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Tips for optimizing live broadcasting from your Mac
When streaming audio or video out to the Internet be it a podcast, a Google Hangout or just talking to your mom over Facetime from your computer you want to have the highest quality you can get sent from your computer to the Internet. Aside from asking the bandwidth hogs in your family to stop streaming NetFlix and 4K YouTube videos while you are broadcasting online (my family knows when I go upstairs to record to only watch local content) I wanted to share some tips that I have for optimizing the broadcasting bandwidth potential from your computer.
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Simply Spoilers Podcast
I’ve hosted a few podcasts over the last few years and I’m looking to add another one to my list. WPwatercooler, my most recent one has gone strong for the last 90+ episodes and has been a joy each week to record. I’ve wanted to start a new one with a non technical slant yet something I can have fun with. The technical stuff is fun to me but that’s easy, I wanted to do something that is a bit outside of that.
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iOS 7 beta 7 download: Apple collects iRadio tools
Apple sent email to streaming internet radio stations requesting that they submit cover art to be used in iTunes ahead of the release of iOS 7 beta 7 which is expected to include a more fully fleshed out implementation of iTunes Radio. It looks like that Apple will be featuring streaming music stations on iPhone, iPad most likely on iOS7 when it is released later this year. Apple stated below that the cover art they are requesting won’t be displayed currently, and this will be used in the future.
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Downcast Podcast App available for iPad, iPhone, Mac OS X
Downcast has been available for iOS (iPhone, iPad, iPod Touch) for some time now but recently they released it for Mac OS X. Downcast on the Mac allows you to download, play and sync all of your favorite podcasts.
Downcast comes with the following features: Search, subscribe to and download audio and video podcasts Manually subscribe to podcasts via URL Download podcasts automatically (including resuming downloads) Browse and download older podcast episodes Auto-update podcast feeds based on schedule Settings for auto-download and episode retention (globally and per-podcast) Import and export podcast feeds via OPML Import supported audio/video media files Support for password-protected feeds Create and edit smart playlists View podcast details and episode show notes Rename podcast subscription names iCloud Syncing One of the killer features is iCloud Syncing, which if you are like me and have used Downcast on the iPhone it enables you to instantly sync your podcasts from your iOS device to your Mac using iCloud.
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Create Google Hangouts quickly with these easy URLs
If you are like me you spend a lot of time in Google Hangouts either for your podcasts or for a quick video conversation with someone. Google doesn’t make it easy to generate a hangout and then provide you with a sharable URL to someone. Digging around online I found two URLs that I’ll keep bookmarked:
Standard Google Hangout URL http://hangouts.google.com/start
This will create a standard Google Hangout that you can invite your friends to.
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How to start a podcast using WordPress and PowerPress
I’ve been doing podcasts for since early 2006 where I was running two different podcasts and was also president of the OC Podcasters (the website is still up too). Back then I was rolling my own RSS feeds and then got into using a plugin for WordPress called podPress. This plugin still exists and is maintained, but I have since moved from that podcast over to PowerPress.
Back in my day.
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How to record audio and video from Skype
I was recently asked how I record skype calls and what are the best ways to go about it. I’ve tried many apps/addons for skype and these are the two that I love the most:
Call Recorder for Skype by Ecamm (Mac) Call recorder is a great addon for Skype that allows you to record audio and video locally. Call Recorder has many options for the type of output and in various formats:
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Write podcast show notes like a pro
One thing I learned from the few podcasts that I’ve run or have been on, is that “show notes” are darn important. Show notes are the text that describes your show in detail and is typically used as the content of the blog post for your podcast episode. Why spend the time to write show notes?
Google can't index the words in your audio or video... yet Google can’t index your audio for your podcast, so you (or someone) are going to have to make this easier for them.
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Podcasting, do it right the second time.
In a recent post I talked about the struggles to start a new podcast. Today I’m going to walk you through your first recording of that “Episode Zero” and give you some tips on making Episode One be one of your better episodes, or at least a good start to something awesome.
Prepare Preparing for your Episode Zero is going to be easy. You have the name of your show, you have a reason as to why you want to podcast, now you need to come up with a topic idea.
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How I fell into Podcasting and WordPress
How I got into WordPress I love WordPress, I’ve been using it since May 13th 2004 when I wrote this very twitteresque blog post to my moveable type blog:
The time has finally come where Moveable type is going to the sh*tter, it will still work, but they won't be adding any more features to the free version. I'm going to be switching over to the WordPress platform over the next week.
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The three things about podcasting I wish I knew 5 years ago.
3. USB is your friend I really wish that USB microphones were more commonplace back when I started podcasting. Back when I first started podcasting I’d spend a lot of time dealing with line noise and interference that made my recording really bad. USB removes all that worry since the analog audio circuitry is in the microphone. In the past my mic would connect to the mixer and the mixer into my computer’s microphone port and various cheap wires I used would interfere with the other electrical equipment I had on my desk.
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The 10 commandments of podcasting that work.
I ran two podcasts back when podcasting was just starting out. I spent a good amount of time and money learning as much as I could about something we were essentially inventing ourselves. Now that the dust has settled and I now find myself with yet another podcast I thought I’d bestow upon you some things I’ve learned about podcasting over the years.
10 - Record an "episode zero" before going all in So you think you can podcast?
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Lazy Podcasters
[bliptv 742112]
I talk about podcasters that neglect to put their show notes into lyrics field of their media files.
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Talking about OC Podcasters
I talk about the December OC Podcasters meetup and Douglas E Welch’s talk at that meeting. [bliptv 546860]