The term ‘Podcast’ refers to a series of digital-media files (i.e. Mp3’s) which are distributed over the internet for playback on computers and portable media-devices. The term is in essence a blend of the words ‘iPod’ and ‘broadcast’, due to the fact that the Apple iPods were the brand of portable media device for which the initial broadcasts were targeted at. Today, numerous websites offer direct downloads or subscriptions to such content; APPLE’s iTunes program is one such program which helps a user manage this content on their computers. With thousands of podcasts available through iTunes, it is the simplest way to find a podcast that is just right for you!

To find a podcast, select ‘Music Store’ in the iTunes program Source column; then click ‘Podcasts’ to journey inside the Music Store. Alternatively you could also select the little podcasts icon in the Source column, and then click the arrow next to ‘Podcast directory’ at the very bottom of the iTunes window. Select a podcast which interests you in by clicking on its title or its icon. Once selected, you can preview individual ‘episodes’ in the list by simply double-clicking on the various episode titles; subscribing to a podcast is just as easy with one-click on the ‘Subscribe’ button found with each podcast. Once you’ve downloaded or subscribed to a podcast, click the Music Store button to return to the homepage of the store. The iTunes store allows users to search podcasts by categories ranging from the arts, business to religion, so you should find no lack of material to suite your tastes.

To listen to a downloaded podcast, simply double-click on it in iTunes to play. Can’t seem to finish listening to a podcast in one sitting? No problem! Just hit the pause button in iTunes, and iTunes will resume it the next time from the place where you left off! In addition, if you would like to take your podcasts on the go, iTunes offers you an automatic synchronizing function which will ensure all downloaded podcast episodes on your computer are sent to your iPod the next time you connect it. Alternatively you could simply drag and drop your podcasts from your iTunes to the iPod.

Podcast downloads are also almost hassle free! In the case that you do encounter any problems in the downloading process, iTunes will display a small ‘Exclamation Point’ icon to the left of the episode title. Click on the icon to revel more detailed information about the error. Generally, such errors are related to the feed set up by the podcaster (broadcasting source). In most cases, the episode will be available again in about a day.

Now that you’ve learnt about how to subscribe and listen to podcasts, why not go look around the iTunes Music Stores, or go surfing to find a podcast for yourself! Enjoy!