Podcasting With Joomla

By Marshal Sandler 

Many early podcasts were limited to feeds by and for computer gurus, since podcasting required a significant amount of technical expertise. Once iTunes started supporting podcast feeds and opened up a directory, more casual computer users and music lovers started subscribing to podcasts. Today, simple software running on many web hosting servers allows anyone to distribute a podcast.

Joomla is a free, open source content management system that allows people to manage their own websites without requiring a lot of technical knowledge. All you need to maintain a website using Joomla is a web host that supports the software and a web browser. Many web hosts will even install the Joomla software for you as part of your web hosting package.

Joomla includes built-in support for RSS content feeds, the core technology behind podcasts. Once you record and edit your podcast audio file using any of the popular podcasting tools on the market, you can use a variety of tools within Joomla to distribute your podcast to listeners.

The easiest way to start podcasting with Joomla is to use the software’s built-in content management system. If you have posted your audio to a web server, you can add a new article to Joomla’s news feed and link to the audio file with the enclosure tag, like this:

< a href="http://www.myserver.com/myaudio.mp3" mce_href="http://www.myserver.com/myaudio.mp3" rel="enclosure">

Most podcast players and feed readers will understand that link and pull your audio file into a listener’s playlist. However, you can use some third-party Joomla podcasting modules and plugins to make it even easier to maintain your podcast.

The Joomla podcasting module you use will depend on your level of technical expertise and the amount of money you wish to pay. Many Joomla modules are free of charge, offered under open source licenses. Some more sophisticated modules carry small fees that directly support the programmers. Depending on a programmer’s policies, you may have to pay a fee for each podcast or each domain you maintain.

Joomla podcasting modules reduce the number of steps you have to take to get your podcast into listeners’ players. In many cases, Joomla podcasting modules provide built-in FTP support, so you can post your file to a web server just by adding it like a mail attachment. From the Joomla administration panel, you will be able to control settings, such as the title of your podcast, the name of each individual episode, and the artwork that you want displayed when listeners enjoy your podcast on their iPods.

Additional Resources:
Joomla Podcasting Component
Joomla Podcasting Modules Directory
MadeYourWeb Podcasting Plugin for Joomla
Written for All-Podcast Secrets.com by eContentCafe. Site Owner Marshal Sandler