Need some help? Here's the place to look.
If you can't find an answer to your question here, please email me through my contact page and ask away.
If you can't find an answer to your question here, please email me through my contact page and ask away.
How do I subscribe to these podcasts?
First of all, welcome to God's iPod. I have worked hard to give you options in how you subscribe.
Email
I feel the very best way to subscribe is simply via email. Just go the main page of the podcast, and on the side you'll see a box where you can enter your email. Then I send you a link to your email inbox that you must click to confirm its your email address you entered. If you didn't get it, check your SPAM folder. If you don't click the link, you're not yet subscribed.
iTunes
This is the best method if you own an iPod. Just go the main page of the podcast, and on the side you'll see a purple icon the same as the one to the left right here. Click that, and iTunes will take you to the iTunes Store where you can subscribe. Don't worry, it's still completely free. iTunes will then update automatically every time there's a new podcast for you.
Browser
Using any web browser, you can listen to the majority of our podcasts. Though it means you won't have them forever, so it's best to subscribe via email.
I feel the very best way to subscribe is simply via email. Just go the main page of the podcast, and on the side you'll see a box where you can enter your email. Then I send you a link to your email inbox that you must click to confirm its your email address you entered. If you didn't get it, check your SPAM folder. If you don't click the link, you're not yet subscribed.
This is the best method if you own an iPod. Just go the main page of the podcast, and on the side you'll see a purple icon the same as the one to the left right here. Click that, and iTunes will take you to the iTunes Store where you can subscribe. Don't worry, it's still completely free. iTunes will then update automatically every time there's a new podcast for you.
Using any web browser, you can listen to the majority of our podcasts. Though it means you won't have them forever, so it's best to subscribe via email.
I subscribed to XYZ Podcast via email, but I am not getting it!
When you subscribe, we send you an email with a link that you must click. If you don't click the link, you won't receive anything until you do. We are sorry for the extra step, but we need to verify your email to ensure you're not signing up someone else without their knowledge.
I am receiving the emails, but the audio player does not work/is not visible!
The audio player that we send in the emails requires a recent version of the Adobe Flash software. It's a free download from here: http://get.adobe.com/flashplayer/
How often will I receive a podcast?
All our podcasts work on different cycles. The page for the podcast tells you how often it is published.
So you're going to send me a 5MB file to my email?
That would be bad. No, we're not going to do that. We have developed great technology that enables us to send you a very tiny audio player, less than the size of an average paragraph of text, and we then stream the audio in from the Internet on demand. So the emails are very very small, and you can forward them with confidence.
What is a "bookmarkable" podcast
Most of our longer podcasts are bookmarkable when used with iTunes or an iPod/iPhone. This works by remembering the place you last stopped at in the podcast and continuing on from that point should you continue to listen, instead of starting from the beginning like MP3 podcasts. This is one major reason why we do not use MP3 for our podcasts.
What's AAC/M4A? Why are you not using MP3?
MP3 is a very common, but antiquated format. If we used the MP3 format, all our podcasts would need to be larger than twice the size of our AAC/M4A files to be at the same quality.
The Advanced Audio Coding or AAC format we use is not a proprietary Apple format as some mistakenly believe, it is actually a standard of the Motion Pictures Expert Group, or MPEG. It was designed to replace MP3. It's the same audio file used on BlueRay Discs. AAC is the future of audio files, and any manufacturer can add AAC playback to their portable music players should they wish to.
The Advanced Audio Coding or AAC format we use is not a proprietary Apple format as some mistakenly believe, it is actually a standard of the Motion Pictures Expert Group, or MPEG. It was designed to replace MP3. It's the same audio file used on BlueRay Discs. AAC is the future of audio files, and any manufacturer can add AAC playback to their portable music players should they wish to.
I have a Zune, can it subscribe to your AAC/M4A podcasts?
Yes it can. See this Microsoft Support document here: http://support.microsoft.com/kb/928191
Zune users need to use the RSS links to subscribe.
Zune users need to use the RSS links to subscribe.
Do you have a raw RSS feed?
Yes, look for the common RSS icons.
What is a Podcast?
You do not need an iPod or other portable music player to listen to podcasts.
God's iPod is one of the first Christian podcasting outlets that has regular daily podcasts produced at a professional level. God's iPod has gained a top position in Apple's iTunes Music Store which has helped it gain rapid growth. In my first 4 days of podcasting, I had amassed over 600 subscribers, now estimated to be well over 80,000, and it just keeps growing. I plan to continue this through the creation of exciting original content aimed at 12-35 year olds. My aim is to provide resources for new believers, to feed them good solid Biblical teaching and help raise up a new generation of believers who have strong, solid relationships with God, actually read/listen to their Bibles, and know more scripture than John 3:16 and John 14:6. Please consider supporting my efforts.
Podcast definition:
Podcasting is a method of publishing files via the Internet, allowing users to subscribe to a feed and receive new files automatically. It became popular in late 2004, intended largely for downloading audio files onto a portable MP3 player. However, listening to podcasts does not require a portable player and it is not traditional "broadcasting" to a mass audience at a fixed time.
The word "podcasting" is a linguistic blend coined in February 2004, combining "broadcasting" with the name of Apple Computer's iPod audio player (although podcasting was not invented by Apple, nor do podcasts require a portable player or Apple software).
It is distinct from other types of online audio delivery because of its subscription model, which uses the RSS 2.0 file format. Podcasting enables independent producers to create self-published, syndicated "radio shows," and gives broadcast radio programs a new distribution channel. Listeners may subscribe to feeds using "podcatching" software (a type of "aggregator"), which periodically checks for and downloads new content. Some podcatching software is also able to synchronise (copy) podcasts to portable music players. Any digital audio player or computer with audio-playing software can play podcasts.
Podcasting's essence is about creating content (audio or video) for an audience that wants to listen when they want, where they want, and how they want.
Podcasting versus broadcasting and streaming
Subscribing to podcasts allows a user to collect programs from a variety of sources for listening or viewing offline at whatever time and place is convenient. In contrast, traditional broadcasting provides only one source at a time, and the time is broadcaster-specified. While podcasts are gaining ground on personal sites and blogs, they're not yet widespread. One easy way to find podcasts is to use the Podcast Directory in iTunes; these automatically-updated podcasts can then be easily synchronised to your iPod for offline listening.
"Streaming" files from the Internet can remove the specified-time restriction, but still offers only one source at a time, and requires the user to be connected to the Internet while playing the files. The ability to "aggregate" programs from multiple sources is a major part of the attraction of podcast-listening.
Although streamed programs, like broadcast radio signals, can be recorded or captured by the receiver, their transient nature distinguishes them from podcast episodes, which arrive already in archived form.
The editors of the New Oxford American Dictionary declared "podcasting" the 2005 word of the year in December, defining the term as "a digital recording of a radio broadcast or similar program, made available on the Internet for downloading to a personal audio player"
God's iPod is one of the first Christian podcasting outlets that has regular daily podcasts produced at a professional level. God's iPod has gained a top position in Apple's iTunes Music Store which has helped it gain rapid growth. In my first 4 days of podcasting, I had amassed over 600 subscribers, now estimated to be well over 80,000, and it just keeps growing. I plan to continue this through the creation of exciting original content aimed at 12-35 year olds. My aim is to provide resources for new believers, to feed them good solid Biblical teaching and help raise up a new generation of believers who have strong, solid relationships with God, actually read/listen to their Bibles, and know more scripture than John 3:16 and John 14:6. Please consider supporting my efforts.
Podcast definition:
Podcasting is a method of publishing files via the Internet, allowing users to subscribe to a feed and receive new files automatically. It became popular in late 2004, intended largely for downloading audio files onto a portable MP3 player. However, listening to podcasts does not require a portable player and it is not traditional "broadcasting" to a mass audience at a fixed time.
The word "podcasting" is a linguistic blend coined in February 2004, combining "broadcasting" with the name of Apple Computer's iPod audio player (although podcasting was not invented by Apple, nor do podcasts require a portable player or Apple software).
It is distinct from other types of online audio delivery because of its subscription model, which uses the RSS 2.0 file format. Podcasting enables independent producers to create self-published, syndicated "radio shows," and gives broadcast radio programs a new distribution channel. Listeners may subscribe to feeds using "podcatching" software (a type of "aggregator"), which periodically checks for and downloads new content. Some podcatching software is also able to synchronise (copy) podcasts to portable music players. Any digital audio player or computer with audio-playing software can play podcasts.
Podcasting's essence is about creating content (audio or video) for an audience that wants to listen when they want, where they want, and how they want.
Podcasting versus broadcasting and streaming
Subscribing to podcasts allows a user to collect programs from a variety of sources for listening or viewing offline at whatever time and place is convenient. In contrast, traditional broadcasting provides only one source at a time, and the time is broadcaster-specified. While podcasts are gaining ground on personal sites and blogs, they're not yet widespread. One easy way to find podcasts is to use the Podcast Directory in iTunes; these automatically-updated podcasts can then be easily synchronised to your iPod for offline listening.
"Streaming" files from the Internet can remove the specified-time restriction, but still offers only one source at a time, and requires the user to be connected to the Internet while playing the files. The ability to "aggregate" programs from multiple sources is a major part of the attraction of podcast-listening.
Although streamed programs, like broadcast radio signals, can be recorded or captured by the receiver, their transient nature distinguishes them from podcast episodes, which arrive already in archived form.
The editors of the New Oxford American Dictionary declared "podcasting" the 2005 word of the year in December, defining the term as "a digital recording of a radio broadcast or similar program, made available on the Internet for downloading to a personal audio player"
Who runs this ministry and how do I contact them?
God's iPod is run by me, Israel Anderson. You can contact me through my contact page.
How do I make a donation to this ministry?
Thank you, we are 100% supported by our listeners. You'll find all the info you need to make a donation right here. We have not met our budget any single month for well over a year, so all donations are warmly received.
Where do I submit a podcast I produce?
Submit your podcast using this form.
Can I buy advertising on your website?
Yes, contact me through my contact page.
Why are you advertising XYZ?
Because our monthly budget is never met by donations, I have to run advertising on the site. This advertising does not make anything significant right now, but as the use of the actual website grows, I am hoping that the advertising revenues will too.
Unfortunately I have no control at all over what ads are displayed. Google "reads" the pages that the ads are on and places "contextually relevant" ads there by its own self. As you may have noticed, as I have too, occasionally it displays an ad that you or I may have a clash of theology with. I am not into sheltering people into my own way of seeing things though, so for me it is not a big issue.
The simple way to fix this issue is to see our budget met each month, and then I would take all the advertising off.
Unfortunately I have no control at all over what ads are displayed. Google "reads" the pages that the ads are on and places "contextually relevant" ads there by its own self. As you may have noticed, as I have too, occasionally it displays an ad that you or I may have a clash of theology with. I am not into sheltering people into my own way of seeing things though, so for me it is not a big issue.
The simple way to fix this issue is to see our budget met each month, and then I would take all the advertising off.
I can't see every podcast?
To limit bandwidth we must restrict the number of podcasts we keep online at any given time so after a few weeks we remove the podcasts from being listed and move them to our archive. Our archive is accessible to all regular monthly donors of $5 or more though or a one-off donation of $50 or more. If a Church or ministry wishes to have access to the archives, we request a donation of $150 or more.