Finding A Podcast Hosting Platform

A podcast hosting platform is a place to store your files (online) and keep the feed active that will tell your subscribers about the new episodes that become available.

The first thing you will be required to have is a domain name where the site will be located. Many domain registrars are available that can help you to register a domain name, usually for a small fee. Once the domain is registered, it is unique only to your show. You then set your domain to point at your podcast on the host you are using.

There are many different companies willing to help you host your podcast. Fees and services will vary, so you should shop around for the services you would like to have at a budget you can afford.

When looking for a host, the most important thing is to make sure that a lot of bandwidth and storage space is available at reasonable prices. Since podcasting deals with large media files, a lot of disk space is used in storing the files.

As your podcast becomes more popular and more people are accessing and downloading the files, your bandwidth use will increase. If you are limited to a certain number of files in storage or a certain level of bandwidth or downloads, you could quickly run out of options and have to spend even more money.

Once you have your domain name reserved and your podcast host determined (and your account established), you need to continue with the set-up of your podcast.

Your host will provide you with the DNS address of your podcast site. You need to be sure you set this correctly in order for the ISP's (Internet Service Providers) across the world to know where your podcast site is located.

DNS addresses can be set by going to the domain registrar from which you purchased the domain name. They usually have tutorials in helping you to correctly set your DNS information. If you have trouble, you can reach out to the support personnel of that site. Use the DNS information provided by your hosting platform and enter it exactly as instructed into your domain host settings.

After you have the DNS settings correct, it could take a few days before the domain is updated across all of the ISP's throughout the world. These updates are accomplished individually at various periodic times (some smaller ISP's may update once per day and larger ones every 20 minutes). You have no control over how fast this happens. But almost every registrar will tell you to give it 24-48 hours to be completed.

This is the only way all of the ISP's know where to find your specific domain.

Your podcast host will help you to distribute your podcast. The RSS feed link will help you to do this the most efficiently. As you send your RSS feed to different platforms (called "pod-chasers"), more and more people will begin to see your podcast and subscribe to receive the programming you upload to your podcast. The RSS feed allows your podcast provider to automatically let your subscribers know you have new programming available.

You also need to do your part in sharing information about your podcast. Posting information to your social media accounts will help you to spread the word about your new podcast. The more eyes that you can get looking at the existence of your podcast, the faster you will be able to grow.

If you choose your podcast hosting platform with these things in mind, it will allow you to focus on the recording of great programs and not have to worry about the details of how it will all work behind the scene.

Robert Thibodeau has been in online media since 2010. Between his online radio programs and his podcasts, he has accumulated about 4,000 episodes and conducted 600+ interviews in that time. He has helped many people to launch their own podcasts (many of which have earned numerous podcasting awards). He has a complete podcast training program, taking you from "Concept to Launch and Into Monetization." You can read more information on his training program at http://www.podcast-training.com You can also download his "Podcast Creation Checklist" for FREE under the "Services" tab on his website. He has also created a Christian podcast hosting and marketing platform at https://faithcasters.net

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Path To Freelance Success: Secret Is Knowing Where To Look

Would you like to break out of a regular job and start freelancing? Perhaps you've got the skills, but are not quite sure where to start looking for work, or how to deal with the business side of freelance work? Freelance marketplace websites specialise in bringing together clients looking to outsource projects and skilled professional contractors looking for freelance jobs. If you have web design or development, graphic design, programming, writing or translation skills then you will find opportunities waiting for you, if you know where to look.

There are many benefits to freelancing - you have a high degree of independence, choosing when and where to work, and even for whom to work, once you are established. You aren't tied to a fixed schedule and you are directly paid the full rate for your work, not just a portion of it like an employee is. There is plenty of work out there, but you have to learn how to find it and build your contacts. This is where freelancing sites such as Project4Hire.com can help, especially when you are just starting out. These sites offer a wide range of projects to bid on and give you the chance to learn about the freelance marketplace.

Once you start as a freelancer, you need to think of more than just keeping your skills sharp. You are a business now, and have to build relationships with clients and sell yourself. This can seem daunting at first but is made easier by freelance marketplace websites that bring together outsourced projects with freelance contractors. These sites all include feedback and rating systems for both clients and contractors, meaning that as your experience builds, your record of quality work will be visible to all the other members of the site, giving you more credibility. You will also find that as you gain more experience and contacts, people might approach you directly for work. In the end you might even have to turn away work - alternatively you can start sub-contracting it out yourself through the freelancing sites, giving you the best of both worlds.

Your success is all down to you - if you are professional and polite, and always deliver good quality work on time, people will come back to you as there is a strong demand for good quality freelancers. When setting your rates, don't be solely concerned with being the cheapest. Instead look at the budget of the project you are bidding on, then look at what you need to earn for it to be worth your time. Work out a rate that meets both the client's budget and your needs, then use it as a part of a high quality bid. The lowest bids are often rejected in favour of the bids that offer the most professional package. Small businesses looking to outsource some work will often pay a little more to someone who will offer a more professional service. Your aim, as a freelancer, should be to be that someone.

As with any business undertaking, there are a few potential risks, but with care and planning you should manage to avoid these most of the time. The most obvious risk is completing a freelance job for a client who then will not pay. Project4Hire.com, like most freelance marketplace sites, offers an escrow payment system to protect both clients and contractors from these problems. It works by taking full payment for the project from the client at the outset of the project, and then passing it to the contractor upon successful completion. Other challenges you can have to deal with are changing requirements from your client and poor communications, but again freelancing sites help here with feedback systems and message boards, ensuring a record is available of the original details of your bid and the project, so as long as you deliver what you bid, you should get paid.

Don't let the challenges and risk put you off - freelancing is a very rewarding way to earn a living and make the most of your marketable skills, and with freelance marketplace sites to help, it isn't as difficult as it used to be.

Author Bio
Abdoulah Sangare is a freelance web developer and writer with over 10 years of experience. www.techslick.com

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