The very first thing you must do when deciding to limit distribution of your podcast is to answer the question, "Why?" The answer to that question will determine not only the method you choose to protect your podcast, but the strategy you employ to promote the podcast and the materials you use to support the podcast. The initial division in strategies comes when you decide whether your primary concern is limiting distribution to a select audience or making sure you have the information you want on the people who download your podcast. If audience restriction is of primary importance, there are steps to be taken to keep the podcast private, while a different set of steps will be of more value if gathering listener information is your main concern. Let's start with some strategies for keeping the podcast private. Security Through ObscurityThe first step is the most elementary: It's tough for anyone to subscribe to your podcast if they don't know where it is. If you want to keep your podcast private, you start by not advertising the feed through any of the normal podcast directory sites. This will keep script-kiddies looking for a challenge away from your feed, and reduce the number of angry emails you receive from people who stumble across the podcast and are frustrated because they don't know how to subscribe. This brings us to step number two: On the web page that hosts the podcast feed, tell people how to subscribe. If they must be employees or members of a particular organization, tell them. If they must be authorized through a user name and password that they already use for another system, tell them. Just because the podcast is private, it doesn't mean you should make it difficult for a legitimate user to listen. tip
When you limit access to your podcast, you should reinforce the limitations on the web page that supports the podcast feed, in all support documentation concerning the podcast, and in the ID3 tags of the MP3 file itself. Most people are honest and honorable, but they're also forgetful, so reminding them frequently of any limitations will help keep your podcast in the ears of the intended audience only. Limits on LimitationsFinally, it bears repeating that, while you can limit access to your podcast through VPNs or third-party software such as Myst, you can't really control what happens to the MP3 file once it's been downloaded. A podcast may be many things, but it's not truly secure. Be careful about the information you include in your podcast. If you want information on your listeners, but will allow anyone to subscribe as long as they're willing to register, then you have a different set of concerns and considerations. Many of these will be built around the fact that you're asking your listeners to give you something in exchange for the right to listen to your podcast. Privacy MattersOne of the realities of working on the Internet today is that you must be sensitive to privacy and security concerns that your listeners will have. If you're asking for any kind of personal information as part of the registration process, you must develop a privacy policy and post it on the same page as the questionnaire that gathers registration information. It goes without saying that you must protect your listeners' private information when it's stored on your computers. Once you've assured your listeners that their information will be safe, you must give them an incentive to part with their informationafter all, there are plenty of podcasts that don't ask for anything at all in return. This is where three things come into play. First, your podcast should offer information that simply can't be had anywhere else. This could be a lecture from a well-known individual, a particular take on a religious issue, or accurate prognostications on just about anything. Whatever the content, it must be both unique and special. Next, your podcast should be part of a system of information in which all the pieces support one another. A great podcast that's hosted on a great website that supports an interesting blog with an active community of commenters is much more likely to seem worth the risk and trouble of registration and authentication than a podcast that provides no information up front for potential listeners. tip
Finally, you should be very clear about requiring registration when you list your podcast on the central podcast directory sites. Unlike podcasts with a limited target audience, you'll want to list the registration-required podcasts on the directory sites in order to attract more listeners, but you want to reduce negative feelings and comments by being very clear with potential listeners that you'll be asking for more than is required by the average podcast when it's time to subscribe. While the vast majority of podcasts are completely open, it's possible to restrict subscriptions to the RSS feed. If you understand why you're placing the restrictions and what set of actions or information you want in return, the registration and authentication process can become part of a positive interaction between listener and podcast, rather than a pain in the posterior for the people you want to fill out your audience.
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