Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 26:19 — 12.2MB)
Follow Podcast: Apple Podcasts | Android | Email | RSS | More
Audio is a great way to connect with your audience. By recording a simple file and posting it online, we can let our community use any method they want to listen to our message. Most of us probably don’t realize how many ways there are to listen to on-demand audio. Listed below are some of the means but there are many more.
Ways to listen to on-demand audio and podcasts
- Directly from a website using computer. This is as simple as surfing the Internet on your desktop PC or laptop and clicking on a link to listen through your web browser. For example, if you go to https://crimepreventionhq.com/3 you will see a media player embedded right in the post and you can stream the audio through the website.
- Download the (MP3) file. In most cases, you can right-click on a link to an audio file and select “save” to download the file to your hard drive. The audio will play using a media player and you won’t have to be connected to the internet when you listen. In some cases, the file may be downloaded from a shared cloud storage service such as Dropbox. Here is a link to a previous podcast. Right-click it and “save as” to see how to download the file.
- Subscribe to RSS feed. RSS stands for Rich Site Summary and is a method of subscribing to a feed that will automatically deliver content to your device. For example, the RSS feed for this podcast is https://crimepreventionhq.com/feed/podcast.
- Receive an email with the audio file. Although audio files attachments can be quite large, this is a possible option if you just want to send a short message to a few individuals such as your Neighborhood Watch Block Captains.
- On Apple TV. This streaming device has a built-in app to play your favorite audio and video podcasts right on your TV. You can also connect the audio output of the Apple TV to your home receiver and play the audio through your home theater speakers for better sound. The native Podcasts App allows access to the largest directory of podcasts available.
- On Roku TV. Same as Apple TV above but not tied in to the Apple brand. You will need to install a Podcast player from the Roku channel store but it is free. The Roku is a great device for streaming Netflix, Hulu Plus, Pandora, Amazon Prime Video and most anything else you can think of to your TV.
- On Internet enabled smart TVs. Internet-enabled TVs are ready for listeners to surf to your website and play your audio.
- Using an iPod or MP3 player. The original portable device to listen to podcasts.
- From a link embedded in Twitter. Twitter allows you to place a link to your audio file directly in your tweet and your listeners will be able to play the file on most devices. Here is an example:
Did a Microsoft Technician Call Me? I Smell a RAT! A new podcast episode about this widespread scam is available at http://t.co/Zj7nSXvkIA
— Crime Prevention HQ (@CrimePreventHQ) July 12, 2014
- From a Facebook post using Soundcloud. Soundcloud is currently the only service that Facebook allows to display a native audio player. You can still put a link to your audio file in Facebook but it will take your listener out of Facebook when they click on it. Although this example doesn’t include Soundcloud, it demonstrates how Facebook will display a regular link to your audio post: Post by Crime Prevention HQ.
- Using a tablet. Much more portable than a laptop.
- Using a smart phone. We are a mobile generation. Statistics show that the majority of our media consumption is now from a mobile device rather than a desk-bound computer.
- In a car. Manufacturers are including more and more Internet streaming apps directly into the dashboards on new car models.
Apps that can be used to listen to audio
Computer
- iTunes
- Stitcher
Android Apps
- Pocket Casts
- Beyond Pod
iPhone Apps
A question for you
These examples are just scratching the surface of what’s available. There are many additional ways to play on-demand audio. With all of these ways for your audience to hear your information, shouldn’t YOU be podcasting? In upcoming episodes, we will talk about how you can create your own audio and podcasts to share with others. Do you have a favorite way to listen to online audio that I didn’t mention? Maybe you prefer iHeart Radio or Spreaker or Audio Boo. Share them with your fellow crime prevention services providers by leaving your favorite way of listening and why in the comments below and we’ll add them to updates of this post!
