What to do

Follow the instructions on how to record audio with whatever program you are using, or better still get a teacher or another adult to help you the first few times.

It's usually a good idea to save your finished recording at the maximum quality in the native format of your application. That way you can go back and edit it or reuse it and you will have a good version.

To prepare your file to be podcast you need to set ID3 tags and then export it as an MP3. ID3 tags provide information about your podcast. What you will need to include is:

• Title - This is what you're going to call your show
• Artist - This is who made the show, the author if you like.
• Album - many podcasters use this to include extra information. One option is to use the name of your podcast for the album, and then change the track number for each show.
• Year - When you made it - duh!
• Genre - Pick the music category, or use Speech for shows that are mostly talk.
• Comments - This is a good place to include any extra information that doesn't fit anywhere else.

MP3 is the standard file format for podcasts. Adjusting the bit rate controls the quality of the audio and the size of the MP3 file. Select the minimum bit rate that provides good results. Here are some suggested settings:

• 48 - 56k Mono - talking, reading, talk radio
• 64k+ Stereo - music, music & talking
• 128k Stereo - good quality music

When your ID3 tags and MP3 settings are done, export your file and make sure you save it with the .mp3 file extension. Upload the file to the web and open it in a media player to check that it works. You've just published your first podcast!