One way to get your message out these days is by providing sound or movie files that people download to their computers. They then listen or watch on their computer, or they transfer the files to a portable music device such as an iPod.

It’s really easy to create these ‘podcasts’ — talk into your computer’s microphone, record what you’re saying, and put the files online. But if the sound quality and production values are bad you may find your podcast doesn’t attract listeners.

Now the fine folks at Take Control eBooks have produced Take Control of Podcasting on the Mac (US$10 ebook in PDF format):

Read this ebook to learn the answers to questions such as:

• What types of microphones are best for podcasting?
• Which software should I use to record and edit my podcast?
• How can I find and use audio plug-ins to improve my podcast’s sound quality?
• What’s the best way to conduct a podcast interview?
• Should I record directly into MP3 format or encode later?
• How do I remove weird pauses or other glitches from my recording?
• How do I smoothly add music to the start and end of my podcast?
• What should I watch out for when choosing an Internet host for my podcast?
• What tools are available for publishing podcasts?
• Where should I promote my podcast to attract the most listeners?
• Can anyone create a podcast and list it in the iTunes Store?

The ebook is particularly aimed at Mac users, but Windows users would learn a great deal from it too. I’ve bought and read many of the Take Control ebooks and recommend them for their excellence and ease of use. Download a sample to see if you like this book, and then spring the US$10 if you think it is for you.

And if you do buy it, or you create podcasts, please add a comment here with your experiences.

To experiment with listening to podcasts open up iTunes on your Mac or Windows computer, go to the iTunes Store and select podcasts. Don’t let the word ‘Store’ put you off: most or all podcasts are free of charge.

There are thousands of podcasts available, from around the world and on every conceivable topic. Just be careful how many you download, especially video podcasts, to make sure you don’t exceed your monthly download allowance (gigabytes) through your ISP.

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