Quickstart Guide iTunes
Welcome to the Quickstart Guide to Podcast Listening for iTunes!
Here you can learn how to get started with listening to podcasts with iTunes.
- Download the software
- Browse for podcasts in the podcast directories
- Listen, then subscribe
- Listen to your podcast on your favourite player
1 - Download the software
First you will need software that enables you to Subscribe to podcasts.
Go download iTunes (Win and OS/X).
After downloading it, the software will automatically start-up the installation-software.
(If not, run Setup.exe in Windows or double-click on the Installer in the iTunes folder.)
Installed? You just finished the first step!
2 – Browse for podcasts in the podcast directories
In iTunes, the ability to browse for podcasts has been built-in.
After opening iTunes, click on the item named Music Store on the left. (Don't be afraid, everything we are going to do is Free!) Next, a screen with a LOT of information appears.
Ignore all of it but one box on the left, named "Inside the Music Store". In that box you see an item named "Podcasts". Click on "Podcasts". The next screen you get is focussed on podcasting.
Go to the search-box in your left, and type in "Adam Curry". The resulting page will show you a list of podcasts, all more or less related to Adam Curry. If all went well, you will notice a podcast called "Adam Curry: Daily Source Code" somewhere in the top ten.
Please click the little arrow next to the title of the podcast, and you will enter the information page for the Daily Source Code.
3 – Listen, then subscribe
First, when selecting podcasts, you listen first before subscribing.
Double-click a episode of the Daily Source Code.
You'll get a sample of the show (the playtime is not more than a couple of minutes at the most.)
Next, if you like what you hear, click the button "Subscribe".
The podcast "Adam Curry: Daily Source Code" is now added to your podcasts.
On the utmost-left in your iTunes window you can find an item named "Podcasts" (in the same column as Library, Radio etc.). If you click on it, you'll enter your list of podcast subscriptions. The Daily Source Code should now be part of that list.
You can enter the list of previous episodes by clicking on the small triangle, placed left of the title. You can download previous episodes by clicking on the button labeled "Get". You can listen to each individual podcast by double-clicking on its title.
4 - Listen to your podcast on your favourite player
iPods
The iPod and the iTunes software work seamlessly together!
If you indicate in iTunes you want to synchronize your podcasts to your iPod, new episodes will be automatically put onto your iPod every time you connect it to your computer. (Check "Preferences", "iPod" in iTunes for details.)
Other audio players
There are basically two ways of getting podcasts on other audio-players from iTunes.
First, check-out the location (pathname on your hard disk) of your music-directory in iTunes.
(Check "Preferences", "Advanced" in iTunes for details.)
- If your mp3-player shows on your computer as just another disk drive, you can drag-and-drop your podcasts from the podcast-directory onto the mp3-player.
- If your mp3-player came with software to synchronize it with your computer, you might be able to do the following.
In your setup, enter the pathname of your iTunes/Podcasts-directory, this is the location where your soundfiles can be found. The software automatically sync's your computers directories content with that of the mp3-player.