Yesterday, I discussed my process for converting downloaded podcast files to bookmarkable AAC files. Here’s my process for managing my podcasts using the five star rating system. Rating is very important to my process and I haven’t been able to figure out how to rate unconverted podcasts on my iPod. I can do it in iTunes but I listen to them on my pod not my mac.
I use all five stars. Most important is the first one!
- 1 Star: Delete this podcast. For short podcasts (less than 15 mins.) I’ll set this when I start listening. My .Delete smart playlist is set to capture just podcasts with a rating of one star. After my sync, I highlight all of the podcasts in that list and press Option-Delete (on the mac) to permanently delete the files.
- 2 Star: In progress podcast. For longer podcasts, I’ll start listening and immediately give it a 2 star rating. I have a smart playlist that captures all 2 stars. If I don’t finish one or get tired of it but want to come back this, I use two stars and check the list “PC - In Progress” later on.
- 3 Star: Come back to this one for some important information. I often listen in the car so this rating puts the podcast in a special play list so I can quickly refer to it after sync and jot down important notes. Often, I record the name of the podcast and the time setting into a small digital recorder in my car so I can find the import spot quickly. As I mentioned in a previous post, my ideal podcast player would let me press a button to bookmark the spot or press another button and actually record a brief note. I usually delete these podcasts after I capture the note later.
- 4 and 5 Star: Like or Love It so keep it. These are the podcasts I don’t want to delete. The do show up in a smart playlist so can remove them from the iPod but keep them in iTunes. This works great for music podcasts, lectures and book summaries, that I’ll listen to again.
This works great for me. Hope it works for you!
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