Can you hear me now? It seems like just about everybody has their own podcast these days. Podcasts are an excellent way for people to share content with large audiences. Take a look at my review of the following podcasting platforms:
Anchor is a Spotify-owned podcast hosting platform that is completely free. You can record, edit, and upload your podcast all in one place. Once you create your free account and login, the site walks you through the steps for creating your very first podcast and offers the following options: record, a library where you have access to previously uploaded audio, music that can be added from Spotify, the ability to add listener voice messages to your podcast, and music and sound effects for transition options. The site seems to be user friendly. Some of the pros are that all the tools for creating your podcast are located in one place, easy monetization opportunities, and perhaps the biggest pro is that it is 100% free! Some cons of the webapp are that you are only allowed one show per account, it is Spotify-owned which means they could limit distribution, and you may have to give a cut to ads.
Buzzsprout is an intuitive podcast hosting platform that is user friendly for novice podcasters to help them in the creation of their very own podcast. Buzzsprout offers a free plan where you can upload up to two hours of content a month, episodes are hosted for a period of ninety days, and includes advanced statistics. They also offer other plans for $12, $18, and $24 a month that increases the number of hours of content allowed a month, episodes are hosted indefinitely, and for a small fee you can add more content hours. Some of the pros include: a simple user interface, host multiple shows, and a free customizable podcast website. Some cons are that on the free plan your files are deleted after ninety days and there is no plan that allows unlimited uploads.
Podbean offers a free plan that allows you to launch your own podcast, embed it into your website, and provides basic stats about your podcast's performance. The free plan provides five hours of storage space and 100GB of monthly bandwidth, however if this is not enough you may choose one of three plans: Unlimited Audio $9/month, Unlimited Plus $29/month, or Business $99/month. Some of the pros of Podbean include: a beginner friendly basic plan, episodes are hosted indefinitely as long as you don't exceed the five hours, and there are several monetization options available. Some cons are slow chat support and limited website templates.
Our Choice:
When creating our podcast the, Two Cool Librarians, my partner and I chose to use Podbean because of its user-friendly interface and ease in creation. Check out our first episode below, "Reference and Information Services in the 21st Century."
Podcasts in the Library
Podcasts are an excellent and efficient way to share content with listeners. Listeners can stream, download, and follow podcasters with a simple push of a button. Librarians can recommend and share podcasts with their patrons based on their interests because they cover a wide range of topics including education, and these podcasts can then be shared with teachers as well. Not only are they great to listen to, but creating a podcast is a wonderful way to engage and empower students and staff to create and share content. Through the creation of podcasts, "Students come up with a fully developed story and engage in high levels of research, preparation, and reflection" (Yakubovsky, M., 2020). As librarians we can provide students and teachers with the opportunity to create their very own podcasts about books, academia, technology, hobbies, etc., the possibilities are endless!
The following sites provide some excellent librarian and educator podcasts:
References:
Garcia, J., & Ellis, C. (2022, March 16). Best podcast hosting: 13 free and paid platforms tested and compared. Tooltester. Retrieved March 25, 2023, from https://www.tooltester.com/en/blog/podcast-hosting/
Yakubovsky, M. (2020, June 11). Handing students the MIC: Podcasting to increase engagement. ASCD. Retrieved March 25, 2023, from https://www.ascd.org/el/articles/handing-students-the-mic-podcasting-to-increase-engagement?utm_campaign=1519-hs&utm_medium=email&utm_source=ascdexpress
Hi there! Great blog post! Thank you for sharing those three podcast platforms. I personally think PodBean is super simple to use and I enjoyed created the podcast with you :)! I feel that for rookies such as myself...PodBean was perfect. Also, thanks for the podcast recommendations. I will be sure to check those out.
ReplyDeleteHey, my fellow podcaster! I really enjoyed working with you too! And I agree that Podbean wad definitely user friendly for a rookie like myself too.
DeleteVirginia! I really like your blog! Witty and informative!
ReplyDeleteAww! Thanks for that sweet comment!
DeleteHi Virginia! I loved your podcast! The intro and exit music was well done and sounded very professional. Great topic too!
ReplyDeleteI loved that you shared Book Riot with us! I have found many librarian podcasts to listen to now!
ReplyDeleteThank you for sharing your thoughtful insights in such clever and engaging ways. I love reading your blog! In this post specifically, I especially enjoyed reading how excited you are to see the impact podcasts can have on learning. It's another way to tell a story, and there are many students who would enjoy being able to show their learning through a podcast!
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