@Podder Frequently Asked Questions

Frequently Asked Questions
Please visit the @Podder Community for podcasts and news about podcasting related to eyesight.
What is podcasting? Why listen to podcasts? Why the dirty words?
Why a podcatcher for partially sighted?
Why doesn't @Podder download sometimes? Also check installation instructions

What is Podcasting?

Podcasting is a way of publishing files to a website that allows users to subscribe to the site and receive new files as they are posted. Most podcasts are audio files in MP3 format, syndicated through the RSS protocol. However, other formats and other types of files, such as video, can also be podcast.

While the term "podcasting" is a portmanteau of Apple's "iPod" music player and "broadcasting," podcasting does not require an iPod: any digital audio player or computer with the appropriate software can download and play back podcasts. Nor does it strictly speaking involve broadcasting, as each individual listener fetches a copy of the content, rather than a single copy sent simultaneously to many listeners as in a true broadcast.

A podcast can be described as an audio magazine subscription, in that a subscriber receives programs without having to get them, and can listen to them at leisure. It can also be thought of as the internet equivalent of timeshift-capable digital video recorders (DVRs) such as TiVo, which let users automatically record and store television programs for later viewing.

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Why a Podcatcher for the Partially Sighted?

While there isn't an abundance of software designed especially for blind users, there are general-purpose tools for screen reading which makes many software packages accessible. However, there are millions of PC users who fall into the category of "partially sighted" -- able to work their own way around the windows of a package, but perhaps sensitive to light, seeing wavy lines, or not seeing patches of a viewing area. Whatever the underlying cause, users with these symptoms experience stress or fatigue and often underuse the functionality of their software. Software that is "accessible" for blind people with assistive technology may be almost unusable by partially sighted individuals. As more baby boomers reach the age of cataracts and macular degeneration, it may be necessary for many to adjust their patterns of using computers for several hours a day and most of their communications.

@Podder is an experimental software approach geared toward "easy viewing", acting like "large print" does to help many book readers. Designed by a partially sighted programmer, @Podder attempts to provide essential basic functionality without frills and in a different appearance. Granted many younger or better-sighted people may find the @Podder style ugly or frustratingly limited, and we challenge them to consider where they want to invest their time, energy, and eyeball attention. And to remember that their elders as well as some of their disabled colleagues seek different capabilities, which they too will require some day.

Furthermore, some assistive technology is and should more spill over into software for fully capable users. For example, desktop text-to-speech offers an alternative channel of communication for everything from reading New York Times editorials to tracking the progress of downloading tools like @Podder. And there are design trade-offs between simplicity of an application and off-loading capabilities to other tools, such as @Podder performs with its use of HTML show notes and catalogs of podcasts amenable to browser settings, searching, and file and web page launchying.

Why listen to Podcasts?What's the big deal about Podcasting?

Visualize these reasons as a Mind Map of the benefits of Podcasting.

1. Good Listening

Why doesn't @Podder download any podcasts when I click Process ALL?

Some days there just aren't any new podcasts. After the first time you subscribe, you may receive a odcast only once a week, although a few hyperactive podcasters or large sites offer daily podcasts. If you want more podcasts to listen to, find a clearinghouse like iPodder.org (a directory) or Podcast Alley (a ranking site). Eventually, you'll find a balance of the content you appreciate appropriate for your available listening time.

Ok, what's with the dirty language on these podcasts?

Well, a lot of us talk that way, and mean no harm. There's even a book and podcast about swearing in the workplace. Podcasts are FCC-free produced and hosted by individuals. However, podcasting is becoming more self-regulated, e.g. the TechPodcasts Network has a no-cussing code.

How do I use "compiled show notes" and other generated HTML?
(Listen to Tip #1)