A feed sends updates about your podcast directly to aggregators such as iTunes or the built-in feed readers in Internet Explorer 7+ and Firefox, making your new podcast episodes available for download.
FeedBurner - FeedBurner in a Nutshell
FeedBurner offers a complete set of services to help you build awareness, track circulation, and implement revenue-generating programs in your feed(s).
FeedBurner helps publishers and podcasters manage the technical complexities of RSS, while offering tools to help increase awareness and reach, track circulation and usage and finally, provide a foundation for monetization. Basically, you can publish your podcasts at FeedBurner and they will help track your efforts and the number of subscribers.
Podcasting Statistics - The Significance of Tracking Your Statistics
You can check your podcasting statistics, including the number of downloads and subscribers. Using FeedBurner also guarantees that aggregators can update your content as new podcasts become available when you link to your newest offering at your blog or feed site. FeedBurner creates that actual feed that will be submitted to iTunes and other podcast directories.
Create Your Feed - Sign-up for Free Today
Visit the FeedBurner website and enter in your existing blog or feed website and follow the easy getting started guide.
Website: http://www.feedburner.com
Aggregators - Understanding Podcast Aggregators
A podcast aggregator is a device or program that delivers RSS feeds or new podcast episodes to you in podcast listening format, or MP3. Examples of podcast aggregators include Apple iTunes and iPodderX. Both of these software programs allow you to listen to podcasts and subscribe to new podcasts within their application.
Aggregators differ from directories by supplying you directly with the podcast file instead of simply hosting the file on their site in a category that you will need to search for each time you decide to listen to the podcast. An aggregator will not only present you with choices, but also deliver the podcast to you as soon as a new feed becomes available, updating the podcast instantly.
Since we've already focused on Apple iTunes earlier, here is a brief review of their podcast services. Note the addition of the aggregator, FeedStation.
iTunes - iTunes as an Aggregator
Since iTunes 4.9 you can browse, find, sample and subscribe to thousands of free podcasts - radio shows delivered over the Internet to your computer - then sync them to your iPod and listen anytime, anywhere.
With an iPod / iPhone and iTunes, it's a cinch to sync: fast, simple and effortless.
Feedstation - Feedstation as an Aggregator
FeedStation is a powerful podcasting receiver that allows you to download audio files and automatically copy them to your favorite media player. It doesn't matter where you are when you initiate the download, the file goes right to your media player, wherever it is. The audio files will be there when you?re ready to listen.
When you see the designated enclosure icon in a feed, it indicates audio content exists. Simply click on the icon and NewsGator will add it to your podcasting folder. FeedStation then downloads the enclosure to your media player (immediately or at a scheduled time specified by you). FeedStation synchs with iTunes and your iPod - in media devices other than iPod or with Windows Media Player 10.
Summary - Key points about aggregators
In this chapter, we discovered how to publish your podcast as an rss feed using Feedburner and the significance of aggregators. Aggregators not only allow you to subscribe to podcasts, they also deliver newly updated content directly to the subscriber when it becomes available.