How to Subscribe to a Podcast Outside of the iTunes Music Store

Apple's iTunes software is an easy-to-use podcast aggregator, and Apple's iTunes Music Store is a great place to find thousands of interesting podcasts. While the iTunes Music Store does have a wide selection of podcasts, it does not list all podcasts that have ever been published. Subscribing to a podcast outside of the iTunes Music Store can also be a simple and rewarding experience.

Difficulty:

Moderately Easy

Instructions

Things You'll Need

• Computer with Internet access
• iPod

1. Find a podcast in which you would like to subscribe. Many podcasts, on individual's Web sites, are labeled with small orange buttons that read "RSS" or "XML." However, a podcast link can be any text or object that can be hyperlinked.

2. Right-click on the podcast button and select "copy shortcut."

3. Open iTunes and click once on "podcasts" on the menu to the left.

4. Click "Advanced" on the menu along the top and select "Subscribe to Podcast."

5. Look for the "Subscribe to Podcast" popup window. Right-click in the box below "URL:" and select "Paste."

6. Click "OK" and wait while the most recent episode from your podcast downloads to your computer.

Tips & Warnings

• If you have not used iTunes recently, you may want to update your iTunes to the newest version. You can download the software free from the Apple Web site.

• Not all orange "XML" or "RSS" buttons are podcast feeds. These buttons also refer to a variety of text and news feeds that iTunes cannot handle.