Castpost Hosting Help
Account and Service Basics
Which media files do you support?
How much storage is offered for Alpha accounts?
I don't have any media stored on Castpost, but my storage usage is more than 0%. Why?
How big can each clip be?
Does Castpost compress my clips or resize my video?
What can I do about broken screenshots?
Do I have to create a public profile?
Using Castpost
How do I add clips?
Can I send Castpost clips from my mobile phone?
How do I download clips?
What are tags and how are they used?
How do I share my clips with people?
Can I limit who can see my clips?
Who can comment on clips? Can I delete comments?
How do I add a clip to another Web page? What is the "permalink"?
How do I add clips to my existing blog? Which blogs do you support?
What is RSS?
How do I use Castpost for podcasting or videocasting? How do I use Castpost with iTunes?
Which media files do you support?
Castpost supports the following file types for in-browser playing:
• Audio: MP3
• Video: MPEG, AVI, QuickTime (MOV), Windows Media Video (WMV), 3GP (mobile phone video)
For in-browser playing, your browser may require you to download media player plug-ins if you have not already done so.
How much storage is offered for Alpha accounts?
Each Alpha account comes with 100MB of storage. If you need more storage feel free to email help@castpost.com and let us know why. We will try to accommodate reasonable requests. Click here for more information on our Alpha test.
I don't have any media stored in Castpost, but my storage usage is more than 0%. Why?
Basic account creation requires a minimal amount of storage.
How big can each clip be?
The default clip size limit is 50MB. To upload something larger, please email help@castpost.com with a description/justification. DO NOT attach the file you would like to upload.
Does Castpost compress my clips or resize my videos?
Castpost stores your clips exactly as you uploaded them. However, large videos are resized for in-browser playing to a maximum of 400 pixels wide. Downloaded files will be unchanged from the originals.
What can I do about broken screenshots?
Occasionally, screenshots of video clips may not be properly produced. Please email help@castpost.com to report any issues and include the permalink of the item in question. We will do our best to fix issues promptly.
Do I have to create a public profile?
No. And if you do, you can list as much or as little information as you want. Your profile is available from the “About Me” link on your media blog.
How do I add clips?
Via the Web interface or via email.
To upload an item via the Web interface, click on "add item" in the upper right corner of your Castpost home page and follow the prompts.
To upload an item via email, it must be less than 8MB.
• Send your clip to post@castpost.com from your Castpost login email address.
• Use the subject line to give your photo a title , and the body of the email to give it a description.
• Add tags later via the Web interface (click on “edit” item).
Only one attachment at a time please. If multiple attachments are sent the email will not be processed.
Can I send Castpost clips from my mobile phone?
Yes, just email us the clip (see instructions in “add” above). Your clip must be less than 8MB.
How do I download clips?
Right-click the download link at the bottom of any clip and select "Save As" from the right-click menu.
What are tags and how are they used?
Tags are simple labels or categories. In Castpost, they can be assigned to a media blog, an item (an audio or video clip), or even a user profile. Tags can be several words, so to add multiple tags you must separate them by commas. For example, “French cooking” is one tag, but “French, cooking” is two tags (“French” and “cooking”).
Users can find content based on tags. Clicking on a tag will display all matching content for that tag.
How do I share my clips with people?
With Castpost, it's easy to share your personal media with others:
• Point them to your Castpost media blog (ex: http://yourname.castpost.com)
• Point them to your Castpost RSS feed
• Point them to the page for a specific item (with the permalink)
• Post the item to an existing blog
• Post the item to an existing Web page
Can I limit who can see my clips?
Castpost will soon offer privacy settings for your media blog and clips.
Who can comment on clips? Can I delete comments?
When you add an item, you decide if comments are allowed on that item. You can also edit this setting later. If comments are allowed, then anyone will be allowed to comment EXCEPT people whom you have banned.
You can delete any comment at any time by clicking “manage” in the comments section of your Castpost home page and following the instructions. From the same location you can ban commentors based on their IP address.
How do I add a clip to another Web page? What is the “permalink”?
You can use the “generate HTML ” feature (displayed under each item on your Castpost home page) to embed your clip on any Web page. Just copy the generated HTML and paste it to the destination Web page. The clip will display as it does on your Castpost media blog.
If you cannot add HTML to the page (for example, in your Friendster or dating site profile, where you enter information in fields), you can always include the clip's permalink. This is the unique URL for the clip. Just copy it from the address bar and paste it into the field. Visitors to the page can click on the link to see/hear the clip from your Castpost blog.
How do I add clips to my existing blog? Which blogs do you support?
Our automatic “blog it” feature (displayed under each item on your Castpost home page) supports:
• Typepad
• Blogger
• Friendster
• Movable Type
The first time you use this feature you will be prompted to associate an external blog with your account. You can have multiple blogs associated with your account and you can add/delete them at any time.
Again, you can also use the “generate HTML ” feature to embed your clips on any Web page. Just copy the generated HTML and paste it to the destination Web page.
What is RSS?
RSS is a format for syndicating content, including the content of your Castpost media blog. The RSS link on your Castpost home page enables you to podcast or videocast your clips (ex: http://yourname.castpost.com/feed/feed.xml).
How do I use Castpost for podcasting or videocasting? How do I use Castpost with iTunes?
Podcasting allows your listeners to listen to your audio clips whenever and wherever they want. Software aggregators check for and download new clips, which can be played on the computer or synchronized with MP3 players like Apple's iPod. Some aggregators now support videocasting as well. Aggregators require an RSS feed, which Castpost automatically provides.
Users can access your RSS feed from the button on the right side of your Castpost media blog. They can then add your RSS URL to their preferred aggregator.
You can also list your podcast in a podcast directory. You will be asked for the RSS URL, which is also displayed in the “Information” section of your Castpost homepage. Users can then subscribe to your podcast from the directory.
Apple's iTunes now supports podcasting (and videocasting, though this is not widely advertised). Click here to learn more, including about how to submit your podcast feed to the iTunes Podcast Directory.