SOF Podcasting Defined
The Speaking of Faith podcast offers a way for you, the listener, to schedule the download of audio copies (in mp3 format) of each week's program directly to your computer. It's like TiVo for the radio, but with less work!
The SOF podcast is free and anyone can subscribe to it using intermediate software applications such as Apple's iTunes. Speaking of Faith also offers OnDemand downloads (in mp3 format) and streaming audio (in RealAudio) so that you can directly access that week's show on its companion Web site. The difference between the SOF podcast and SOF OnDemand boils down to one thing: the SOF podcast is automatically delivered to your computer, whereas SOF OnDemand requires that you go to the page and manually download it yourself.
What's the Advantage?
There are many reasons why our listeners aren't able to listen to SOF on the radio — inconvenient time of day, limited amount of time for listening, unavailable on your local public radio station. Subscribing to the SOF podcast allows you to listen to our program during a time and at a place most convenient for you. And, even streaming (via RealAudio) may prove difficult because you, the listener, have to be tethered to your computer in order to hear it, which means you can't listen to the program in your car, on the bus, on the train, or sometimes even at your office (system administrators sometimes restrict streaming audio because it eats up bandwidth).
Do I Need an iPod to Listen to the SOF Podcast?
Not at all. All SOF podcasts are encoded as mp3 files, the most universal format for listening on various devices. You can listen to each podcast using almost any application: iTunes, Windows Media Player, RealAudio Player, WinAmp, and many others. And, if you like, you can burn it to a CD so you can listen to Krista Tippett and Speaking of Faith in your car or at home on your stereo. Of course, portability is the name of the game, so the SOF podcast works wonderfully on portable media devices like the iPod or other mp3 players — and now even on mobile phones! |
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If you're new to the podcasting world, there are several ways to get started. If you have Apple's iTunes software installed on your computer or have an account for Yahoo, just click on one of the two icons below:
 
And, for those familiar with subscribing to podcasts, just paste the following URL into your favorite podcast software:
http://speakingoffaith.org/podcast/podcast.xml
Otherwise, follow the detailed directions below, "Getting Started: Step-By-Step Instructions." Now, you're dialed in to each week's program with Krista Tippett. Listen to the latest Speaking of Faith program on your computer, on your mp3 player, burn it to CD — anywhere you want!
Getting Started: Step-by-Step Instructions
For those new to the podcasting universe, we've provided the following detailed instructions with accompanying screenshots to help you along the way. So, away we go. Three things are required in order to subscribe to the SOF podcast: a computer, podcasting software (we recommend iTunes), and an Internet connection (a faster connection means a faster download). Complete the following steps to subscribe to the SOF podcast:
| 2. Install iTunes on your computer. |
| 3. Open the iTunes application. |
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| 4. In the horizontal menu appearing at the top, click "Advanced." |
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| 5. After the drop-down menu displays, click the third line item, "Subscribe to Podcast..." |
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| 6. After a dialogue box pops up, enter the following URL (don't include the quotation marks), "http://speakingoffaith.org/podcast/podcast.xml" into the text area. |
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| 7. Now you have successfully subscribed to the SOF podcast. |
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| 8. In the podcast directory on the right-hand side, find the title of the podcast, "APM's Speaking of Faith with Krista Tippett." By default, the latest program should be downloading to your computer. At the far left of the podcast title, an orange circle with a rotating arrow should display. This means a program is in the process of being downloaded. |
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| 9. Preceding the podcast title, click the filled-in triangle. This will display the files SOF has made available for download (typically the last four shows aired). The program being downloaded will have an orange circle with a rotating arrow too. Any other programs not downloaded will have a oval button labeled "GET" next to it. |
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| 10. If you want to download another SOF program, click its corresponding "GET" button. |
| 11. Once the program is finished downloading, select the program you'd like to listen to. Then, you can either double-click the program title and it will begin playing or click the play button at the top of the application window. |
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| 12. The next time you open iTunes, the application will automatically check to see if the latest SOF podcast is available for download. We will upload a file every week at 12:00 p.m. on Thursdays. Check your podcast directory at that time for the latest update. |
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