Calliflower is a great tool for setting up conference calls and creating webcasts. Premium versions have been introduced but the FREE version is still available.

The service appears to be upgraded continually, in keeping with the laudable Continuous Improvement philosophy. Those improvements can make setting up a Calliflower Call tricky at times, so here are some more tips to help things go more smoothly:

1. Write out your agenda using your own word processing software BEFORE you begin to set up your Calliflower Call.
2. Check your pre-written agenda for typos, spelling, and style issues.
3. Copy and paste your pre-written agenda to the Agenda form in Calliflower. 

Make sure you’re happy with the layout of your agenda on the Agenda form before you proceed.  It will go out in the form of an email, generated by Calliflower, so you probably want to keep it short enough to fit on a one-page email that will also include other Calliflower-generated information.

It’s also important that you don’t make any changes to the Agenda form later.  Each time you do, Calliflower will present you with a dialog box that gives you the option of resending the Calliflower Call announcement email.  It’s very easy to have multiple announcements sent out by mistake, so make sure that the content on the Calliflower Agenda form is EXACTLY the way you want it before you proceed.

Here are some more tips for using some of the nifty little features offered with the FREE version of the Calliflower software:

1. Decide if you want the call to be public or private.  Calliflower archives public calls so that they’re available for anyone to hear at any time in the future.  There are advatages and drawbacks to either choice that will be covered in a future post.
2. Be sure to click on ADVANCED OPTIONS before you proceed to CREATE THE CALL.  Calliflower’s Advanced Options gives you more control over when your conference call (or webcast) starts recording.  Calliflower’s Free Calling Options are offered under ADVANCED OPTIONS by default, making it easier for the participants you invite to access your Calliflower Call.

You can find more ideas to consider when using Calliflower to create a podcast at Calliflower for Neophytes, and STAY TUNED for more Calliflower tips in future posts. 

iTunes isn’t the only place to publish a podcast (or webcast or netcast).  I’ve listened to many that used Podango, but this post is about neither of these.

Mevio has much to offer and it, too, is FREE.  With Mevio, you can upload episodes, show notes, create profiles, view stats, and (I’m sure) a lot more.

The first two pilots of the first ‘casts I’ve attempted using Calliflower are almost ready for posting.  As easy as it appears to be with Mevio, that will be the most likely place where they’ll be available for your listening and educational pleasure.

Stay tuned!

Here are a few things I’ve learned from my recent experiences using Calliflower to create private, non-business Conference Calls.  For me, producing a publishable podcast is a project that is still in production but for achieving the first crucial step of making the recording, Calliflower is an excellent service!  If you’re interested in creating podcasts (aka webcasts or netcasts) on a shoestring budget, using Calliflower is a great way to start, but here are a few cautions that might save you some confusion your first time out:

1. Start off by only inviting yourself to the Calliflower Call you plan to schedule.
2. Always check the notification email you receive from Calliflower VERY CAREFULLY, paying particular attention to the TIME ZONE for the time you plan to begin your Conference Call.
3. 12 hours is the limit for any Calliflower Conference Call.
4. Be careful when importing CONTACTS to your Calliflower Address Book.
5. To protect the privacty of the particpants in your Calliflower Call, it’s a good idea to contact them using more traditional channels (email, telephone, IM) BEFORE scheduling the Call.
6. There are some free calling options available for your participants, but they’re disabled by default.
7. Free calling options can enabled by editing the call and checking the “Free Calling” checkbox in the “Advanced Options” section.

Happy ‘casting to you!

The objective for this post is answering this question:

“What do I like about my favorite podcasts?”

What I like about my favorite podcasts is really not relevant to producing a new podcast.  It’s far more important to present content that is relevant to an audience.  This question merely serves as a starting point.

Podcasts are not mass media so it is not necessary to appeal to the widest possible audience.

That makes the question of content more about structure than topic. 

The reason for finding my own preferences in this area is to make the podcast “comfortable” to produce.  If the so-called host of a podcast is not comfortable with the structure, the audience won’t be either.

Here are some examples of podcast structure:

• Interviews
• Conversations
• News aggregation
• Copy-reading
• Music with commentary
• Product reviews

Many podcasts are almost indistinguishable from some mainstream news programs, where one person reads prepared copy to the listener.  Some podcasts resemble lessons on a specific topic.  My favorite podcasts include both of these presentation styles, but I would find neither comfortable to produce.

So the WebPixie’s adventure into podcasting continues!

Expect conversations and interviews on a niche topic that is yet to be determined.

While I was researching what kind of hardware I’d need to buy and the software I would need for podcasting, Web 2.0 removed another hurdle.

The most fascinating kinds of hardware I’ve studied are the different types of microphones and headsets used for podcasting.  The technology itself is interesting but the potential expense really complicates the decision-making process.

Conference call software from iotum makes it possible to produce a podcast of reasonable quality before making the investment in microphones and headsets.  It also eliminates the need for recording software or equipment.

The new Web 2.0 software application from iotum is called Calliflower.  It was first launched as a Facebook application but now it’s available as a stand-alone Web 2.0 tool.  It’s utility as a podcasting tool is well demonstrated by the Gillmor Gang and NewsGang Live podcasts.

Here is how it works:

Participants in the podcasts are connected on a conference call via Calliflower.  The call is recorded using Calliflower’s RECORD feature, then finished and edited by the producer of the shows and released as a podcast.

Since Calliflower is a Web 2.0 application, it is accessible to anyone with an internet connection.  It’s easy to use and it’s FREE, at least for home- and casual-users.  The only equipment needed is a telephone.

The organizer of the call sets it up on Calliflower.  Invitations are sent to the participants to inform them of the time of the call with a phone number and a PIN code.  The participants call the provided telephone number at the prearranged time.  The PIN is entered when prompted and the recording begins once there are two people on the call.

(Participants without an internet connection can be contacted by the organizer by phone with the time of the call, the phone number, and the PIN.)

Recording conference calls on Calliflower is optional, but it makes the process easy for first-time podcasters.  I must say here that I haven’t tried it yet, other than observing how it’s used during live NewsGang podcasts.  The difference between theory and practice will be the topic of another post.

I am optimistic that using Calliflower will allow me to postpone any significant investment in podcasting hardware until I have a better idea of how dedicated I will be to this hobby.  I expect that Audacity, the audio-editing software, will be sufficient for the kind of editing I intend to do at first.  What an adventure!

Now it’s time for the real work and the real fun.  It’s time to start working seriously on the content.  Time for some serious fun!

The content of a podcast is as varied as the individuals who make them.  While I believed I had a clear idea for the topic to be covered by my podcast, I realize now that I should keep an open mind to other possibilities.

I’ve gathered from what I have read so far that it’s important to create a podcast about something you are passionate about.

I decided on the topic I originally chose by first giving some thought to things I know something about.  I considered hobbies.  I considered life events that I felt had given me sufficient experience to have as the topic of a regularly-posted podcast.  I also considered things I had studied, either in school or because of my work. 

My original topic is not really something that I’m passionate about.  It’s a topic that I believe would be helpful to others, so I’m not sure it’s really necessary that I’m passionate about the topic for it to be a good topic for the podcast.

Nevertheless, I will keep an open mind about changing the topic as we continue with this “adventure,” and this is why: 

A podcast can be quite a lot of work with little reward, aside from the joy derived from creating the podcast.  It’s not a way to make money and it requires some expense (like any other hobby).  The theory is that if you’re not passionate about the content of your podcast, you will soon lose interest and your expense will become wasted money.

So the takeaway message I’ve gotten is that podcasting is a hobby, not a potential means of making a living.  As with any hobby, it’s up to the individual to decide how much money is reasonable to spend on it. 

As for the topic, I will keep an open mind about changing it but I’ll keep the original topic for now while I continue preparation.  I didn’t decide to take this “adventure” as a means to make money so I will continue to keep the expenses of this hobby at a minimum.

What I will focus on in this blog, in terms of content, is how to organize the content in the podcast and how to present it.  I’ll try to answer questions like these:

• What do I like about my favorite podcasts?  
• What features do podcasts generally have in common?
• Which of those features would be good to adopt? 
• Which of these would be helpful to the listener?

The simplest and cheapest way to record sound on the PC is with Microsoft’s Sound Recorder, which comes with WindowsXP.  

Start >> All Programs >> Accessories >> Entertainment >> Sound Recorder

You can use Sound Recorder with the microphone that came with your PC, if it has one.  If your PC didn’t come with a microphone, either built-in or plug-in, you can use any microphone that is compatible with your sound card.

How do you know what is compatible with your sound card?  How do you locate your sound card?  Do you have a sound card? 

If your PC has sound, you have a sound card.  If the speakers are built-in, you might also have a built-in microphone.  Just check the documentation that came with your PC to find out, or contact the place where you bought it.

If you have plug-in speakers, chances are you also have a port for a microphone.  Just check to see where your speakers are plugged into your computer.  If your speakers are plugged into a port with green markings, chances are the port for a microphone has pink markings.

You can watch demonstrations of this and other simple (if dated) ways to create audio and sound in this episode from the March 15 2001 broadcast of “Call for Help” on TechTV:

         _

  (The TechTV Channel no longer exists in the United States.)

Besides content and hardware, I need to identify the most useful software for creating my first podcast.  There are at least of two kinds of software required to create a podcast:

• Software to create and edit an mp3 file
• Software to upload and distribute the edited mp3 file

Software

Audacity software and iTunes seem to be the most popular for these purposes, at least when using a PC to create your podcast. 

Both software packages are available as free downloads, making them ideal for someone creating a podcast for the first time.  There are all kinds of other free software out there.  Audacity seems like it would be the best for me because it eliminates the need for a lot of expensive hardware.   iTunes makes it easy for a beginner to upload and distribute podcasts.

With most of my questions about podcasting hardware and software answered, we can continue on to the next phase of the adventure – content!

At its most basic level, creating a podcast requires specific hardware, software, and content.

At this point in my podcasting adventure, it’s important for me to become familiar with some options for all three.  The software required may include applications that I already use and the nature of the content has already been decided.  Identifying the hardware I need will be the newest area of exploration for me.  It may prove to be the biggest hurdle to clear because of the potential expense.

Hardware

The most obvious piece of hardware I will need is a microphone that I can use with my PC.  PodcastGearGuy.com is the first place I found to learn more about podcasting hardware.  It’s a well organized blog by Scott Bourne, the founder of Netradio. 

His blog is so well organized that it didn’t take long to find there is at least one microphone that he reviewed that fits my budget requirements.  The microphone is the AKG Acoustics PERCEPTION-100 , available from BSW for under $100. 

The trouble with this microphone for my purposes is that, although it fits the budget of an amateur, the description says nothing about it having a USB connector.  My amateur status becomes really apparent to me as I look more closely at the product descriptions at the BSW and AKG Acoustics web sites.  It would not make sense for an amateur with no experience to purchase a microphone, regardless of the price, without knowing what other component parts I will need to be able to use it. 

In fact, the PERCEPTION-100 is listed under the “Studio Microphones” category.  A great value for a professional like Scott Bourne to recommend, but clearly out of my league.   The BSW category of “USB Microphones” offers a selection of 14 microphones ranging in price from $49 and $229, as of January 2008.   I suspect that comtemplating the investment in a mixing board is well beyond my amateur status at this point.

The BSW web site offers many kinds of options and resources for podcasters, including “Podcast Packages” and a page explaining ways to get started.  For now, this web site is a good reference for some of the hardware research I need to do.  Other references could include the Podcasting Tools web site, some articles from PodcastingNews, and some of the entries in Michael W. Geoghegan’s Reel Reviews Radio blog. 

It looks like I will have plenty of fun reading to do for awhile!