that Podcast's name. The very nature of the Podcast demands an continuous series of episodes to in much the same way as a radio show (or a newsletter those of you with a corporate background).

There is no doubt that as Podcasting matures - which given the anecdotal evidence within the market is now occurring - that a legislative framework will be introduced. It is those companies that have actively protected their brand by producing regular podcast content, that will undoubtedly have unjustifiable legal right to use that name.