An Brief Introduction To Podcasting

GREETINGS and welcome to this week’s broadcast of ‘The Web Chalkboard.’ ‘The Web Chalkboard’ is a collaborative effort on the part of many whose Podcasts presentations attempt to explain the finer aspects of Web Design and Development. Its intended audience is Web Designers and Developers, Web Marketers, Graphic Designers, laypeople, and all others who hold an interest in acquiring additional knowledge relating to all aspects of the Internet. 

As I am sure many of you recall, last week on ‘The Web Chalkboard’ we covered the basics of Wikis. That is, what are Wikis and how are they used. If any of you are joining us for the first time this week, you may review previous podcasts as these have been archived on our website.

This week we will investigate podcasts and how they are used. A Podcast is a culmination of two words spliced together – iPod (meaning Portable on Demand) and broadcast. According to the Business Dictionary (2016), a Podcast is “a digital recording of music, news or other media that can be downloaded from the Internet to a portable media player” (Podcast, 2016).

Audio and video-casting have impacted the world in many ways. First and foremost, this technology has expanded the reach of audiences around the globe regardless of geographic location and most importantly for concern of business, lessened the cost of doing such. Other benefits of this up and coming technology are, but not limited to, the ability to better connect with your audience, increase revenue, a smaller environmental footprint, and the overall quality of output. This medium also allows one to provide their audience with richer content and a much larger broadcasting range than does the traditional radio medium of broadcasting.

Some examples of how these benefits can be used and targeted to an audience are training, product illustration and knowledge, live announcements, and online meetings, among others. The key advantage, however, is one does not need a broadcaster’s license thereby avoiding unnecessary governmental regulations and its so-called red tape.

The use of videocasting will impact the sharing of information to various degrees by furthering education and the proliferation of knowledge, collaborating and crowdsourcing, bringing to light various social issues, and affecting – to some extent – the world, national, and regional events. Some other impacts brought forth by this technology are the better facilitation of information between governments and its people and better engagement of ideas and issues between individuals and private institutions.

These are many problems one may experience during the Podcast recording process. As a result, here – in a nutshell – are many of the problems one might experience as well as the solution to each:

 “Missing Audio…

1.    Can your tool record what you want? I’ve seen a lot of podcasters think recording Skype calls was as simple as using Audacity, but it’s not. Whether you’re using hardware or software, ensure that it can even do what you want it to do with the tools you have.

2.    Is everything properly connected? Cables might be loose or not connected, or apps might not be running.

3.    Is everything on? Power, mute, volume, and more could be simple switches or knobs that might not be in their right place.

4.    Are signals properly routed? Trace the cables and audio processing chain to ensure everything is going where it should be. On the software side, ensure that your apps are looking at the right devices for inputs and outputs.

Corrupted Audio…

1.    Reboot before recording.

2.    Quit as many background apps and processes as possible and don’t run anything resource-intensive.

3.    Unplug and reconnect digital audio interfaces.

4.    Keep enough free space on recording devices.

5.    Ensure your input levels aren’t too high.

Noise…

1.    Ambient background noise: turn off what’s making noise, move away from it, put things between your mic and the noise, and point your mic away from it.

2.    Constant hiss (not background noise from your environment): get closer to the mic (about a fist-width away), use quality equipment, and don’t let low-quality gear handle the audio amplification.

3.    Humming, buzzing, or strange interference: keep audio cables away from power cables, plug everything that’s connected to each other into the same surge protector, use a ground-loop isolator, use a HumX, move equipment farther away from each other, and invest in quality gear (including cables).

Volume…

1.    Learn good microphone technique: stay a consistent distance from the microphone, but move farther away when you get louder.

2.    Watch volume meters when testing different sources: have each host or sound source come through one at a time and ensure they average the same volume range.

3.    Record test audio for review: it’s hard to mix your own voice with others’ in real time. A recording will let you see and hear the actual differences to tweak.

4.    Listen instead of looking: loudness is more than the visual waveform (although it is generally a good representation). A highly compressed signal may look quieter than an uncompressed signal, but it could still be louder.

5.    Use proper measuring tools: use a LUFS-measurement tool, such as r128x-GUI for OS X, Orban Loudness Meter for Windows, or the measuring tools in professional software to get actual numbers. These are integrated loudness (measured in LUFS), loudness range (LRA), and true peak (dBTP). Ideal targets are -19 (mono) / -16 (stereo) LUFS, under 4 LU LRA, and -1.0 or lower dBTP” (Lewis, 2016).

On another realm, my experiences with Podcasting in the past equates to zero. This course has – for the first time – introduced me to Podcasting and various ways of its applications for both professional and personal use. After the initial learning process of becoming acclimated with the rudiments of Podcasting, I experience little, if any, difficulties with any of the required assigned tasks – everything went smoothly. As such – I believe the course lessons and associated learning materials are ample. Lastly, I do not have any suggestions for making the course better as I do not have strong knowledge of the topic at hand.

References:

Lewis, D. J. (2016, June 16). How to fix common podcast recording problems – TAP273 [Blog post]. Retrieved from
https://theaudacitytopodcast.com/how-to-fix common-podcast-recording-problems-tap273/

Podcast. (2016). In Business Dictionary online. Retrieved from
http://www.businessdictionary.com/definition/podcast.html

New Wiki Established - Wikis and Web 2.0 

Visit Wikis and Web 2.0 at the following web link: http://wikisandweb2-0.wikispaces.com/

Review of Wikispaces' Discussion Post:

The 6C’s for 21st Century Competency 

 The author is honest to begin her post by reflecting on one of the most important lessons she learned about business. “The difference between your industry and mine,” he said, is that “in my industry, we have to change before we need to, while, in your industry, you won’t change even when it’s clear that you must” (Barnes, 2008). This philosophical approach has governed her discussions ever since.

Her [the author] main points of concern are those which affect the world’s education systems in the twenty-first century. Some of which are the many technological advances achieved and those anticipated to come in due time. One concern is she stresses the need to segment educational learning models in the same fashion a marketer would segment their market – different strokes for different folks. To further illustrate this, she [the author] suggests segmenting the learning models by student’s abilities and not by happenstance circumstances such as place of birth, color, economic disadvantages, or the like. She further explains the use of twenty-first-century technology to reach this end.

 Lastly, she [the author] stresses the adoption of the so-called 6Cs for 21st Century Competency. These six areas of competency are as follows: 1) Connect 2) Create 3) Collaborate 4) Communicate 5) Compute and 6) Think Critically.

Reference: 

Barnes, C. D. (2008, January 29). The 6C’s for 21st Century Competency. Retrieved on November 7, 2016 from http://shifthappens.wikispaces.com/The+6C%27s+for+21st+Centu ry+Competency

Review of Wikispaces' Discussion Post:

How is good, but let's not forget the why! 

The main idea behind this discussion post is that teachers at all levels of education must adapt to the technological advancements second nature to almost all students – they are growing, and some grew up with it. The author coins this lapse of technological knowledge ‘21st-century techno-culture’ and rightfully so. As students learn from teachers, teachers must have an open and yet willing mind to accept student’s ideas and learn from them. Teachers must also learn - in depth – most, if not all the technology students harness to learn – be it by the Internet, Smart Phone, Pod Cast, or others.

Reference:

Mannotw. (2007, September 26). How is good, but let's not forget the why!. Retrieved on November 7, 2016 from http://shifthappens.wikispaces.com/How+is+good%2C+but+let%2 7s+not+forget+the+why%21

Review of Wikispaces' Discussion Post:

A New Economy? 

The author brings to light the so-called ‘New World Order’ with emphasis placed on economic change, shifts, and repercussions that will and is occurring around the world. The author starts the group by asking three critical fundamental questions central to the ‘New Economy.’ These issues are as they pertain to the coming so-called ‘New Economy’: (1) What are some alternatives? (2) How can technology facilitate the world? And (3) What resources should be used?

The members of this discussion group (Wiki) answer these questions from many different points of view. All of which will enlighten all but more importantly, stimulate one’s mind into the finer attributes of the fast-approaching ‘New Economy’ that will significantly influence the ‘New World Order.’ Another group member suggests an excellent book that was written in 1978 by authors Hiltz and Turoff. The book is titled: "The Network Nation" and is concerned with how the use of advanced computer systems and the like will significantly influence our world as a whole. As for myself, I may - in time – locate a copy of this text for reading.

Another group member anticipates a centralized global learning system by which all nation’s education systems are combined and act as one. Moreover, other members address the future of business and how these firms are affected by these advancements in technologies.

Reference: 

Bouchec1. (2008, October 24). A new economy. Retrieved November 7, 2016 from  https://shifthappens.wikispaces.com/share/view/6415081

Web 2.0 Tool In Review

 Del.icio.us

Delicious (del.icio.us) is a social bookmarking service used for the storage, sharing, and discovery of web bookmarks. It is quite simple to use with a very basic User Interface. This User Interface provided for simple navigation and easy to understand directions for using the tools of the site correctly.

The benefits of using Delicious are first and foremost; it’s free, easy to use, and ultra-quick. Delicious benefits also provide a means of building relationships as well as echoing word-of-mouth. Another key benefit of utilizing the Delicious site is indexing. The links added to one’s Delicious account aid search engines in the indexing and ranking process. The downside is fierce competition and Spam.

I strongly recommend the Delicious Social Bookmarking site for all needs relating to storage of web links in a library format. A free account to the Delicious website can be established by visiting the following link: https://del.icio.us/.

Web 2.0 Tool In Review

Flickr
Flickr is a photo sharing (web-enabled database) owned and operated by Yahoo. The website was created with the sole intent of uploading and storing digital images. My experience with Flickr is rather limited. Be that as it may, I found little difficulty navigating around the site nor did I have any trouble uploading or tagging any digital images. I would attribute to ease of use to Flickr’s simplicity of design that makes the site extremely user-friendly. Moreover, I can also add that the User Interface is the basics of website design that makes navigating around the site a breeze. I highly recommend the Flickr site for the storage of digital images. A free account to the Flickr website can be established by visiting the following link: https://www.flickr.com/.