Expert Podcasting Practices For Dummies -- About the Authors -- Dedication -- Authors' Acknowledgments -- Contents at a Glance -- Table Of Contents -- Introduction -- About This Book -- What You're Not to Read -- Foolish Assumptions -- How This Book Is Organized -- Conventions Used in This Book -- Icons Used in This Book -- Where to Go from Here -- Part I: Planning Out a Podcast -- Practice 1: Selecting the Right Topic for Your Podcast -- Taking Inventory of Your Interests -- Filling a Niche by Focusing on a Specific Area of Interest -- Narrowing Your Focus to Make Your Show Unique -- Broadening Your Focus to Appeal to New Listeners -- Practice 2: Keeping Up with the Joneses -- Watching Podcast Directories -- Successful Searching Strategies -- Managing Information Overload -- Staying Connected to the Offline World -- Practice 3: Staffing Your Podcast for Success -- Choosing the Right Host -- Choosing the Support Staff -- Practice 4: Podcast Studio Considerations -- Designing a Studio with Built-in Flexibility -- Location, Location, Location: Podcasting from a Room in Your Home -- Unconventional Options for Your Studio -- A Professional Look for a Professional Sound -- Practice 5: Stick to the Script! -- Of Intros and Outros -- Creating a Standard Voiceover for Your Show -- Middle Management: Planning the Main Part of Your Show -- Writing for Your Podcast -- Practice 6: Transitions, Timing, and Cues -- Making Transitions with Bumpers and Rejoiners -- Pauses Are a Good Thing -- Using Signals and Signs to Keep the Conversation Flowing Smoothly -- Fade In, Fade Out -- Practice 7: Reviewing Your Podcast with a Critical Eye -- Accessing Audio Quality -- Finding the Perfect Length for Your Show -- Critiquing the Content of Your Show -- Evaluating Your Supporting Materials -- Practice 8: T-Minus Five Episodes . . . -- The Blog: Your Personal Hype Machine.

Does It Have to Be Five Episodes -- Part II: Going for a Professional Sound -- Practice 9: Upgrading Your Headphones -- Why Focus on Headphones? -- Before You Jump for Those 300 Headphones . . . -- What to Look for in Headphones -- Listen Up! -- Practice 10: Selecting the Right Microphone -- Choosing the Best Microphone for you -- My Mama Told Me, "You Better Shop Around" -- Can I Take This Mic for a Test Cast? -- Turning to Podcasts for Insight into Mics (And Other Audio Gear) -- Practice 11: Upgrading Your Software -- Working Beyond Audacity -- Working Beyond GarageBand -- Looking at the Major-League Players -- Deciding Whether to Upgrade -- Practice 12: Creating a Quiet, Happy Place -- Common Sources of Unwanted Ambient Noise -- The Podcaster's Feng Shui -- Timing Is Everything -- Patience, Patience, Patience: Waiting Out the Noise -- Practice 13: Eliminating Ambient Noise -- Removing Unwanted Noise with a Noise Gate -- Reducing Noise in Post-Production -- The Best Noise-Reduction Device: You! -- Practice 14: One-Take Wonders -- And You're Recording! (Good Luck.You'll Need It.) -- The Method in the One-Take Madness -- What You Gain with One-Take Recording -- Practice 15: Multiplicity: Recording Multiple Takes -- Multiple Takes: Variety Is the Spice of Life (And Podcasting) -- Learning Tricks in the Take -- The Demands of Multiple Takes -- Understanding the Advantages of Multiple Takes -- Deciding Whether the Investment Is Worth It for You -- Practice 16: Podcasting from the Road -- Portable Podcasting: The Good,the Bad, and the Ugly -- Taking Your Show on the Road -- Could You Keep It Down?! I'm Podcasting! -- Part III: Post-Production Approaches -- Practice 17: Interviews from the Road -- Introducing a "Live on Location" Interview -- Working with VoIP: The Voice of a New Generation -- Improving Sound Quality on the Road.

Inserting Breaks into an Interview -- Wrapping up your Interview -- Practice 18: Setting Acceptable Sound Levels -- Controlling Volume: All the Gains in Stages -- Working with External Devices -- Level It Out -- Practice 19: Adding Special Effects -- Adding in Foley Effects and Filters -- Where Else Can I Find All These Cool Special Effects? -- Can I See Your License for These Special Effects, Sir? -- Too Much of a Good Thing Is . . .Too Much -- Practice 20: Adding Music -- Where to Find Good Music -- Independent Musicians: Creating a Synergy -- The Method to Mixing Music with Dialogue -- Fair Use 101: What Is and Isn't"Fair" in Podcasting -- Practice 21: Editing Audio after Editing the Session -- Choosing the Format for Your Audio File -- Exporting Your Goods -- Making Edits: The First Cut Is the Deepest -- Practice 22: Taking Your Audio File into the Home Stretch -- Listening with a New Ear -- The Finishing Touches -- Pump It Up -- One More Time, with Feeling -- Practice 23: Creating a Perfect mp3 File -- Crunching the Numbers -- Preaching to the Converted -- Examining Other Formats -- Practice 24: Enhanced Podcasting -- What Is an Enhanced Podcast? -- Enhancements with a Cost -- Reasons Why You May Want to Enhance a Podcast -- Maintaining Two Feeds to Reach a Wider Audience -- Creating Enhanced Podcasts in GarageBand 3 -- Creating Enhanced Podcasts in Podcast Maker -- Part IV: The Final Steps Before Episode #0 -- Practice 25: Creating and Editing ID3 Tags -- The Miracle of ID3 Tags -- Tagging the Files and Editing the Tags -- The Essential Tags -- Additional Important Tags -- The Best Laid Plans . . . -- Practice 26: Adding a Blog to Your Podcast -- Why Use a Blog to Host Your Podcast? -- Blogging Solutions for Podcasters -- Podcasting with WordPress -- Installing and Configuring the PodPress Plug-in -- Adding a Media File with PodPress.

FeedBurner Feed Replacement Plug-in -- WP-Cache Plug-in -- Practice 27: Validating Your RSS Feed -- RSS Deconstructed -- RSS Reconstructed -- Avoiding Pitfalls -- Stop Worrying: Validate Your Feed Often -- Practice 28: Submitting to Podcast Directories -- Submitting Your Application -- Getting Listed in the Virtual Yellow Pages -- Checking Directory Sites Regularly -- Part V: Building Your Audience -- Practice 29: Creating a Promotional Plan -- Deciding When to Begin PromotingYour Podcast -- Why Promoting Before Episode #0 Is Beneficial -- Would You Play My Promo if I Asked Nicely? -- Practice 30: Tell Me About It: Recording Promos and Quickcasts -- What Is a Promo? -- My Name Is Tee, and This Is My Podcast . . . -- What Is a Quickcast? -- Practice 31: Advertising to Attract Listeners -- A Banner Day -- Money in Stereo: Audio Ads -- Advertising in News Publications -- Hitting the Streets -- Practice 32: Networking with Other Podcasters and Bloggers -- Communicating with Others in a Forum -- Contacting the Authors Directly -- Questions and Comments -- Practice 33: Spreading the Word with Social Media -- Getting the Word Out through Social Networks -- Using Bookmarking to Promote Your Podcast -- Virtually Promoting Your Podcast -- Practice 34: Soliciting and Incorporating Listener Feedback -- Is Your Show "Feedbackable?" -- Encouraging Your Listeners to Provide Feedback -- Adding Feedback as a Show Element -- Keeping Track of Conversations Off Your Site -- Practice 35: Getting Featured on Podcast Directories -- Making Your Numbers Count -- Two Thumbs Up! -- Building Bridges -- Practice 36: Joining a Podcast Network -- Finding the Right Network for Your Podcast -- What Your Network Can Do for You -- What You Can (And Must) Do for Your Network -- Making the Decision -- Practice 37: Connecting with the Media -- Writing Press Releases -- Making Cold Calls.

Creating an Effective Press Kit -- The Follow-Up -- Practice 38: Talk to Me: Interviews -- The Interview Query -- Legal Releases: Podcasting Paperwork -- Finding Good Interview Subjects -- Interviewing Unconventional Experts -- Part VI: Creating a Video Podcast -- Practice 39: Video Podcasting -- Understanding the Demands of a Video Podcast -- Giving Yourself Enough Time to Produce -- Exploring Studio Accessories for Video Podcasting -- When to Say, "That's a Wrap!" -- Practice 40: Editing Your Video Podcast with Adobe Premiere -- Editing Video in Adobe Premiere Pro -- Exporting Your Video for Podcasting -- Practice 41: Editing Your Video Podcast with Apple Final Cut Pro -- Editing Video with Final Cut Pro -- Exporting Your Video for Podcasting -- Practice 42: Posting and Distributing Your Video -- Distribution through Your Feed -- Posting on You Tube -- Posting on Google Video -- Embedding Your Google Video on Your Blog -- Posting on Lulu TV -- Part VII: Podcasting as a Business -- Practice 43: Deriving Revenue from Your Podcast -- Making Money "from" Your Podcast -- Making Money "Because of" Your Podcast -- Practice 44: Corporate Podcasting -- Great Expectations for Your Company's Podcast -- Coloring within Corporate Lines -- Working with IT -- Working with Marketing and PR -- Knowing Your Audience -- Practice 45: Podcasting for Government and Not for-Profit Agencies -- Why Government and NFP Agencies Should Podcast -- Working within Government Guidelines -- Practice 46: Promotional Podcasting -- Examining What Goes into the Promotional Podcast -- Making Sure You Have a Plan for Your Promo -- Show's Over - Nothing More to See Here -- Practice 47: Adding Advertising to Your Podcast -- Measuring Audience Demographics -- Building a Media Kit -- Establishing a Fair Rate -- Creating an Advertising Plan -- Creating an Insertion Order.

Handling Listener Complaints.