Washington State Department of Financial Institutions

Podcasting

Topics Covered:

What is podcasting?

Podcasting is a new technology that automatically delivers MP3 audio files to your personal computer. For portability, you may transfer these MP3 audio files to an iPod or other MP3 player.

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If I don't want to subscribe to the podcast, can I listen to the audio files anyway?

Yes. We offer the same MP3 audio files, contained in the podcast, for download on our website. Simply click on these files and listen using your computer's media player.

MP3 audio files on DFI's website are marked with the MP3 icon

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What equipment is needed to receive podcasts?

All that is required is a computer, PC or MAC, an Internet connection, and podcast receiver software. There are many free or commercial podcast receivers available for download (such as iTunes or Juice). For portability, an MP3 player or iPod is required.

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Do I need an iPod to listen to a podcast?

You don't need an iPod to subscribe to a podcast. A podcast is simply MP3 audio files that are automatically downloaded to your computer. You can play these MP3 audio files if you have podcast receiver software installed. There are many free and commercial podcast receivers available for download.

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How do I start receiving podcasts?

  1. Download and install podcast receiver software.

  2. Familiarize yourself with how to add podcast feeds to your chosen receiver software.

  3. Find the podcast that interests you and then copy the podcast stream address (URL). An easy way to do this is to highlight the address, right-click and then choose copy.

    A sample podcast stream address (URL) is http://dfi.wa.gov/cs/podcast/mor_broker.xml.

  4. Paste the podcast stream address into your podcast receiver software. For more information on how to do this, follow the instructions provided by your chosen podcast receiver.

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What is a podcast XML file?

A podcast XML file is the computer's instructions for the podcast.

If you open a podcast XML file, you will see a lot of unfamiliar code. You do not need to copy this code, just simply copy the URL in the web address bar.

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Podcast receivers

iTunes - (Windows, OS X)
Juice (Formely iPodder) - (Windows, OS X, Linux)

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Resources

iPod Support Site - Support site for iPod users from Apple.

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DFI