August 31, 2006
Gabcast: Free Podcast Creation And Hosting
Gabcast is a new podcast hosting service which lets you create podcast episodes simply by calling one of their phone numbers, from either a telephone or via VoIP. There are three different monthly service plans, with the basic one being free. Setup is easy, and once you've created your podcast channels and epsiodes, you can embed their MP3 player into your website/ weblog with relative ease. (They also have VoIP conferencing, but I didn't look into that.)
They have a list of phone numbers you can use, with a toll-free number applicable to all of the United States, so calling in might be free as well, depending on where you are. You could also use Skype's free SkypeOut for anyone in Canada and the US (until Dec 31st), or Hullo, which seems to be free to anywhere right now.
The basic (free) plan gives you 200 Mb of disk space. Each episode that you record can only be up to 60 minutes in duration, regardless of plan. If you embed an MP3 player on your website, you can allow listeners to leave audio comments, or you can disable that. (See the Gabcast site for more details.)
I tried some of the features of the service, first creating a channel, then using Skype to call in. I recorded a couple of minutes, reading off of a blog post I'd written, reviewed it, then saved it. The same issues of VoIP call quality apply for podcasts made using VoIP, so keep that in my mind when you try this or similar services. Verdict: easy to use, for the most part, and fun - especially when you don't have to pay.
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