Podcasting 101

Listening to Podcasts
Podcasting is the process of syndicating audio and video content over the internet. The content can be accessed via a website, an aggregator like itunes or ipodder, or a portable media device.  

To find podcasts on the internet, one could simply conduct a web search with the word “podcast” included (try “church planting podcast” on Google) or browse any number of podcast directories such as christianpodcastdirectory.com or christianpodder.com.  Most podcasts allow users to listen or view at least a sample of the content using a web browser.

Apple ipod users know that the easiest way to find and subscribe to podcasts is through the itunes software.  Itunes is used to synchronize ipod devices with content that is stored on a computer hard drive, thus allowing podcasts to be heard and viewed anywhere.

The new Internet Explorer7  browser has an rss subscription feature built in.  Podcasters use rss 2.0 to syndicate their content across the internet. IE7 allows the user to subscribe to podcasts directly from the rss feed source.  An rss feed has a url address like a webpage (see http://feeds.feedburner.com/churchplantingpodcast for an example), but most current internet browsers are not configured to read the rss code.

Recording Audio Podcasts
Audacity is free multi-track digital recording software that is very popular with podcasters.  The software with the optional Lame plug-in converts digital audio to the mp3 format necessary for podcasting.  

Recording a Video Podcast
A simple video tutorial on creating video podcasts is available at freevlog.org.

Uploading Podcasts
A podcast is comprised of two files which are hosted on the internet.  The mp3 audio file or mpeg video file needs a home on the web.  Some web hosts will allow a limited amount of storage and bandwidth suitable for storing a few podcast episodes.  However, additional website resources may be needed and can be expensive.  A number of websites (such as christianpoddcer.com and Ourmedia.org) provide free media storage and distribution.

Rss files take up very little space and can be hosted on most websites.  Feeds can be created and uploaded with software such as Feedforall.  However, the easiest way to create rss feeds is to use free blogging software such as blogger and the smartcast feature of feedburner.com.  A complete tutorial on how to turn a blog into a podcast is available at podcastingnews.com.

Podcasting by phone
Podcasts can easily be recorded from any telephone by using audioblogger.  Audioblogger works in conjunction with blogger to provide a simple solution to podcasting.   Audioblogger automatically turns telephone calls into mp3 files and makes them accessible on blogs hosted by blogger.  Except for the cost of the phone call, audioblogger is a free service.

Clermont Fellowship Church

Here is an update from Tom Casolaro, lead planter for Clermont Fellowship Church. Tom and his team are doing a great job of connecting with people in Clermont and partnering with other church planters...


Imagine a football field, hotdogs cooking on a grill, more than 700 Easter eggs stuffed with goodies, and a truckload of kids! Got the picture?! What a wonderful evening of worship as families joined us for Easter on the Citrus Tower lawn! We could not have asked for better weather, fun, games and time with the entire family.

There are so many things to praisedate but I want to share the meaning of belonging …
We have seen the doors continue to open to share the gospel. We have been reaching out and ministering to families from all walks of life. One such family brought five adults and two kids to our celebration tonight. They are very open and want to learn, grow and be involved. They are searching for meaning and earnestly desire to “belong.” They are drawn to the life and excitement the life we share in Christ. One of the fathers is giving KidStuf tickets to 85 of his daycare kids this week because “I really want them to come, get it and experience it for themselves.”

I had the opportunity to share the good news with a young couple who are truly seeking to belong to a community of faith. They have many questions but were very open to discuss their journey. They know they are not satisfied simply with having jobs and going home at the end of the day. “We want to belong to a community where we can all grow and raise our family.”

Lastly, we witnessed a family on the distant edge of our community come a bit closer tonight. We experienced tremendous joy in hearing them laugh, asking questions, engaging in conversation and expressing their interest to “be a part of what you’re doing here” … it is both thrilling and humbling. We know their “skepticism” is changing to sensitivity … openness to hear the good news! They made a huge sacrifice to come back from their vacation just to come tonight.

We are speaking to so many people in this area that are yearning to belong … belong to the Fellowship … Fellowship with God and fellowship with the family of God. We spoke with a Boys Scout troop leader we met in “passing” today. He is excited to hear about KidStuf coming this coming weekend. “I am always looking for a place where our kids can learn solid values,” he says.

Will you join with us in praying for so many people that will be helping us this week? Will you join us in praying for so many people that do not know Jesus? Will you pray their lives will be changed for all eternity? Will you invest your time and talents with us? We need others to partner with us to make reaching Clermont and beyond a true reality with the life-giving power of the gospel.

Please pray for the Vine. They are a new church plant with limited resources. They are committed to partnering with us in Clermont to further the Kingdom of God and spread the transformational truth of the gospel. They are an example of sacrifice and love as they minister to us and along with us. Their pastor, Billy Rollins, baptized two new believers in their Easter worship service this morning. Billy is a loving and incredibly Kingdom-minded brother in Christ. Please pray for him.

Thank you for your continued support and prayers. We are in the process of updating our e-mail lists and website. If you would like to be on our e-mail, e-news list or future podcasts, please contact us at info@clermontfc.com. Please forward this e-mail to any of your friends or family who might be interested in hearing and reading our updates too.

For your continued reading pleasure and for those of you who are looking for something to shout about … I have included A MONTH IN REVIEW …
Although I can be prone to ramble … I will give you a quick glimpse of our previous month and a quick forecast of upcoming plans …

• Nearly one month ago (3/19) we had our last preview celebration gathering. It was well attended but provided a much needed “picture” and preparation for our birth Sunday. We called it “sonogram of the future” playing off our birth date celebration. Our community could get an idea of the sound and sight of the “baby” to come …

• Two weeks later we gave birth to a wonderful child … after labor pains for nearly nine months (ready or not) we celebrated our birth! For those of you who know me very well … I am not a big numbers guys … but let me say that the theme after our evening together was “and the chairs keep on coming!” We continue to set out chairs and use all we had available after the initial amount of 75 in the room. We were packed in the “delivery room” and well attended by many in the community. We had the blessing of some friends from Birmingham assisting with the birth. We were also honored to have Don Miller, DOM (Director of Missions), attend with his wife Yvonne and our good friends and pastors Michael Hopewell (New Waters Church) and Lewis Ecker (Assoc. Pastor, First Baptist Clermont). We shared the message of “GOT LIFE” translated “GOD LIFE!” Great time of celebration!

• We have been steady planning for our partnership and show with the Vine for KidStuf. We are ecstatic about the possibility that doing KidStuf will provide for us in building relationship in our community. We have a desire to reach out to families in our area … KidStuf is one way we will be able to connect, build relationships and trust and share God’s message with the whole family in a new and exciting way. We are establishing our website for KidstufClermont. We are sending many invitations this week with the help of many and special thanks to dear friends, like Carolyn Walsh (new entrepreneur with husband Sean) and Mark from the Vine.

• We have had many meetings with local leaders: politicians, business owners, educators/administrators and community leaders. Many of our meetings have proven to be invaluable as we take steps forward to building a faith community where “you” belong as well as participate and partner with the greater community where we belong … One example of our relationship was praying at our Chamber breakfast this month with over 300 community leaders present for the meeting.

• We have worshipped with several new faith communities (local places of worship) to us in this general area. We have continued to pursue a relationship with several missional networks, local associations and local churches. Jason Dukes continues to be very supportive of us on this journey along with Renaut van der Riet. We are very hopeful in our relationship with Chan Kilgore too.

• Dianne and I took a brief trip for a wedding which I was a part of in Birmingham. Dianne worshipped at Brook Hills and I attended a new church plant of a prayer partner and dear friend and later that evening had a phenomenal time of worship and fellowship as well at Tapestry of Hope. Dianne spent a couple of days with her family while I attended meetings, enjoyed time with “old” friends and made some new friends.

• We will gather for celebration every two weeks with a KidStuf, coupled with adult celebration and kid’s Bible study, on the alternate weeks. We will be making a shift to utilize Sunday morning for training, discipleship and additional outreach in the next few months. EXCITING!

• We will be having several new community groups start this week! Please pray as we build relationships with our neighbors and those in the community. We truly want to serve them.

• We are updating our website with the help of some friends (like Eric Fuller) and the steady dedication of JV! Please be patient with us as we develop a design that is more consistent with who we are as a faith community. You can always send general questions or information to info@clermontfc.com.

• Our financial needs continue to remain a matter of prayer and tender reality as we continue on our journey. Again, we are grateful for your support. Please continue to pray for us.

• We will be promoting our summer “mission” trips in June and July. This will be a great opportunity to taste and see that the Lord is good … an opportunity to experience Clermont up-close and personal … an opportunity to serve and use your gifts, talents and passion for the Kingdom! June 9-17 will be a huge harvest as we plan, prepare and put into practice the love of God through vacation Bible school for kids, sports camps, random acts of kindness, minor construction and home repair, and a community celebration. We have cookouts, block parties, breakfast and luncheons planned for community leaders and other extraordinary opportunities to get involved and make a difference!

Likewise, we will be promoting some other ways you can get plugged into this mission field from where you reside. We need help with graphic design, promotional events, support raising, web design, and so much more!

Again, please feel free to send any questions, ideas or comments to us. We welcome your input, feedback and involvement.

Oh, I almost forgot to tell you about a wonderful event that we helped “sponsor” … we helped a local business with a frozen custard eating contest at a local event (29,000 people come to our lakefront for this special occasion) … it was a blast … we got nothing other than the pure joy of helping others promote their business to a place of success and seeing the faces of kids smothered in ice cream! Priceless!!

God bless you and have a Christ-centered day and week …

Tom

Tom Casolaro
Clermont Fellowship Church
Suite 107-303
13900 County Road 455
Clermont, FL 34711
352-638-1488 (cell)
www.clermontfc.com