If you have followed my two earlier posts, you notice that I think the web is an ideal medium for expanding the reach and longevity of the weekly message.  With that in mind, I wanted to share a sermon player I came across a few days ago.  The site is www.sermon.net.  Sermon.net has a very clean looking player that could blend in with almost any existing site as well as hosting for the media in both sponsored (banner ads on the player) and premium paid versions.  The player incorporates audio and video as well as offering an online Bible and the ability to download the sermons which can then be transferred to a mobile device.  If you are looking for an easy way to post and podcast your sermons, this is a solution that is worth looking at.

What's This Thing About Podcasting - Part 2?

In my last post, we started a discussion about podcasting.  I defined is as a file which has a series of descriptions and links to media files.  These files can be audio, video, or even pdf documents.  In this posting we are going to talk about some of the specifics in starting a podcast, and as I promised, it may be easier than you think.

We will talk about the specific file of the podcast in a moment, but I must first talk a little about set-up.  With all internet delivery, the files have to be on a server somewhere which people can access through the internet.  It is no different with a podcast.  Both the podcast file and the media files must be on an internet accessible server.

Preparing the Media Files

When we talk about media files, the main files we are talking about are .mp3 audio files and .mp4 video files.  If you record the weekly sermon to CD than you are almost there to forming the .mp3 file.  All you have to do now is use an encoder that will convert the file from the audio-CD format to .mp3.  If the iTunes setting are correct, this is as simple as putting the CD in a computer which has iTunes installed and choosing to import the CD.

To make sure you are getting a .mp3 and not another type of file you will need to check the preferences.  Open the iTunes preferences.  Under the advanced tab you will see another tab for importing preferences.  There are several options, but .mp3 is the most end-user friendly.  Once these are set, every time you import something into iTunes, it will convert it to an mp3.  After the mp3 is created, simply grab the title and drag it to the desktop and iTunes will make a copy of the file for you.  You can then move that file to your server.

Once the media file is on the server, you need to update your podcast file and when users check the podcast, they will see the new file.

To summarize this process:

• Record the sermon on CD or straight to a hard drive
• Convert that to a .mp3
• Move the .mp3 to the server

So far we have not talked about the podcast file other than mentioning that it exists.  At this point, I would like to direct you to the main resource I used to create our podcast.  It is the technical specs page from Apple for podcasts:  http://www.apple.com/itunes/store/podcaststechspecs.html.  This gives a detailed description of all aspects of the podcast, including sample code, FAQs etc..  My recommendation is to start with the sample code, copy and paste it into a blank document and change their generic information for your specific information.  This can be done in web software such as Dreamweaver, but it can also be done with Notepad or TextEdit, not Word, and the file must be saved with a .xml extension. 

Additions to the item section of the xml.

The podcast file from the apple page is designed to work with iTunes, but not necessarily other rss readers.  Therefore, if you look at it in another xml/rss reader, may see the descriptions, but the link to the actual video file may not be valid.  This, however is a simple fix.  Once you do this, end users can then use Google and other rss readers to subscribe to your content. 

Below is some code from the Apple sample podcast, the highlighted items are the additions that need to be made for the podcast to work with other readers: (this is not the complete code)

<item>
<title>Socket Wrench Shootout</title>
<link>http://example.com/podcasts/everything/AllAboutEverythingEpisode2.mp3</link>
<description>This week we talk about metric vs.. old english socket wrenches. Which one is better? Do you really need both? Get all of your answers here.</description>
<itunes:author>Jane Doe</itunes:author>
<itunes:subtitle>Comparing socket wrenches is fun!</itunes:subtitle>
<itunes:summary>This week we talk about metric vs. old english socket wrenches. Which one is better? Do you really need both? Get all of your answers here.</itunes:summary>
<enclosure url="http://example.com/podcasts/everything/AllAboutEverythingEpisode2.mp3" length="5650889" type="audio/mpeg" />
<guid>http://example.com/podcasts/archive/aae20050608.mp3</guid>
<pubDate>Wed, 8 Jun 2005 19:00:00 GMT</pubDate>
<itunes:duration>4:34</itunes:duration>
<itunes:keywords>metric, socket, wrenches, tool</itunes:keywords>
</item>

Notice that the <link></link> segment is the same as the url in the <enclosure> portion and the <description></description> can be the same as your iTunes summary.

In the above code, there is a <guid> section, this refers to a unique id.  This section can be left out and iTunes will use the enclosure's url as the guid.

If you have never looked at it before, the code may look imposing, but it is really fairly easy to work with.  The information inside the "< >" define a section of the file.  You will leave those things alone.  What you change is the information not inside "< >".

We have taken and adapted the code, now we need to move this file to our server and test it.  Going back to the podcast specs page, it tells you how to directly subscribe to you link via iTunes to see if your podcast is working.  You may also try some other rss readers.  There is also information on how to submit your podcast to iTunes.

Once you have things working, one other suggestion I would make is to burn your feed with Feedburner.  This is a free service, owned by Google, which allows you to track usage of your podcast.

Summary

Basically, a podcast file is an xml file with links to certain types of media files.  A podcast through iTunes will recognize several different file types including mp3, pdf, mov, and mp4.  One note here is that for iTunes to recognize it correctly, you cannot mix .mp3(audio) files and .mov or .mp4 (video files).  If you do this, iTunes will only play the audio portion of the video file, if anything.  If you want to do both audio and video, you need separate podcasts.

To prepare things, you create your .mp3 files and move them to your server.  Then update your xml file by creating a new <item> </item>.  Inside the item are several things you need to change out; title, link, description, etc...  After it is saved to the server, people who subscribe to the podcast will see the new items you have added.

Overall, once you have done this a few times you will realize it is not a difficult process and the benefits to your congregation can be great.  Read Apple's tech specs and give it a try.

Who are we and what are we doing here?
This is a good question for all of us to ask, but in this simple posting, the “we” will actually be the Digital Media area of the Louisiana Baptist Convention Communication Team.  As the digital media strategist, this posting will be about the things that fall under my domain as well as a little bit of information to help you get to know me better.

In a technical sense, digital media can be anything that is in a digital format whether that be on a disk, a computer, or the internet.  As the digital media strategist for the LBC, my main function is preparation and distribution of information electronically, usually via the internet.  So, while I am not really a creator of content on a large scale, my main purpose is to organize, modify, and distribute content.  As a part of those responsibilities I take, crop, retouch, size, optimize, organize, and upload photos; encode, transfer and upload video; build flash presentations; write podcasts in XML; develop web page templates; manage, strategize and oversee the distribution of web content; keep track of web stats; everything else I forgot I do because this listing is already boring you; and, of course, other duties as assigned.

So, what are we doing here?  In this case by here, I mean this particular blog.  There are several things I want to do here.  One of them is to provide information to you, LBC churches and ministries, about how we do some of the things we do.  I will be providing information about our processes in the preparation of media for the web, for example, an upcoming post will be about our video encoding process, the tools we use, and why we chose that process.  I also hope to share the importance of digital media with churches.  Did you know that according to Richard Reising, president of Artistry Marketing, 80 to 85 percent of the people looking for churches are finding them based on websites?  (http://www.christianitytoday.com/yc/2007/006/4.30.html)  What does this say about the need for our church websites to be an adequate reflection of our church?  A third desire is to receive feedback via this blog.  I will in no way promote myself as the master of all things digital.  It is a field that is changing on a daily basis and it is impossible for anyone to know and understand all of it, so please, feel free to leave comments, ideas, and questions.  The way we are doing things is working for us, but they may not be the absolute “best” way.  There may not even be a “best” way.  Last, I plan on using this page as somewhat of a beta test page to try out new layout options,  get your feedback, and possibly implement some of these things into the main structure of the LBC website.

Now that you know a little about where we are and what we are doing, I also wanted to share a little about who I am.  I am originally from Oklahoma, where I lived until I was 30. Then God moved us to Moscow, Russia for almost three years, Kansas City, MO for 18 months and we have been in Alexandria for two years this July.  I have a journalism degree with a photographic arts emphasis so my leanings are more towards effective communications rather than highly technical computer process.  I try to balance both, leveraging the technical to increase communication effectiveness.  By the end o f the summer, I will be 63.043% complete with a Master of Divinity degree.   I have a wonderful wife and the girls under the age of six. 

My invitation to you is to become involved in the conversation as we strive to more accurately, and effectively use technology to engage our culture which, according to the Pew internet & American Life Project, 75% of US adults are users of the internet with 72% of the users, using it on a daily basis. (www.pewinternet.org).