In this short tutorial, Liam Cooper from the Wiley-Blackwell Compass journals tells scholars and scholarly societies how to create their own DIY podcasts and slidecasts, and offers a few thoughts about how doing so can enhance their offering to the academic community.
Hi! My name’s Liam Cooper, I work on the Wiley-Blackwell Compass journals (which you can see a bit more about on that link just there) and I’m going to take 5 minutes to tell you how…
… to create good quality podcasts (and slidecasts like this one) for absolutely nothing . Really no cost at all. It’s going to be very quick. I’m not going to go into the technical side very much. But where I do gloss over anything, I’ll tell you exactly where you can find more detailed information.
But before we get on to the how , let’s quickly cover the why… Why would you want to podcast? Well, I think there’s two main reasons: First reason: they’re a way to increase the usage of your main ‘bread & butter’ content, whether that’s journal articles or books, or whatever it is. By providing podcasts free of charge, you draw people (often new people) back to the core work that you do… Second reason: podcasts are a way to enhance your existing content. A podcast can give your audience a new and rewarding way of engaging with your subject matter. So podcasts can be both promotional and an end in themselves . I think your podcast can, and really should, be both of those things.
And ya’ know, podcasts are just very versatile . You could ask a member of your editorial board to talk about their latest book… You could commission a series of keynote lectures from high profile people in your field. You could record an open invitation to a symposium that you’re running. Poetry recitals! Interviews! You name it! The only limitation I can think of is length. We’d suggest keeping them under 20 minutes if you want to keep the listener engaged.
OK. So, what was involved in creating this Slidecast? Well basically, three things : The two essential elements are: an audio podcast in MP3 format…and a simple powerpoint presentation. That’s it. The third and final thing you might find you need is another external website in which you can embed the finished Slidecast, like this one. Next I’ll tell you about recording the audio podcast for free, then if you’re considering adding slides, I’ll also tell you how to do that using a site called Slideshare.
So… What will you need to create your own audio podcast…? Well very simply put our system involves your speaker , at their home or office , downloading freely available software , and then recording the talk using their own computer and microphone. And then they just send you the finished files on a CD in the mail. That’s it. But before anything else , Wiley-Blackwell have a suite of tutorials we can send you, which walk you through the entire process. AND our staff will be on hand to help you throughout the whole process. We’ve got instructions for you (or whoever’s overseeing the project), and separate instructions for your presenter . Right – I won’t go into it in any more detail now, because it’s all in the tutorials, but get in touch with your contact at Wiley-Blackwell and they can send you the appropriate documents. Or you can contact me directly on compasspodcast@wiley.com
Now…the PowerPoint slides is arguably the much simpler half of the equation – your speaker will just need to put together an appropriate PowerPoint, like they would when giving a talk at a seminar or a conference. Something I should mention first though: the Slideshare site kind of flattens any uploaded slideshows, in that it strips out any animation and slide transitions. So…. Your presenter won’t be able to do anything too flashy… which might be a benefit, actually….
] Once your speaker has given you their presentation, the next thing is to upload it on Slideshare and then synchronise it with the audio file you’ve already created. Slideshare’s free to join, and I’ve included some stepwise instructions on the screen now for the whole process. BUT the big URL at the top (the one ending ‘/slidecast’) is really where you want to go first. There’s a more detailed tutorial there, and also some FAQs.
OK, so that’s it. I hope I’ve managed to convince you that creating your own podcasts and slidecasts is within your reach, and I also hope that I’ve convinced you that it’s very worth your while to do so. OK. Thanks very much for listening!
