How to Create Dynamic Podcasts or RSS Feeds?

Hi Jim,

Here is what I have used to do similar things. I wanted to allow a person to register for a series of lessons, video, podcasts, web pages, etc - and then regardless of when they register, I wanted them to start with lessons or videos or podcast in sequential order, starting with the first lesson and getting notices for the next lesson at a time interval I prescribed ( 4 days, 1 week, 2 weeks - whatever I choose)

Here are the basic steps I use and it involves ordering a very inexpensive monthly service called a SAR - Smart Auto Responder

1) I would set up an opt in to a smart auto-responder - we use AWEBER and you can get more information here:

===> http://www.aweber.com/?297893 <===

and it starts at $19 per month or less if you pay for more more months up front

2) Set up a list and an opt-in form on AWEBER account (they have great video tutorials on all of their stuff and a very easy wizard now available that was not there when I started using them for clients several years ago.

3) Create an opt-in page, or squeeze page where people can register on the form to the subscription - a simple button that guarantees their privacy and asks for at least their first name and primary email address where you can send the lessons via email

4) Create separate pages in a directory on your site that contains the sequential podcasts, videos or lessons, - and give them a naming system that is random enough that people could not figure it out - i.e. "www.yoursite.com/lessons/123htim45sep.html"

5) Upload all of your separate lesson pages to that directory on separate html pages

6) Copy and paste all of your links into a Word Doc or txt file (for use in Aweber)

7) Create your series of lessons through AWEBER as separate email follow up messages (not Broadcasts as those are date sensitive instead of sequentially sensitive regardless of the date when they opt-in for lessons)

8) Set the follow up messages to be sent out for the number of days of latency you want between each message. i.e. first SAR message goes out immediately with the first lesson, second message goes out 5 days after the previous, third goes out 5 days after the previous, 4th message goes out 5 days after the previous - etc. This works so that regardless of when they sign up, they will be emailed each message on the corresponding day - 5 days apart. . . regardless of their registration date. It basically puts them into an automated email feed.

9) In each lesson- you can customize the subject line with their name field so it is personalized, and you can use a catchy headline for each lesson with the lesson number

10) In each email, give them a brief outline of the lesson and give at least 2 links to the hidden html page with the next lesson _ I also use this phrase " if this link does not work, please copy and paste it into your browser". in the event that their email strips html code from your AWEBER SAR email message

11) You can actually track their click-throughs and percentages in AWEBER as well.

12) If you want to take it up a notch, you can put each html page under a password protected directory and send a generalized un and pw for each lesson in it's own directory. This is very easy to do if you use C-Panel - I use Bluehost for all of my clients now here

==> http://www.bluehost.com/track/schulman/text1 <=== but you can use anything you are comfortable with. I prefer C-Panel with simple scripts because of the abundance of access to tools for online development at a less than techie expertise - they also have pushbutton installations of Drupal attached to a database - so the setup is really easy.

If you have any further questions or ideas, you can email me:

Many Blessings!

aarons@longonlife.com

http://www.longonlife.net
http://www.longonlife.com