Preparing for iTunes Store but...

Question

We are getting ready to go public [iTunes Store] with our iTunes U site. For the main page we have All@urn:mace:itunesu.com:sites:uis.edu set to download. We also have that set for all of our podcasts, which we wish to be public.
However, when we click on one of our public podcast, it opens up the browser and then redirects back to iTunes. When we view Stanford's site, it does not do this. It goes directly to the podcast.
Is this normal for a course that isn't listed on the public iTunes page? Will this change once we are listed on iTunes Store?
Here is a link to our site:
http://deimos.apple.com/WebObjects/Core.woa/Browse/uis.edu
Thank you

Answer 1

I am really going out on a limb here ... this is "Rich" talking, not "Apple" ... so I'm going to defer to people like Duncan for a definitive answer.
Some people/institutions charge for podcasts. None of them are in iTunes U. In fact, one of the very few reasons Apple may deny an institution's request to be included within iTunes U is if the institution is commercial in nature (my understanding is that there are a handful of commercial entities within iTunes U ... but, in each case, the circumstances surrounding their inclusion are extraordinary ... and certainly none of these entities charges users for its content).
The "correct" solution for recovering the costs associated with iTunes U is to charge your students an appropriate sum within the context of "registering for a course" ... and to use credentialling to limit access to content within iTunes to those who have actually paid and are in good standing with you. But ... my guess is that you want to bring in outsiders, not formally associated with your school, into your iTunes U site and have them pay for content. In that case, I'd still argue that the "correct" thing to do would be to setup some registration system that compensated you for access to content. However, if -I- were to go down that route myself, I'd DEFINITELY want to shoot that past Apple to make sure I wasn't crossing the line between "educational institution" and "commercial interest". My bet is that Apple is not going to want you to go down this route.