Sports Maniac? Try Transcription Software

This is the follow up to my first article on Sports Maniac. This time I am going to go into detail about the technology that I have integrated into my newsletter, which will allow users of the service to get notifications of new articles and even downloads on the fly. Hosted at Libsyn this podcast will utilize a unique URL format for the podcast feed, which allows for dynamic content injection and uses statistics generated from your computer to gauge how many subscribers are actually listening or downloading the updates that are delivered. Your iTunes id and user agent are used to help determine this number

You can also listen to the Sports Maniac podcast while you are online at work using any of the following methods. If you are using Safari, simply use the browser’s web-based listening feature. Simply search for your desired podcast and choose one from the list of available options. If you are using Firefox, simply right click on the podcast icon and select “show podcatalog” from the menu. If you are using iTunes, simply go to the main menu and select “downloads” then “music” to find and download your current podcasts.

My preference was to use the latter method of accessing my content – simply use iTunes to download my music files, and download the latest version of Libsyn for Firefox, or whichever platform I am currently using. After downloading these files to the relevant directories, I went ahead and installed the latest version of the Podcasting Software (also from Libsyn). The setup was very easy – I just required a blank text document to write in, my username and password for the blog, and a web server with PHP setup. I then started writing articles and adding the RSS feed to my blog.

When it came to recording my shows, the main difference I found between that of the podcasts was that there were no sound effects whatsoever, so it was important that I looked to other sources for audio. Luckily, I had several seconds of silence at the beginning and the end of each article, so I could simply insert my voice without having to worry about any sound effect whatsoever. This worked out well for me, and I did not have many problems with my conversion rate – everything was smooth sailing all the way. The main difference I found with converting my football podcast into an audio format from an online RSS feed was that the volume would be a little bit lower, due to the low quality of the file.

So, back to the original question – should I convert my football podcast into an audio file using Libsyn? Well, given the low quality of the file, in my opinion, yes. However, if it would be an issue, I would simply use the RSS feed. Both of these options will work in almost any Internet application. My final thought on the subject is that if you are a diehard sports fanatic, I would simply stick with the RSS feed.

Yes, I know it may be illegal to combine sports and alcohol, but if you ever want to combine your love of your sport with mixing it with alcohol, I guess that’s a pretty good reason to do so. It’s probably just another day in paradise. Until next time, when I am arrested for trespassing on the strip, don’t forget to get my party name locomotive. Happy drinking, and may your party be a success.