Buzz Out Loud Podcast

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January 30, 2009 2:19 PM PST

Podcast Tips: Behind the scenes of CNET podcasts

by Jason Howell
  • 7 comments

Today's Buzz Out Loud ended and I found myself hanging out in the studio with the live chat. All it took was a single question from someone about podcasting and I proceeded to spill the beans on everything we do behind the scenes of your favorite CNET podcasts.

I've had a lot of people ask me to explain the ins and outs of podcasting here at CNET. If you've ever wondered what kind of technology we use to create our shows, from hardware to software, you might want to check out this walk through.

I also detail how one might start a new podcast from scratch. If you have an hour to kill, check out the Ustream video and skip to the one-hour point. I hope you enjoy the behind-the-scenes look!




Useful links

Record your podcast with Audacity for free! (Mac or PC)

Tag your MP3 file with AudioShell (PC)

Publish your MP3 file to the Internet Archive

Combine multiple RSS feeds into one with Yahoo Pipes

Podcastify any RSS feed using Feedburner

May 7, 2008 1:13 PM PDT

Podcast tip: Add show notes to your podcast files

by Jason Howell
  • 9 comments

I was notified a few months ago of the possibility of adding our extended show notes to the MP3 files that we publish daily. This is something that fans had been asking for in the past and up until then, I thought it was utterly impossible. Well, there is a way. Here's how.


The first thing to keep in mind is that adding show notes to your MP3 file must be the last thing you do to the file before publishing it to the web. If you add show notes to the file and then open it up in an ID3 tag editor other than iTunes, you run the risk of stripping the show notes away without even knowing what you've done. You can always save yourself the headache by using iTunes to edit your ID3 tags as well, eliminating the need to switch programs.


iTunes Lyrics tab

iTunes Lyrics tab

To import the show notes into your MP3 file, first import the file into iTunes. Right-click the podcast file in the iTunes Library and select Get Info. Select the Lyrics tab. Paste your show notes into this window. You might also spend a few minutes formatting the show notes so they look nice. When you are finished, click OK.

That is it, really. It's very simple, but for some reason, not commonly used. You can then publish your podcast to the web as usual, and those with the ability to see information from the lyrics tab will then have full show notes on display. I know that the Apple iPhone and iPod Touch can display these show notes. I've heard from a few others with different smart phones that can see them as well. Happy show-noting!

March 25, 2008 12:01 PM PDT

Podcast tip: Special characters will break your podcast feed

by Jason Howell
  • 5 comments

There are times when I encounter an issue as I'm producing a podcast that can either make or break the feed. Being that I've received some requests to share these tidbits of knowledge with some of the loyal Buzz Out Loud fans, I'll go ahead and throw a few pointers into the blog as they arise. I don't plan on assaulting this blog with millions of posts, but if I encounter something that might be valuable to budding podcasters out there, I'd love to help out. Having said that, welcome to my first "no-duh" tip.

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About Buzz Out Loud Podcast

Buzz Out Loud features Tom Merritt, producer Jason Howell, and a rotating roundtable of CNET's top tech experts reviewing the day's tech news. Each episode, five times a week, the crew analyzes, interprets, and argues about what all this technology means and what it's doing to us. Fans can join in the show by calling 1-800-616-2638, e-mailing at buzz@cnet.com, or commenting on the blog.


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Meet the Buzz Out Loud hosts
Tom Merritt Tom Merritt appears on CNET TV, specializing in help and how-to and the ever popular Top 5 lists. He also co-hosts CNET's The Real Deal podcast. See profile
Jason Howell Jason Howell can often be found producing Buzz Out Loud from the audio studios at CNET, updating XML feeds from the comfort of his cubicle, and saying "uh-oh" from time to time. See profile
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