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If you want to subscribe to a podcast, you’re going to need the RSS feed. This is the hyperlink that provides your RSS reader with all the latest episodes from a podcast.

You can find an RSS Feed on any website that delivers a podcast.

The universal symbol for RSS is 

If a website delivers any sort of RSS Feed, whether it be for a podcast, newsletter, blog or other info, you will find this symbol on your internet browser.

For Firefox this symbol will be just to the right in the address bar.

For internet Explorer 7 this symbol is almost in the same place, but not directly in the address bar – just a little lower and to the right.

If a website does not have an RSS Feed, there will be no symbol in FireFox, and in Internet Explorer the symbol becomes grey and un-clickable.

Click on this symbol in the toolbar of your preferred internet browser. You will be directed to the RSS Feed for that page.

For example for CBC News I am directed to this page.

The URL that is now displayed in your address bar is the RSS Feed. Copy and paste the URL into your RSS Reader and you are ready to go!

Or, go here: How do I play a podcast after I find the RSS Feed?

You can also find an RSS Feed within a website itself.

Websites differ in where the symbol is displayed, but most of them make it easy to find on their homepage. You may see links that contain words like “subscribe,” “RSS” or “Alerts” that will also direct you to an RSS Feed.

For example, on the CBC News website, you can see the RSS symbol in the browser, as well as link to “News RSS” on the webpage. You can click either, but they will produce different results.

By clicking on the RSS Symbol in the tool bar I am directed to the RSS Feed for CBC News Top Stories (above screenshot with RSS Feed URL). By clicking on the link in the webpage I am directed to a list of more targeted media I can subscribe to, like CBC Sports - Hockey News.

For websites that have many different RSS Feeds, like CBC News, it may be a better idea to browse the site and look around for subscription links.

An RSS Feed typically looks something like: http://rss.cbc.ca/lineup/sports-hockey.xml

This is the RSS Feed for CBC Sports - Hockey News

As for the CBC Hockey News podcast – “Stanley Cup Countdown,” the RSS Feed is

http://www.cbc.ca/mediafeeds/rss/cbc/stanleycup2009-video-podcast.xml

Note: You may also see links to “Subscribe in iTunes” when browsing for RSS Feeds for podcasts. This will simply open your iTunes programs and automatically subscribe to the podcast in your podcast playlist. This saves time over copy and pasting the RSS Feed into your iTunes Feed Reader or searching through the iTunes podcast directory.

How to use iTunes to subscribe to a podcast?

How do I play a podcast after I find the RSS Feed?

This can be done in a number of methods, using various programs. I have outlined “How to Subscribe to a Podcast” in a separate blog post. This is a detailed, but easy-to-read blog outlining the steps to podcast subscription using iTunes, iGoogle, and Microsoft Outlook 2007.

Simple steps for downloading podcasts using iTunes, Micrsoft Outlook 2007, and iGoogle.

How to subscribe to a podcast using iTunes.

In my opinion, iTunes is one of the best overall podcast subscription tools out there. It lets you find, manage and organize your podcasts very easily.

1) On the left side of you iTunes program under Library, click Podcasts.

If you are new to podcasting you will have nothing in your playlist. No worries, you can add a podcast in no time!

2) Click Podcast Directory on the bottom right of your iTunes window.

This takes you to iTunes neatly organized and easy-to-use directory full of free podcasts. Look around, you can find a podcast on just about any subject.

Find a podcast that interest you and click it. For example “CarCast” by Adam Corrolla.

Browse the subscription page for descriptions, reviews and a list of prior episodes from this podcast.

3) To subscribe, simply click Subscribe at the top of your screen.

This tells iTunes that you want to download this podcast, and that every time the author releases a new episode to download it automatically into your iTunes Podcast playlist.

4) Click Podcasts under the Library heading again and it takes you back to your playlist where you should see your new podcast!

Keep in mind that only the most recent episode of this podcast has been downloaded. If you want to get prior episodes click on triangle to the left of the podcast title. This drops down a list of prior episodes from the same author. Click “Get Now” to download these episodes individually.

IF THE iTUNES LIBRARY DOES NOT HAVE THE PODCAST YOU ARE LOOKING FOR…

5) If the iTune library does not have a podcast, but you are sure that it exists, you can download it into iTunes directly from the source. Click the Advanced tab in your iTunes program and then click Subscribe to Podcast.

6) Simply insert the RSS Feed URL of the podcast you wish to subscribe to and it will find the podcast on the internet and download it into your playlist.

RSS Feeds for podcasting are generally easily to find as they can be located on any website that delivers a podcast. The universal symbol for RSS is 

RSS feeds typically looks something like:

http://www.howstuffworks.com/podcasts/brainstuff.rss

This is for the howstuffworks podcast.

The “settings’ button at the bottom of the screen is also a very helpful tool. It allows you to choose how often new podcasts are updated, how many episodes to download when a new one becomes available, and how many old episodes to keep in your system so it doesn’t become full of wasteful podcasts.

How to subscribe to a podcast using OutLook.

Podcast subscription is a little less flexible using outlook 2007, but it is very simple and has its advantages.

1) Click “RSS Feeds” under Mail Folders pane. Outlook gives a wide variety of RSS feeds to choose from. Most of these are articles, but the process is the same for podcasts.

2) Simply click one RSS Feed that interests you, like Forbes Magazine for example.

3) An RSS Feed Options dialog box appears that asks you if you want to “Add This RSS Feed to Outlook?” Before you click “Yes,” click the advanced options button. This will give you some options for naming the podcast, storage location, and automatically downloading enclosures for the RSS Feed.

Enclosures are attachments that come as a part of each RSS Feed. Downloading all enclosures automatically may take up a lot of space in your system. It may be better to individually download enclosures once the RSS Feeds are in your Outlook.

All RSS feeds will also appear in your unread mail as well.

If you cannot find the RSS Feed you are looking for the RSS Feeds page in Outlook, search iTunes or other internet sites. RSS Feeds for podcasting are generally easily to find as they can be located on any website that delivers a podcast.

See above for an example of what an RSS Feed looks like.

4) Click Account Settings from the Tools tab, and then click the RSS Feeds Tab in dialog box.

5) Click New and simply copy and paste the RSS Feed into the dialog box. Click Add.

The RSS Feed Options dialog box appears again and allows you to customize your settings before Outlook subscribes to your podcast. Again I do not recommend checking the “Automatically download enclosures” option.

Just like adding RSS Feeds from the library available in your Outlook, this will result in an automatic download of all episodes in your podcast under RSS Feeds and Unread Mail.

To delete subscriptions but keep all current episodes go back to RSS Feeds in Account Settings and simply click remove to remove any subscription.

Or to delete all episodes AND cancel the subscription simply right click on the podcast’s name under RSS Feeds in the Mail Folders and click delete.

How to subscribe to a podcast using iGoogle.

iGoogle does not have a library of RSS feeds or podcasts like Outlook 2007 and iTunes. However, it is a great tool that allows you to bring all of your internet favorites into one home page customized for your own use.

1) From you iGoogle home page click Add stuff which is on the very right of your screen.

2) Google will display a page with a variety of gadgets you can subscribe to.

You may not find the podcast you want here, but there are some neat gadgets that will make your iGoogle homepage a lot more customized and convenient, so have a look around!

3) On the bottom left of your Add Stuff page you will see “Add feed or gadget,” click this link.

4) A URL box will appear, simply copy and paste the RSS Feed URL into this box and click Add. Your new subscription should appear when you return to your iGoogle home page.

RSS Feeds for podcasting are generally easily to find as they can be located on any website that delivers a podcast.

See above for an example of what an RSS Feed looks like.

5)Now simply click on an episode you want on your home page and iGoogle will automatically open the corresponding audio/video for that podcast.