Keeping it Simple
If you have found yourself here at JapanPodcasters.com because of an interest in Japan and you have not yet learned what a podcast is, or how to access one, you might be relieved to know that most of the confusion out there on the topic is generally due to people trying to describe podcasts in far too complicated and unnecessary terms.
What is a Podcast?
A podcast is simply a recording or series of recordings (often audio, sometimes video) that a person makes about a topic of interest to them, and that they would like others to listen to or watch (free of charge). Some corporate programs, television and radio shows, etc. are also offered as podcasts.
That's it. You're done with the definition.
How do I listen to or watch a Podcast?
Most podcasters provide links on their websites to listen to or watch their podcasts. If you have ever visited a website or used a computer in any way, then you already know how to listen to or watch a podcast. You just click on the play button. [You can stop reading at this point if you like. You now know enough to have fun sampling a few podcasts listed in this directory.]
Wait! There must be more to it!
Only a little. If you like some podcasts and want to be sure to receive all their episodes as soon as they become available, then you can use software that will automatically seek out the new episodes on the Internet and download them to your computer without you ever having to worry about it. You can then use that software program to listen to or watch the accumulated episodes when you have time or are in the mood.
iTunes is by far the most popular software tool used for this purpose. It is free and the latest version can be downloaded from apple.com/itunes/download for both Macs and PCs. An iPod is not required to use iTunes. You can play back the accumulated shows on your computer using iTunes as the "player".
Once installing iTunes on your computer, search for the podcast title you are interested in within the podcast section of iTunes. When you find what you want, click the subscribe button. (This is something of a misnomer, because people think subscribe means pay. Podcasts are free.) You can add as many podcasts as you desire, and new episodes from all of the added podcasts will automatically be downloaded and always available to you, safely stored by iTunes on your own computer.
Many podcasters make this "subscribe" process easier for you by providing a link on their websites that will automatically open the iTunes program and take you to the page at iTunes where you can subscribe to their individual podcast. Keep in mind that you need to have iTunes already installed on your computer to take advantage of those convenient subscribe links, which are very commonly seen on many podcasters' web pages these days.
But what about the Pod in Podcast?
The term podcast was indeed coined from the iPod product name. One of the great features of a podcast is that you can listen to episodes at your convenience on an mp3 player such as an iPod.
However, I personally listened to podcasts for a couple of years before I ever owned an iPod. I listened to podcasts at home on my own computer using the iTunes software as my player. I don't like moving around throughout the world with ear buds in my head, so I was never in a hurry to acquire an iPod. I only bought an iPod recently because of language studying needs and my specific desire to convert Minna No Nihongo's companion audio CDs into mp3 files that I could conveniently listen to when on the move.
I did drag and drop a few JapanesePod101 podcast files from the iTunes folder into my cell phone before getting an iPod, so I could listen to Japanese lessons while riding the gondolas and ski lifts out here in Colorado, but we are starting to get way off topic and way too complicated now. ^_^
If you choose to buy an iPod or already have one, you will be pleased to discover that you can add podcasts to it just as easily as you add songs, and adding podcasts to an iPod is a free process. There is no new skill set to learn beyond the basic use of the iPod itself.
Though there are many other brands of mp3 players out there, none of the others will work seamlessly with iTunes. You can manually drag mp3 files out of the iTunes folders on your hard drive to use other non-Apple mp3 players with iTunes, but that is a very messy affair. Unless you are in some sort of artificial denial mode about the superiority of Apple's portable media players, at this point in time most people should probably not even bother to look at other brands of mp3 file players, especially if ease of use is a top priority. Like it or not, for the time being, Apple really does have this market category wrapped up and in their pocket.
Though an iPod is absolutely not required to enjoy podcasts and I got by fine without one for a very long time, I will say that owning an iPod has been very convenient for me in some circumstances. [especially when I am in my car where I can play podcasts and language lessons through my car's speakers, on a commercial flight with a pair of QuietComfort 2's plugged in (I highly recommend avoiding the QC3's), or riding a gondola or ski lift while snowboarding. I haven't yet started listening to recorded audio while actually riding on the snow, though I do need to try that out this winter. There will be "plot significant" scenes in Savage Snow where characters use iPods as they snowboard]
