Input: iTunes Podcast Subscriber Navigation

For iTunes Staff or anyone that has this information:
Can you provide any guidance as to predominant iTunes Podcast Usage/Experience/Navigation? We've had a successful podshow - consistently in top rankings. Yet, we want to make sure we're aware of key data that might help us and others who bother to read your response , optimize our navigation for users.
Here are my ?s:
1. How are most subscribers entering iTunes?
- external URL redirect?
- podcast producer external link to their subscriber page?
- from iTunes existing music customers?
- etc?
2. Once in iTunes, what is the typical navigation?
- from main podcast page to . . .?
- what % use "browse" as function to find podcast?
- what % use "categories"?
- what % use "top podcasts" in that category?
- what % use keyword search in the left nav bar?
- what % use the Search feature at the top?
4. What resources available (reliable/recommended) to understand - from Apple iTunes podcast team - current best practices to optimize for aforementioned navigation, and/or for future 'roadmap' of iTunes podcast service (given recent changes in categories and apparent current continued modifcations)?
Thanks!
Best Regards,
David

Maybe this will help: http://www.ehow.com/how5151978update-itunes-podcast-info-feedburner.html
Changing the feed link in iWeb requires you to edit the source code of your published blog page. Here is how:
1. Publish your site. Using the Finder or your FTP client navigate to your published site. In there should be a folder named after your Podcast.
2. In that folder is a file ending in .html that is named just like the folder. Open the file in an HTML editor like Coda or TacoHTML.
3. Search for <link rel="alternate" type="application/rss+xml" title="RSS". Following the last parameter (title="RSS"), you will find something like href="...". The three dots represent the path to your feed file. Replace that with the Feedburner URL.
That should do it! Good Luck!
Message was edited by: MacPro.ButNOWebPro

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The podcasts that I have subscribed to via itunes have stopped downloading/syncing. I see new podcasts on the podcasts website but they are not listed on my list of itunes podcasts, nor do they show up when I sync to an iPod

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Have you read for possible solutions over in the "More Like This" thread over here?----------------------->
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Connect your iPod to iTunes and check on the Device/Podcasts pane; there are several options for which Podcasts are "kept on/left on" the iPod at each Sync. Are they set the way you want? For instance, if the setting is "to keep on the iPod only new Podcasts", that would cause older Podcasts to be removed.
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Itunes podcast image not working

I am using feedburner to generate a podcast feed for a website my agency worked on. It works fine, we can post things and they show up as podcasts if there is an audio file attached, and the feed shows up fine on feedburner. We used smartfeed on feedburner to generate the extra tags needed for an itunes podcast, including the podcast image, but it's not working. We made sure to input a 1400x1400 image as the feed image, and every time we have changed the image we have made sure to make the filename different so itunes recognizes that there is a differnet image. It has been almost a week since we put in that image and it still is not showing up.
I don't know if it just takes longer, or if there is something wrong, but we have been trying to get an image working for a few weeks now.
The link to the podcast is here
https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/uncommon-austin-podcast-2013/id468093685?mt= 2
I can link to the feedburner feed as well if needed. But we would just like to know of a solution to our problem.
Thanks
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The image which appears on the Store page is referenced in the feed: but the image which appears when you subscribe (either manually or from the Store page) is not - it is embedded in each episode's media file. This page explains the situation and what to do about it:
http://homepage.mac.com/rfwilmut/notes/faq.html#coverart

Posting My iTunes Podcast URL On My Website

Earlier today Wrongway Peachfuzz taught me how to locate the url needed to ping iTunes that I had a new photo, description and info update, and now I'm hoping one of you can teach me...
How to locate my iTunes podcast URL so I can post it on my website and drive my traffic to my iTunes page.
Thank you,

Here's info from the spec:
Linking to Your Podcast
If your podcast is accepted, customers will be able to discover it in the iTunes Store via search or browse. But you can also create links directly to your podcasts and share those on your website or in email. There are two linking methods:
iTunes Store Link: The following link goes directly to your podcast page in iTunes, where users will have the opportunity to subscribe to the podcast. This link can be found for any podcast by control + clicking (or right clicking in Windows) the podcast’s art on its page in the iTunes Store: http://phobos.apple.com/WebObjects/MZStore.woa/wa/viewPodcast?id=FEEDID
Note that a shorter but functionally identical link is also available: http://www.itunes.com/podcast?id=FEEDID
This is the preferred method among podcasters, because it results in an action (the user clicking on the Subscribe button in the iTunes Store) that is registered by iTS and will drive your podcast up the various automated charts.
Direct Subscribe Link: The following link automatically subscribes the user to the podcast in iTunes. Note that this method fails for Windows users who do not have iTunes installed, so it should be clearly noted that the link is intended for subscription with iTunes.
itpc://FEEDURL
Also note that this method will not push your podcast up the various charts in the iTunes Store. It is a direct call to the user's iTunes client software and sends no information to the iTunes Store. If you want to increase the visibility of your podcast, we recommend that your web site and other marketing materials use the iTunes Store link described above.

Itunes Podcast Automatic Unsubscribe - Any way around it? Stupid feature!

We are just finishing up an advanced publishing system for audio and video podcast publishers. Our system will allow publishers to place a button on their site and with one click get subs to their podcast.
They can preload episodes in a sequential order set the date and time frame that the next episode is sent automatically. They can also charge subscription fees for their podcast... it gets a lot more advanced than that but that is the basic concept.
Today I stumbled upon: http://www.apple.com/itunes/podcasts/techspecs.html#_Toc526931673
Which says:
"Automatic Unsubscribe
iTunes automatically unsubscribes from a podcast if the following conditions are both met:
1. The user has not played any episode downloaded in the past 5 updates (there may be more than one episode downloaded per update.
2. More than 5 days have elapsed since an episode was played."
The entire purpose of a podcast is to subscribe to you will not miss anything... so what is the automatic unsubscribe feature for?
Is there a way for a user to disable it?
My publishers depend on their subs remaining subscribed. It seems that this feature basically would automatically kick you off your subscribed podcasts if you go on vacation for a week and five episodes are released that week.
I see no purpose in this at all and it totally screws with paid publishers and especially those who set up preloaded episodes that go out sequentially in our system.
What are my options? Any workarounds? Or will we need to kick itunes ot the curb and choose or develop another podcatcher?

As I read it, "both" conditions have to be met for unsubscribe. I get episodes I have subscribed to that only come out about once a month, and every month, I get the episode automatically downloaded. I think it has to be both, that you have not played any of the past 5 episodes that were downloaded, nor played any of the past episodes for 5 days since the 5th one downloaded. So if you put out a weekly podcast and people get your downloads, there should be no problem. Unless they simply don't list to them.
I think!
That's how I read it, and in my experiences with subscription to a monthly podcast.
Just my 2 cents.
Todd
MacBook Pro Mac OS X (10.4.8)

Mpeg-4, very slow to load in iTunes/Podcast

Hi, I've not yet published any video podcasts to iTMS, but am testing...
MPEG-4 video file
5:19
10Mb in filesize
shot at 12 fps
bit rate:128kbps
sample rate 44.100Khz
profile Low complexity
Channels: Mono.
Why if I select my podcast in iTunes after subscribing to it does it take 10x longer to load and play in comparison with similar sized podcasts of same specs?
Using QuickTime Pro to create MPEG-4 video files, from .mov tutorials shot with SnapzPro. Also tested original .Mov files.
Even a 'get info" takes forever to show details.
The files are loaded on .Mac.
I don't want to publish until I've sorted this issue out.
I'm hoping someone has encountered similar issues, and has found a solution.

Should I maybe post this in the quicktime discussions to have a better chance of response?

Criteria for showing up on front page of iTunes podcast

I'm curious as to how the podcasts are selected on the front door of the iTunes podcast area and how i can get a new podcast put in the cue for consideration here - it's the Space.com podcast (search space.com).
thanks!

I would suggest listing with ever podcast directory you can find, most of witch may already have a listing for you, A lot of this is popularity and how many people are actually subscribing with your podcast with iTunes over another podcast directory.
I personal have had better successes being a feature podcast on other directories because of my content is something that oringal for that directory and that I update often. With being a hidden podcast with in iTunes that is there to be discovered when browsing directories, the overall subscription in iTunes is not bad. But not close to what other directory services point to the feed.
You may also want to try an advertising swap with other podcasts, or swap web badges. Their is a whole marketing plan that needs to be look at, to drive people the listen or watch your content. Just like that of radio and TV stations do for their shows. If your podcast is a certain genre (example say Home improvement, then advertise and get the word out on web sites that are about home improvement.) Also look at adding mainstream advertising to podcasts to generate revenue so you can return put out advertisement for your podcast.
I also noticed a few PR firms for podcasts : most of their clients are listed as top downloaded podcasts. I say it all about marketing in some way to what ever your budget maybe. This with keeping a great show people will want to come back to. I work in advertising and this is true for any product sold today. Just look at the Apple brand itself. Apple makes a large marketing campaign, why has not all windows user switched yet? (Apple is a hands down better product) This is the same with podcasts to toasters. You have to sell it, and keep selling while coming out with some better each time, if you what that kind of audience.
I seen some great stuff with podcasts most of witch is a one person operation, just keep plugging along, Sooner or later you may get your break.
G5 Dual 2.0, iBook 900, X-Serve G4. Twisted Artist TV video podcast. Mac OS X (10.4.4)

ITunes shows Subscribe Only in price field.

iTunes shows Subscribe Only in price field for my podcast. How can I change it to Free?

It is still Free. The Subscribe label seems to appear if your episodes are encoded in AAC format instead of MP3. Perfectly legitimate thing to do, although it limits your audience to iTunes and a few other AAC capable players.

Lost 3/4 of my iTunes Podcasts on my MacPro Desktop machine

Hi,
Recently my 64Gb iPhone 4s crashed after upgrading to 7.1. After restoring the backup up a number of times and the phone continuing to crash, I decided to start from scratch.
I downloaded the Apple Podcasts App onto my iPhone.
This populated immediately with the Podcast headings (subscriptions) that I have resident on my Macpro Desktop (March 2008 running 10.8.5). I have almost 3Tb of Podcasts on my MacPro desktop (many video based) and I was concerned that my iPhone would start downloading many of the podcasts. I immediately deleted all the video based Podcasts (some I have been paying for over a number of years) on my iPhone. I commenced this process on the way to work (at the Train Station) from my iPhone.
When I arrived home and started up iTunes on my MacPro Desktop, the spinning beach ball came up and stayed spinning for 3 or 4 minutes. When it stopped I noticed that 3/4 of the podcasts on my iTunes MacPro desktop had disappeared. In fact, all the Podcasts that I had deleted on my iPhone seemed to have also been deleted from my MacPro iTunes account (approx 2.3 Tb had disappeared when I checked the iTunes Drive-I have a separate 3Tb iTunes HDD for my music and Podcasts). The Podcasts were completely deleted, even the heading so I was unable to re-subscribe. It was a bit of a shock and I searched my Bin (no evidence of it there; the Bin I assume is located on my OS drive (1Tb). I hadn't even connected my iPhone to my MacPro let alone tried to sync the 2.
I am at a loss to try and retrieve the missing 2.3 Tb. I don't believe it is on my iTunes drive, definitely too large for the bin. Fortunately I had done a back up, but this was a while ago.
Questions
1. What happened for this to occur? How can the Podcast App on my iPhone directly affect my iTunes Podasts on my MacPro iTunes account at home? What if I delete the App and use another Podcasting App on my iPhone?
2. I am not sure how I can move the backup iTunes Podcasts to the MacPro HDD iTunes account. How do I also move them so that the subscription is 're-activated?
3. How is my iTunes Library catalogue affected (I have Time Machine connected to the 1 Tb Mac OS Drive on my machine. When I back up the iTunes 3Tb drive, I use a separated 3Tb HDD and use SuperDuper).
Since the Podcasts disappeared, I haven't emptied my bin.
Appreciate any explanations & advice!
Thank you
Mark

Are the music files still in your PC? The default location for them will be in the iTunes Music folder arranged in folders by artist/album.
If the music files are still there, it is just your library database that is damaged and you may be able to recover as follows:
When you upgrade to iTunes 8, a backup library database is created in the iTunes\Previous iTunes Libraries folder. The name includes the date of the upgrade reversed. It will have a name like iTunes Library 2008-10-03.itl
SO try this - close iTunes and drag iTunes Library.itl and iTunes Music library.xml from the iTunes folder to your desktop.
Next copy the backup library file from Previous iTunes Libraries to the iTunes folder and rename it iTunes Library.itl - i.e. remove the date from the file name.
WHen you open iTunes it will have to go through some updating, but with any luck you should get your previous library database back.

Why do my Podcast episodes appear within a few hours on my iTunes Podcast channel, but they sometimes take DAYS to appear in the iTuned PC Client software?

I've got a strange situation where my iTunes podcast channel has published podcast episodes appearing on the website a few hours after release, but the podcast episode does not appear in the iTuned client software on a PC / Mac for multiple days? This appears to have gotten worse in the last month or so
Any comments or suggestions, anyone, other than having Jobs to a ressurection trick ?

I'm afraid I can't advise on Windows software. I can't see any reason why it should behave differently from iTunes on a Mac: it's reading exactly the same data. Sometimes the Store is slow to catch up, so that new episodes can take a few days to appear (though they appear immediately when subscribing) but that isn't the case here as the Store matches the feed.
As this is evidently a problem with accessing the podcast, rather than creating it, you could ask in the iTunes for Windows forum.

ITunes Podcasts NOT Updated to Podcast Page

Since Nov 25, our new posted podcasts are NOT being updated to our main Podcast page. They ARE being updated to anyone who has subscribed, but they are NOT showing up on our Podcast home page.
Have been using the the iTunes Podcasts Page for our class in Sports Broadcasting and is really causing trouble for all as we approach final exams and projects for the semester.
Could someone please tell us how this can be fixed ASAP. Could it be because of some of the recent updates to iTunes?
Thx Much

sent this to Feedback today....
We continue to have issues with our podcast page not being updated. WE missed the last two weeks of the term and are very, very annoyed that our Podcast page on iTunes was not updated during the very important end of the semester.
All worked PERFECTLY for two years, then suddenly there are no updates to our Podcast page on iTunes Since November 25, 2008.
http://itunes.apple.com/WebObjects/MZStore.woa/wa/viewPodcast?id=250215965
Please, please help us find out how to fix and update our Podcast page.
We have sent numerous e-mails to feedback and posts to the Discussions.
Please, please, please answer us.

Received HTTP error code 400 while fetching source feed. - Just Started 2 weeks ago; preventing iTunes podcast from updating

Good day.
When trying to update my feed http://feeds.feedburner.com/SpiritLedSpiritFed, I received an HTTP error code 400 while fetching source feed message. Nothing has changed on my end as I've been using Dropbox for the feed and the files since last year and was able to successfully update the feed up to two weeks ago.
I did run through all the tools on the Feedburner page (validator, podmedic, feedmedic) received a clean bill of health on the feed and I've looked at both Feeburner's site as well as Dropbox's support page to see if anything could have changed (requiring https or some other format for the feed), but no luck so far.
The strange thing is that on the feed itself, it's listed as http://dl.dropbox.com/s/xxxxxxxxxx/xxxxxxxx.xml. However, when I tried to 'RESYNC' it, the 400 error was displayed and it's listed as https://dl.dropboxusercontent.com/xxxxxxxxxx.xml which is says it cannot reach.
Any suggestions would help as I've not been able to update my iTunes podcast for two weeks now.
Thanks

The URL you give redirects to https://dl.dropboxusercontent.com/s/466rh3k2kw7f6jr/SpiritLedSpiritFed.xml
This appears to be a viable feed. However it contains this tag:
<itunes:new-feed-url>https://www.dropbox.com/s/466rh3k2kw7f6jr/SpiritLedSpiritFed.xml</itunes:new-feed-url>
That will redirect iTunes (though nothing else) to the enclosed URL, and that is a web page containing a display of the feed and a download button, which is no use to iTunes. Consequently on attempting to subscribe in iTunes with any of these URLs the feed comes up empty. You need to get rid of these redirects and provide a direct link to the feed file; and you should not use https (encrypted connection) but http. Also, Dropbox isn't a good place to host your files, but if you really must use it you have to serve as a direct access in the same way as a web page, not as sharing. You have your media files on Dropbox as well, and the URL redirects to an https version, though it does play in a browser. This itself may cause problems; and if your podcast gets popular you will run into problems as Dropbox isn't really geared to do this sort of thing.

Deleting old itunes podcasts

It appears that with the release of Itunes 11.1 I no longer have the option to delete old podcasts. When I right click I "occassionally" get the option to delete the podcast but even then it simply chnages it's status and shows it as redownloadable. This functionality can't be right. Can someone tell me if in fact it is the case or if I'm missing something obvious.

Hi, turingtest2, (Alan?)
I've been searching the archives for the old iTunes-11.1-deletes-all-my-podcasts solutions, and you seem to have the best handle on what's going on.
No matter what I try, certain podcast episodes are automatically deleted from my hard drive, with no evidence of them ever being there, and the cloud download symbol appears next to the episode in iTunes. Whether I am subscribed to the podcast or not. If I download the episode again, it's only a matter of time before it's deleted again.
So, I've followed your advice of recovering all the old ones from time machine backups, and storing them in a new folder. I've also reimported them back into iTunes (only to find the same episodes are only in the cloud). I've since converted all the spoken word podcasts to audiobooks, and the music-y ones to music, leaving the genre as podcast.
Now, what i'm proposing - and hopefully it's a short term solution until Apple realises that what they've done is rapidly losing them customers - is to write a small script or Automator thingy such that when iTunes downloads a new podcast episode, it is automatically converted from a podcast to a music / audiobook.
That way, all new / old podcasts can be kept away from the abominable iTunes podcast set up they've recently ruined.
If Apple ever fixes the issue, and allows you to keep old podcasts as podcasts, without the threat of having you stream them from the cloud, one can simply delete the script and convert everything back into podcasts.
My problem is that I haven't the first clue on setting this up.
They call me the ideas man...
Cheers,
Ed

ITunes / Podcast trouble

I have subscribed to 25 or so podcasts. Some update daily, some weekly, etc. However, earlier this week iTunes was not able to connect to any of the feeds. After 24hrs or so, it finally broke loose and downloaded all of the backlog. Well, now it's hung up again.
Please let me know if this is all becuase of some check-box I mistakenly hit. It's not an iPod issue, just iTunes. It tells me to check my internet connection, but everything else I try on the net is working fine. I hadn't found anything in the help files thus far.
You advice is appreciated. Thanks,
Wes Tyler
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I am unable to even subscribe to ANY podcasts! What's going on with this? It's just iTunes podcasts, I can buy and download music and TV shows, but not the podcasts.

Input: iTunes Podcast Subscriber Navigation

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