Podcasting and Blogging with GarageBand and iWeb

Rating: 2 / 5
The chapter on recording and editing podcasts was useful, but those on iWeb were really basic — to the point that the book offered little more than what a few minutes using iWeb would have given me. Additionally, I was a bit miffed by the fact that the book is written from the assumption that the reader WILL have a .Mac account — I don’t, and don’t want one. I was hoping that the iWeb instruction would be a little more generic, but that wasn’t the case. So much of that app’s functionality is tied up with .Mac, although there are work-arounds I discovered after reading this book. The author made little attempt to look outside Apple’s box.

The author, in my opinion, is a Mac groupie, and most of the book reflected that attitude — I’m a refugee from Windows, but pragmatic enough to see the thing for what it is: a computer. If you want a very shallow intro to iWeb, some decent suggestions for podcasting, and a boatload of “don’t you just LOVE Mac??” presentation, this book is for you. Otherwise, look elsewhere.

Rating: 4 / 5
Robin Williams is truly the queen of user instruction. She takes the hard concepts and makes them accessible to novices. She’s no relation to the actor Robin Williams of course, who has played a queen in the past!

“Podcasting and Blogging with GarageBand and iWeb” is a perfect guide for someone curious about blogging and podcasting. The book requires the reader to have a .Mac account and own iLife 06. Without these two essential components, the book is of almost no use. If you are able to type an email, then you’ll be able to blog and podcast after reading this short book.

Unlike a lot of technical books that explain a dizzying array of options, Robin makes the tasks easy and straightforward using the tools most every Mac comes with. This is not a reference guide that gives you tips and tricks. You’ll find nothing in this book about using Blogger or WordPress nor will there be advice on which type of mic to use for a podcast. She uses strictly iLife ’06 and .Mac. This is a step by step how to guide for someone who has never used a Mac or blogged before can be up and going within less than an hour.

Typical of Robin William’s books, she assumes no prior knowledge of anything but Macintosh basics such as moving the cursor and opening applications. Each step contains a screen shot of exactly what to expect with outstanding layout and flow. Some readers will complain that she doesn’t give the reader enough options as to how to create their podcast or blog. However, the goal of the book is to get the reader to create a blog or podcast as quickly and easily as possible. Once the reader feels they want more, then at that point they should buy an intermediate book. If someone has already created a podcast or blog before, then they probably don’t need this book.

Overall, a great book for people curious about trying to create their own podcast and/or blog using software that comes with most newer Macs

Pros: Extremely easy to understand, requires no prior knowledge

Cons: Tied to iLife ’06 and .Mac, offers few tips if you aren’t using those told

Rating: 4 / 5
This book should be titled differently as the emphasis it has is on podcasting using Apple GarageBand, rather than on blogging using iWeb. Still, this does not result surprising or dissapointing, because the level of depth and quality of the illustrations and instructions provided make it impossible for the reader to miss a beat, leading to great results when using GarageBand to create podcasts. Also, it makes sense to a certain degree, because iWeb is most definitely not the most popular (or recommendable) tool for blogging, even if you are working on a Mac.

In general, it’s a good book if you are looking for a reference on podcast production. Otherwise, if you are looking to blog with your Mac, for the best book on the topic out there, consult “Dispatches from Blogistan”.