Church of the Brethren Webcast Series

By webcast we mean a digital audio file that can be distributed over the internet or shared in other ways. People can listen to the contents – usually conversation or interviews - by using their computer, or any other device capable of playing the mp3 file (including iPods, mp3 players, etc.).

Webcasts may also include video, but for the meantime we are using just an audio format. The analogy is broadcast radio, and so broadcast terminology is often used. (Television may come later!)

We have chosen to call these webcasts, instead of the more common name of podcasts, for several reasons. First, one does not need an iPod nor an mp3 player to listen to these broadcasts, and so “podcast” at times give the wrong impression; and further, Apple has indicated some intent to try to copyright the term podcast (due to its derivation from iPod), and so we are steering clear of that controversy.

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Absolutely not. Most people will simply listen to these webcasts while sitting at their computer. However, for those who wish, these webcasts can be downloaded into portable mp3 players (such as iPods), and enjoyed nearly anywhere.

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Listening to these webcasts is simple - just click on the gray "play" button near the title of the episode. It will begin to play after a brief delay (depending on the speed of your internet connection).

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Church of the Brethren Webcasts are produced bi-weekly, coinciding with the dates of the Church of the Brethren Newsline releases. If there is breaking news, webcasts may be released more frequently.

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You can click on the "Add new comment" link below an episode to comment on that episode, or click the "reply" link below a comment to respond to what someone else has written. You'll be presented with a comment form; enter your name, email address*, the answer to a simple question (to prove that you're a real person), a subject for your comment, and the comment itself, and click the "Preview comment" button at the bottom of the page. If things look they way you intended, click the "Post comment" button to share your thoughts!**

* Email addresses are only collected for administrative purposes (i.e. so we can contact you about your post), and cannot be seen by the public.
** We reserve the right to edit or remove offensive or inappropriate comments.

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Nothing!

The Church of the Brethren Webcast Series is a free service of all the Church of the Brethren Agencies, produced by Bethany Theological Seminary. It is free of charge for anyone to download these “broadcasts,” free of charge to subscribe, and free to share them with others.

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Subscribing to this webcast series signs you up for receiving new webcast releases automatically. This is done through software on your own computer, e.g., Microsoft’s Live Bookmarks, Apple’s iTunes, Google Reader, or others. Our link supplies the information necessary for your computer to know where to go to get updates.

Of course, there is no need whatsoever to subscribe. You may continue to return to this site to hear or obtain our bi-weekly “broadcasts.” However, subscription gives you the benefit of having new content gathered for you automatically, for free.

For those of you used to subscribing to news feeds from the internet, this process is virtually the same. A desktop news or web aggregator works by you choosing to subscribe to a set of feeds, so that new information flows to you each time it is updated. You can then can easily view the new stuff from all of the feeds together, or each feed separately. Webcast subscriptions work the same way, with one exception. Instead of reading the new content, you listen to the new content, whether on your computer, or with an iPod or other portable mp3 player. There are a growing number of programs available this way, including traditional radio shows like Talk of the Nation and Rush Limbaugh. The format used is RSS 2.0 with enclosures.

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No - there is no need whatsoever to subscribe. You may continue to return to this site to see our bi-weekly “broadcasts.” However, subscription gives you the benefit of having new content gathered for you automatically, for free.

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To subscribe to this webcast series, click on this orange RSS feed button , and choose the program you wish to use to manage your subscription (or copy the address into your webcast receiving program). Once signed up, each new webcast will automatically be downloaded for you, according to the settings of your software. iTunes users can click on this link to subscribe: Church of the Brethren Webcast with iTunes.

Since a subscription is done through your own system, we have no record of any information about you, and no way to know who or even how many people have subscribed. This makes subscription a completely private and secure matter. However, this also means that we cannot assist you in unsubscribing. Unsubscribing, however, is simply a matter of telling whatever software you used to subscribe to drop your subscription.

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All Church of the Brethren Webcast Series releases are available here, at www.cobwebcast.bethanyseminary.edu!

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Church of the Brethren webcasts are available for anyone. Please feel free to share this site and/or these files freely to anyone who may be interested. While the content is copyrighted, sharing these webcasts is encouraged.

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Yes. We are listing our webcasts with iTunes and other sites, as we are able.

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Your feedback and comments are most welcome! Great ideas often come from out listeners. Just let us know, by calling or writing to webcast@bethanyseminary.edu.

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The Church of the Brethren Webcast Series is a joint initiative of Bethany Theological Seminary , the Church of the Brethren General Board, the Church of the Brethren Annual Conference Office, the Association of Brethren Caregivers (ABC), Brethren Benefit Trust (BBT), the Church of the Brethren Credit Union (COBCU), and On Earth Peace Assembly (OEPA). The webcasts are produced by Bethany Theological Seminary.

The Webcast Production Squad includes:
Webcast Production Specialist: Ryan Davis, Computing Services Specialist
Technical Engineer: Zachary Noffsinger Erbaugh, Director of Seminary Computing
Creative Director: Marcia Shetler, Director of Public Relations
Executive Producer: Enten Eller, Director of Distributed Education
and Electronic Communications

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