How to: subscribe via RSS

Podcasting is a term that basically means one thing: subscription. Subscribing to a podcast means that a computer program will automatically check to see when new material is available, automatically download it from the internet and save it to your computer, and sometimes even put the content directly on your iPod or other portable media device. It’s very convenient!

The first step into the world of podcasting is downloading a podcast receiver, or podcatcher. The most popular programs include Juice Receiver and iTunes (win or mac). There are also many other programs that are easy to use.

Once you have downloaded and installed a podcatcher on your computer, you need to find a syndication feed (you cannot subscribe to any ordinary website). Feeds are made of special kinds of computer code that work with podcatchers and aggregators, and the most widely used Feed languages are RSS (Really Simple Syndication) and Atom. Feeds typically do not display like a web page, but may look like computer code. That’s perfectly normal. For instance, our Feed looks quite confusing to most people:

Most feeds are designated on websites with the term “XML”, “RSS 2.0″, or “feed”. Once you have found a feed you would like to subscribe to, you must copy the URL (found in the address bar and typically begin with “http://”) into your podcatcher. You can to this by manually typing in the feed address, or by highlighting the URL, copying it (Ctrl-C), and pasting it (Ctrl-V) into the podcatcher. Try it using our feed:

http://graceistheplace.net/sermons/feed

Subscribing with iTunes

Pasting a feed in iTunes

Once you have successfully subscribed to our feed, your podcatcher will automatically download new messages when they are posted. You can then listen at your convenience.

If you are using iTunes, you can also subscribe to Grace Messages Online directly through the iTunes store. The content is available free by visiting our page on iTunes. Simply click on the “subscribe” button and you’re ready to go.

Podcasting is a useful format because you do not need to check a website continuously to find new material. It is especially useful if you subscribe to many different feeds. A few places to find other interesting podcasts are Godcast.org and PodcastAlley.com.