# Internet Guidance

*Exported from [Holy-Writings.com](https://www.holy-writings.com/) on 2026-06-19 — 1 clipping.*

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> Source: Bahá'í Library Online (bahai-library.com), curated by Jonah Winters. Used by permission of the curator. Original citation: Bahá'í Internet Agency, Internet Guidance, bahai-library.com.
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> 
> Podcasting: A Technical Primer
> 
> Bahá’í Internet Agency
> 2006
> 
> Summary
> 
> This guide is intended as a supplement to the document “Blogging and the Bahá’í Faith:
> Suggestions and Possible Approaches,” for those interested in podcasting, which is
> essentially an audio version of the text-based blog.
> 
> The Internet is a wonderful combination of wide reach and low costs. Even the most
> powerful radio transmitter cannot reach a fraction of the potential listeners possible via
> the Internet. Yet, even the smallest radio station is far more expensive than a typical
> podcasting operation. In many parts of the world, radio continues to be the most common
> form of mass communications and the audio content from podcasts can easily be shared
> with the radio world.
> 
> Content is King
> 
> Listeners will forgive many technical errors if the content is interesting to them but the
> best produced content will not be effective if the content is weak. It is easy to get so
> immersed in the production process that one loses track of the listener’s interests. Don’t
> let technical issues stop you from recording creative or valuable information. Podcasts
> provide a unique vehicle to share first person testimonies of faith, reflections about the
> Bahá’í teachings, or educational material. Unlike text, they allow the powers of the
> human spirit to be more directly experienced by listeners.
> 
> Preparing for Recording
> 
> Audio recording can easily go wrong. A microphone placed next to a fan or an open
> window can pick up extraneous noise. Accidentally setting the recording levels too low
> can result in the recording being barely audible. These problems and most others can be
> avoided simply by running a test.
> 
> When recording a live event, it is best to have backups of key items. Even a well-tested
> setup can fail for a variety of reasons. The speaker may break the microphone or the
> batteries may die. It’s always a good idea to be over prepared.
> 
> Production Masters
> 
> There are two basic rules of thumb when creating content: you often will have more
> content than you need, and the final content will be of a lesser quality than that of the
> original recording. It is always a good idea to record at the highest possible recording
> standards. The original recording is called the master. The master is used to make the
> 
> audio files that you will actually distribute. While you may intend to use the content for a
> low-quality Internet audio file, having a high-quality master will allow you to produce a
> CD-ROM and higher-quality audio files at a later date.
> 
> There are two types of recording formats: lossless and lossy. Lossless means the format
> records all the audio content it hears. Lossy, on the other hand, is a format where file
> sizes are greatly reduced by intelligently removing “unnecessary” audio information. A
> master normally uses a lossless format, such as wav and flac, and then the final product is
> exported to a lossy format, such as mp3 and vorbis.
> 
> If you are going to be extensively editing your content, keep a book to track your
> recordings. That means labeling the tape, CD-ROMs, or file names of the recording
> medium. Most recording systems provide some sort of counter or timer that allow you to
> identify the exact starting and stopping points for a segment. Not only will you want to
> record the segment times, but you may want to note points of interest during the
> recording just in case you want to extract a specific comment.
> 
> Hardware and Software
> 
> Recording audio has never been easier. There are many good ways to record audio.
> Below is a list of some workable systems 1 .
> 
> •   MiniDisk Recorder (such as Sony’s MZ-R10). These are often used by
> journalists because they are small but make high-quality recordings. Because the
> recording is in digital format, it can be copied directly to a computer.
> •   Computer. Computers – laptops and desktops – have the ability to record.
> Computers have an advantage in being able to monitor the recording via computer
> screens. Computers are best when recording from an audio device, such as a tape
> or CD-ROM. This may not work as well when recording people talking because
> the computer may get in the way of the interview.
> •   Cassette tape. Some of the higher quality units can do a good job of recording.
> The main problem is that the recording will still have to be digitized. This doubles
> the amount of time required because the digitization process takes as long as the
> recording is long. So a sixty minute recording requires another sixty minutes to
> convert.
> •   MP3 Device. Some MP3 music players can record at high fidelity. Many MP3
> devices have built in recording capabilities. Check the device for its recording
> specifications. Some recorders are limited recording speech because they don’t
> want to be used for recording music.
> •   Phone. It’s possible to use a phone to record audio. You could call your home
> answering machine or use an online service. The recording probably will not be
> that good, but it’s better than losing an opportunity.
> 
> http://www.pwop.com/podcastingkit.aspx Here is a sample of a fairly high-end podcasting kit. This is for
> serious work and is not required to do good work.
> 
> •   Digital camera. If you have a digital video camera, you can use the camera’s
> built-in microphone jack to record audio. Don’t use the built-in microphone. The
> microphone’s placement in the camera can introduce noises associated with the
> camera’s internal mechanisms.
> •   VCR Deck. You may find yourself in a situation where you need a high-quality
> recording device but you did not bring one, or the one you brought had some
> problem at the last minute. The old VCR actually records with great fidelity.
> Finding a unit and a blank tape is often easy. Like the cassette tape, you are going
> to have to digitize the recording in order to get a computer file.
> •   Microphone. The microphone is usually the most important element for getting
> good sound. A suitable microphone will probably cost between $50 and $150. For
> purely voice, an $80 microphone should be fine 2 . You may need more than one
> microphone if you are recording individuals and groups. Some microphones are
> good for a single speaker while other microphones are designed to pick up all the
> sound in a room.
> •   Accessories. A few small items can make a big difference. Below are a few items
> to consider:
> o A pop filter blocks the sounds of wind and strongly aspirated letters, such
> as the letter P.
> o Microphone stands can keep a microphone from falling or being bumped.
> o Gaffing tape can secure a cable on the floor so that no one trips over it –
> without damaging the surface with sticky residue.
> 
> In general, if you are traveling to a location to record an event, a MiniDisc or MP3 device
> is probably the best solution. If you are working with currently existing content, the
> computer is the way to go.
> 
> Audio software is an important ingredient in the recording process. If you are using a
> computer, recording software is required to turn the audio content into a usable computer
> file. Once you have a computer file, you still have to cut, splice, and manipulate the
> recordings. Cutting is almost always required. The time between the start of the recording
> and the actual start of the audio content needs to be trimmed. Less obvious is the need to
> cut out a small interlude between speakers or the sound of the recording unit being turned
> on and off. This last issue is especially common if you are working with an audio file
> recorded from a cassette tape.
> 
> Splicing is where two audio segments are put together. This may be due to your using
> two audio disks for a long talk, or you may simply find some content not as interesting
> and thus you cut it out. Splicing is also frequently done when the interviewer wants to
> insert their questions. This is done because the interviewer may not have their own
> microphone during the recording. The interviewer’s questions are recorded at a later
> point and then inserted before each answer during the editing process. This is how most
> professional interviews are performed.
> 
> http://www.geekfishing.net/internet/podcast/2005/03/30/podcast_microphone.html Here is a description
> of various microphones suitable for podcasting.
> 
> There are many ways to manipulate audio content. The most common reason to
> manipulate the content is to remove unwanted noise, such as pops, hisses, and hums. This
> is often a problem with recordings originating from old cassette tapes. Another common
> technique is to adjust or normalize the audio levels so that the recordings sound
> essentially the same in terms of loudness within the recording and between different
> recordings. You don’t want to force the listener to constantly adjust the volume level up
> and down as the sound level changes. Sometimes, adjusting the tone or adding reverb can
> dramatically affect the sound quality of the tape. Naturally, the better your original
> recording, the less adjustments you have to do later.
> 
> Producing for the Internet
> 
> The fundamental conundrum with preparing content for the Internet is that the better the
> quality of the content, the bigger the file size and thus the fewer people who will be able
> to access it. As file sizes go down, so does the quality level. People may be capable of
> getting the content, but choose not to because of its poor quality. Below are a few factors
> to consider.
> 
> 1. Type of recording. A music file clearly requires better production values than
> would a voice recording.
> 2. Audience bandwidth. If your audience has broadband connections, you can offer
> larger files than you might do with an audience using lower-bandwidth
> connections.
> 3. Distribution model. Streaming, file downloads, and RSS are all common ways to
> get audio files to the listener. Each one brings with it a set of bandwidth
> considerations. Podcasting uses RSS, and in most cases this is the optimal transfer
> mechanism.
> 4. Player type. If you are fairly sure that most of the listeners will use their
> computer’s ten-dollar speakers, you don’t have to be as concerned with sound
> quality as you would if the recording is going to be played on a stereo or MP3
> player.
> 
> Recording Tags
> 
> When you convert your file to the MP3 format – a common end-user audio format – there
> will be the option to provide a myriad of information about the recording and how it was
> produced. Enter meaningful information about the genre and style of the recording. This
> information will appear in the listener’s audio directory. Provide titles that are concise
> and meaningful. A title that starts with “The Baha’i General Information Podcast: Raising
> Healthy Children” will probably result with the user’s display showing the first three
> words. So the user sees ten recordings that all say “The Baha’i General…”. Put your
> production’s name in the author field and put “Raising Healthy Children” in the title
> field. Put in copyright information. Even if the information you are producing does not
> have a copyright, your production of that content can be copyrighted. You are of course
> free to let others know that the content may be freely used as part of your copyright
> statement. It also does not hurt to put in the name of the locations where the recordings
> 
> can be found. You never know when someone will receive the recording from a third-
> party and want to discover the source of the file. In fact, you cannot assume that your
> content will not be retrieved from some other source. Therefore, you may want to have a
> short introduction at the start or end of the recording identifying yourself, the topic title,
> and the source of the recording.
> 
> Tags and/or descriptions come into play when you list your recordings on search engines
> and in podcast directories, such as iTunes. Accuracy is very important for getting the
> right people to your content.
> 
> Finding a Home
> 
> While audio recordings are small in comparison with video files, they are large when
> compared with text. A standard web site may not be able to host a large number of audio
> files. You may run out of disk space or the service provider may charge you more for the
> extra bandwidth your site is using.
> 
> There are a number of free sites that will host your recordings. Below are some well-
> known free hosting sites.
> 
> •   PodServe (http://podserve.biggu.com/)
> •   Odeo (http://odeo.com/)
> •   OurMedia (http://www.ourmedia.org/)
> 
> OurMedia is a free service, but it has performance issues and its requirement for public
> domain content may prevent some content providers from uploading their materials. It is
> certainly a good service when there is no funding for anything else. At some point
> OurMedia will probably become more dependable.
> 
> Combining Old and New
> 
> Remember that podcasting is a combination of old technologies, such as radio, and new
> technologies, such as the Internet and RSS. The recording and production of the masters
> is in principle very similar to what people have been doing in radio for decades. The
> lessons from radio and music production are well worth learning. The newer aspects are
> still in flux. The guidelines here are far less clear and the only recommendation is to
> experiment and be ready for new systems and processes.
>
> — *Internet Guidance (Used by permission of the curator)*