ParisByPod

Podcasts have many benefits; the ability to load them onto your MP3 player so you can listen to them whenever and wherever you want, the ability to pick only podcasts you are interested in to download and listen to, and finally the biggest and best benefit – podcasts are free! Really free, not like all of those “free offers” that act as tempters to get you fork over your hard earned cash after a demonstration or teaser, podcasts are genuinely - no fine print FREE.

If you are still unsure about my claim that podcasts are free or if you are new to podcasts and want to find out what all the fuss is about I challenge you to type “podcasts” or even “free podcasts” into a search engine and see the amount of sites you are directed to. The sites will generally fall into one of the categories I will discuss below.

The main groups of sites you will encounter are podcast directories; these directories are lists of literally thousands of different podcasts. These sites generally organize and list the podcasts by categories and topics, so it will be easy for you to find a podcast on a subject you are interested in. The directories also tend to list the most popular or most downloaded podcasts on their site; these can be interesting to browse because you can often be pleasantly surprised by something you may not necessarily have picked to listen to yourself.

One warning when browsing the “shelves” of a podcast directory, some of the links may direct you to sites that may require you to pay to subscribe to the podcast. People and especially big business will try anything to separate you from your hard earned cash. Generally these “pay sites” will offer free samples of their podcasts so you can decide if you want to pay to subscribe. I would encourage you to listen to as many of the samples as possible to ensure you really do want to pay for the content, as you will be able to find many, many more free podcasts that will cover the same sort of content.

If you search for podcasts concerning a particular subject or issue you may also be directed to related websites. These sites can be particularly helpful to your search especially if you are looking for information not just entertainment. (Directory sites only list the podcasts available and do not have any interest or control in how appropriate or truthful the information is.) Say you are in need of information on a particular disease try a credible support group website or other major website on the topic – these websites will only endorse informative accurate podcasts.

Podcast community groups are also places to find the best podcast content. These community groups and forums will often appear in searches for podcasts. They are groups of podcast lovers who discuss everything there is about the subject from content to tips and advice and everything else you could want to know.

Frédéric, editor-in-chief of ParisByPod.com

ask questions in the French forum listen free French lessons by Podcast

More articles for learning French

• Overcoming beginner problems
• Learning French with a DVD
• Can French be learnt quickly?

Something missing ?

Do you want us to write an article on a specific topic related to French language, Paris or France? It’s easy ! Just fill in this form and send us your ideas. . If your French article is selected, you will be rewarded by a mystery gift

cforms contact form by delicious:days