Can you have 2 iPods on the same iTunes?

Question

I currently own a 30GB iPod and we purchased an iPod nano for our son for his birthday. We are not sure if we can run both iPods through the same iTunes, or do they need to be on seperate computers?
Please help...I cannot find any info about this.
Thank you.
Sony Vaio PCG-K13   Windows XP  
Sony Vaio PCG-K13   Windows XP  

Answer 1

There are actually a number of methods for using more than one iPod on a single computer. Method one is to have two Mac or Windows user accounts which by definition would give you two completely separate libraries. Method two is to set your preferences so each iPod is updated with only certain playlists within one library: How To Use Multiple iPods with One Computer
If you choose the update option "automatically update selected playlists only" you can create a playlist specifically for each iPod and drag the tracks you want into it. If you tire of the list and want to change it, you just add or remove the songs you don't want. The ones you take out out remain in the library to be used by the other iPod. Make your playlist a Smart playlist and limit the size to just below the advertised capacity of your iPod (For example if using a Mini or Nano that's around 3700MB for a 4G). You can read more about playlists at these links:
iTunes: Creating playlists of your favorite songs
How to create a Smart Playlist with iTunes
Or of course you could set one or both iPods to "manually manage songs and playlists" and drag whatever you like to them.
For info:
The iPod offers three ways to transfer music from your computer. You can select one of the following update modes from the iPod Preferences menu in iTunes (Edit=>Preferences=>'iPod' tab):
1) Automatically update all songs and playlists. This is the default mode, in which your entire music library, including playlists, is automatically synced to your iPod. If the music library on your computer exceeds the iPod storage capacity, you are prompted to select a different update method.
2) Automatically update selected playlists only. With this option, iTunes automatically copies the playlists you have selected to the iPod when you connect it to the computer.
3) Manually manage songs and playlists. You can also choose to transfer music to the iPod manually. This allows you to drag and drop individual songs and playlists from iTunes to the iPod.