What is a podcast ?
Here is a definition of podcasting from the great resource site Wikipedia to help provide some good background information

Here is a great page explaining how Podcasting works and what you need

How do I listen to a podcast on the BlogExplosion PodCast Directory?
Search through the directory for podcasts that sound interesting to you and click on the listen link which will automatically bring up the BlogExplosion Podcast player.

What software or plugins do I need to listen to podcasts on the BlogExplosion Podcast Directory?
The only plugin required is Macromedia Flash. You can download it here!

Can the BlogExplosion Podcast player play any other audio formats, such as OGG ACC WAV MID MIDI ASX AIF RM RA WMF?
No. The BlogExplosion MP3 player can only play MP3 files. Our player is based on Macromedia Flash technology, which only has the capacity to play MP3 files.

How do I add a podcast to the BlogExplosion Podcast Directory?
Simply add your podcast information here. Blog Explosion will then approve your podcast (make sure it is playing ok) and let you know by email once it has been approved!

Can the BlogExplosion Podcast Player play internet radio audio streams like ShoutCast?
Sorry BlogExplosion can only stream "canned" mp3 files

Why do some podcasts sound like they were recorded by chipmunks as they play "too fast"
The issue with the "chimpmunk" effect is due to the way that the mp3 was originally encoded. Macromedia Flash can handle most standard mp3 encodings with any bitrate. However, some mp3 encoders use "non-standard" encoding technics that Macromdia Flash can not handle...

This issue is not a function of BlogExplosion Podcast , but rather an issue with the Flash plugin. The only solution i can offer at the moment is to re-encode your mp3's with a standard mp3 encoder. BlogExplosion Podcast will support VBR encoding and any bitrate. just be sure that you don't use mp3PRO encoding.

James Roy has discovered the following:

"Just an FYI, I encountered the "chipmunk" problem as well when I use the BlogExplosion Podcast Player because I was encoding MP3s at 96kbps using iTunes. An MP3 encoded at 128kbps seemed ok, but anything else (even encoding the files first at one bit rate, and then another) gave me either a faster or slower playing speed."
 
"I was able to solve my problem by going into iTunes prefs, choosing 'custom' for the MP3 encoding, and then choosing 44.1kHz for the sample rate instead of 'auto'. Apparently when iTunes uses an auto bit rate, the Flash player is unable to adjust its playing speeds to accomodate the optimized MP3 file."

"So, if other customers come to you with this problem, make sure that they have specified the bit rate at 44.1kHz instead of letting iTunes choose."

James Koenig dicovered the following:
Flash goes all chipmunk on a LAME encode at 40kbps mono, but works at 32

And finally a definative answer from Jack at Jukebox Alive:

For low bitrates (less than 32) I have the option of resampling at:
8 khz.
11.025 khz.
12 khz.
16 khz.
22.05 khz.
24 khz.

Of those, flash seems to only play nice with 11.025 or 22.05, it was defaulting to 24