Revolution GrayThere’s a good chance that you know someone who is hooked on a podcast. An estimated 46 million Americans over the age of 12 listen to podcasts on a monthly basis. Still wondering how to listen? Here’s a quick guide on how to get started.
What is a Podcast?
Developed in 2004 by Adam Curry, a former MTV video jockey, and Dave Winer, a software developer, a podcast is simply a digital file that is available over the Internet for downloading to your mobile device or computer. In most cases, podcasts are original audio recordings. However, they can also be recorded broadcasts of a lecture, performance, or television or radio program. You listen to podcasts on demand and can start, stop and finish on your own time. You also subscribe to podcasts. This allows the newest podcast episodes to be pushed to your mobile device or computer, making it easy to listen to the most recent shows.
Whether you are stuck in traffic or walking around town, you can listen to podcasts everywhere you go.
During your workout. Cleaning the house. Doing your grocery shopping. And there’s no need to carry around a book or continuously fold/unfold a newspaper or magazine.
How to Find and Subscribe to a Podcast on iOS (Apple desktops and laptops) on Your PC
iOS users can simply go to the iTunes store to access the podcast directory. If you find a podcast you are interested in, click “Subscribe” on that podcast’s page. When you subscribe to a podcast, iTunes will automatically check for new episodes every day. If you want to listen to an individual episode of a podcast, click on the episode number in the episode list.
How to Find and Subscribe to a Podcast on iOS on Your Mobile Device (iPhone and iPad)
The easiest way to access podcasts is through the Podcasts app. When you are ready to play a podcast, tap on the episode. You can go to My Podcasts to manage your subscriptions and play podcast episodes. To play podcast episodes, you have downloaded or manage your subscriptions, simply head to the Podcasts section of your iTunes library.
How to Find and Subscribe to a Podcast on Android
The best way to download, subscribe, and listen to podcasts on an Android device is by using a third-party app, such as Podcast Republic or Podcast Addict, from Google Play.
There is a second option: mass storage. This requires that you download the podcast from the website onto your computer. (It will be stored in your Downloads folder.) Using a USB cable, connect your phone to your PC. A prompt will appear. Select Mass Storage. Drag the podcast episodes you want to listen to over to the Android icon on your desktop. This copies the podcast to your mobile device’s internal storage. Disconnect. You can access the podcast through your Android’s default music player.
Ready to start listening?
Here is a list of podcasts that might interest you:
Great for Midlifers:
Midlife Schmidlife is a podcast hosted by Liz Applegate, a midlife empowerment coach, multi-passionate midlifer and empty nester. Join Liz as she interviews people over the age of 40 who are redefining midlife, discovering new passions, and going after their dreams.
The Experience 50 is hosted by Mary Rogers who, in 2015, decided to make a mission of helping others around midlife.
A fun podcast that covers everything to do with women in midlife and beyond. From health to wellness, relationships and careers. Listen to interviews with prime time women such as Patricia Heaton, Joan Lunden, and Carla Hall.
This podcast celebrates baby boomers fifty and better who are on the move and transforming the spirit and style of aging.
Women in the Middle: Loving Life After 50
Hosted by Master Certified Life Coach Suzy Rosenstein, this podcast is for women over 50 who don’t want to let life pass them by. You’ll learn from someone who knows what it’s like to be stuck in a midlife funk and want to change but don’t know what to do.
Nicole Christina, a psychotherapist of 30 years, interviews a wide variety of influential guests about how they are creating their legacies—a crucial element in healthy aging. Contributing to the greater good is a central theme of the program.
This podcast is about making connections and having conversations that will inspire you to action. Amy Schmidt is right alongside you on this journey, and you’ll feel like you’re on top of the world.
Join Susan McMahon for travel tips and learn about off-the-beaten-path destinations for your next luxurious travel adventure.
A few of my favorite podcasts (descriptions from iTunes):
The Moth – Since its launch in 1997, The Moth has presented thousands of true stories, told live and without notes, to standing-room-only crowds worldwide. Moth storytellers stand alone, under a spotlight, with only a microphone and a roomful of strangers. The storyteller and the audience embark on a high-wire act of shared experience, which is both terrifying and exhilarating.
Nocturne – There are 24 hours in a day. Seems pretty straightforward. But what do you really know about the hours between say, 11 pm-6 am? From graveyard shift jobs to “secret identities,” who we are and what we do at night is often less fully perceived by others, whether by choice or by circumstance. Peering into the dusty corners of the night, Nocturne explores these often overlooked and undisclosed slices of life. Under the cover of darkness, our thoughts and feelings can take on strange new shapes, sometimes barely recognizable as our own. And the pulse of the world seems to alter too, sort of creating a curtain of privacy around our behaviors and even our appearance. Do I truly know you if I only know the daytime you? Find out in Nocturne.
Serial – Serial is a podcast from the creators of This American Life, hosted by Sarah Koenig. Serial unfolds one story—a true story—over the course of a whole season. The show follows the plot and characters wherever they lead, through many surprising twists and turns. Sarah won’t know what happens at the end of the story until she gets there, not long before you get there with her. Each week she’ll bring you the latest chapter, so it’s important to listen in, starting with Episode 1. New episodes are released on Thursday mornings.
Snap Judgment – (my favorite) Snap Judgment (storytelling with a BEAT) mixes real stories with killer beats to produce cinematic, dramatic, kick-ass radio. Snap’s raw, musical brand of storytelling dares listeners to see the world through the eyes of another. WNYC Studios is the producer of leading podcasts including Radiolab, Freakonomics Radio, Note To Self, Here’s The Thing With Alec Baldwin, and more.
Do you listen to a podcast you enjoy? Please share by leaving a comment!
