Podcasting at the University of Erfurt

Send the following information to Eric Schümann from the University's IT and Media Center. He will set up an account for you.

Here is a structured list of all the information needed to create a new podcast in Castopod.

Podcast Cover

• Format: Square, at least 1400×1400 pixels.
• Recommendation: 3000×3000 pixels for optimal display on Retina screens.
• Use: It will be used as the cover image in all apps and directories.

Podcast Banner (optional)

• Format: 3:1 aspect ratio, at least 1500 pixels wide.
• Use: Header graphic for the podcast website.

Podcast Title

• Requirement: Should be clear and direct.
• Note: Avoid using the word “Podcast” and unnecessary SEO terms in the title.
• Availability: Check if the title is already in use (e.g., using a search engine).

Identifier

• Function: Used to identify the podcast.
• Format: Lowercase letters, numbers, and underscores are allowed. It should be derived from the title.

Podcast Description

• Length: Maximum of 4,000 characters.
• Content: Describes the project in simple language, clearly structured, without excessive marketing language.
• Use: Appears on the podcast overview page and is transmitted to apps and directories.

Podcast Type (Episodic or Serial)

• Episodic: New episodes appear at the top of the list.
• Serial: The order of episodes is important; the first episode is at the top, new episodes are added at the bottom.

Language and Categories

• Language: Specify the language in which the episodes will be published.
• Categories: Assign the podcast to appropriate categories. List: Apple Podcast Categories. You can optionally add an additional custom category.

Content and Age Rating

• Age Rating: Decide if the podcast contains explicit content (e.g., explicit language).

Owner and Contact Information

• Owner: Provide the name of the podcast owner.
• Contact Email: A valid @uni-erfurt email address.
• Publisher: Optional, for commissioned productions or podcast labels.

License (Copyright)

• Content: Specify the license of the podcast.

Location (Optional)

• Optional: Set a location for the podcast (e.g., real or fictional places). Can also be specified at the episode level.

The university's internal hosting system is easy to use.

Uploading Episodes

• Create a new episode: Click on "New Episode" in the Podcast Dashboard.
• Title and description: Add a title and a description for the episode.
• Upload file: Upload the audio file.
• Chapter marks and transcript: Optionally add chapter marks and a transcript to make the podcast more accessible.

Publishing and Distribution

• Distribution options: Use the RSS feed to register the podcast in various directories. You can find this under Broadcast > Podcast Apps.

Analysis and Statistics

• View statistics: Castopod offers detailed statistics about your audience, including listening times, number of listeners, and geographic distribution.
• OP3 integration: Optionally, you can use the Open Podcast Prefix Project (OP3) to further refine your analytics.

Improving Accessibility

• Transcripts and chapter marks: Integrate transcripts and chapter marks into your podcast to make it more accessible. This not only improves user experience but also enhances the discoverability of your podcast.

The university's internal hosting offers you the opportunity to manage your podcast in such a way that you do not have to transfer your rights to the audio recordings. Furthermore, no additional user data can be collected here. From a data protection perspective, this is therefore the most secure hosting option. If the platform does not fulfil all your hosting requirements, you also have the option of using an external hosting platform. However, you may be giving up the rights to your audio recordings and additional user data may be collected. You must also ensure that the platform complies with European data protection laws. You should therefore be careful with platforms that operate their servers outside Europe in terms of data protection law.

When using music and sound elements for your podcast, many legal stumbling blocks lurk: copyright, licences, GEMA fees. The safest way is to compose and record something yourself or have it officially composed by contract. But that is also the most expensive way. There are many platforms on the internet where you can download free music or buy a licence. Editing programmes also often include freely usable sound tracks. In both cases, however, it is important to take a close look at exactly what rights you are acquiring so that there are no legal consequences.

Certain content is undesirable on podcasts created at the University of Erfurt. These include: pornography, hatred and incitement, violence, defamation, insults, racism, intimidation, threats, extremism, as well as the call for each. Illegal content and data protection violations are also not permitted. University Communications reserves the right to review and, if necessary, delete internally hosted contributions that contain the above-mentioned undesirable content, unless the persons responsible for the podcast do so. Incidentally, this is also how external hosting platforms proceed.

Excluded from this, of course, is the academic discussion of these topics, which in some cases makes it essential to include examples in contributions.

Do you feel uncomfortable with a podcast episode or have you noticed any of the above content? Then please contact the persons responsible for the podcast and/or the University Communications at pressestelle@uni-erfurt.de.

Make sure that you are allowed to store, edit and publish the recordings for your podcast free of charge (unless otherwise contractually agreed). The consent form for audio recordings provided here, which you can have your interviewees fill out, will help you to do this. They have the right to withdraw their consent at any time. You should then be able to react quickly and delete the relevant contribution. Please note that this template is only valid for internally hosted podcasts.

Download declaration of consent for audio recordings (German)

Download declaration of consent for audio recordings (Englisch)

By making your podcast available on the university podcast platform and on the website of the University of Erfurt, the legal notice obligation is already fulfilled, as the platform as well as the website have legally valid legal notice pages. Make sure that you also fulfil it when making it available on other sites and platforms (if necessary, in accordance with their terms and conditions) so that you do not have to fear any legal consequences.