Audio Streaming

Audio Streaming Tips

2009-03-11T08:53:00.001-07:00

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How a Good Audio Product Can Make You Rich

2008-12-04T11:25:00.001-08:00

By Menno Spijkstra

In every product creation, thorough research is very important for you to be able to hit the right target. Knowing what your prospective customers want or need will help you come up with the appropriate product that will surely sell to these people. You cannot simply produce a product without knowing the needs of your target market. With the recent developments in technology, internet marketers are no longer confined in making the common information products like electronic books. These days you can create your own audio product to sell. An audio product belongs to the list of possible information products that you can actually sell on the net and make lots of money out of.

Many internet marketers actually consider this as one of the most salable products since many internet users want education on the go. The latter refers to information that can be easily accessed any where and any time. Thus, the audio product that you can produce can be listened to through a computer or an MP3. Many people these days listen to portable MP3s while they are on the move and having a good material to listen to is such a welcoming thought. So, definitely there is a good market for this type of products. However, many internet marketers also fail to profit in audio products because they tend to miss knowing the right needs of their prospective market.

You need to invest your time and effort in researching for the right topic for your audio product that will surely match the interest of your target customers. You can actually do a keyword research in order for you to determine the highly searched keywords in the niche that you want to specialize in. The topic of your audio product must revolve around topics that get a high number of searches. Then, you will have to stuff your product with high quality contents so that your target customers will be happy with what you are giving them. Keep in mind that meeting the expectations or even surpassing the expectations of your target customers will mean a lot to your business.

When you are able to satisfy your prospective customers, you are off to a good start. Once you have decided on the subject of your audio product, you need to plan well for its content. You must properly present your ideas in a manner that is very comprehensive and packed with quality information. Having a well laid out plan will help you come with an organized output. Not only that, you also have to mind the quality of the output. Everything must be audible and pleasant to the ears. One notable advantage of having your own audio product is the fact that this adds a more personal touch in the way you deal with your customers.

Hearing your voice will draw them closer to you. You can take advantage of this benefit in order to establish a good and long term relationship with your clients. When you are done making your products, you can then focus your attention to promoting it. On your own web site, you can use a web audio to add more spice in the manner of doing your sales pitch. Online advertising will help you a lot in generating your desired sales that's why you need to know what methods will contribute to bringing your products closer to its target buyers. With the right audio product on the shelf coupled with effective advertising efforts, you are sure to gain profits from it.

The author of this article Menno Spijkstra is an Internet Marketing specialist who has been successful with several affiliate programs for many years. Menno finally decided to share his knowledge and experience through his website http://www.AffiliateDistrict.com. You can sign up for his free newsletter and join his coaching program.

Audio Postcards - Get Your Audience Listening

2008-12-04T11:24:00.000-08:00

By Pat Shanks

An audio postcard looks like a regular postcard on your browser, but the message is in audio instead of in print. This will help your product or service stand out from the noise in your prospect's or customer's life. Even better, it doesn't demand much of you at all. Just follow these steps.

How do I get the audio content?

You start with a teleseminar, and then you chop that up into many different parts, just a few minutes each. Find your best points with some easy audio editing, so each part can stand alone as a valuable benefit to your listener.

A cool goal would be to develop 52 of these audio postcards over time, so it could be a weekly mailing to your list. This would make a great opt-in incentive on your site, simply by repurposing something you already have.

What does an audio postcard look like?

An audio postcard is an HTML page that looks like a postcard with a postage stamp in the upper right hand corner. Sometimes it has the face of the person sending it. That could be your face if you're sending it. There's a clickable link in the lower right corner, which is where they click it to hear your message. On the left hand side of that postcard is the message in text.

That's how you repurpose an audio postcard. You take the audio and you chop it up with software like Sound Forge or Audacity. Then you upload it into Audio Generator or Audio Acrobat, it depends what audio postcard technology you have.

You upload it and just like that you have these audio postcards which are a different and creative way to get your message to your list. A lot of people prefer listening to something rather than reading, so try audio postcards and you'll see good results.

And we'd like to invite you watch and listen to FREE additional online marketing tips and powerful strategies by going to http://www.SpectacularOnlineSecrets.com

To find out more about Pat and Lorna please visit our blog at http://www.ToPatAndLorna.com

Creativity Through Streaming Audio

2008-11-28T11:23:00.001-08:00

By Menno Spijkstra

If you want to keep up with the current trends in the internet, add streaming audio to your web site and be way ahead your league. An average consumer is said to be exposed to about 3,000 advertisements and commercial messages each day. By using streaming audio on your web site, you gain complete control of what your customers hear even if you cannot control what part of your web site they read. If you are determined to stand above your competitors, make an impact through streaming audio. Traditionally, people needed to download an entire file before they could download it from their hard drive and listen or watch it.

Whereas, streaming works in real time so you can listen or view the music as it is being downloaded. There are live broadcasts and video and audio streams that you can listen. Other online businesses use streaming audio to create a sample of their products. Most people are said to be better at understanding through audio than through reading. There is better retention when people hear about what you are promoting when they get to visit your web site. Since streaming audio is a new technology to many people, now is the best time to take full advantage of it.

Unlike in the old days when you had to be well-versed with Flash and other complicated software program, adding streaming audio to your site nowadays is an easy job to do. Streaming media is made easy for people to take advantage of the benefits it can do to their web sites. There are many user-friendly software programs in streaming audio that will automatically convert your audio to streaming format. The software will just give you a code you need to copy into your web page. The good part is you do not need to be a computer wizard to do the task of streaming audio.

High quality streaming products are sold at cheap and reasonable prices these days. All these usually come with an easy to follow tutorials and do not require a special server for audio. Additionally, streaming audio can add to your credibility. Upon hearing your voice, your customers will feel a more personalized service since most people really prefer to do business with someone they can trust. So, streaming audio is one way to bring you closer to your customers. Instead of posting written testimonials about the products or services you are selling, you can make a streaming audio.

Just how creative is that idea? With streaming audio of professional quality, it will be easier for you to grab visitors by the ears! Aside from getting reliable streaming audio software, you must also be particular with the quality of sound they can offer you. There are wide ranges of streaming products that are individually designed to cater for your various needs. Make sure to read about each product carefully and know their customer support system before purchasing. Try to maximize your small investment in a quality streaming audio software that will surely make your web site a hip and a profitable one.

Increase Your Sales With Audio - 3 Steps to Using Sound For More Sales

2008-11-28T11:22:00.004-08:00

By Christopher M. Hall

Have you ever thought of increasing your sales by adding audio to your website? Studies have proven that adding audio to your website can increase your sales. There have been instances of sales more than doubling just by adding audio to a website. Let's look at three ways you can use audio to make more money online.

Audio Marketing Step #1: Add A Short Bio Of Yourself

Building trust online is very difficult to do these days, but you can help build trust by recording an introduction or small biography of yourself. Allowing people to listen rather than read sets you apart from so many other people and websites. It also reinforces the idea that there is a helpful person behind the website.

Audio Marketing Step #2: Record Live Conferences

People enjoy listening to conference calls online. It just gives them the feeling that they are connected with you. A recording where people are asking you questions and you are answering them is a great way to increase your sales. People want to hear you interact with others because they feel that they are getting more value and attention.

Audio Marketing Step #3: Sell An Audio Series Instead of Written Material

Selling ebooks is still a very profitable business, but many people are beginning to sale audio series instead. An audio series allows you to be more personal with your audience. Audio series also have more perceived value than an ebook. It is even better when you offer an audio series on CD. People love to listen to CDs while they are driving, and drive time is really one of the few remaining times when you have someone's undivided attention.

Do you want to learn how to make money online from home like I do? Download my brand new ebook that teaches you step-by-step directions on how to start your online business so you can make money quicker than you thought possible: http://www.YourOnlineBusinessTutor.com

Christopher learned the hard way how to start a successful online business. Now he wants to teach you what he learned through experience so you don't make the same mistakes. Let him show you what you must know to start your own online business.

Improve Your Online Sales - Make Your Website Talk

2008-11-28T11:22:00.003-08:00

By Alison Pitman

The latest trend in website marketing is the use of a speaking animated character or avatar to engage with customers when they visit your website. According to research, these characters can help increase your conversion and sales results, increase the time visitors spend on your site, and, provide your company with that all important competitive edge! In addition, a major benefit is that your information and sales message is reinforced through sight and sound. Your website can talk directly to the customer letting them know what you can offer them in a welcoming and professional manner.

Sites like Sitepal allow you to create and customise your own animation to fit with the image and personality of the products and services you are promoting. So when you're choosing what hair colour, age, clothing your character is going to wear, why not think about customizing the audio to match? Although these sites give you the option of their text to speech service its worth considering the benefits of using a professional voiceover artist to record your message.

The sound of a real human voice can really make the difference. Text to speech applications are becoming more and more sophisticated but they are still no substitute for the real human voice. The human ear can detect a synthesized voice immediately while most people will respond to the natural cadence and emotions present in a real live human voice.

In addition, a professional voiceover can bring all their experience of reading a powerful and persuasive sales message. You can also choose a voice to suit your customers expectations - clients can choose a voice to brand their company. A sound which reflects the image and values that their company holds.

Alison Pitman
Professional Voiceover Artist.

Provider of audio recordings for business including, podcasts, website audio, phone system recordings, training and presentation narrations, corporate video narrations, product tour audio, radio and television commercials and much more.

Please visit my website to hear my demos http://www.thephonevoice.com/

Business Basics For Voiceovers - Setting Up Your Voiceover Business - Part Two

2008-11-28T11:22:00.001-08:00

By Alison Pitman

I hope you found the first 5 tips helpful. Here are the final five ideas to keep in mind when setting up your voiceover business.

1. I wanted to briefly mention the issue of starting your voiceover business while your still employed in your day job. This is the route most Voice-overs take and makes financial sense for most of us. But, before you start trading, it could be an idea to double check your existing employment contract first.

You may find that you are subject to a Restrictive covenant which would prevent you from setting up your business while continuing to work for your current employer. If this is the case, than your employer may be able to claim damages if they show that they have suffered a financial detriment as a result of your breach.

Even if there isn't such a clause in contract there is still an implied term of mutual trust and confidence. If you take a common sense approach you can usually work out whether you trading as a Voiceover artist will make an impact on your day job to the extent that your current employer will seek to terminate your contract. If you're working on your voiceover business in the evenings and weekends it should really not interfere with your current employment. However, if you're taking calls at work for your voiceover business or taking time off work to devote more time to voiceover your employer might well have a problem with that! Also, think about what you and your boss consider your free personal time. You may both have quite different ideas and expectations of what it actually is. With the advances in technology - mobile phones, broadband, wi-fi - you can be contactable by your boss at any time. Do they expect you to be on call at any time? Delineation's between work and free time brings me to my next point which most people setting up any kind of business will face.

2. Working for yourself and working at home. There are so many issues under this broad banner so I'm just going to touch on some, lightly. It's a topic that really deserves a whole article to itself. When you start working for yourself you quickly learn how much there is to do so its quite easy to let work overtake your home life. Working for yourself allows you the opportunity to do things your way. However, self-motivation is key and if you don't have it you could be your own worst enemy. If you lose focus your business could suffer. You may be able to choose your own hours, but this doesn't mean taking frequent holidays. Remember you will only get a lot out of your business if you put a lot into it.

Working from home may seem ideal but striking the right work-life balance can be hard. It can be difficult to switch off from work if the temptation to carry on is there, or difficult to concentrate if for instance, you have children (which will be discussed in the next tip). Try to schedule in periods in which to relax and set yourself cut off point in the evening to stop working in order to maintain a boundary between work and the rest of your life.

Other tips include

- Starting the working day with something easy, fun or interesting. This helps to build momentum throughout the day.

- Stick to a schedule. Many people have found that a 9-5 schedule really helps them keep on track and productive.

- Separate your work read from your living area - this includes your phone & computer

- Work on networking - since you don't have co-workers its good to get to know people who are doing the same things as you do - forums like vo-bb.com and http://www.voice-overs.com/forum/ are really helpful. And the latest site Voiceover Universe has tons of useful information and links to other voiceover artists.

There are so many issues when it comes to working from home and my next tip focuses on one of the main ones.

3. This section is for working mums and dads. Setting up a business when you have children adds a whole extra challenge. There are some websites workingmums.co.uk and http://www.hbwm.com/ (homebasedworkingmoms) that can offer general advice and tips. Launching a voiceover business is tough if you don't have clear, child-free time to devote to it. Recording voiceovers brings its own unique challenges that have a compatibility problem with children - unless you have extremely quiet children. Fitting work into 'nap times' or while the children are watching cartoons is not a realistic option. Childcare is key! Whether its friends and family helping out for a few set hours or more formalized arrangements with a nursery, childminder or nanny. It is wise to get childcare options sorted out as soon as possible. It can take ages to get your child into the nursery or pre-school of your choice so if you can plan the earlier the better. As a working mum or dad you will need to plan your time even more carefully. Work out what aspects of your work you can do while the kids are around and what needs to be left until they're out of the house. I tend to find looking and responding to emails are all that can be done with my little one around. Possibly writing and sending invoices, checking web stats, monitoring forums and blogs, can be managed also. But anything that involves recording voiceovers, writing press releases or podcast - these need my undivided attention so I leave these until little one is at nursery, with grandparents or daddy has come home.

Some people recommend getting up extra early (some as early as 4am) so you can have some quiet working time before the household awakes. Its also extremely helpful if you have a supportive spouse or partner who can take the kids outside or keep them entertained elsewhere in the house while you work. Alternatively, staying up later also helps. Once they've gone to bed can be the perfect time to plan for the next day, clear out the inbox and get some writing or recording completed. Remember its also important to switch of the microphone and play with them - work is important for so many reasons but so is spending quality time playing and having fun with your children. Their childhood last such a short time and a great benefit of working as a voiceover is that you can work from home and spend quality time with all your family.

4. Tip number nine is something you can implement at any stage of your voiceover career - get yourself a mentor. Having a mentor can be a huge support and can help you see the wood from the trees. Mentoring can provide a second opinion and offer constructive feedback and impartial advice. A mentor won't run your voiceover business for you but can give you the benefit of their experience, and bring with them their skills and knowledge as well as widening your contacts within the industry. What makes a good mentor for you will be a completely personal decision. You may prefer someone who you can develop a friendly easy-going relationship, another voiceover may prefer a mentor who specialises in the technical side of voiceover. Whichever mentor you choose it's critical that you find someone you're comfortable working with. Mentoring can help you personally by building confidence in your own skills, decision making and problem solving abilities. Its important to remain open to their feedback and - take their opinions and thoughts as constructive criticism. The guidance and wisdom of a mentor can be invaluable to the success of a new voiceover business.

5. My final tip is this.... Don't give up too early. There is no such thing as an overnight success story. It can take years; decades even, to get established as voiceover artist. Try something and if it doesn't work try something different.

The successful voiceover artists, are those that have persistence and tenacity in bucket-loads.

Alison Pitman

Professional Voiceover Artist. Provider of audio recordings for business including, podcasts, website audio, phone system recordings, training and presentation narrations, corporate video narrations, product tour audio, radio and television commercials and much more.

Please visit my website to hear my demos http://www.thephonevoice.com/

Live Internet Radio - The Future of Radio

2008-11-18T11:29:00.000-08:00

By Prashant Dhama

Right after the introduction of the Internet, we have come across many electronic counterparts in our day to day lives. It has changed the way of our communication is made, whether it be sharing of information, marketing or infotainment. It has introduced the age of e-mail, e-commerce, e-shopping, internet radio and internet TV.

Live Internet radio is one of the latest trends in cyberspace. Talks pertaining to e-radio is very common these days. Perhaps, e-radio is the next most sought after thing in the cyberspace right after the e-mail, and e-commerce. In fact, e-radio is not that a new thing, it has been in existence for quite some time now. But, it is only of late that it has flourished and it has improved radio connectivity tremendously. As such, listeners are flooded with live radio stations, which have exhaustive range of channels. These channels cater to the varied needs of the listeners.

Definitely, the Internet radio talk is one of the most striking programmes. Streaming talk shows and discussions on a variety of lively topics have become very popular among the listeners. Such programmes are being fed by the live radio stations host talks shows even with experts of various subjects.

It has been found that the traditional radio broadcasters have been using the live Internet radio to promote their programmes or advertise them. Whereas, the e-radio technology has brought about a sea change in the way of presentation of the radio programmes. Because of its contribution today individuals can host their own talk shows from the comfort of their home.

This radio technology includes different methods for creating the audio stream source. It uses the SHOUT cast service that makes use of Winamp and SHOUT cast DSP plugin to deliver MP3 audio. This method also uses open source technologies like the Stream cast, stream db, IceS, and Muse., patent free data formats like Ogg Vorbis as well.

There is no shortage of radio networks online these days. The services offered by live Internet radio are really marvellous. Voice America is an Internet radio network that helps host ones own internet radio talk show. Moreover, it also gives the complete package of Internet streaming, media broadcasting, support services on line, marketing and Internet solutions that help make a mark on the on line audience.

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Audio Streaming - Can Audio Make a Difference on Your Web Site?

2008-11-10T12:19:00.000-08:00

By Sean Ray

Audio Streaming – Can Audio Make a Difference on Your Web Site?

With bandwidth becoming cheaper and easier to access, many websites are changing the way they present their content to their visitors. For example, both CNN.COM and NYTIME.COM have increased the amount of video and audio streaming content that they provide on their sites. We can only expect that more will come. Is audio streaming, or video streaming right for your web site? It can add value to an online presentation, and coming from the right people, it’s an excellent way of conveying customer testimonials.

There are some benefits. You can’t always rely on your site visitors to read the content in front of them, but it’s very difficult for them not to listen. A quality voice can make a large difference in influence visitors and building trust. On the other hand, audio streaming is viewed by some as intrusive (like talking in a library) and if produced poorly it can reflect negatively on your credibility.

There is a place of sound. If your site is an entertainment site, a training site, has interviews for content or even a sport site, audio is a natural adjunct to copy. But if you want audio streaming to make a difference on your web site, make sure it’s good. Utilize professional voice over artists (which can be found at www.voices.com) and if you have more involved voice and music, make sure it’s professionally mixed. Professionals aren’t that expensive and they’re well worth the value. If you’re not sure where to find such talent, talk to the advertising manager at your local radio station. They’ll know.

Do you want to learn more about how I do it? I have just completed my brand new guide to article marketing success, ‘Your Article Writing and Promotion Guide‘

Download it free here: Secrets of Article Promotion

Do you want to learn how to build a massive list fast? Click here: Email List Building

How to Move Your Audio Product Development to New Levels

2008-11-04T09:40:00.001-08:00

By Bob B. Hamilton

Those in internet marketing have seen the popularity of audio products continue to grow. Users have discovered just how easy and handy they are to use, especially when compared to written products. Users have discovered that audio products are great for travel, especially while sitting in a traffic jam. In this article I will present 4 steps on how to move your audio product development to new levels.

1. Start by determining where you will complete your recordings. This first step is in many ways the most important. The very best option is to rent a professional recording studio. If finances limit your ability to follow this path, then start looking for a quiet place in your home. The location you select must be free of background noise. Remember - your listeners don't want to hear appliances, your family members, or the family pets in the background of recordings they purchase. Pick a location that has as little noise as possible, and then turn it into your own quiet recording studio.

2. Invest in high quality recording tools and equipment. Once you've establishing your recording area move on to obtaining the tools and equipment required for the job. Some of the basics include a microphone, mixing board, software for making edits, as well as a computer and sound card. Headset microphones are easier to use, they provide consistent volume, and they allow you to freely move about to handle the others tasks associated with recording. Achieve the highest quality possible by purchasing the best tools and equipment you can afford.

3. Select the right topic. While making your topic selection, put yourself in your targeted client's shoes. Stay within your niche, and then focus on the problems, issues, and questions that are the greatest concern and interest to your customers. This strategy serves to not only provide the data of greatest interest, but also to make motivating them to purchase future products more trouble free.

4. Shorter is better. Keep your audio products direct and to the point. Your customers are busy, and they have limited attention duration. Creating 1.5-hour or 2-hour recordings will not work. Not only will they lose interest, but they will fail to gain the potential value that your audio product has to offer. A better strategy is to divide your topic into sub-topics and then create shorter audios. A 20-30 minute audio can be created for each sub-topic you've identified.

A final suggestion is to avoid employing professional voice talents in the creation of audio products. Use your own voice instead. Your internet marketing customers want to hear you. You are building stronger ties and relationships with those customers when it is your voice they hear. Sure it does require a little practice to create an interesting product, but the effort will be rewarded.

To your internet marketing success!

Interesting in learning more about this topic? Download my free ebook on internet marketing.

Bob Hamilton is an entrepreneur, author, writer, business consultant and trainer.

Marketing Success Center

Audio Marketing Tips - Discover the Benefits of Using Audio in Your Online Marketing Messages

2008-10-29T12:56:00.005-07:00

By Mike A Stewart

We all know the power of audio and video for marketing messages on radio and TV, right? Then why do we forget about it when it comes to our websites, blogs, and other online marketing messages?

Because the Internet is essentially the radio and TV of today, that puts the power of audio and video marketing in your hands. When you underscore your online marketing messages with audio, you are skyrocketing the power of your message.

Once out of reach

Production music was once out of reach for the average consumer. The average person could not create it or afford to have it created for them. With the advent of royalty free music, audio clips are now within reach and affordable for all.

How to use music

Here are just a few of the ways you can use music and audio in your multiple marketing messages online:

*CD audio products

*Audio book downloads

*Website audio buttons and messages

*Podcasts & blogs

*DVD products

*Online videos, You Tube and Video downloads

*Google Audio and Video Ads

*Webinars

*Live video streams like Ustream.tv & Stickam.com

An example

Imagine watching The Tonight Show with Jay Leno without the opening theme music. It would seem strange, wouldn't it? The opening theme music sets the tone, brands the show,and gets the audience ready to laugh with Jay.

Now imagine a teleseminar beginning and ending with no intro or exit music. While it would work, there is a better way to do it by adding audio.

Now imagine a teleseminar with intro and exit music that brands the teleseminar, gets you ready to listen, and sends you off with a good feeling. Just like on TV, you can use music to brand yourself and prepare your audience.

And now consider the bottom line - which teleseminar would be more profitable?

And now you can discover how to get your access to royalty free music you can use in your online marketing messages when you go to http://www.TwoBuckThemes.com

Mike Stewart, The Internet Audio Guy & Two Buck Themes

5 Ways to Add Audio to Your Blog Or Website to Attract More Clients

2008-10-29T12:56:00.003-07:00

By Irene Houston

It's amazing how many people don't realise the power of their own voice.

Audio streaming has been around for a long time, but admittedly, it used to be quite complicated to work out how to add it to your site a few years ago. But that's all changed now, there' s no excuse for not having audio as a marketing tool on you web site or blog nowadays.

Here are 5 simple ways to add audio to your web site to attract more clients:

Add an audio introduction. Tell people who you are and what you do. Your voice coming out of a computer screen can often be what makes the connection between you and your prospective customer. The personal touch goes a long way. Don't go over the top though, your introduction should only be around 1 - 1.30 minutes long. Short and sweet.

Record your clients testimonials. Lots of people forget overlook one of the best ways to advertise your products or services is to have other people endorse them. Many audio streaming websites now provide a special telephone number where your satisfied customers can call in, without any the hassle of complicated equipment.

Record your ebook or special report. Remember, not everyone likes to learn by reading. Many people, particularly those who don't have English as a first language, or who are dyslexic, can prefer an audio version over a written version of your products. Break the chapters of your ebook into sections and record them one by one. Add the audio MP3 file version with the written transcript and charge extra for the two products.

Deliver teleclasses or teleseminars. This is an excellent way to connect on a regular basis with your customers, particularly if you are launching a new product or are considering a joint venture you wish to promote.

Question and answer sessions. Instead of writing a Q & A section on your web site or blog, consider recording the most frequently asked questions to let your customers hear you personally explain how you can solve their problems.

And now I invite you to join me on my free weekly teleclasses where I help solopreneurs, coaches, consultants and service professionals to raise their online visibility by adding Web 2.0 tools such as blogs, audio, videos, social media and info products to their sites to attract more clients. Sign up for my free weekly teleclasses at http://www.StartAnInternetBusinessBlog.com

Recording Audio For Your Website - Build a Relationship With Your Website Visitors Using Your Voice

2008-10-29T12:56:00.001-07:00

By Felicia Slattery

Building a relationship with your website visitors is crucial to having a successful online business. If you want to start a relationship right away, one way to do that is to offer an audio greeting welcoming your visitors to your site.

One of my clients asked this question recently:

"What is the best way to record a short audio that can be downloaded for my website? I want people to hear my voice to connect."

You have options. They range from totally free and low-priced options to other options that will allow you and your business to grow offering several bells and whistles that you may want as your website gets more traffic and you become more successful.

1. Totally Free Option:

Get an account at FreeConferenceCall.com. They will give you a number to call and a code to record. Follow me here: You'll want to call in using another phone at the same time or else you'll be stuck listening to some seriously bad looped musak while you record. So call in on your main phone line. Then use your cell phone and mute your cell phone by pressing *6. Then record your greeting using your main phone line. Once your recording is done, you'll have to download it to your computer from the conference call line's website.

2. Low-Priced Option

You can go to the Internet and search for a free downloadable recording tool like Audacity. You will need a microphone that hooks into your computer with a USB cable. I personally use a headset with a microphone, so I can use for Skype voice chats and presenting in webinar rooms also. You have multiple options ranging on prices of microphones as low as $19.99 at local stores like Radio Shack and from online sources as well.

3. Looking to the Future Option

If you plan to work with audio often, you may want to invest in a longer-term solution. Services such as Audio Acrobat can help you record your own voice for your site, but you can also send your satisfied customers there to record testimonials for you. Willie Crawford, successful internet millionaire, suggests this tool for those who truly want to make an impact for a long time to come.

Regardless of the methods you choose, effective communication with your clients and prospects is the key to making your business successful. The first thing you need to communicate-- and continue to communicate -- is your credibility. Without credibility, your business will go nowhere. With it, you'll automatically attract new clients and see positive cash flow.

I invite you to discover what you need to know about Credibility and Cash Flow now. Visit http://www.CredibilityAndCashFlow.com to get your free e-course that will help you customize a credibility plan for your business and get you more clients, more business and more money.

Felicia J. Slattery, M.A., M.Ad.Ed. is a communication consultant, speaker & coach specializing in training small and home-based business owners effective communication skills so they can see more cash flow now.

Audio Marketing Tips - Discover the Benefits of Using Audio in Your Online Marketing Messages

2008-10-28T12:37:00.001-07:00

By Mike A Stewart

We all know the power of audio and video for marketing messages on radio and TV, right? Then why do we forget about it when it comes to our websites, blogs, and other online marketing messages?

Once out of reach

How to use music

Here are just a few of the ways you can use music and audio in your multiple marketing messages online:

*CD audio products

*Audio book downloads

*Website audio buttons and messages

*Podcasts & blogs

*DVD products

*Online videos, You Tube and Video downloads

*Google Audio and Video Ads

*Webinars

*Live video streams like Ustream.tv & Stickam.com

An example

Now imagine a teleseminar beginning and ending with no intro or exit music. While it would work, there is a better way to do it by adding audio.

And now consider the bottom line - which teleseminar would be more profitable?

And now you can discover how to get your access to royalty free music you can use in your online marketing messages when you go to http://www.TwoBuckThemes.com

Mike Stewart, The Internet Audio Guy & Two Buck Themes

Voice Overs - 6 Reasons to Use Audio on Your Website

2008-10-22T03:35:00.000-07:00

By Alison Pitman

Using professional voice over recordings can bring tangible benefits to your site visitors. As well as making their visit a more interactive and interesting experience, it also can be of practical help. Helping answer their questions and guide them through the buying process - voice over can help increase your sales and lower your customer service costs. Here are 6 benefits that adding voice over recordings to your website may bring:

1. A real voice encourages visitors to stay longer, which in turn improves your chance of your visitor taking action, whether it's buying a product, signing up for a newsletter, or filling out a survey. As they view your web page they can listen to the audio - receiving the information visually and audibly.

2. A real voice increases visitor confidence because they actually hear someone talking to them. It makes your site more credible as it shows real people are behind the website and the products.

3. A real voice can increase your conversion rate and therefore increase your sales. Audio adds a whole new dimension to your website that will captivate and motivate your customers. Hearing a real voice can have a big impact on your site visitors, making their website experience more pleasurable.

4. Using a real voice can help guide your visitors through the ordering process, helping answer their questions so they don't need to contact your customer support team, saving both parties time and money.

5. A voice shows emotion and personality. People like to do business with people they like, so a warm friendly voice should build trust and a rapport with your prospective clients.

6. Use an enthusiastic voice to create buzz about your products and services. Motivate your website visitors to take action with a motivational audio clip.

Alison Pitman
Professional Voiceover Artist. Provider of audio recordings for business including, podcasts, website audio, phone system recordings, training and presentation narrations, corporate video narrations, product tour audio, radio and television commercials and much more. Please visit my website to hear my demos http://www.thephonevoice.com/

The Rising Popularity of Audio Books

2008-10-19T12:29:00.003-07:00

By Tom Reynolds

Today’s society is more productive than ever. All of that increased productivity leaves little time for leisure activities. More and more activities are being done passively, and taking in a good book or magazine is no exception. Audio books are about to explode in the next few years as more and more people become aware of their mainstream popularity.

If you haven’t been living under a rock for the last year or so, you know that the Apple iPod has far exceeded even Steve Jobs’ expectations. People like to listen and listening is a passive activity. In other words, you can listen to music or speech while doing other things such as writing a paper, working out, or resting on the sofa with your eyes closed. Quite frequently, people will learn new material such as a foreign language on the commute back and forth to work. While in medical school, I would listen to recordings of my lectures through the car stereo each day on my commute. This saved tons of valuable time, and I feel that my grades improved over simply reading the material. In fact, I am more of an audible learner.

The roots of the audio book come from educational material put into a format that was easier for people to use. They would listen to their book while doing other activities, and learning comprehension actually increased in some cases. Nowadays, you can find popular books, newspapers, or magazines all in audio format.

What sparked the change to popular novels such as the Harry Potter series moving over to audio book format? It’s pretty simple, actually. There is a demand for it. People have seen the ease at which they can purchase and add music to their iPod – why should audio books be any different? In fact, the numbers show that the popularity of audio book downloads are increasing rapidly. As early as 2000, people were beginning to download audio books and today the number of listeners has increased dramatically mostly due to the popularity and availability of affordable digital audio players.

The most popular means of obtaining audio books is through a rental service, or audio book club. Most people prefer to purchase - rather than rent - music due to the replay factor that is associated with tunes. Books, on the other hand, are typically only listened to once and are much better suited for a rental plan. The movie rental industry thrives for the exact same reason.

If you’re a frequent listener or only wish to listen to a book or magazine once per month, you can find affordable audio book club memberships by doing a little digging on the web. If you look around, there is probably an audio book rental plan that accommodates your lifestyle to near perfection. If you would rather purchase your audio books, you can find resources for that as well. There are also many free audio book sources on the web, although most of the content found on these sites will be unpublished literature.

Tom Reynolds is a freelance writer and writes for several sites including AudioNovel. AudioNovel provides the latest best-selling audio book lists as well as a growing collection of audio book reviews and news.

Web Radio Broadcasting and the Golden New Age of Online Audio

2008-10-19T12:29:00.001-07:00

By Stefan Smith

The 1920s through 1940s are remembered as the Golden Age of Radio. Before television, before the Internet, before DVDs and video games, families gathered around a big box in the living room to listen to gripping dramas, spine-chilling mysteries, uproarious comedies and stirring live musical performances. The box offered no pictures to its audience; it was all theatre of the mind--but what theatre it was!

With all of the entertainment choices available today--so much of it visual--a person could be forgiven for assuming that radio will never again be much more than a source of background music for our cubicles and traffic reports when we're driving in our cars.

I have a contrarian view. I think we're on the verge of a new Golden Age of Radio, or "audio-tainment" if you will. The main driver behind this development is web radio broadcasting.

Tonight, for instance, I was on the British Broadcasting Corporation's Web site. Not only does the BBC have a wealth of great audio programs available for free download, it also offers live streams of its various channels.

Now, I was already familiar with the BBC's world news broadcasts, first, from tuning them in years ago on a shortwave radio, then second, from hearing the programs as carried on National Public Radio here in America. But I have always wanted to hear what the BBC's "native" programming sounded like. Now, thanks to the Beeb's Internet radio streams, I can satisfy that curiosity.

This evening I chose to listen to BBC 4, the channel devoted to "intelligent talk," in the words of the Web site. Indeed, BBC 4 provides non-stop intellectual stimulation, from interviews on religion and ethics to readings from recent books to programs on current scientific controversies. BBC 4 is also, by the way, the home of the famous "Shipping Forecast," a strangely addictive report of weather and sea conditions for the waters surrounding the British Isles.

Web radio makes it possible for me to listen not only to BBC 4, but to news and entertainment from anywhere in the world. It allows me to enjoy continuous streams of the narrowest genres of music imaginable, a form of on-demand, personalized programming that does not depend for its existence on an appeal to the broad masses.

As the technology for both Internet broadcasting and playing streaming audio rapidly improves, I think we'll see more and more people going to their computers to take advantage of the rich offerings of Web radio. But also, market-driven engineers are going to figure out how to stream those offerings to people who are not tethered to a PC or laptop. That's when Web radio will really take off. Even now, you can buy a device that will broadcast Internet radio streams from your computer to your home stereo system two rooms away.

The Golden Age of Radio may be dead, but, "Long live the New Golden Age of Web Radio."

Stefan Smith is a radio junkie who writes on entertainment and related subjects for the Solid Gold Info Writers Consortium. Recently, he has written an extensive review of new software that anyone can use to capture music audio streams from Internet radio broadcasts and break them up into individual mp3 song files--a legal way to download virtually free music. Read the review at: http://www.solid-gold.info/radio2mp3.html

For Real Reality, Tune In To Live Police Radio

2008-10-19T12:28:00.004-07:00

By Stefan Smith

Today's so-called reality shows are too staged for my taste. Their contrived situations and semi-scripted actions actually render them somewhat less than real.

For unvarnished reality, try listening to a police scanner. You'll hear real cops answering real crime calls. You'll hear police officers as they head into potentially dangerous situations. You'll hear police dispatchers as they try to keep up with everything from fender benders to shootings--all in a standard night's work for many police departments.

When the first police scanners came out, my mother bought one so she could hear what was happening in her city, and especially to hear if anything bad was being reported in her own neighborhood.

I remember coming in late at night from a date to find her sitting at the kitchen table with the scanner going. Naturally, she had been worrying about where I was and listening to hear if there had been any wrecks.

When my brother became a policeman, my mother really had something to worry about--and an excuse to listen to the police radio day in and day out.

Police scanners are not just for professional worriers, though. Many people listen to them as a hobby. Newspaper, radio and TV reporters listen to them in order to get the first word of a major crime or accident so they can get to the scene quickly.

Nowadays, you don't even need a police scanner to hear police calls in many cities. There are hundreds of live police radio feeds being streamed over the Internet. There are also fire department radio feeds as well. All you do is click a link for the city of your choice and start listening.

Tonight, I listened for about an hour to the live police feed from my hometown, a medium-sized city with a normal share of crime and other human conflict. During that hour, I heard police answer calls to respond to an assault, a stolen car, an attempted home break-in, and someone who was threatening her neighbor with a knife.

A number of Web sites exist that have links to police scanners across the United States. Two good ones are policescan.us and police-scanner.info.

Policescan.us has more scanner links--fire as well as police--but it is disorganized and, to be frank, pretty junky looking. Nevertheless, it's worth a visit just for the sheer number of scanner feeds available.

Police-scanner.info is also a rather cluttered site, but its scanner list is much neater and better organized. As the list is arranged by state, it's easier to find a particular town's or city's police radio link.

One tip if you want to get the most out of listening to live police radio: Learn the 10-codes! Police use special codes over the radio. Many of the most common ones start with "10." You're undoubtedly familiar with "10-4," meaning "I copied (heard) you." But what about "10-12" or "10-19?" If you don't know the codes, or have a list of them near to hand, you won't always know what is happening.

Below are some of the most common 10-codes, but there are others. There are also other sets of codes, used by some police departments, that do not begin with "10," or any number for that matter. For example, in some cities you might hear a dispatcher tell a police officer to respond to an "ADW," that is, an assault with a deadly weapon.

10-7 Officer is out of service
10-8 Officer is in service and available for assignment
10-9 Repeat last transmission, please
10-12 Visitors or officials are present, so be discreet
10-15 Prisoner is in custody
10-19 Returning to the station
10-22 Disregard your last assignment
10-24 There's an emergency at the station; all vehicles return now
10-27 Driver's license check
10-32 Drowning
10-33 Alarm sounding
10-34 Please assist at office
10-43 Call a doctor
10-50 Subject is under the influence of narcotics
10-51 Subject is drunk
10-54 Possible dead body
10-56 Suicide
10-64 Found property
10-66 Suspicious person reported
10-67 Someone is calling for help
10-70 Prowler
10-71 Shooting
10-72 Knifing
10-79 Bomb threat
10-80 Explosion
10-91 Barking dog

Stefan Smith is a radio junkie who writes on this and related subjects for the Solid Gold Info Writers Consortium. Recently, he has written an extensive review of new software that anyone can use to capture music audio streams from Internet radio broadcasts and break them up into individual mp3 song files--a legal way to download virtually free music. Read the review at: http://www.solid-gold.info/radio2mp3.html

Capturing Streaming Audio to MP3

2008-10-19T12:28:00.003-07:00

By Stefan Smith

When Internet radio first began, about all a listener could do with it was, well, listen. And the listening experience wasn't very good. The sound was awful ... when it worked at all. Having the audio stream abruptly terminate, or take endless time to re-buffer, was a common occurrence.

Today, most Internet broadcasters use much better technology to send their streams into cyberspace. As well, more listeners are equipped with broadband Internet connections, good sound cards, stereo system-quality speakers and sophisticated media player software.

The listening problem has been overcome.

Now, what about the ability for a listener to capture those audio streams and save them to play back at will? The technology to do that was slower in coming, but it's finally here. With the right program installed, you can now capture those live audio streams from your favorite Web radio broadcasters and save them to your hard drive to enjoy as often as you like.

There are now several shareware and even freeware programs available for recording streaming audio. Their names include Voice Activation Interface, WMA/MP3 Recorder, Audio Record Wizard, Advanced MP3-WMA Recorder, Silent Bob, #1 Sound Recorder, Ace-High MP3 Recorder, 1st Easy Recorder, Visual Sound Recorder, Audiolib MP3 Recorder, Audio Playback Recorder, Loop Recorder, Replay Radio, FairStars Recorder, Boombox Internet Radio Player, and Easy Radio.

As you might guess, these programs vary greatly in both ease of use and in the features they sport. Some can convert an audio capture into a large number of different music file formats, while others can only handle one or two. Some, but definitely not all, will automatically remove noise and hiss from the audio. Similarly, some will remove gaps caused by buffering or network congestion.

One of the first, and still one of the best, audio capture programs is called Total Recorder. It can record PC audio from almost any source, including streamed audio, CDs, the computer microphone and other input lines.

You can download a free evaluation copy of Total Recorder, but it will insert a bit of noise about every 60 seconds throughout the recording. To be able to record audio without the noise, you must purchase a license for the software.

The recording software that I find really exciting is the kind that not only will capture an audio stream, but will also save it as separate audio files ... automatically. The most obvious use for this is to break up a music stream into individual song mp3 files. The best audio capture software that I know of, that includes this mp3 splitting feature, is called Radio2MP3.

Internet radio has finally come into its own. The sound is great and so is the diversity of programming. Being able to record all those wonderful radio streams is the icing on an aurally delicious cake.

Stefan Smith is a radio and music junkie who writes on these and other subjects for the Solid Gold Info Writers Consortium. Recently, he has written an extensive review of new software that anyone can use to capture music audio streams from Internet radio broadcasts and break them up into individual mp3 song files--a legal way to download virtually free music. Read the review at: http://www.solid-gold.info/radio2mp3.html

Audio Streaming: Reflecting Societal Changes

2008-10-19T12:28:00.001-07:00

By Scott Lindsay

The society we find ourselves in is filled with immediate connections. We can talk on a cell phone from virtually anywhere, we can instant message, text message and even send and receive images by phone. When websites are visited the end user may be less interested in learning all the fine points of a site than a computer user of even ten years ago.

Because we are inundated with immediacy it is possible that audio streaming may be a perfect answer to how to keep visitors logged on longer.

Many online businesses are supplying their visitors with an audio tour of the website. This tour blends visual response and audio presentation in a way that helps the visitor gain a clear picture of what they need to do to maximize their site visitation experience.

As your site visitor moves along in the presentation they may be encouraged to sign up for further information, eBooks or an ecourse that may be beneficial to them. The simple act of audibly asking a potential customer to sign up may seem a bit awkward, yet many online visitors will do so without a second thought IF the information presented is compelling enough to move forward along the steps you outline in your audio presentation.

The development of audio can be as simple as recording directly into your computer in raw form or you may be compelled to hire a professional audio voice over professional to create mp3 or WAV files that may add a more professional touch to your overall site presentation.

In face-to-face sales presentations you would ask the client to make a decision. This same approach is a key in online marketing though the use of audio. By gently guiding your customer through the audio presentation you can rely on traditional approaches in asking for a sale or at the very least moving to the next level in your site presentation.

Certainly your site can be designed to manage this without audio, but there is a certain long-term connection with audio that can’t be easily dismissed.

The combination of compelling graphics in an audio tour or sales presentation can result in a much greater likelihood of sales completion.

The good news for established netrepreneurs is audio streaming can be added to your site at any time and may not require a significant alteration to your existing site. Audio streaming remains a powerful methods of furthering your online marketing objectives.

Scott Lindsay is a web developer and entrepreneur. He is the founder of HighPowerSites and many other web projects.

Make A Website in minutes with HighPowerSites or Build A Website with BuildAGreatSite.

Start your own ebook business and Resell Ebooks with BooksWealth.

Audio Streaming: Easily Captured

2008-10-19T12:27:00.006-07:00

By Scott Lindsay

There was a time when it was difficult to distribute audio effectively over the Internet because the software used for listening was hard to come by and hard drive space was limited.

Today Internet users typically have three or more devices that can decode and play audio streams via the Internet. Further software applications can even allow that download stream to be captured for replay.

Thousands of Internet only radio stations are available with thousands of additional broadcasters repeating their terrestrial signal via the Internet. Many broadcasters are venturing into the realm of Internet audio by lending their voices to Internet based radio stations and other audio streams.

The growth of audio streaming is a byproduct of consumer demand and advancements in technology.

As an online business using audio to guide your visitor through your website may be a great first step, but there are so many other uses for audio that may take into account visitors who may be visually challenged.

There are already devices to assist those with poor vision, but if you create pages with audio it can make an enormous impact on those who often feel forgotten.

The use of audio can be a benefit for those who work on a hectic schedule. It may be possible to listen to your presentation while they continue working in another window.

Audio can also be an important element in an increasingly mobile society. For those on the go, the ability to listen to audio may be of more assistance than attempting to read the small print on their cell phone or Blackberry.

An audio stream from a conscientious netrepreneur is likely to meet with the approval of many of your site visitors. Certainly they will have different reasons for having an interest in the audio stream, but the audio remains an important function in site marketing and customer convenience.

The growth of online marketing techniques can move audio streaming from a ‘nice add on’ to a desired form of communication with your prospects and customers. Since it is very easy for consumers to tap into an audio stream you have a unique opportunity to brand your business in ways previously unavailable.

Where once there was debate over the use of graphics on a website now the debate may be centered around the use of audio on a website. Today you find very few websites without graphics. I believe the same will ultimately be true of audio streaming.

Scott Lindsay is a web developer and entrepreneur. He is the founder of HighPowerSites and many other web projects.

Make A Website in minutes with HighPowerSites or Build A Website with BuildAGreatSite.

Start your own ebook business and Resell Ebooks with BooksWealth.

Exciting Audio Books Online

2008-10-19T12:27:00.005-07:00

By Rudy Silva

Although I love my work, parts of my research and writing can be demanding. I am a natural nutritionist, specializing in preparing articles, e-books, and other written material that shows people, like you, on how to understand and use natural remedies.

Being able to make a career by writing was in many ways a dream come true, but it also has a downside to it. For every minute of pure joy on writing what I like, there are times when I need to relax, be entertained, or to learn new things about my business. During those times, I need something interesting to listen to.

Music can be relaxing, but sometimes I need something different. Sometimes what I really want is a good story. Often I like to listen to radio broadcasts, or to sit down to the Discovery Channel, but more often I just listen to audio books online.

I have always enjoyed a good book, and I discovered that by listen to audio books I have added a new dimension to my living.

When I listen to online audio books, it is like being read to and I don't need to think too much. I have always loved stories, and like almost everyone I know, I learned a love of literature by being read to.

I used to rent audio books from the library, and they have a good selection but not always the latest, but I quickly exhausted the possibilities. I had listened to literally every book on tape that they had! That is when I decided to start to download audio books online. Some of them were available for free, but only a few of them. Then I found a service that would give me almost any book that I wanted for a reasonable monthly price. It was well worth it.

When I listen to audio books online, I become more productive, more efficient, and happier in my work. I also purchase audio books online that are downloadable and I can move them into my ipod, mp3 player, flash hard drive stick, CD, or just my computer.

I think the mp3 player is a revolution, since it allows you to download audio topics and you can turn your wasted time into learning time. The information that you can now find through audio books online is amazing.

Something about the audio books online is rejuvenating and exciting for me. When I download online fiction books, informational books, or educational books, I and listen to them in my spare time it relaxes me and at the end of the day I feel good about myself. . My wife has even commented on the change. Listen to audio books that I download online has added a new dimension in my living and learning.

Rudy Silva is a natural nutritionist. To look at a list of different health audio books online go to: http://www.excitingaudiobooks.spokennetwork.com There you will find audio books on a large number of categories for entertainment or for discovering or learning subjects.

Why You Should Use Flash For Your Web Audio

2008-10-19T12:27:00.003-07:00

By Roger Weavers

There are a number of different ways to add audio to your web site. Some can be a bit hit and miss and others can work out just plain expensive.

So what is a quick and easy way to add audio to your web site without breaking the bank?

You have probably guessed from the title of this article but I would like to show you why by giving you all of the options.

The cheapest and easiest way to add audio to your web site is to simply upload an mp3 file to your web site and create a link to it on your web page, job done! Well not quite, there are pros and cons to this method. If you want your visitors to be able to download your mp3 so they can listen to it at a later date on their computer or iPod, (this is called pod casting) the link method is perfect. Simply instruct your visitors to right click on the link and select "save target as" (or "save link as" in Firefox).

If you want your visitors to be able to play your audio file immediately online then there are a few problems. If the link is clicked on a number of things could happen depending on which plug-ins are installed. If iTunes or QuickTime is installed the mp3 will download and play in a new browser window. Otherwise the mp3 could play in Windows Media Player, Real Player or another application like WinAmp or maybe not play at all.

Another method of adding audio to your web page would be to embed the audio into the page. With a bit of html code, instead of the player opening in a separate window it will appear on your web page. This also depends on which plug-ins are installed so it may play in a variety of players or not play at all!

There are other options like using a dedicated server or proprietary software but these can be expensive and your visitors would probably need to download extra software before they could play your audio. These options can work out very expensive and should only be considered if you are going to have very large volumes of downloads.

So, let’s consider Flash Audio. The Flash plug-in is estimated to be on 98% of computers on the Internet. You can create audio buttons to fit on your web page in whatever position you want and in your colour scheme. Flash uses mp3 audio which will stream over any connection. So will flash audio you are in complete control. The only problem is that would need to buy and learn Macromedia Flash or pay someone else to do it. That is until recently when a number of cheap and easy to use software packages have come onto the market which enables anyone who can cut and paste, to add Flash streaming audio to their web site. Most of these programs have been listed and reviewed at http://www.websiteaudioeviews.com

So now any one can create professional and reliable audio buttons on their web site.

Roger Weavers has been working in the computer industry since 1983 and has been involved with Internet marketing since 1997. He has a number of successful web sites from Web design and promotion to Spanish real estate. Discover the Easy Way To Add Streaming Audio To Your Website

How to Add Audio to Your Web Site Using Flash

2008-10-19T12:27:00.001-07:00

By Roger Weavers

Adding Audio Has Just Got Easier!

Only a few years ago the only way to add sound to your web site was to use a .wav or midi file. The problem with this was that the file size could be fairly large and the whole file needed to be downloaded before it could start to play.

Streaming audio was made available in the 90's and was in two basic formats, mp3 and Real Audio which enables the audio to start playing while it is still being downloaded. The size of these files is a lot smaller as compression algorithms are used but some loss of quality may be evident depending on the algorithm.

With these streaming audio formats audio player software is required by the browser and a streaming server is also needed.

Now audio can be streamed using Macromedia Flash (version 6 or above) from almost any web server and most web browsers can play the flash format files.

This is all very well but unless you can program in Flash (Flash 8 basic costs $399) you would need to pay a programmer to develop the audio button, which would also be expensive.

WebSiteAudioReviews.com has reviewed most of the easy to use software products that enable anyone to add audio to there web site and cost from $27 - $97

Most of these software programs have built in sound recorders so all you need to do is record your track and click a button which creates the required html code and paste this code into your web page. Then upload the .swf file and html file to your web site and you have audio on your web site in just a few minutes.

So, before you add audio to your web site read my reviews at www.websiteaudioreviews.com.

7 Ways to Increase Your Web Site Profits Using Audio

2008-10-19T12:23:00.000-07:00

By Roger Weavers

1. Add Audio to Your Squeeze Pages

Squeeze pages, (or email capture pages) are entry pages to your web site designed specifically to capture your visitors email addresses. It has been proven that people may need to visit a web site up to seven times before they feel comfortable enough to buy something. By capturing their email address you can send them a series of emails with useful information which will make them want to visit your site again and again.

By adding and audio button to your squeeze page the opt-in rate could be increased to up to 60%. If you use squeeze pages try this out for your self. If you are not using squeeze pages - you should be.

2. Add Audio to Your Guarantees

If you have a guarantee on your sales page, adding an audio button along side will build the visitor's confidence and make their buying decision a lot easier. Hearing some one say that they will refund your money if you are not completely satisfied will be more believable than just reading it.

3. Put Audio Testimonials on Your Web Site

Another way to build credibility to to get your clients or customers to record and audio testimonial. Either get them to record a testimonial on their PC and email it to you or if you use a service like AudioGenerator your clients/customers can dial a free phone number and record their testimonials over the telephone.

As with the guarantees and audio testimonial is far more believable than a written one which could easily be made up.

4. Record Interviews and Tele-seminars

A great way to increase your credibility and give yourself expert status is to record a tele-seminar or interview with an expert in your field. This recording you could sell or give away to your visitors or your subscribers.

5. Create Audio Products on CD

Putting audio products on CD gives them more perceived value. If you sell the audios that you have created as downloadable mp3s they will not have as much perceived value as if you sold them on a CD with nice packaging. To add even more value you can include a transcript of the audio on the CD.

6. Create Podcasts

Podcasts are downloadable mp3 audio files which are normally given away but can be sold as well. Podcasts can be promoted using RSS technology in much the same way as with blogs. People will come back to your web site to listen to your latest podcast and the content can encourage then to buy your products.

7. Produce Your Own Internet Radio Show

Finally to give yourself real expert status and credibility why not start your own online radio show specialising in your field. You could interview experts, record case studies and even conduct phone-ins

I hope this has given you some more ideas on how to use audio in increase your web site profits. The Internet is no longer silent!

Add Audio to your Web Site

7 Questions You Need To Ask Before Buying Flash Streaming Audio Software

2008-10-16T14:32:00.005-07:00

By Roger Weavers

If you are looking to add audio to your web site there is plenty of choice regarding easy to use flash streaming audio software. I have reviewed over 20 products and they are all fairly easy to use and all cost less than $100. But there are some small differences to these programs which could cause you problems if you make the wrong choice. After reading this report you will be able to buy your streaming audio software knowing you have made the right decision.

So hear are a few questions to ask yourself before you buy your flash streaming audio software.

1. What is your audio going to consist of, voice, music?

2. How long is your audio going to be? 30 seconds? 30 hours?

3. How many visitors are you expecting on your web site per month?

4. Do you want your visitors to be able to download your mp3s?

5. What type of controls/buttons do you want?

6. Do you want to automatically add background music tracks?

7. can you edit the html on your web site?

I will go though each question to explain why this should affect your decision.

1. Do you require HiFi sound, or you go to simply put your voice on your site? The higher the quality the larger the file is going to be. Only one product provides a HiFi option and that is MP3 Sound Stream HiFi Audio Stream. Most other programs allow you to select the quality of the audio.

2. Will you be using short voice tracks of a few minutes? If your track is longer you will need a program that does not embed the mp3 file into the Flash file (swf). Large swf files will take a long time to load but if the mp3 is separate the button will load quickly and the mp3 will start to stream almost instantaneously.

3. If you are using long audio tracks and have a high number of visitors your hosting company may charge you for extra band width or even cut off your web site. For example, if you have one audio track of 30mb in size and you have 10,000 visitors listening to it this would take 300gb of bandwidth. So if you are considering putting large audio files on your site check with your hosting company first. You may wish to consider using a subscription service like Audio Generator as this could work out cheaper than extra bandwidth charges.

4. If you want your visitors to be able to download your mp3 files so they can listen to them later, on their computer or mp3 player, then using a program that has the mp3 embedding in the flash file means you will need to upload an extra copy of the mp3. Programs with embedded mp3 files are useful if you DON'T what your visitors to download your audio file.

5. Some programs supply a wide choice of button styles and colours, other just give one button style. Make sure you are happy with the styles available.

6. If you want to easily add background music some programs have this built in. Other programs you will need to use audio editing software to mix in the background music.

7. If you are using an online website builder or free blogging service you may not be able to add audio to your web site. Check with your provider to see if you can edit the html code and upload swf and mp3 files

Once you have considered all these questions take a look at the comparison chart at WebsiteAudioReviews.com and you will find the right streaming audio software for you

==>http://www.websiteaudioreviews.com/compare.html

The Case For Audio Books

2008-10-16T14:32:00.003-07:00

By Rick Carbone

Have you noticed the sudden interest in audio books lately? You may say to yourself, why? The answer is fairly simple, but first let me pose another question. Have you noticed the sudden surge in mp3 players? Yep, they are connected. You already knew that, right? I agree that the two are tied in some way however, let me submit another scenario and one that I believe is a change in the way we get information and entertainment.

For several years now we have had the ability to listen to audio on our computers either through pre-packaged software such as an mp3 player on our PC’s and MAC’s or in a hand held portable device, such as an iPod(R) or other mp3 portable player. Most of the audio has been in the form of music and/or video, however in the last several years audio books have been very popular since they can be downloaded. Audio books on tape have been around much longer and “books on tape” have been around even longer. So why the interest in audio books now?

The age of high speed Internet access has made the sales of software, ebooks and music so simple and fast that the software, publishing and music industries have re-evaluated their delivery platforms and now look to the Internet as a major sales platform. Hence the emergence of audio books, and to be exact unabridged audio books seem to be the most popular.

There is also another very important reason why audio books will be more popular, and that is time. Not only has the Internet become high-speed but our daily lives as well. Multi-tasking is no longer just part of the business world but part of daily family life. If you have a family and a job you multi-task. How do you get in any additional personal development as well as entertainment? In other words, when do you have time to sit and read a book or get the latest information on your favorite pastime? The answer is simple. Listen to your favorite hobby, motivational speaker or favorite writer.

The audio book age is here and I think you will see it evolve into several segments. Business will utilize it for training of their busy executives, business people will utilize it for entertainment purposes while traveling or commuting. Work at home Moms and Dads will be able to multi-task during the day and students will have the ability to listen to requisite reading through their iPods.

There are many more ways to enlighten yourself with classic books that you never had the time or inclination to read during high school or college as well as technical reading from Pcs to organization and goal setting. The list is endless. The best part is that the new crop of audio books are immediately downloadable to a PC, MAC or mp3 Player. If you don’t have an mp3 player a good audio book site will show you how to burn your audio book on to a CD.

I find that I can do much more while I am listening to an audio book as my time becomes more productive.

The author has been conducting business online since 1998 and has most recently expanded business to include http://www.justspoken.com a major audio book site in addition to http://www.homebusinessresearch.com a major home business development site.

Online Auctions – How to Add an Audio Clip to Your Ebay Auction

2008-10-16T14:32:00.001-07:00

By Pradeep Agarwal

The recent trend to attract al lot of bidders online is adding an audio clip to your Ebay auctions. An audio clip is a personal message by the website owner to the potential bidder explaining about your product. Personalization is considered a very important marketing technique because we need to remind the customer that he is thought of as a valued customer not as another sale or another sales figure. A personalized touch in Marketing works well and is very refreshing.

In the audio clip you are using your own voice to explain to the potential bidder about the product, you are communicating to them your refund policy and giving them your contact information. It is a means to establish a rapport with the bidder. Adding audio clips allows you to market your product aggressively, expressing emotions and excitement.

How do you add an audio clip to a website? The simplest way would be to download a .wav or MP3 file to a website and establish a link to the file. When the bidder clicks on the link the bidder’s computer will pay the file with the audio player automatically. However the bidders computer must recognize the file or else it will not play. This is the main drawback of this technique.

There are several software programs and websites, which perform the same task of adding audio to your Ebay auctions.

For instance Audio Maker Pro – http://audiomaker.thynke.com Sound Streamer – http://soundstreamer.thynke.com which is more economical.

Many websites charge a monthly fee or a one-time fee for the use of the program. You could also have a trial or a demo version to check how it works for which they charge a nominal amount.

Adding an audio clip to your Ebay can make it possible to get the highest possible profits from your Ebay auctions. So go ahead and install an audio clip to your web site and encourage the buyer to take advantage of your offer.

Every month thousands of cars become government & bank property through various seizure/surplus laws. Because of the constant influx of vehicles and the enormous expense to store them, the cars must be sold fast and cheap! Buy direct from the sources and save considerably! Bids on new and used repossessed and fleet vehicles start as low as 90% off book value

Pradeep Aggarwal is the creator of Auction Spectrum the online auction hub. This site is dedicated to helping people start and run a successful online auction business by providing Internet Marketing Tools to build profit making websites.

Full Service Audio Post Production for Podcasts

2008-10-16T14:31:00.006-07:00

By Marshal Sandler

With radio stations and record companies downsizing over the past few years, professional audio producers faced job cuts and challenges finding freelance projects. However, the surge of businesses and creative professionals requiring full service audio post production has created a new niche for audio professionals. When your podcast audience demands a high quality project, or you simply want your podcast to sound as good as it possibly can, you can easily find the support you need.

When looking for a full service audio post production company to help you with your podcast, consider the following features that various companies might offer:

Price. Regardless of your budget, you can find a full service audio post production company to meet your needs. Taking advantage of the internet, you can often find skilled audio producers that can provide affordable rates because their studios are located outside of major urban centers. For example, full service audio production companies in music-oriented towns like Austin and Chapel Hill will usually cost much less than their competitors in New York or Los Angeles.

Location. Whether you need to work with a local full service audio post production company depends on how much of the raw podcast recording you can do on your own. If you want the very best sounding recording, you will either have to invest in a professional quality microphone or travel to a recording studio. Many online audio producers can walk you through the process of recording your own voice without spending much money. However, if you want the benefit of an experienced recording engineer, you should find a full service audio post production facility close to your home or office.

Production Elements. To make your podcast sound like a professional radio broadcast, request some professional production elements from your full service post production facility. A slick opening sequence, featuring a voice-over from a professional radio air talent, can cost you as little as fifty dollars. Polished promotional messages can help you grow an audience for your podcast, especially if you swap promo segments with other podcast producers. Because these elements do not require your voice, you can shop online to find the best quality at the most competitive price.

Distribution. Depending on your level of technical expertise, you may need a full service audio post production company to post your completed podcasts to a web server. Most companies can provide this service for you at no additional charge, since many audio producers prefer to distribute finished products using file servers anyway.

Marshal Sandler 2006 for all podcast secrets by eContnentCafe

The University on Wheels

2008-10-16T14:31:00.005-07:00

By Lily S.

When I first heard the phrase "university on wheels" from one of America's top business speakers - Brian Tracy, it didn't sink in, until I thought deeply about it.

He was referring to the powerful value we can get listening to professional audio books while driving to work each morning.

You see, most people "waste" as many as 2 or more hours every single day commuting to work. During this time they do nothing other than hum to themselves (leaving their minds empty) all of the way commuting to work.

Some that turn on the radio while driving to work spend the time listening to music.

Now... here's a pleasant, yet scary fact -

Do you know that just listening to the right professional audio books each and every morning as you commute to work will be equivalent to a full university education within some years?!

Definitely.

I know it might not make sense to you just yet, but stay with me while I try to explain why I said that.

You see, for some university degree programs, students spend no more than 10 hours weekly attending their lectures. And after a few years they are given their degrees.

And what do they do during these 10 hours each week?

You guessed it - they "listen" to their lecturers!

You can get the exact same value from just listening to the right audio books in the field or area of expertise you want to learn about.

I realize that no university will give you a degree certificate after you have completed your chosen audio books, but you would have enriched yourself with this new knowledge.

There are certain professional audio book programs that will give you examinations after completing their training programs... and will give you a certificate for passing their course.

Many such certificates can be used in certain places to give evidence of your expertise in that area.

In that case, why would you continue to "waste" valuable time on your daily commute to work when you can "kill 2 birds with one stone" by using the same hours to learn a new skill, a new business idea, a new profession, etc?

To get started, ask yourself what new skill or expertise you would love to learn. When you are certain of your answer, hop online and search for any audio book series in that area.

You are sure to find valuable information on the Internet related to this to get you started on your "university on wheels" program.

The fact that audio books come in both CD, cassette and downloadable formats give you options to choose from. If you have a CD player in your car or cassette player, you can choose any.

Even if you don't drive to work but take the bus to work, you can easily get a portable CD, cassette or Mp3 player and still benefit from your "university on wheels" program.

Who knows... if you dedicate the time to follow through, you will be an expert in that area of expertise in no time at all!

All thanks to the advent of audio books.

***Visit OdioMall.com for over 5,000 Downloadable Audios.***

For the Affiliate Program please visit ===> odiozon.com

*Please feel free to copy, send, or distribute this article at anytime as long as the article is not changed, and the entire author resource box is included with the article as written.

The History of Audio Books

2008-10-16T14:31:00.003-07:00

By Lily S.

It's really amazing that you can get the exact value listening to an audio book while doing your normal chores as you would reading it.

Certain experts even say information sinks in more when we are not paying direct attention to them.

But when did this audio book phenomenon really start? In other words, what's the history of audio books?

From all indications, audio books look like a very recent invention, right?

WRONG!

It is very easy to make the assumption that audio books are a recent invention because of the mention of CDs, downloadable digital formats, MP3s, PDAs and other technological jargons each time audio books are discussed. But audio books started a long time ago.

To know how long audio books have been, it is pertinent to understand exactly what audio books are.

Forget about any other jargon you have heard, audio books are simply books that are recorded to be heard, instead of read.

That being the case, such recordings of books in audio formats have been around for a very long time. If you want to be specific, it is safe to say they were first introduced over half a century ago.

It could even be longer, if you include the Library of Congress recordings made especially for the American Foundation for the Blind and distributed free throughout the U.S.

However, according to Robin Whitten, the editor and founder of the only magazine which is dedicated solely to the audio book industry:

Audiofile--http://www.AudioFileMagazine.com, Caedmon (now a subsidiary of Harper Collins Publishers) can be credited to have started the recordings of literature as far back as 50 years ago.

Going further, he said Caedmon was just a small company way back then in New York, which started recording the audio of great authors and poets of the 1950s. Specifically, he said one of the earliest recordings were by greats such as Dylan Thomas, T.S. Eliot, Fitzgerald and Robert Frost.

What happened then was that they were simply recorded while doing their own works and made as vinyl records.

But these early recordings can arguably pass off for the first collection of audio books ever.

However, the transition of these book recordings into audiocassette tapes didn't happen until the late 1970s up to the 1980s. From thence, it blossomed until audio books in audiocassette tapes came to be accepted by all and sundry.

For whatever reason however, the audio book phenomenon didn't really kick off until the 1990s.

And with the transition from audiocassette technology into CDs, more people have become interested in audio books.

With the advent of the Internet and its paraphernalia, audio books have now transited from vinyl records, audiocassette taps and CDs into downloadable digital formats that can be listened to with a desktop computer, laptop computer, PDAs, etc.

If you are still interested in "going back in time" you can get the original book recordings that started this audio book industry.

Impossible?

Not really.

Some of those early 1950s analog recordings by Caedmon which were performed by the greats of those days can be purchased today on the Internet.

For example, recently I was able to browse the Internet thoroughly and found the original recording of "The Lord of the Rings" as read by J.R.R. Tolken.

You can find that classic you have always dreamt of in audio book format if you search hard enough on the Internet.

***Visit OdioMall.com for over 5,000 Downloadable Audios.***

For the Affiliate Program please visit ===> odiozon.com

*Please feel free to copy, send, or distribute this article at anytime as long as the article is not changed, and the entire author resource box is included with the article as written.

How to Burn a Downloadable Audio Book to CD?

2008-10-16T14:31:00.001-07:00

By Lily S.

When it comes to burning (or copying/writing) a downloadable audio book to CD, you must be sure that it isn't for commercial purpose, but strictly for personal use. Violating this law can get you into serious copyright infringement problems.

Yes, the downloadable audio books are still under copyright, even after paying to download them.

The only instance where they are no longer under copyright is when the authors or translators have died over 70 years ago. There are certain publications by government that are not under copyright.

But the rule of "only for personal use" is still ultimate when it comes to burning any downloadable audio book to CD or any other such formats.

You won't believe it, but there are even certain audio book publishers that won't allow their audio books to be copied to CD. Audio book publishers can easily disable the ability to burn the files to CD.

To be sure that your audio book publishers allows this, do check it out before going ahead to buy.

It will not be beneficial for you to buy it with the primary purpose of burning it to CD to listen with your CD player, only to find that you can't burn it to CD.

Also, when it comes to burning audio books to CD, you might certainly need more than one CD for an audio book. For example, an audio book of about 10 hours can take as many as 7 CDs.

That being said, below are the steps to take to burn (or copy) any downloadable audio book into CD:

NOTE that the below instructions are based on Windows Media Player Version 10. If you are using an older version, you can download the latest version from Microsoft's website. Here's the exact link =>http://www.microsoft.com/windows/windowsmedia/download

First, the computer you want to use to burn the audio book to CD must be equipped with a recordable CD drive and CD-burning software.

In other words, it is this CD-burning software that can burn the audio book to the CD. And it is the recordable CD drive that can be used for this purpose.

Second, play the audio book on Windows Media Player. Ensure that you choose "Full Mode" when doing this, not "Skin Mode".

Third, you will notice the "now playing" information displayed on the right-hand side of your Windows Media Player. If it isn't displayed, you should click the "Restore the Video and Visualization Pane" button to display it.

Fourth, you can now click the "Library" tab. You will notice the "Start Burn" button displayed.

Fifth, at this point, insert the blank CD into the recordable CD drive.

Sixth, click the "Start Burn" button. Your Windows Media Player will begin burning the audio book to the CD you have inserted.

Lastly, if the audio book is larger than the CD (most always are), Windows Media Player will prompt you that it requires a new CD. You can remove the one inside and insert another blank CD.

When the entire burning process is finished, it will display the status as "Complete".

***Visit OdioMall.com for over 5,000 Downloadable Audios.***

For the Affiliate Program please visit ===> odiozon.com

*Please feel free to copy, send, or distribute this article at anytime as long as the article is not changed, and the entire author resource box is included with the article as written.

Discover The Secret That Has Made Many Website Owners Wealthy

2008-10-16T14:30:00.006-07:00

By Kent Tee

What if you could personalize your website, and create a sales tool that not only held your visitors attention, but also turned them into inquiring and PAYING customers? Would you be interested in learning more?

That’s the magic of Audio Technology. It’s the fastest, easiest, most economical way to increase your online sales by personalizing your information online.

You see, I’m a beginner in Internet Marketing arena just about a year, and I learned a thing or two about helping people succeed in business.

And what I discovered is that Audio has the power to influence and motivate your visitors to take immediate action. And that means more traffic and extra cash coming into your pocket!

How can you use audio on your site?

Let me share with you just a few ways how to use audio:

Create audio greetings
Create audio testimonials
Narrate tutorials
Create audio ebooks
Create audio ezines

This list goes on and on. There really is no end to what you can do with audio.

If you are in a service business, building a strong relationship is essential to your success. As a professional, making a strong, initial connection is vital to turning a prospect into a sale.

By using audio, you can create a unique message that will welcome each visitor to your home page. Place your audio player directly below a photograph of yourself, and offer a short message to introduce yourself, and provide a brief message about the benefits you offer your clients. You will instantly begin seeing greater results with your website.

Enjoy It?

Happy Marketing!

http://www.kenttee.com

Top 3 Ways How Website Audio Can Explode Your Sales

2008-10-16T14:30:00.005-07:00

By Keith Choy

After you setup a website to sell your product and have decent success in conversing visitors to buyers, what else can you do to explode your sales further?

There is a simple one.

You add streaming audios onto your website. This can potentially increase your sales by up to 35% depending on the niche market that you are in!

The top 3 reasons how website audio can help yours sales are as follow:

Reason 1: The way visitor use your website

A significant number of visitors are more receptive to audio rather than visual words. By adding streaming audio on your sales page, you increase your chances of it being 'read' by your visitors. You hit 2 of their senses with your marketing messages.

Allowing visitors to click an audio button to receive your core marketing message in professionally delivered audio will do more to turn prospect into customers than a thousand words on your sales copy.

Reason 2: Added Credibility

Streaming audio also adds credibility to your website. Your visitors know that you are not hiding behind a cover. People get to hear from the person who they are going to do business with. This builds up their trust in you and will definitely boost your conversion rate.

Reason 3: Deliver your marketing message in least amount of time

Competition is fierce and getting noticed in a crowded marketplace is difficult. You must do more than just state your offering or even provide the same me-too promotion, you must be able to deliver your most persuasive sales pitch in the least amount of time before your visitor leaves your website.

It only takes 136 words to write one minute worth of audio. With the right 136 emotion-triggering words, delivered professionally with background fade-in music loop, you can deliver more information then one minute worth of website sales copy can. This way you can sell your marketing messages more effectively.

Adding and creating streaming audio is not as hard as you have been led to believe and you don't even have to pay a monthly fee either. You can start with sound recorder (pre-installed on every Windows computer) and the free microphone that came with your computer. There are also free tools around that can help greatly help you in this process.

Once you have gained sufficient experience and want to move to the next level with your website audio, just add in background music loops to give it that professional feel. There are many sites that sell royalty-free music loops. Add the appropriate music loop to give your audio message for that extra edge. It’s that simple. Yet not many marketers are doing this.

So start right away now! Create your own website audio professionally and let it helps in your sales conversion today.

Keith Choy is offering a Free 7-part step-by-step video course which shows you how to create and edit professional website audio within 30 minutes flat! Just like the professionals! All this using a free powerful tool. It's Easy, Fast And Simple. Get it now at: http://WebsiteAudio.easyfaststart.com

Religious Book Store - A Great Niche

2008-10-16T14:30:00.003-07:00

By Joseph Barrett

Niche book stores are designed for the customers who want a vast inventory of books all on the same subject matter. The religious book store is an excellent example of how you can carve out a successful business in a highly competitive market. Often times large commercial book stores don’t carry the full inventory of books and tapes and this opens up an opportunity to serve a market in demand.

In addition to the “brick and mortar” stores, there are quite a few audio book stores opening up every day covering every topic under the sun. For audio book fans, this is welcome news. Why is this great idea? For starters, you now have the ability to listen to your favorite book anytime you want on your favorite MP3 player. Additionally, you’ll always have a fresh copy of your digital book stored on either your computer or perhaps at the members area of your audio book store. What’s more, you’ll no longer have to deal with scratched CD’s or broken cassettes tapes. I can’t begin to tell you how many audio books I’ve purchased that I can no longer find or no longer work so this format is welcome to many.

So what if you don’t own an MP3? No big deal. My first digital audio purchase was a self-help recording that I played from my PC while I worked. In addition, many of today’s audio systems now have the capability of both playing and recording in the MP3’s and this is truly the best of both worlds. The audio book business is ready to explode again and it’s do to its digital format. Are you going to be part of it?

Joseph Barrett has partnered up with Lisa Hyde and her new religious audio book store http://www.religiousbookmart.com Lisa created a wonderful solution to the growing demand for downloadable audio books for the faithful.

Audio Books, Something Educational To Use Your MP3 Player For

2008-10-16T14:30:00.001-07:00

By Gregg Hall

The MP3 player and other devices have become very popular. The many advancements that have been made in terms of technology are amazing. We have much more technology now than we did just five or ten years ago. The technology industry is always coming out with something new and improved. All these devices are to make our lives easier. We can do so much with the technology we have, and it will just continue to become more advanced.

The MP3 player is one of the many technologies that has grown rapidly in popularity. Your MP3 player allows you to take your music with you anywhere. Many people enjoy listening to their music, and this allows you to do so where ever you want. You can listen to your favorite songs while at work, or jogging, or exercising, without disturbing anyone else. They are small enough to stick in your pocket and be out of the way. No bulky walkmans to carry around anymore.

Time seems to be something many people feel they do not have enough of. We are so busy doing so many things it is sometimes hard to get everything done, or find time to do everything we want to do. Reading is one such thing that many people do not have time for. Finding the time to sit down and read a book can be very difficult in today's busy world. After going to work all day, and cooking, and cleaning, and taking care of the kids it is hard to make time for reading. After getting everything else done you are ready to just go to bed.

The MP3 player may have a solution to your problem. You can now download audio books for free off the internet. You can visit one of the many sites available and get an audio book. By doing this you can be listening to your book instead of reading it. Now you can get your reading in while you are cleaning, or cooking supper, or on the drive to work. This is a great way for you to keep up on your reading and still keep up with the rest of your busy life.

There are many sites that offer these free audio books. Some sites offer only certain categories, while others have a wider variety. You can find audio books of the Bible, or scripture readings if that is what you would like. You can also find classic books, or science fiction, or more modern novels, or even children books, or rhymes. Whatever you are looking for you can find. You can many options available to you.

Next time you want to read a book, but don't think you have the time you may want to think again. Just remember that there is a wide variety of audio books available for you to download for your MP3 player for free.

Gregg Hall is an author living in Navarre Beach, Florida. Find more about this as well as audio books at http://www.bargainbookstoreonline.com

Audio on Your Website: Sound Off or Sound On?

2008-10-16T14:29:00.000-07:00

By Elaine Singer

There is an ongoing debate on whether or not to use audio on your website. It reminds me of the debate 10 or 15 years ago on whether to use graphics on the web. Today, we can't even imagine a website without graphics. Advances in technology made that happen and advances in technology today are making use of audio, and even video, on the web more feasible.

Let's look at a number of reasons why you should seriously consider using audio on your website.

Audiences are becoming increasingly multi-media hungry. The proliferation of personal audio devices, like MP3 players, makes sound a natural addition to text and visuals. All age groups are adopting the use of these devices, whether it is to listen to music, to podcasts or to audio books.

Your website is there to educate your visitors, whether it is about your services, your products or a particular point of view. People learn in different ways, some by reading, some by listening, others by doing and some by a combination of these methods. Adding audio to your site offers your visitors yet another 'learning' option.

Surveys have shown that websites with audio lengthen the user's duration, and the longer your visitors stay on your website, the more likely they are to buy your service or product.

Audio can:

** make a good first impression

** tell the visitor something about the site

** summarize the site's content

** give added information

** point out highlights

** help the user navigate the site by pointing out pages that shouldn't be missed

** direct the visitor to take action such as downloading information, filling in a form requesting further information or taking advantage of a special offer

** reinforce the written word

** give your website personality

One of the best uses for audio on the web is to add punch to online presentations, demos and virtual tours.

There are a number of things to keep in mind if you do decide to add audio to your website. Make sure you know your target audience and cater the audio to them. Always give your web visitors the option to turn off the sound. Not everyone has high speed access and not everyone likes listening to sound when surfing the net. Some people prefer to get a feel for your site, your product, your services, before listening to what you have to say.

Make sure that your audio file loads very quickly. To do that, make the file small. Do not use stereo, as that doubles the size of the file. Do not make the audio a barrier between your visitor and your website. Also, make sure your audio file does not open in a new window taking your visitors away from the main site. Do not make the sound too loud. Remember people listen via earphones, in public places and in office cubicles. Do not use audio just for the sake of having audio. If you decide to use just music, for example, make sure that the music you choose is somehow connected to the content on your website.

Here is a quick overview of the requirements needed to achieve high quality audio on your website. While you do not need to invest hundreds of dollars on a microphone, the small mics that come with your computer will generally not give you clean sound. Also, the sound card that comes with your computer may not have the capabilities needed to record clean sound. Pay attention to your recording environment. You do not want to hear your computer fan, air conditioner, neighbour's lawn mower or dog barking in the audio file you plan to put on your website. You also need software to record the sound and to upload it to your web server.

Remember the old adage, if something is worth doing, it is worth doing well. Make the sound professional and clean. Make sure you have a professional write your copy and it is well worth getting a professional to record it as well. Finally, make sure any music you use is either royalty free or that you have received permission to use it (which generally means paying a fee).

Elaine Singer is a full time professional voice artist with a vibrant and lively sound, who, while specializing in corporate narrations and audio books, also has experience voicing both commercials and other shorter reads. With a digital home studio, she can assure you of fast turn around times. Elaine also has a background in IT, having managed help desks for over 10 years. Since taking on her new role doing voiceovers, Elaine has done research and participated in online debates on the pros and cons of using sound on the web, coming to the conclusion that, used judiciously, sound can enhance your website. You can listen to Elaline's streaming audio on her website at http://www.soundsgreat.ca and to her online voice demos at http://www.soundsgreat.ca/demos.htm

Evolution of Ebooks: From Analogue to Digital

2008-10-16T14:28:00.006-07:00

By Victor Ezeaku

I only know one thing that is permanent in this world. What is this thing? We all know it. It is change. Change is the only thing in this world that is permanent. Circa 1990 there was evolution in the way we read. An evolution from analogue to digital way of studying. since everything in this world is prone to change, I am not surprised to see how our present world or analogue paper world is gradually evolving into a digital paper world. An evolution that mans has so much cherished and so much benefited from.

Today I think of a day when paper book will be a history. People like me who are asthmatic will so much enjoy such evolution. Why? This will reduce one of the numerous allergens that keep up provoking asthmatic attract.

Everybody will so much enjoy this evolution. With the current evolution from paper to digital money, we will save space and money. So e-book is very economical.

What benefit of this evolution will you enjoy most? For me, I will enjoy the accessibility and availability of information. We will no longer have to order for book and wait for days or months for it arrive. Aside this,

For authors like me, the joy and benefits of being a writer, an editor, a publisher and a marketer are unfathomable. this evolution has generated a generation of millionaires - the dotcom millionaires.

Victor Ezeaku is a website designer and Owner of Home For Internet Millionaires

Keep on checking for an ebook which I am about to publish at my website http://www.vickywebworld.com. I will like to stop here as we watch the next dimension this evolution will take. Have a nice day !

Your Favorite Book on Audio - Where And How You Can Find It

2008-10-16T14:28:00.005-07:00

By Teresa B

Technology is a wonderful thing indeed. It makes life easier in almost every aspect. One such area is searching for your favorite book on audio. Gone are those days of spending long hours, days or even weeks looking for the book you want. For example, 20 years ago if you were searching for a particular book you would have to physically visit your local public library.

As if that was not manual work enough, you would then have to spend laborious hours searching through the huge collection of books therein, all in an attempt to find the book you want. And who says you would end up locating your book? Often times you could not find the book you wanted, even with the help of the librarians. But gone are those days. Now with the Internet you can find any information you want with just a few mouse clicks.

If for example, you are looking for a particular audio book, you can get started with the search engines. Simply visit any of the major search engines and type the book title you are looking for with the word "audio book" included. By simply doing this you will be presented with the most relevant results for your search.

These online audio bookstores have special search features on their sites which you can use to find the particular audio book title you are searching for. Using these search features on the sites is similar to using the search feature on your favorite search engine.

The major advantage is that you are searching the database of the particular bookstore (very focused search), unlike the search engines which search the entire database of websites that they have (obviously unfocused search).

To get started, visit any of these online audio book stores and enter the particular audio book title you are searching for. If you know the exact title or author name, put it in the search. It will be wiser to include the term "audio book" in your search query so as to get the best results.

If you exhaust these options and are unable to find that audio book that you are looking for, visit one of the many book forums on the Internet and ask for the advice of other book enthusiasts. You will be astonished to find that there are many people out there who know a lot and are willing to share.

--- The Online Audio Book Shop offers you one of the largest selections of downloadable audio books and spoken word material anywhere on the Internet.

If you are new to downloading files or burning CDs you might want to take a look at our quick guide online video tutorials. Each one is just a few minutes long and is designed to quickly get you up-to-speed.

Discover Your One-Stop Station For Non-stop Talk!

2008-10-16T14:28:00.003-07:00

By Suzanne Macguire

For those "chatterboxes" who love to chat constantly, Internet talk radio shows are the perfect places to be! It's perhaps the easiest ways to earn bucks without any serious labor. All that you need is to talk and talk! This is one platform, which is ideal for those who possess the talent to hold the attention of their audience through effective communication skill.

The traditional AM/FM radio channels are rapidly losing out their hold on their audience with the availability of Internet facilities worldwide. Radio services are now being made available on the net at any time or place. You can now tune in to your favorite music channel irrespective of the place you are in. Internet radio has been one of the greatest boons for music lovers especially who love their local music. Even if you are far away from your hometown, Internet radio brings to you the favorite tunes of your hometown. This does not mean that Internet radio stations are only music oriented. In fact, radio talk shows are one of the most popular programs over the Internet. These talk shows are mostly topical, discussing current issues, politics, entertainment and a wide array of other subjects. But the USP of the show is its ability to allow interaction on part of the audience. People are free to voice their opinion, positive or negative, on any topic discussed. This is one aspect that has made radio talk shows not only popular but also unique.

Next comes the interesting aspect: you can host your own radio talk show with just a few accessories! The basic accessories required are a microphone, and free software that enables you to send your broadcast directly from your PC. Using the microphone, you can also play other music tracks during your live chat show. The basic broadcasting package range starts from a nominal rate of around 15$. Hence, no matter how limited your budget is, your dream to host your own talk radio show can easily be fulfilled.

Once you get going, you will observe the other business options that open up following your first stint with the Internet talk radio. Current trends reveal that Internet talk radio is fast turning out to be an effective marketing tool for business organizations. There are talk shows aired primarily for business promotion and advertisement of their products. If the show is a hit, it automatically ropes in multiple sponsors, which further boosts the popularity of the organization. However, the scope of marketing and advertising through Internet talk radio needs to be explored further. Being the sole authority of your own talk radio, you are free to introduce new trends through your talk show. You can even be the NEXT GEN trendsetter if the audience at large welcomes your experiments. So talk your heart out and reach out to the world through Internet talk radio: your one stop station for non-stop talk!

Suzanne is an Internet marketing professional with expertise in content development and technical writing in a variety of industries.

Internet Streaming Media Broadcasting

The Web Radio Revolution Is Now

2008-10-16T14:28:00.001-07:00

By Stefan Smith

Have you listened to web radio lately?

A lot of folks still don't know what web radio is. Let's note first of all that it is not the same thing as podcasting, although the two are often confused. Without going into the technicalities, web radio uses streaming audio to create a "live," ongoing broadcast such as you would hear from a regular radio station. Podcasting involves the creation of individual recordings which people can download for listening at a later time, either on their computer or on an MP3 player such as an iPod.

For a long time web radio was plagued by problems. Sound quality was usually poor. Because of the bandwidth required, many web radio stations were severely limited in the number of people they permitted to listen at any one time--in some cases, this could be as few as a half dozen! The number and variety of stations were quite limited, as well.

Happily, most of those early limitations have been resolved. The web radio scene today presents a wonderful smorgasbord of musical variety, an incredible array of genres to suit all tastes, and a quality that often matches high-end stereo for the ability to produce a satisfying listening experience.

Although web radio's primary audiences remain office workers and college students, more and more people are discovering this neat entertainment source. One study in the UK reported an 84% increase in internet radio listening hours for the most recent year. Another study said web radio attracts 52 million listeners during a typical month.

Web radio is free to listen to, for the most part, and the software one needs to take advantage of it is free as well. Player software such as WinAmp or iTunes not only sends the music to your computer speakers, it also generally includes a directory of radio channels--just click on your choice and play. The directory will almost always be arranged by genres, some of the more popular being blues, oldies, rock, psychedelia, easy listening, country, trance or electronic, country, reggae, world music and hip hop. The diversity truly is astounding: the other day I ran across a web radio station devoted exclusively to Hawaiian and polka music!

Web radio is also a good place to go for people who are homesick for their old hometown station. In addition to the web-only stations, many regular radio stations nowadays offer their audio over the Internet, too. As long as you have a computer and Internet connection (preferably a high-speed one), you can be anywhere in the world and still enjoy your favorite music--or hometown news and traffic reports, for that matter.

When it comes to web radio, the revolution truly is happening now.

Stefan Smith is a radio and music junkie who writes for the Solid Gold Info Writers Consortium. Recently, he has written an extensive review of new software anyone may use to capture music audio streams from Internet radio broadcasts and break them up into individual mp3 song files--a legal way to download free music. Read about it at: http://www.solid-gold.info/radio2mp3.html.

Streaming Audio - Why Add Streaming Audio to Your Site?

2008-10-16T14:27:00.004-07:00

By Sean Ray

An effective website is about ensuring that visitors to your site have an experience that is both useful and memorable. Creating a dynamic sensory experience for the visitors to your site will ensure that the content stays on the minds of visitors long after they have logged off. One of the most effective ways of doing this is to incorporate streaming audio into your site.

Streaming audio can enhance the written message you are trying to send to your customers, to bolster the content in a way that will leap off the page. Audio elements on a site can create an increased sense of intimacy between you and your customers, too, which will in turn foster a sense of confidence in what you have to say. In another way, adding audio elements to your site will simply make the site more interesting to visitors, which is never a bad thing.

Streaming audio can be used in a number of useful ways. You can welcome visitors to your site with a personal message. In that message, you can give a short “tour” of your site, explaining what customers can expect to find there, or simply invite your customers to stay awhile and look around. Or, you can use streaming audio to add testimonials from previous customers to your site. This can be a valuable tool in converting potential customers to actual customers. When people hear that a product or service has met or exceeded the expectations of others like them, it gives them confidence to buy into the claims the company is making.

Do you want to learn more about how I do it? I have just completed my brand new guide to article marketing success, ‘Your Article Writing and Promotion Guide‘

Download it free here: Secrets of Article Promotion

Do you want to learn how to build a massive list fast? Click here: Email List Building

Streaming Audio Interest Added

2008-10-16T14:27:00.003-07:00

By Sean Ray

Streaming audio is such an easy way to add interest to your web site, and so many aren’t using it yet.

Another way to add streaming audio interest to your site through sound – even if it doesn’t necessarily need a vocal element – is through background music. A major concern with many site creators is that, with background music, the pages on the site will load slowly, causing visitors to lose confidence and quickly move on. There are options out there for people with these concerns.

One option for adding sound is through a MIDI file. These files are very small because they utilize your computer’s sound card (and its built-in “instruments”) to create the songs. The downside of using a MIDI file is that the sound is very one-dimensional (Think of a 80s video game’s graphics compared to today’s PS2 and you’ll get the idea). Using a MIDI file will run the risk of making your site seem amateurish. In addition, each sound card is unique; therefore, what you hear when you play back your MIDI file isn’t necessarily what your visitors will hear. That’s a risky move to make.

WAV files are the next option for adding sound to your site. With these, you will encounter the opposite problem than with MIDI files. They quality is good, but the files can be very large, even when recorded with mediocre sound quality. That can result in slowly loading pages. Also, WAV files do not loop. That is, each file will only play once, whereas a MIDI file can be programmed to repeat as long as the page is open.

A third option is the use of MP3 files. These files are compressed and don’t take a long time to load, but they do have a downside. To listen to MP3s, visitors to your site will need to have the proper external player program. These player programs will often take your visitors away from your site altogether, to a site on which the customer can download the player and then play the file. Not only is this a hassle, but the file is no longer background music to your content, thus defeating the purpose for which you set.

Do you want to learn more about how I do it? I have just completed my brand new guide to article marketing success, ‘Your Article Writing and Promotion Guide‘

Download it free here: Secrets of Article Promotion

Do you want to learn how to build a massive list fast? Click here: Email List Building

Streaming Audio Content

2008-10-16T14:27:00.001-07:00

By Sean Ray

Streaming audio content may be easier to add to your web site than you might have ever thought possible.

Adding this kind of content to your site is neither difficult nor expensive these days, but there are a few things to remember. First, don’t make the message sound like a sales pitch; this approach usually comes across as smarmy and will deter, rather than attract customers from exploring your site further. Second, make sure your audio elements serve a purpose, and be succinct. Idle chatter or a message that goes on too long could be perceived as being distracting to the listener. Say what you want to say, and then let the rest of your site do the “talking”. Finally, speak as if you were speaking to a friend. Be natural, welcoming, and friendly.

As important as how to use streaming audio in the most effective way is the decision as to whether such a feature would markedly enhance your site. Audio does not necessarily enhance every site, and it is important to realize that incorporating audio into your site just for the sake of it could be a mistake. If your site is designed to promote the latest CD by a new singer, then audio would unmistakably offer a great deal of benefit. If you are promoting a book, perhaps offering an audio clip of the author (or someone else) reading an excerpt would be very useful. If, however, your site sells women’s clothing, then audio elements may only be useful in the form of testimonials – or not at all.

Do you want to learn more about how I do it? I have just completed my brand new guide to article marketing success, ‘Your Article Writing and Promotion Guide‘

Download it free here: Secrets of Article Promotion

Do you want to learn how to build a massive list fast? Click here: Email List Building

Streaming Audio - Advanced Audio Streaming

2008-10-16T14:26:00.002-07:00

By Sean Ray

What are some of the things you can do with audio streaming that really gives an advanced feel to your web site?

Perhaps one of the most flexible and effective ways to add sound to a website is through Flash files. Although you will need to purchase a program that can create the Flash files (which can be quite costly), Flash lets you import both WAV and MP3 files from which the program creates smaller files that will automatically load within your site. With Flash, you are in control. You can designate the quality level of your files, which will determine how large they will be. Flash files are also loopable (WAV files only), so you can create a continuous loop of sound.

You can also purchase pre-made Flash Loops. These are files that are professionally recorded and are on a nearly endless loop. Most of these files are small (about 20k) in size, thus allowing them to load very quickly on a site. You can get Flash Loops from www.flashmusictracks.com. With these, there is basically no down side. You get a small file with very professional-sounding music that is easy to incorporate on to your site.

So, as you can see, when considering incorporating audio into your site, there is much to think about. Once you decide you want to add an audio element, you will need to move onto decisions about what you want to say, how you want to say it, and in what file format you want it to be said. Audio can be a very effective tool, however, and should definitely be considered for use on most sites. It’s just a matter of using restraint and considering how the sounds you choose will complement and enhance what you want to say.

Do you want to learn more about how I do it? I have just completed my brand new guide to article marketing success, ‘Your Article Writing and Promotion Guide‘

Download it free here: Secrets of Article Promotion

Do you want to learn how to build a massive list fast? Click here: Email List Building

Audio Streaming-Can Audio Make a Difference on Your Web Site?

2008-10-16T14:26:00.001-07:00

By Sean Ray

With hi-speed internet access becoming more ubiquitous in North America, web sites can now afford to offer audio streaming as part of their web site content. But being able to offer it doesn’t necessarily mean it’s desirable to offer. Can audio streaming make a difference on your site? First ask yourself whether your intended audience really needs audio? Obviously, if you in the record business, or selling videos, it might be an asset. If you sell auto parts online, perhaps not.

If audio isn’t something that your audience requires, then you may want to assess its benefit in delivering your product or service message. It can help capture the attention of the view. Certain viewers may pay more attention to an audio message than a written one. Depending on the voice that’s used, a sales message using audio streaming may create a sense of purchasing urgency, and a sense of trust in prospective buyers. One desirable element of audio content is that it becomes one more way in which you can immediately involve the person that hits your home page. They may not be reading, but they can’t avoid listening!

Like any communications media, if you do use audio streaming, make sure you do it right. Unless you have a quality radio-style voice of your own, use professional voice talent. Voice talent is readily available through sites like www.voices.com and is not expensive. A quality voice can make a difference and the will underscore key elements of your product or service while building trust and confidence in your view.

Do you want to learn more about how I do it? I have just completed my brand new guide to article marketing success, ‘Your Article Writing and Promotion Guide‘

Download it free here: Secrets of Article Promotion

Do you want to learn how to build a massive list fast? Click here: Email List Building

Digital Music File Formats

2008-10-16T14:25:00.002-07:00

By Paul Katsande

An uncompressed digital music file (such as that on a music CD) uses 10MB or more per minute (at least 30MB for a 3 minute song).

These files have to be compressed to the more usual levels of 3-5MB per song. Compression rearranges the sequence of numbers, sometimes throwing away less significant information, in order to reduce the file size. The way the compression is achieved leads to the many different audio file formats available. Below is a list of the popular formats used by MP3 players.

MP3 (MPEG Layer 3)

MP3 is a perceptual audio coding algorithm, developed by the MPEG group. Although its a lossy compression, the digital audio sounds exactly as, or very close to, the original sound. The algorithm attempts to adapt the compression to the characteristics of the human perception of sound. This compression algorithm can handle both constant and variable bit rate compressions.

For good quality music, a bit rate of at least 192Kbps is recommended - this is near CD quality. 256Kbps per second is better. There is very little quality difference between 256Kbps and 320Kbps, but the later will have a larger file size. MP3 files have no Digital Rights Management (DRM) technology built in - meaning they are freely portable. That's not to say its legal to move music files from one device to another.

AAC (Advanced Audio Coding)

A newer, lossy audio compression format developed by the same MPEG group. AAC is more efficient than the popular MP3 format, and requires less processing power to decode. Its also not backward compatible with MP3. AAC-compressed audio at 96 Kbps generally exceeds the quality of MP3-compressed audio at 128 Kbps.

AAC supports DRM, but you can have both protected or unprotected formats. The unprotected format is freely portable, while the protected format is locked by the DRM used. Apple uses the AAC format for its iTunes and in QuickTime. Audio compressed at 128Kbps using AAC sounds very close to the original sound, which means a smaller file size for the same audio quality compared to the MP3 format. The file will be about 75% of the size an MP3 compression would produce.

WMA (Windows Media Audio)

WMA is another lossy compression format, developed and owned by Microsoft, and used in Windows Media Player for DRM management. This compression is more efficient than MP3, and comparable to AAC in terms of efficiency and file size reductions.

WMA supports DRM, so can have both protected and unprotected audio files. Most devices and players support the unprotected WMA files - Apple iTunes software can convert them to AAC files.

Ogg Vorbis

Unlike the other formats, Ogg Vorbis is a completely open-source, patent-free, professional audio encoding and streaming format. There are no licensing fees for using this codec. If you are an artist that's goods news. You won't have to pay any fees if you distribute your songs, which you would if you use, say, MP3.

It is yet another lossy compression, but much better than MP3. An Ogg Vorbis audio file encoded at 110Kbps gives a smaller size and sounds better than an MP3 file encoded at 128Kbps. 160Kbps gives very-near-CD-quality audio encoding. Although it's open-source, this codec compares very favourably to WMA, AAC, WMA Pro etc (see Wikipedia for more on this).

This format is rising in popularity due to its open-source nature and freedom from licensing issues.

MIDI(Musical Instrument Digital Interface)

MIDI is one of the old formats, but still very much in use today. Its not really a compression algorithm, but a synthesized music format. MIDI files consist of lists of commands which tell a synthesizer when to start/stop playing a specific note of a specific instrument, and may include the volume and modulation of the note. With MIDI you can play a number of instruments at once, or just play one instrument at a time.

These files are generally tiny compared to normal audio files such as MP3, WMA, AAC. Because this is synthesized music, its quality greatly depends on the quality of the synthesizer on your PC's sound card or the quality of the synthesized instruments in your software. One application for MIDI files is as mobile phone ring tones.

RealAudio (RM/RAM)

This format from RealNetworks was at the fore-front of internet audio formats for many years. This format is usually streamed, rather than downloaded. It can be played using the RealPlayer or RealOne software. A good number of internet radio stations still use this format for their broadcasts.

The audio can be streamed at different bit rates to satisfy bandwidth constraints. If you are on a dial-up internet connection, the music quality you get is lower than if you are on broadband.

ATRAC(Adaptive Transform Acoustic Coder)

The ATRAC compression algorithm is owned by Sony, and was first used in the MiniDisc in 1992. The ATRAC family of lossy algorithms has three members: ATRAC, ATRAC3, and ATRAC3plus. ATRAC, the oldest of the three, can compress CD music to approximately 20% of the original size. ATRAC3 improves on this by a factor of two, compressing a music stream to about 10% of the original.

The youngest member, ATRAC3plus, can compress a music CD to about 5% of the original. In simple terms, ATRAC3plus can allow you to save over 350 music tracks on a 700MB CD. The ATRAC3plus is the default on Sony MP3 players, although they can also play other file formats.

Sony also has a lossless algorithm, imaginatively called the ATRAC Advanced Lossless algorithm. Perfomance-wise, ATRAC3 and ATRAC3plus are comparable to AAC and WMA. Being a proprietary algorithm, its not as widely supported as say MP3.

The author is the webmaster of Akama Music, where you can get free lyrics and tips on music technology.

Digital Audio Compression

2008-10-16T14:25:00.001-07:00

By Paul Katsande

When you listen to a live musical instrument, the sound you hear is an analog sound wave. Such a wave can take an infinity number of values. This signal has to be converted into a sequence of numbers (0s and 1s in native machine language) for storage and playback on a computer. This process of digitisation creates a raw digital music file which uses 10MB or more per minute (at least 30MB for a 3 minute song).

On a PC, a .WAV is an example of a default audio file, while AIFF(Audio Interchange File Format) is the default format on a Mac. On a Unix machine, Sun Microsystems' AU(AUdio) format is the default for audio. These file formats are an exact replica of the original sound, except for small sampling errors. (They also support limited audio file compression.)

These files have to be compressed to the more usual levels of 3-5MB per song. Compression rearranges the sequence of numbers, sometimes throwing away less significant information, in order to reduce the file size. The way the compression is achieved leads to the many different audio file formats available. Each compression algorithm requires a decoder to make sense of the data during playback. The combination of a compressor and a decoder is called, surprisingly, a codec.

COMPRESSION TYPES

There are two broad compression types:

1. Lossless codecs. This kind of compression reduces the file size while retaining every scrap of information from the original file. This means that the original file can be reconstructed exactly as it was before the compression. Lossless compression does not significantly reduce the size of an audio file. Examples of general lossless compression algorithms include zip or gzip compressions.

2. Lossy codecs. These throw away some of the information from the original music file. Ideally what's thrown away is what the human ear cannot hear, namely sounds below 20Hz and above 20KHz. Thus, the most successful lossy codecs are based on an understanding of psychoacoustic perception. Lossy compression can reduce the size of the file to less than 10% of its original size. Most of the codecs you will come across are of this type. Examples include MP3 and WMA codecs.

CONSTANT V VARIABLE BIT RATE

Something else you might come across concerning compression is bit rate. This is the number of bits (0s and 1s) per second in an audio stream. This kind of represents how much information is being conveyed per second. The bit rate within a single music file can be constant or variable.

A. Constant bit rate (CBR). The music/audio file is compressed to the same level throughout the file. For example moments in the audio file having only a drum beating are reduced to the same bit rate as moments having all musical instruments playing at the same time. You would think there is more information to convey when all instruments are playing at the same time than when only the drum is beating. You would rightly choose a high bit rate to accommodate the complex sounds from all the instruments. But a higher bit rate results in a correspondingly larger file.

B. Variable bit rate(VBR). Each moment is compressed to a different bit rate depending on the complexity of the sound. For example, while the drum beat alone can be compressed at 96 Kbps (kilobits per second), the moments with all musical instruments playing could be compressed at 256Kbps. This results in a smaller file size without sacrificing the quality of the music. Remember file size is inversely proportional to bit rate.

The author is the webmaster of Akama Music, which offers free lyrics and tips on technology related to music.

Audiobooks and Audioplayers

2008-10-16T14:24:00.004-07:00

By Marc Verbruggen

Time management is something everybody needs. We have full working days and a lot of time is going away because of traveling and driving your car. Also reading informational books or magazines is time consuming because you can't do nothing other than read. But there are ways to use this lost time wisely.

Thanks to mp3 players that are flooding the market with big storage capacity it is possible to use them also for other things than only to listen to music. The answer is audiobooks.

Audiobooks are now becoming more popular by the day but there wasn't much choise in titles and bookshops didn't have a lot titles to choose from plus they are quit expensive. Mostly more that the original book. But thanks to the internet and that everyday more people get connected to the worlwide web you can easily find your desired audiobook title online and buy them directly and download them to your computer. You can upload the audiobook to your mp3 player and listen to them everywhere.

Besides the well known audiobooks titles you can also get audiobooks to learn a language in 40 minutes or listen to a training in how to use a effective diet. Very helpfull if you are interested in those fields. If you are still searching for the right mp3 player there are some to give some attention.

1. First look for an mp3 player that handles interruption ok. Unlike music that you can start afresh when interrupted, it isn't so much fun to have to start an audio book from the beginning after listening to it for up to 2 hours.

2. Ensure that the MP3 player's volume is loud enough. In as much as you can use an earphone to listen to the MP3 player, it is ideal if the volume is loud enough to be listened to in a noisy surrounding.

3. Make sure the mp3 player has a large memory. Because audiobooks needs a lot of memory, so mp3 players with 512mb or more are the most preferred.

4. The smaller an MP3 player is, the more attractive it looks. But don't sacrifice size for quality or durability.

5. You should also pay attention to the brand of a mp3 player. There are many cheap models from Asia but the quality is rather poor. It is sometimes better to buy from a well known brand and pay something more for good quality and warranty.

6. And lastly, ensure that the MP3 player that you purchase can play encrypted files. Many publishers prefer their audiobook content to be protected, so your MP3 player needs to be able to play files that are using Digital Rights Management (DRM). This is often referred to as WMA DRM.

If your mp3 player has all these features you can download without problems audiobooks.

Check out the audiobook websites and there you also can get free audiobooks to try it out to see if you like it.

Marc Verbruggen, Founder of http://www.toldbooks.com/

How To Create Your Own Audio Mini-Seminar

2008-10-16T14:24:00.003-07:00

By Kendall SummerHawk

Audio is a really fun, effective way to create connection with

your website visitor. My audio mini-seminar series receives rave

reviews...and makes sales for my different information products,

like my Website Wisdom Writing course and upcoming "How to

Charge What You're Worth and Get It!" audio and workbook

program.

If you've been thinking about creating your own audio

mini-seminar but weren't quite sure how to get it all set up,

then you'll love these 7 simple steps.

There are several small steps that go into setting up your audio

mini-seminar. Just follow them and you'll have your own audio

mini-seminar up, helping you sell your services or products in

no time!

Step #1 Decide on your audio mini-seminar topic

Choose a focal point for your audio mini-seminar. I usually

recommend choosing a specific topic that directly relates to the

type of service you provide and want to be hired for. Make your

chose specific, targeted, and clear.

Tip: You don't need to cover everything you can help a client

with in your audio mini-seminar.

Step #2 Decide on the number of steps

This is not the time to try and "teach" your listener to be an

expert. Keep your audio mini-seminar focused on delivering tiny

tidbits of information, organized into a specific number of

steps.

Tip: I recommend 5 or 7 tips, delivered every-other-day by

autoresponder.

Step #3 Include a "call to action" in each audio tip

Getting your listener to take action is a super way to deliver

value. End each audio tip with a specific request your listener

can take action on right away. Better yet, ask them to email you

with the results!

Step #4 Record each audio

I recommend about 2-4 minutes for each audio length. I record

mine right from my telephone, using my Audio Acrobat account. I

love this service! It is fast, simple, and inexpensive to use.

And, once you get a feel for using it, you'll find many more

ways to put it to work for you as a valuable marketing tool.

Tip: Audio Acrobat lets you create different folders within your

account. I store my audio mini-seminar recordings in one folder

to keep them neatly organized.

Step #5 Post each audio tip on its own page on your website

The more you can get your listener to go to your site, the

better off you are. Post each audio tip on it's own page.

Include an extra note, example, or checklist on the page. Your

listeners will appreciate your thoughtfulness.

Tip: Create a link for the prior audio tips and include on each

new tip page. This way, if someone didn't receive the last audio

tip, or wants to hear it again, all they need to do is scroll

down on the current audio tip's page and click on the link for

any of the past tips.

Step #6 Set up the email autoresponder series

I use my newsletter broadcast system. You can also use the

autoresponders that should come with your web hosting. If you're

not technical, do NOT let this part trip you up! Ask for help

from your web master.

All YOU need to do is write a short, upbeat email message

introducing each of your audio tips. Include the link to the

tip's web page you created in Step #4. I like to include a list

of the upcoming tip topics to pique the readers' interest.

Tip: Add a "PS" to each email with a little tantalizing question

or statement that they can ONLY find out about by listening to

your audio.

Step #7 Add the sign-up form to your website

Add your opt-in box at the top of your home page AND at the

bottom. Is that too much? No. It helps attract attention and

encourages sign-ups. Get your web designer to create a graphical

"doo-dad" (that's my technical term and my web designer loves

it!) to draw attention to your audio min-seminar.

Tip: Add a graphical doo-dad for your newsletter too, so your

free give-away looks even more tangible. Take a look at my site

for an example of what I'm talking about.

It took me one day to get everything set up, tested, and

working. Is it worth it? My website converts an average of 15%

of the visitors to newsletter/audio mini-seminar subscribers.

That is a fantastic percentage so, yes, it is WELL worth it!

You are welcome to publish this article

in its entirety, electronically, or in print free of charge, as

long as you include my full signature file for ezines, and my Web

site address in hyperlink for other sites. Please send a

courtesy link or email where you publish to

Kendall@KendallSummerHawk.com

Small business expert and author Kendall SummerHawk is the “Horse Whisperer for Business.” Kendall delivers smart, simple ways entrepreneurs can brand, package and price their services to quickly move away from “dollars-for-hours work” and create more money, time, and freedom in their businesses. To learn more about her book, Brilliance Unbridled, and sign up for more FREE tips like these, visit her site at: http://www.kendallsummerhawk.com

Self-Help Audio Books: Discover How To Supercharge Your Mind Effortlessly

2008-10-16T14:24:00.001-07:00

By Helen Wall

Gone are the days when it was an effort to find time, space and peace and quiet to read a good book for self-improvement. Many people find, prior to having a family and starting a career, they could read as often as they pleased. As bitter sweet as it is, life can become very hectic for some of us, and self-help audio book downloads are the answer to staying motivated, inspired and improve your mind without infringing on your daily schedule.

Almost every household today has a computer and MP3 player, and when you choose audio books over hard copies, there are many benefits. Obviously, being a sound file, you do not need to stop what you are doing to hear your book. This means you can listen while you clean, work, play with the children, walk, and visit the gym or drive. The opportunity for self-development is truly endless! The excuse that you have been too busy to read just does not wash anymore!

Whether you are using an MP3 player or your computer to listen to your books, you can use headphones if desired. No matter where you are or what is going on around you it’s simple to zone out and focus. More and more people are choosing audio books as a way of relaxing each day by taking time out from the world around them to listen. There are so many inspiring, enlightening and educational books that are available as audio book downloads for your easy listening. Many people remember information they hear easily yet have difficulty remembering what they read, so audio books are a perfect choice.

When you find a book you love it is common to want to read it several times. With your audio book downloads you can play them anytime you feel like brushing up on your knowledge, refreshing your memory or feeling re-inspired. An excellent example is an audio book download called The Power is Within You by Louise L. Hay, which you can listen to over and over until you have it almost memorized for recall any time you need it.

Some other top downloadable audio books are lower in cost than their hard copy alternatives. There is no limit to what you can learn or experience through listening to books; you can download audio books for your studies, to learn more about your hobbies, get ahead or stay up to date in your profession, self improvement and empowerment and of course for pure and simple enjoyment. There is also a wide range of fiction from both modern and classic literature available to be downloaded anytime.

Proving to be the most popular of all audio books are those relating to personal growth and improvement. There is a huge new age movement of people who are hungry to evolve spiritually, mentally and emotionally on an ongoing basis through their lives. With audio books being so readily available and easy to listen to, there is so much more opportunity to do this. Authors such as Anthony Robbins, Glenn Harold and Stephen R Covey are just some examples of self-help experts who have ensured their information is available for the audio book audience.

If you are new to downloading audio books, you could possibly find it overwhelming when you see how many are available on the internet for purchase. There is an abundance of information available in relation to self-development, but you want to be sure you are relying on trusted authors who have achieved known success.

These are ten of the top audio book downloads on the subject that are bound to help you to initiate personal growth and emotional development:

Boosting Your Confidence: Andrew Johnson

Awaken the Giant Within: Anthony Robbins

Develop a Powerful Memory: Glenn Harrold

The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People: Stephen R. Covey

How to Win Friends & Influence People: Dale Carnegie

Dynamic Intuition: Laura Day

Be Creative: Guy Claxton & Bill Lucas

The Power is Within You: Louise L Hay

Creating Inner Peace and Calm: Glenn Harrold

The Magic of Thinking Big: David Schwarz

Do not waste another minute cleaning the floors or washing up in silence or to the dull drone of the distant television. Choose one of the above audio books to download and listen to, either on your MP3 player or home computer. You can even copy them to a CD and listen to them on your home entertainment system or in your Discman if you do not have an MP3 player.

Audio books are an authentic way to learn and grow, every opportunity you get and now just because you are busy no longer means you have to stagnate or become out of touch. After you have listened to one, you will want to listen again and again, and as soon as you feel you have had enough you can go and buy a new online audio book to start. It is that easy to supercharge your mind effortlessly with a self-help audio book!

©Copyright: Helen Wall

Helen Wall is the author of this article. If you want to listen to more about how to improve your mind, visit http://www.audiobooksbonanza.com/list.aspx?catId=137 to download self-help audio books from an extensive range from top publishers. Join the free newsletter now and get to know about the latest hot off the press titles, receive time limited special offers and discounts, before anyone else.

Online Audio Books – The Advantages of Downloading Your Audio Book

2008-10-16T14:23:00.004-07:00

By Helen Wall

Getting online audio books is so easy. Unfortunately, if you choose to get your audio books on tape or compact disc, you will have to pay more for them because of the product design, and you will have to wait for them to arrive in the mail. With the mail problems of today, it could get lost, stolen or even sent to the wrong person. Although this does not happen that often, it is something to be concerned about as you do not want to lose it, especially if you have already been waiting for days and weeks. In the world of today, you no longer have to wait for very long if you have internet access. You can pretty much get what you want when you want it.

With online audio books in digital format, you will get the audio books instantly. You do not have to wait for them to arrive in the mail, pay the higher cost, pay for shipping, or only have the ability to listen to them in certain places. You can hear downloaded audio books on computers, PDA, MP3 players, and so on. You have the convenience of listening when you want to and where you want to.

You can also get the latest audio books as soon as you go to your favorite online audio book store. If you were going to buy a cassette tape or compact disc, you would have to wait for the audio book to be produced in these particular formats. With downloadable audio books, you do not have to wait to listen to the audio book of your choice.

There are, of course, some disadvantages to downloading an audio book online. However, these problems can be easily fixed. Audio books are much larger than other things you would download, such as music. Because of their size, they will take longer to download. The time it will take will depend on the website you are downloading from, and the speed of your internet connection. These might seem like some huge disadvantages, but they can be easily remedied.

1. Download in your spare time. Wait until you know you will not need to use the Internet. Set aside some time to download your audio book so you can step away from the computer and complete other tasks that need to be done, watch your favorite television show or movie, or just relax while you wait for your audio book to download.

2. Search for another downloading place. If you have a high-speed connection at work, you can download your audio book there instead of at home. First, make sure it is all right with your boss. Just tell them that you will be performing other work tasks while you are downloading your audio book and then do just that. If your local library has a higher speed internet connection than you do, you might also be able to download it there. Just call your local library and ask them. You could also ask a friend or family member that has a high-speed internet connection to download your downloadable audio books for you.

3. One more thing you can do to shorten the download time is to search and find audio book formats that are specifically created just for you and others who have a slower internet connection. These particular formats will download online audio books faster and easier for you.

Having said that, good downloadable audio book sites allow you to choose three qualities of download: high, medium and low, the latter taking the least amount of time to download because it has less megabytes, which reduces the quality a little, but this is generally fine with spoken word audio books.

(C)Copyright - Helen Wall

Helen Wall is the author of this article. Visit the bookstore http://www.AudioBooksBonanza.com to download audio books from an extensive range of titles from top publishers. Join the free newsletter now and be the first to know about the latest hot off the press titles, receive time limited special offers and discounts, before anyone else.

Online Audio Books - Hear What You Want To Hear

2008-10-16T14:23:00.003-07:00

By Helen Wall

With computer games, DVDs and the internet dominating the 21st century, you would think that reading would have become a thing of the past. The internet has caused many big city stores to close down as people opt for online shopping but the humble bookstore continues to thrive, especially with the introduction of online audio books. Audio books allow you to enjoy your favorite book at any time of the day, even while driving!

Nowadays, almost any best selling book will be accompanied by an audio version, which is fast becoming the modern way to enjoy literature. Audio books have taken away the restriction of traditional reading and today, people are breezing their way through 500 page novels while washing up, taking the dog for a walk or travelling on the bus. What better way to make mundane chores a pleasure!

Even if you have never read a book in your life, there has never been a better time to start enjoying some fascinating material. For those who are more receptive to sound than visuals, online audio books can provide the perfect solution for appreciating the written word. With audio books, you can keep up with the most avid book reader or listen to study material while pursuing other tasks, as they take the monotony out of reading and bring written text to life.

Audio books are readily available in CD format but nowadays, with the advance of technology, a wider range is available on the web. Online audio books can be purchased instantly by browsing the range of titles, downloading your favorites and storing them on your computer or transferring them to your MP3 player. However you choose to purchase or listen, the ears will hear it all and the heart will appreciate it! As online audio books only take up tiny megabytes of space, you can literally store thousands upon thousands. This is something you could never do with a paperback or hard copy unless you were prepared to lose a lot of space in your home!

Even the most avid bookworm will embrace the idea of online audio books, as many will quickly appreciate the advantages of expressive narration. Audio books even appeal to the older generation, as they are familiar with their style, which is similar to the popular radio plays that were so ardently listened to before television became available. Online audio books also have an extensive range of non-fiction material that extends from self-help material through to learning new skills.

As an ideal complement to the hard copy format, online audio books can prevent you from straining your eyes with small print and allow you to have your hands free when eating lunch! Audio books even allow people with reading difficulties to enjoy the most in-depth novel. Never again will you bang your head or scrape your arm as you walk into a door with your nose buried in a book!

Simply slip on your headphones and enjoy those little voices that start talking in your head. Broaden your mind, improve your skills and even escape for a while with seductive descriptions of hot sun-drenched tropical beaches when you feel stressed. With literally thousands of titles to choose from, you will find subjects to suit your every mood.

(C)Copyright - Helen Wall

Audio Books - How to Find The Perfect Listening Device For Them

2008-10-16T14:23:00.001-07:00

By Helen Wall

For people who like to incorporate various activities, like listening to audio books, into their busy lives, the latest iPods and MP3 players are just the devices to provide optimum portability, the latest in style, amazing capacity and memory, excellent battery life and, as an added bonus, reasonable price.

iPods come in a variety of styles and colors suited to every taste and requirement. From the new pink 1 GB iPod shuffle which sells for about £55 to the 30GB, 5th generation at £166, you will find an audio listening device designed to fit your budget and with excellence in mind.

The number one advantage of the new, slim-line audio devices is their portability. Light and easy to carry, these tiny technological wonders make accessibility to your chosen audio books a very attractive proposition. Optional carrying cases and clip on straps provide an easy and convenient method of enhancing their portability.

Choosing a portable device that comes equipped with a click wheel is the best option for anyone who wants to listen to audio books on the go. Due to their capability of allowing easy scrolling, navigation is a snap, far surpassing the limited function of a 'shuffling' device. Because linear structure is of prime consideration when listening to your audio book, the ability to choose random selections will prove to be an added bonus to your listening pleasure.

The variety of styles makes opting for a portable device, which suits your particular need, a relatively easy decision.

Although portability and style are of prime consideration, the most important function of a portable audio device is the amount of memory it has. Being able to store a variety of audio books, podcasts, photos and your favorite music is important. Selecting a unit that has between one to four Gigabytes of memory is usually adequate for the average listener.

The one drawback to most portable listening devices is the limitations of battery life. When selecting a device to play your downloadable audio books, try to get one that has the longest battery life and also comes standard with a good recharging method. Chargers are available for home and vehicle, so make sure the PDA you choose offers both methods of recharging.

While the price of technology is becoming more main-stream, there is still quite a variation from one manufacturer to another. Shop around for the best deal. There are hundreds of internet sites dedicated to providing the best and latest technology from a variety of name brands. Select the one best suited to your budget and style requirements.

The bottom line is that there is a portable listening device to download audio books that will meet all the requirements of your life style. Being a discriminating shopper who is equipped with the knowledge necessary to procure a good deal and being able to recognize a good deal when you see it, will go a long way in helping you to acquire a portable listening device that rocks when you download audio books. Not only will it fit perfectly into your pocket, it will also be very kind to your pocketbook.

Helen Wall is the author of this article. Visit http://www.AudioBooksBonanza.com to download audio books from an extensive range of titles from top publishers. Join the free newsletter now and get to know about the latest hot off the press titles, receive time limited special offers and discounts, before anyone else.

Audio Books: An Amazing Story

2008-10-16T14:22:00.004-07:00

By Helen Wall

It all began with the Royal National Institute for the Blind, which is located in England. During the 1920s the institute was conducting quite a bit of research on how they could create audio books for the blind. While they were doing this research, there was a huge need for help for World War 1 soldiers who had become blind during the war.

It did not take the Royal National Institute for the Blind very long to develop audio books that could be played on the record players used during that period in 1926.

The very first two audio books for the blind marked the history of listening to stories: The Murder of Roger Ackroyd by Agatha Christie and Typhoon by Joseph Conrad.

In that time, audio books usually came with a package of approximately ten records, because one record could hold a mere twenty five minutes of audio.

An unfortunate event took place in 1940 when the Royal National Institute for the Blind was destroyed by a bomb, as well as the replacement. Important materials that were needed in order to create audio books for the blind were also destroyed during the bombings.

That is when the American Foundation of the Blind began creating audio books, and sent the materials the National Royal Institute for the Blind needed to begin creating them again. In a strange occurrence, the shipment of those materials was destroyed at the London Harbor during a bombing raid. Things did not look so good for the RNIB in England. Fortunately, the second shipment of the materials from the American Foundation of the Blind made it, and the RNIB starting making audio books again.

Cassette audio books did not hit the market until the 1960s, which were known as 4 tracks. They required a special delivery system because they were large. Fortunately, regular delivery was revived when the compact cassette was invented and audio books became available on CDs.

The audio book has seen quite a history! Audio books are more popular than ever with anyone who enjoys them, and can be listened to on CD players, MP3 players and more.

The best part about an audio book is that you can be cleaning your home, driving your vehicle, or doing other tasks while listening to a book. That is something you just cannot do with a paperback. You can listen to a great story, learn another language, listen to a seminar, and even more with audio books.

Helen Wall is the author of this article. Visit http://www.audiobooksbonanza.com/ to download audio books from an extensive range of titles from top publishers. Join the free newsletter now and get to know about the latest hot off the press titles, receive time limited special offers and discounts, before anyone else.

Benefits of Downloadable Audio Books

2008-10-16T14:22:00.003-07:00

By Gerber De Lange

I have been listening to audio books for years. I listen to audio books while driving to and from work. It’s a great way to avoid the stress of heavy traffic and the repetitive task of driving the same route to work every day.

In this article I will focus on some of the benefits of audio books and in particular downloadable audio books.

Of course you have the benefits of listening to audio books in general:

- You can listen to an audio book anywhere you want and can do other things at the same time.

- Audio books give you the opportunity to read more books than you would otherwise have time for.

- It can take your mind off of performing repetitive tasks. You can listen to an exciting story or learn a new language while driving to work or mowing the lawn.

- Audio books can help improve your education and develop new hobbies and habits and greatly enrich your life, both personally and professionally.

And here a few benefits of downloadable audio books:

- Downloadable audio books usually are cheaper than the physical audio books (CD’s and tapes).

- Downloadable audio books are available immediately after you order them. No need to wait for the postman to bring them to your doorstep.

- Most sites will let you download the audio books again from your own library of purchased audio books so you won’t need to buy them again if they get lost somehow.

- Downloadable audio books can be listened to on any mp3 player or iPod. And if you like you can always use a cd writing tool like Nero to burn the files on an audio CD.

The benefits mentioned above are just some of the benefits of listening to (downloadable) audio books. Just find out for yourself. There are many sites on the internet offering downloadable audio books.

I highly recommend listening to personal development audio books. Listening to some great audio books will help you to enhance your live in every possible way.

Have fun!

Gerber de Lange is always searching for more ways to improve his everyday life in every way. He shares the information and experience he gathers along the way at the following site: http://everydayimprovement.com

He also has his own site for downloadable audio books: http://everydayaudiobooks.com Feel free to use this article on your website or newsletter as long as you include this information.

Talking Audiobooks - Beneficial, Economical And A Great Entertainment Source

2008-10-16T14:22:00.001-07:00

By Duane Edwards

Talking audio books have been around since the early 1930's. They were a caveman type format, very simple and the audio was not how it is today (so I am told). It has taken us about 75 years to really take notice and start listening to audiobooks (are you one?). Have you noticed that simple everyday enjoyments such as reading a book are gone due to not having enough time? Everyday you hear some one saying "there is not enough time in a day"...this does not mean the days are getting shorter. But why are we lacking free time where we use to read a good short story or novel?

Simple, with the adaptation of computers into our everyday lives, most of us use them at work and at home. Think about it, could you live without your computer for a month or more? Probably not, even though it might be nice to be separated from our computers. But it seems they have consumed our lives like nothing else. We have become very reliant on computers and other electronic gadgets for that matter.

Computers were suppose to make our lives simple and create a lot of spare time for us to enjoy with our families, friends and ourselves. Computers definitely made us more efficient, but we now are busier than we ever have been as a result. That extra free time has been consumed by heavier workloads as we are able to do more work in a day with the help of computers. We work and do more each and everyday, heck people are even now working six or seven days a week just to keep up. So as you can see, our lives have become the total opposite to what we thought they would when computers were just coming into existence.

As a result, we slowly have given up on our pleasures of life such as reading your favorite book or magazine. When we do have a little time to read a book (usually while on holidays), we have to rush through it to complete the book before we return to work. End all the madness and grab a hold of a great book! But how, when we have no free time (didn't we just finish stating how there is not enough time in the day anymore)? Yes we did, but there is a solution and a simple one to boot!

Talking Audio Books are the answer to enjoying books once again. Audiobooks have been around for many years and they have advanced right along with computers. The quality of audio books is very high with digital technology, bringing very entertaining audiobooks to listeners all over the world. Start listening today, no matter if you read novels, short stories, poems, magazines, newspapers or special interest books, you will find an audiobook to enjoy!

The best benefits to listening to audio books are:

1. You can literally listen to audio books anywhere, anytime while doing anything! (well ok, it is not recommended while swimming...but why would you)

Listen to your favorite book while you:

Do outdoor tasks such as cutting the grass, weed the flower beds, water the grass or wash your automobile.
Do indoor jobs such as vacuuming, washing dishes, cleaning the bathrooms, laundry or washing the floors.
Commute to work, school or driving to the grocery store.
Travelling on holidays either in planes, trains, or automobiles (there is a great book title right there). Also enjoy an audio book when you are relaxing by the pool or better yet on the beach of the tropical destination.
Are on lunch break, spare or recess depending if you are working, attending grade school or secondary school.
Work out at the gym, meditating at home or do yoga, these are all good times.
Crawl into bed and get ready for a good nights sleep. Best of all your significant other can be lying beside you and will not hear a thing. That annoying night light will not keep them up ever again, you can now listen to a book in the dark. Just put in your ear plugs and listen away while relaxing. I end everyday and begin each nights sleep listening to meditation audiobooks, you will be amazed how well you sleep (ZZZZzzzzzzzzzz...).

2. Any title you want to find will be on an audiobook. Every year more and more book titles are being produced, giving you years of constant listening pleasure (and that is if not another title would be produced again). So a tremendous selection awaits your ears. 3. Save time listening to audio books while you are doing other tasks that are mentioned above in the first point. There are many times when it is impossible to physically read a book, however very possible to listen to an audiobook.

4. Audio books make great learning tools, and can help advance your career. Students can find them very useful as an alternative to mix up their learning process to keep things new and fresh. Do you need or want to learn asecond language? There is no better way to learn a new language than by listening to audiobook language courses. You will be surprised how interesting it is to learn languages by audiobooks.

5. Stop the repetitive question of "are we there yet?" for the next long family haul down the highway. Select the appropriate number of audiobooks for your travelling time to keep the entire family entertained. Throw in an audiobook that the kids can learn important life values through the basis of a well written story.

6. Listening to downloadable audiobooks or using audiobook rental clubs are some of the cheapest ways to enjoy your favorite book titles. It is cheaper than buying the hard copy of the book, so stop reading and start listening while saving some money!

There are many other excellent benefits to audiobooks but we will keep them for another article in the future. Listen to an audiobook the next time you would like to hear a favorite story and gain the audiobook advantage.

Duane Edwards is the owner and webmaster of http://www.audio-books-for-everyone.com/ and audiobook junkie. For more information about audiobooks, please visit us!

You are welcome to publish this article in its entirety, electronically, or in print free of charge. You must include the entire author resource box as is, leave all of the links active and do not edit the article in any way.

Stop Reading and Start Listening To Audio Books

2008-10-16T14:20:00.000-07:00

By Duane Edwards

Did you know that:

Fewer Americans are reading books than a decade ago, but almost a third more are listening to books on tape, books on CD, books on iPod or books on MP3 players.

(New York Times May 2005)

The reported information above tells the whole story of our lives we are living today. The first part of the reported words tell us that people are slowly passing up reading books...

Why do you think this is?

Our lives have become so consumed and busy with other regular activities that we are giving up our enjoyments of life. Unfortunately reading books is one of the first personal activities that are forfeited, but we can change this. Listening to audiobooks can bring back the joy of books and they can be listened to while doing many other tasks (multitasking is great with a good book). Audio books bring a dramatic flair, exciting energy and an enticing story line to regular paper books.

Even though there are less people reading traditional books, the second portion of the report tells us that there are more people (33% more people) listening to audio books.

Why do you think more people are listening to audiobooks?

As people have less time per day to sit down to read their books, they are then turning their attention to audio books. They can listen to books almost anywhere such as during their commute to and from school or work, while doing regular household chores and while walking or working out. There are many opportunities one can enjoy a great audiobook, take advantage and bring back the love of books to your life again.

How do you listen to audiobooks?

There are different format choices with audiobooks, you must decide what format best suits your lifestyle and where you will be listening to the audiobooks.

Audio books on tape is the oldest format that is used today. It is also the poorest quality, but still is considered a decent audio sound. These audio books on tape are listened with cassette players which are slowly becoming extinct but if you have some audiobooks on tape we have a solution for you. Take any existing audio books on tape that you have and convert the tapes to CD. Not only will the audio output improve greatly, but the books will be turned into digital formats.

Books on CD is the next format that came along in the early 1990's, it was introduced to eventually replace the analog cassette tape. Audio books on CD provide listeners with a truer digital sound, which allows the audiobooks to leap to life. Audio book CD's can be played in various CD players found in computers, home stereo systems, automobiles and portable CD players. Even though CD's have been around for many years, it still is considered a very good audio quality format.

Books on iPods or books on MP3 players have exploded onto the market place, changing our lives indefinitely. People are putting everything they can onto these MP3 players and Apple iPods such as movies, music and photos. Now people are becoming aware of placing books onto their digital players. This means that the audiobooks are a digital format that can be placed onto a computer that can be transferred onto CD's and digital players.

Audiobooks are very versatile and can be fully enjoyed every month no matter how busy your everyday life is. Let the books talk to you, there are no excuses for not enjoying books anymore. Audiobooks are the answer to finding time in your daily life!

Duane Edwards is the owner and webmaster of http://www.audio-books-for-everyone.com/ and audiobook junkie. For more information about audiobooks, please visit us!

Online Talking Audio Books - What Is An Audiobook and How Is It Made?

2008-10-16T09:00:00.008-07:00

By Duane Edwards

We often communicate with people that heard others talking about audio books, but do not know really what they are. There are two different versions of audiobooks, but what is the difference? People are always interested in multitasking while they can save time, because we have such limited free time. Audiobooks are perfect for multitasking , let's take a look at what an audiobook is and the main differences.

What is an Audio Book?

An audiobook is taking a regular traditional book (you must have the copyright permission) and vocally reading the book while recording the narration. A book is recorded with either one narrator that covers all the characters within the book or a cast of narrators that do the voices for one or two characters each. The recording contains the voices of the narrators but background music and sound effects can also be added to the audio book for additional dramatic effect. Both styles are great, but it is the story and type of writing that determines if background music and sound effects are added.

Basically audiobooks come in two different versions:

1. Unabridged Audio Books - an traditional book that is narrated word for word from front cover to the last back page. The audio book is narrated exactly the way the author has written their book, if it is an older book the text may be updated to current times. The entire story is read with nothing removed from the story line, this is the most important aspect of unabridged audiobooks.

2. Abridged Audio Books - you guessed it, the opposite of unabridged audiobooks. A book is professionally edited down in size to just the essence of the story line. Each section or chapter of a book is carefully read and the crucial parts of the book are kept in tact. It does not mean the areas that are cut out are not important, but in fact the areas that are kept are essential and crucial to the story.

As audiobooks grow in popularity, many more titles will be published into audio books. There are thousands of audiobook titles available, but each year this number grows at a vigorous pace. Audiobooks allow you to enjoy your books while doing other tasks everyday. Most people will listen to audiobooks while they are commuting, travelling, cooking, exercising and a lot of other activities. Basically, you can listen to audio books no matter what you are doing.

How is an Audio Book Made?

Once a book title is selected that will be converted into an audiobook, it is time to select the support staff such as narrators (story tellers), publisher, editor etc... When all the support staff is selected then the next step is to have the narrators read the book while it is being recorded. When the narration is complete and accepted, then the sound people go to work in editing and cutting the audiobook into a finished product. The audiobook is then brought into the marketplace for listeners to appreciate.

This is a very simple look at the audiobook creation process to give you a brief example. The process is not as simple as this, there is a lot of work that goes into making an audiobook. More than just meets the eye, there are a lot of people involved in creating an audiobook so people can site back and relax listening to their favorite books.

Duane Edwards is the owner and webmaster of http://www.audio-books-for-everyone.com/ and audiobook junkie. For more information about audiobooks, please visit us!

Online Audiobook Formats - What You Need To Know

2008-10-16T09:00:00.007-07:00

By Duane Edwards

Todays audiobook formats come in four different styles that are widely used. Each format determines the audio book quality that is delivered as well as the type of player used to listen to the audiobook. There is an audiobook format that will best suit your needs. Let's answer the popular question...What audiobook format is best for you?

Audio Books on Tape

Made popular back in the early 1980's, audio books on tape brought an increased audio quality over the vinyl records used earlier. This was the first type of audiobook format that was easily portable mostly due to the small size of the cassette tapes. However, the smaller size does not affect the audio storage capacity of the cassette tape. Audio books on tape are able to hold up to 120 minutes of audio recording and offered a more durable audio book format. The vinyl records were prone to scratches that added to the pops and skips that were soon associated with them. The only draw back for audio books on tape is when a tape is overplayed it would stick to the player and cause the taped to become damaged as the player still played the tape. Audio books on tape also have the following synonyms:

Books on Tape
Books on Cassette Tape
Talking Tapes
Audio Books on Tape
Audiobooks on Tape

Audiobooks on tape are played on cassette tape players that are found inside of automobiles, home stereo systems, ghetto blasters and portable cassette players (walkman style). Even though audio books on tape are slowly being phased out by newer technologies, they are still available and used by audiobook publishers today. For the reason that audiobooks on tape started back in the early 1980's, many earlier audiobook titles can only be found as books on tape. Since audio books on tape are being phased out by the following newer formats, it is not advisable to start or continue listening to books on tape. But do not throw out your books on tape, you can easily convert tapes to CD while not breaking the bank.

Audio Books on CD Digital technology came along to replace the analog audiobooks on tape with a cleaner and crisper audio sound through the development of CD's (compact discs). Audio books on CD changed the way the world listens to audiobooks by introducing the digital technology and layered audio channels. Audio books on CD is the most used audiobook formats today, but is quickly being overtaken by downloadable audiobooks. Audiobooks on CD are preferred by retailers and rental clubs allowing for the widest range of titles available to you the audiobook listener. Just like books on tape, audiobooks on CD are played on CD players found in automobiles, home stereos, mini stereos and portable CD players. Not only did the audio quality improve, the durability also was increased greatly with the introduction of CD's. There also is a compression format that can be placed onto the CD's called MP3. This means greater amounts of audiobook reading can be placed onto one CD, a huge bonus not only for online audiobook rental clubs but also for the audio book listener.

Downloadable Audio Books Since the digital technology really helped develop CD's, it also brought downloadable audio books our way as well. Basically these audio books are converted and saved as digital audio files such as MP3 format. This format has gained popularity lately with the creation of Apple iPods and MP3 players. It seems these players have become a regular addition to our everyday lives, this is the main reason audiobooks have exploded in the most recent years. Downloadable audio books are used by audio book rental clubs, audio book retailers and by the audio book listener. Never have audio books been so portable and convenient for the industry and fans, all because of the downloadable technology. Online audio book downloads are definitely the most popular audio book format, and one to consider.

Audio Book Chips Yes that is right, audio books come in a chip format, but they taste awful (even with dip). All of us have seen and probably used secure digital cards (SD Cards), they are best known with digital cameras. These are the memory cards (sticks) that save the photos taken with digital cameras. Well, as technology advances at a rapid pace, so does the audio book formats. Audio books are now being placed onto these SD cards that are the size of a quarter coin. These SD cards offer a superior audio quality, a very dependable (no moving parts) format all in a small package. Great things really do come in small packages! The audiobook chips can be played on a wide array of players such as computers, PDA's and cell phones. Even though audio book chips are a newer format, they are a good format for audiobooks.

These are the audio book formats used by retailers, publishers, rental clubs and are available to enjoy by you...The Audio Book Listener! As you can see, there is an audio book format that will meet your needs, you just have to choose which one is best.

Learn to convert tapes to CD easily without breaking your bank account.

Duane Edwards is the owner and webmaster of http://www.audio-books-for-everyone.com and audiobook junkie. For more information about audiobooks and everything related, please visit us!

Audio Books on Tape - Still Listened to Today, But Why?

2008-10-16T09:00:00.005-07:00

By Duane Edwards

Listening to audio books on tape are still favored by some audio book listeners. Even though books on tape are a technology from the past, they are still available as new and used audiobooks. Who uses audio books on tape? Well they are used by audio book rental clubs, audio book retailers, publishers and audio book listeners. The demand is still strong and will be around for many years to come, so enjoy!

The simplicity of Books on tape and the ease of operating a cassette player make audio books on tape a perfect format for the elder and children. When people get older they may find it tougher to read books, especially paper back novels. So books on tape offer a wonderful alternative since there are not much title assortment to large print books.

Books on tape have many benefits that are excellent for the elder and children:

Simple operation of the audiobook player
Still considered a decent audio quality
Automatic bookmarks when the tape is stopped
Simply resume where you stopped listening from
Audio book tapes are durable

But audio books on tape should not be just for the elder or children, everyone can enjoy listening to books on tape.

Audio books on tape became popular in the early 1980's, when they were introduced to replace the aging LP vinyl records. If you are looking for older book titles as audio books, the best format to look at is audio books on tape. It is still easy to find the older audiobook titles on tape, Ebay is a great online source for new and used audiobook tapes. There are also some used audio book sites online that still carry audio books on tape as well such as Powells and Amazon.

If you are looking to buy used audio books on tape, be careful to ask the appropriate questions regarding the tape quality. Ask how the tape audio sounds, maybe have the seller rate the audio quality on a scale of 1-10. It is possible to upgrade your audio books on tape to a higher audio quality...Convert tapes to CD!

It is simple to convert audio books on tape to CD, which improves the audio quality as well. You see, do not throw out those older audio books on tape, simply convert the tapes to CD without breaking the bank.

But this is an area that you get what you pay for. There are some free progams that will work, but we highly recommend other programs such as Nero or Sonic. These programs can be purchased in the area of $70.00, but if you are wanting to convert your audio books from tape to CD then do not cut the immediate cost of the program. It is the program that will determine the final audio quality, so it is worth paying a little which will give you a lot in the final product. Also, these programs offer more than just tape to CD converting, you will be able to work on audio, photos, movies and more...a lot more!

Even though some people consider audio books on tape as old technology, there still are benefits to them. Audio books on tape still a recommended format to enjoy, start today with older titles with books on tape.

Convert tapes to CD's easily and economically!

Duane Edwards is the owner and webmaster of http://www.audio-books-for-everyone.com/ and audiobook junkie. For more information about audiobooks, please visit us!

Audio Books on CD - The Best Quality Available

2008-10-16T09:00:00.003-07:00

By Duane Edwards

By using digital technology to place audio books on CD, it brings the stories to life like never heard before. Audio books on tape are soon to be replaced by audio books on CD bringing a superior audio quality and improved durability. The CD format is used by publishers, retailers and rental clubs making it a favorable format for the industry.

Audio books on CD have two types of formats:

1. Regular CD compression which allows for approximately 80 minutes of audio recording time. But the time also depends on the audio file size of the audiobook. This is the most common type that everyone is use to as most computers have the appropriate CDR burners. With the regular compression, this means that multiple CD's are needed for one audiobook recording.

2. MP3 CD compression takes the same audio file and compresses it down to a much smaller size. This allows for more audio recording time and less CD's needed for an audiobook. Audio book rental clubs have less CD's to ship and listeners can now listen to audio books on fewer CD's. MP3 compression has become very popular with the creation of Apple iPod and the various MP3 players. Audio book MP3 CD's are growing in popularity as a result of the players, therefore more audio book titles are available in this format.

This does not mean you should take your old audio books on tape and throw them out. No...

You can convert tapes to CD very easily, adding more titles to your audio book on CD library. Converting audio books on tape to CD's improves the audio quality, allowing greater enjoyment on older audiobook titles.

Audio books on CD can be played on many components such as:

Personal computers

Automobile stereos

Mini stereos

Home stereos

Portable CD players

Also, audio books on CD can be converted into MP3 file formats with a computer then transferred onto an MP3 player. This allows greater versatility of audio books on CD which is a benefit for you the listener. Audio books on CD are a great choice for all listeners due to the superior audio book quality, large title selection and simple operating devices.

Audio books on CD have become a regular part of our lives and we recommended them as one of your primary audio book formats.

Learn more about Audio Books on CD and see all the benefits.

Duane Edwards is the owner and webmaster of http://www.audio-books-for-everyone.com/ and audiobook junkie. For more information about audiobooks, please visit us!

Digital File Types for Audio Transcription

2008-10-16T09:00:00.001-07:00

By Anne Hickley

There are a variety of recording systems available, suitable for dictation to conference recording. If you already have a digital recording mechanism, there is a good chance that it will record a variety of different file types for different purposes. This article aims to discuss these different types and suggest the right one for you, depending on your circumstances. If you are still considering which digital recording device to purchase then you have the opportunity to consider the file types it will produce before you buy.

If you do not know what file types you are working with, you can tell by looking at the file extension. This is the set of three letters that follow the dot, as in, for example, 'interview.wav'

The different file types all have advantages and disadvantages for transcription services, the most obvious of which is a trade-off between quality and file size. Sound files can be very, very large if they are not compressed, but compression is 'lossy'; in other words a complete or 'lossless' audio file has been taken and compressed, which removes data that is considered redundant, resulting in reduced audio quality, which can cause problems for the transcriber.

It may initially seem obvious that you and your transcriptionist want the best quality but in fact, many lossy formats have a negligible quality loss but are much smaller files. If you are planning to email files for transcription to your transcriptionist, the advantage of a 2MB file, as opposed to one 40MB in size, should be obvious! No sound file of any length is small, but at least it is possible to email a 2MB file for transcription. Most service providers will not allow a 50MB file through, and even if they did it could take hours to download, blocking both your email and your transcriptionist's. More and more transcriptionists are using a system which bypasses email; you can either upload files directly to their website or send your files using a simple file transfer programme. However, even these options have limits to the file sizes as a rule.

It also worth noting that depending on the playback software being used for transcription, your transcriptionist may only be able to play back certain file types. Some cover practically all digital file types while others are more limited, so it is worth checking first.

The 'right' file type and attributes for you and your transcriptionist will also depend on what the purpose of your recording is. If it is a dictation, a lower sound quality will still provide a clear enough recording for a digital transcription.

If you are recording a focus group, for example, where several people are seated at different distances from the recorder and speaking at different levels and pitches, you will probably need a higher sound quality to accommodate this.

Your recording equipment may allow you to set different attributes for the same file type. This can make an enormous difference to the sound quality and size of the file, and consequently the transcription quality. In some cases, for example dictation (one person speaking into machine, in a quiet environment) you can probably afford to loose sound quality and the recording will still be clear for transcription. In other cases (focus groups, noisy environments) you may find you need to choose a slightly larger file size in order to maintain decent sound quality.

Attributes are often shown as Hz. 8,000kHz mono is suitable for dictation and the range goes up to 44,100kHz stereo, which is the top quality, used for music CDs.

Examples of different file formats and some details about their use in transcription follow:

WAVeform Audio (.wav)

WAVeform Audio (.wav) is a common file format and was one of the first audio file types developed for use with the PC. It is lossless, but generally very large. This means that you will probably need to send the files on a CD, rather then emailing them, although some transcriptionists, including myself, on my site www.penguin-transcription.co.uk, have a system whereby you can send large files via the internet without using email. You certainly need a broadband connection, or similar, to utilise these effectively though.

Warning! Not all wav files are the same! Although they all end .wav, depending on the recorder, you and your transcriber may need a special 'codec' to play it back. An example is Sanyo; a popular and moderately priced recording system but one that records specifically Sanyo wav files. You should check that your transcriptionist has the ability to transcribe Sanyo wavs. If not, Sanyo may oblige by sending out the relevant codec on CD, if you ask them nicely!

The following types are all lossy, but generally the sound quality change is negligible and you will save significant time and money with reduced transfer times. This is not an exhaustive list of all audio file types; there are a huge number. It aims to cover most of the types recorded by available transcription software.

MPEG-1 Audio Layer 3 (.mp3)

This is a compressed WAV file often used in music. Many digital dictation recorders will also record mp3 or allow you to record WAV and then compress to mp3 to send on for transcription. The compressed files will be around a twelfth the size of WAV files.

Windows Media Audio (.wma)

Windows Media Audio (.wma) was developed for Windows Media Player which is bundled with all Windows-based PCs these days. It is even more compressed than an MP3, to about one thirty-sixth the size of a .wav, but apparently retaining the original sound quality. I have to say that in my experience of transcribing I am not sure whether this has always been the case.

Digital Speech Standard (.dss)

In my experience, most playback software used for transcription will play .dss files. If not, there is a free download available on the Olympus site. I believe .dss was developed by Olympus and almost all, but not all, Olympus recorders will record .dss files. Lanier and Grundig recorders also generally use .dss. The file size is reduced by twelve to twenty times, as compared to a WAV file, and is ideal for transcription as it is small and easy to email.

DVF

This is Sony’s answer to the .dss file. It is a very highly compressed file, but fine for voice, and its small size makes it very easy to send by email.

Encrypted dictation (.dct)

Often used for medical transcription, which requires very high confidentiality, these recordings are encrypted at the recording end and need to be decrypted on receipt by the transcriber. A wide variety of playback software will deal with these files.

TrueSpeech from DSP Group

TrueSpeech, from the DSP group, was designed for personal computers and personal communications devices. It has very high compression ratios ranging from 15:1 to 27:1. If you are able to record this format it is probably best restricted to use with dictation or one-to-one interview in a quiet environment. It is probably too lossy for focus groups etc.

There are a whole host of other file types available so don't worry if the type that your machine produces is not listed above. Contact your VA and s/he will probably be able to assist you, or at least point you in the right direction.

CD Audio file (.cda)

These files are standard recordings onto CD, and are generally the file type of music files bought no CD. As I understand it (not too well!) the CDA is actually just a sort of cover file that says this is a file on a CD, and the underlying file is probably a wave file or one of the other file types listed above. Most transcription recorders will not record to CDA but if you are having a professional recording made of a conference or series of lectures, for example, you may well find yourself with CDA files. Most transcription software will not work with CDA format. There are a number of ways to convert CDA files but these can be expensive and/or time consuming. Transcriptionists specialising in digital transcription will probably be able to transcribe these files but you may be charged a surcharge for the time taken in converting them to a useable format. There are a variety of converters available, but one that I have used successfully, and that provides a trial version, is Easy CD Ripper, a shareware with a fully functional trial version that can be downloaded from various places including http://www.tucows.com/preview/209478

You will probably have only a limited range of file types available for your transcription, depending on your recording equipment, but any equipment should provide you with a range of options depending on your needs. If you have the opportunity it is always a good idea to make a test recording with the settings that you think will be right. Then play it back, or send it to your transcriptionist to play back, in order to check that the sound quality is acceptable.

Finally, I would just like to say that this information is based on my understanding and experience of digital transcription. I cannot absolutely guarantee its accuracy but would be very interested to hear of any errors and happy to correct them. Similarly if you feel that there is an important area I have not covered, please let me know and I will do my best to incorporate it.

This article is copyright, Anne Hickley, 2007.

Penguin Transcription (http://www.penguin-transcription.co.uk), part of Penguin Office Services, offers an affordable transcription service by tailoring each quote to the exact requirements of the client. The more information the client can provide us with, and the better the quality of the recording for transcription, the more affordable the transcription service will be. Why not visit our site and fill in an enquiry form at http://www.penguin-transcription.co.uk/PTS_enquiry_form.html to receive a quote for your transcription requirements.

This article is copyright, Anne Hickley, 2007.

Audio Recordings for Transcription - How To Get The Best Results

2008-10-16T08:59:00.007-07:00

By Anne Hickley

Whether you are recording dictation, interviews, conferences, focus groups or meetings, it is important to know how to get the best quality recording, how to find a competent transcriptionist, and what sort of costs you are looking at.

The type of transcription depends on the type of recording equipment you have. You can record on to standard audiotape, micro or mini tapes, mini-disks and digital files, which the transcriptionist plays back on a computer. If you don’t already have recording equipment, bear in mind that while a mini tape Dictaphone, for instance, might be much cheaper then a fully functional digital conference recorder with several external microphones, the quality of the cheaper instrument makes it suitable only for basic dictation.

Some mini and micro tape recorders are powerful enough to be placed on a table between an interviewer and interviewee and pick up both voices, but we strongly recommend you carry out a test recording first to make sure. To record a focus group or conference you will need a good system of powerful microphones which will probably record into a video, digital audio or standard tape system. Digital systems are very variable and many are of good enough quality to record focus groups and conferences.

It is also worth bearing in mind that more and more transcribers no longer offer tape transcription, as digital is becoming so much more popular, and it is easier to work with and better quality.

On average it takes four hours to transcribe one hour of recording, but this varies considerably. It might be closer to three hours for one person speaking into a Dictaphone but could well be at least six to eight hours for a large focus-group.

This is because we speak much faster than even the fastest typist can type. Also, the transcriptionist doesn’t just type what he or she hears - it has to make sense. Although your transcriptionist should only type what’s being said (unless specifically requested to edit), it's not just a matter of the right words, but also the right punctuation and, of course, picking the correct homonym (e.g. there or their; two, to or too; pare, pear or pair; fair or fare; the list is almost endless).

You will also need to decide whether you want a ‘verbatim’ transcription with every um, er etc. transcribed and all interruptions etc. noted. This is necessary for some work, such as police transcription, but is completely pointless in, for example, conference transcription, as the important factors in the latter are readability as well as accuracy.

The time taken to transcribe a recording can vary according to a number of factors. These include:

*Clarity of speech - Strong or varied accents slow down the transcription.

*Clarity of recording - background hiss will make the speech more difficult to hear and therefore slow down the transcribing. Also, if a number of people are being recorded, the positioning and number of microphones can make an enormous difference to the quality of recording.

*Background noise - a recording in a pub or café is likely to have significant background noise and deciphering the speech from the background noise can be difficult.

*Number of people talking - everyone talks at a different rate and pitch, and with a different accent. Having to 'tune in' to a number of different people slows down the speed of transcription.

People also talk over each other and interrupt, and in order for the transcriptionist to transcribe two people talking over each other they will have to play back the section of recording several times to pick out the different voices.

*Speed of speech - as already mentioned, some people speak faster than others. Clearly a fast speaker will take longer to transcribe, as they will fit more words in to an hour than a slower speaker.

*Whether speaker speaks in coherent sentences - few people actually do speak in the same way as we write. There are usually multiple 'ums and ers' and people often speak in partial sentences. This can require the transcriber re-listening to a section several times to grasp the meaning and insert the relevant punctuation.

*Whether you are seeking an exact transcription or a transcription 'for meaning'. Our standard offering at Penguin Office Services is to transcribe word for word but to leave out 'ums and ers' and repeated meaningless phrases, such as 'you know', and 'know what I mean?' It is obviously quicker to leave out these parts, but we are happy to transcribe them if required. An example of when an exact transcription might be required is academic research interviews studying language use.

So if you want to make sure you get a good quality recording, what can you do? Firstly, use the best quality recording equipment you can afford. This really is a question of getting what you pay for. A low-cost recorder may seem economical but the quality will be comparatively poor and a poor recording will take longer to transcribe. Paying for more transcription time will probably work out more expensive than spending a few pounds extra on better recording equipment. Digital recording must be the way to go if you are starting from scratch. Minidisks make very good quality recordings but only a few transcriptionists can transcribe from them. At Penguin Office Services we can convert Sony Minidisk recording to computer-based audio and transcribe from that. If you are not going down the digital route then standard audio tapes make better quality recordings than mini tapes, though micro tapes are also good for interviews and one person dictations. If you are using tapes, by all means keep a back-up copy but do send your transcriptionist the originals, as back-ups may be reduced quality.

Secondly, record in a quiet environment such as a self-contained office. This will make an enormous difference to the quality of recording. If you need to record in an open-plan office or public space then try to ensure your microphone is placed close to the speakers you are recording, but as far as possible from other workers in the office and their phones, or other people in a public space. Recording in pubs, restaurants and cafes, trains etc. will greatly reduce the quality of recording. If the speaker has a very quiet voice the recorder will not pick it up. Although you don't want to remind people that the recording equipment is there, you may have to ask them to speak up or place the equipment closer to them.

Thirdly, bear in mind that most built-in microphones are of poor quality with limited control over volume levels. They are designed to pick up close speech such as someone speaking directly into a Dictaphone. Using a good quality microphone for interviews and other multiple speaker recordings will greatly improve quality and reduce transcription time.

It is essential to ensure that the speaker is close enough to the microphone. If there are several speakers, for example in a seminar or conference, ensure that there are sufficient microphones around the room to pick up ALL the participants clearly. If seated around a table use something like a Conference mixer, which links several microphones to one central unit that will pick up a discussion more clearly than one central microphone.

If you are chairing a focus group you should ensure that all participants know that they must speak clearly and one at a time or their words will not be clearly recorded. There will be times when participants get exited and interrupt each other. When this happens it may be sensible to interrupt and ask them to repeat, one at a time, so that all the words will be clearly recorded.

There are also a couple of things you really should avoid doing, and these usually apply to tapes, rather then digital. Some recorders can tape at slower speeds, extending the recording time and reducing the number of tapes used. However, there is a related loss in recording quality. We would recommend that you use only the fastest speed setting on your recording equipment. Also, some recorders have a voice-activation system so that you don't waste tape recording long pauses. However there are two serious problems when using this. The first is that a soft-voiced person might not activate the recorder at all, so that whole sentences might not be recorded. The second is that every time somebody does speak and activate the recorder there is a slight time delay before recording starts, so the first word or two will probably not be recorded.

Finally, where you have speakers at a podium or multiple speakers in a large room, it is advised that you seek professional help to ensure everything is clearly recorded. Most hotels and conference centers will have in-house experts, or a company specializing in audiovisual equipment should be able to help.

If you have decided to use digital recording, there are quite a number of things to bear in mind when choosing your recorder. Please see my separate article, ‘Digital File Types for Transcription’ for more information on this.

Audio Business Book

2008-10-16T08:59:00.005-07:00

By Alberto Abudara

It is undeniable that one of the most important things that business people must do to keep up to date is read business books. However, people with important positions in many companies have to deal with a big problem due to their responsibility positions: lack of time.

I have recently had the opportunity to read some interviews to managers and company directors, where they were asked which was the last business book they have read. And most of them hadn't read one for a long time, they couldn't during the day because they didn't have time, and were very tired to do it at night when they returned home. So we were having a generation of managers, or people with responsibility positions in companies that were not reading business books.

Fortunately for them, there is a big new trend, there are lot of business books that have been recorded to obtain audio business books. Now they can listen to that audio business book when they are traveling to work, or returning home in their car, or while they are doing other tasks, such as while they are doing exercise. In this way, they can keep updated with the latest methods, trends, news about business in general, or the area where they specialize.

I presume if I listen to some similar interviews with business people in the near future, they will say something like: Well, I have not read any business books in the last days or months, but I have listened to lots of them!

Alberto Abudara is the owner of Audio Book Fortress , http://www.audiobookfortress.com, an audio book store with lots of audio business books. To find more information about audio books visit his blog at http://mp3-audio-book.blogspot.com

Audio Books - The Big Wave of the Future

2008-10-16T08:59:00.003-07:00

By Wayne Leskosky

Are we losing hours in a day or are we just getting busier and having less time to do all things that we want? It has come to the point where time has become our most precious and coveted commodity, even surpassing money in many instances. How can we “get back” some of those lost hours? One way is listening to audio books and it has become a red hot new trend that is sweeping the nation. Studies show that less Americans today are buying printed books and converting to audio books. In fact right now, one-third more people are listening to audio books and it’s estimated that downloadable audio books will outsell printed books by huge quantities within just a few more years.

Why are more people switching over to downloadable audio books? People are busier nowadays than ever before and are forced to give up much of their leisurely time. They have hectic schedules and busy lifestyles and must multi-task to make their day more productive. Listening to audio books puts a lot of “dead time” to good use. You can listen to audio books while doing anything at all. Hear your favorite novels while exercising, walking your dog, cooking or doing chores around the house. Listen to them while shopping, running errands, commuting or traveling. The possibilities are virtually endless.

Audio books serve a large variety of uses. They can be used for studying, learning a new skill, developing your inner self, meditating, relaxing and reducing stress. Audio books are perfect for people learning a foreign language because you can clearly hear the correct pronunciation and it’s almost like having your very own teacher there right beside you. Audio books are most ideal for the visually impaired and people who suffer from dyslexia.

Downloadable audio books offer many advantages. Thousands of titles are available all the time from world leading publishers. More best sellers and popular titles are available every month from top selling authors and the figures are growing exponentially. Audio books are very convenient, portable and affordable. Many sell for as little as a few dollars and some are even free. In many ways they are more economical than printed books in that it saves a countless numbers of trees every year. The quality of audio books nowadays is excellent and far superior to the ones that were made years ago. Today’s audio books contain any number of narrators and characters and are filled with realistic sound effects and background music. This makes them much more dramatic, exciting and entertaining. Audio books are easy to download quickly and can be converted to any format that you choose. They are yours to keep and they’ll practically last forever.

Which format is the best to use for listening to audio books? It really depends on each person’s personal preferences. The oldest format is the cassette tape which offers a number of advantages. They are durable and convert easily to a CD and they won’t bend or snap like a CD. They are simple to use and resume play once the tape has been stopped. Cassette tapes are easier to play for children, many elderly and “technically challenged” individuals. Many elderly people have difficulty reading small print in books and a good number of individuals are either blind or dyslexic, so they can all find audio books on tape the answer to their prayers. However, cassette tapes do pose a few drawbacks. The recording quality is somewhat more inferior compared with the other available formats. Tapes can wear out quicker and sometimes the ribbon gets twisted, broken or “eaten” inside the player. Cassette tapes are becoming harder to find and will eventually become obsolete.

More popular audio book formats are CD, MP3 and iPod. They all offer much better digital sound and the overall quality is much higher than conventional cassette tapes. CD’s can be played on any PC, DVD player, car audio system and Play Station video game consoles. MP3's and iPods are the most compact formats of all and are gaining huge popularity. All formats have their good points and drawbacks. Everyone should choose the format which best works for them. Whatever your decision, audio books are the best thing since sliced bread.

Wayne Leskosky is the author of this article and owner of the audio book store http://www.MyAudioBookMarketplace.com . We’re constantly adding new features every week and you’re invited to check out our extensive selection of titles. For more information about our website, please visit us!

Access to Music via the Internet – Opening Up a Whole New World of Choice

2008-10-16T08:59:00.001-07:00

By Stephen Morgan

Gone are the days of waiting until Saturday morning to get a bus into your local town to go to the record shop to buy the latest recording from your favourite artist.

Today there are many new and exciting services provided via the Internet to make this task a whole lot easier and much more immediate.

With a click of your mouse, your favourite music can be downloaded and in an instant loaded to your favourite iPod or whatever is your MP3 player of choice.

The ability to download music and material is a dream come true for most music lovers. The simple fact that you can now access and download your favourite tracks and music onto your MP3 singly as opposed to the old days of having to buy the entire album. The satisfaction of now being able to enjoy your music without having to endure the always ever present dodgy tracks usually reserved for midway through side two of any album or Cassette.

Happy days indeed.

There are practically hundreds of services that are now on offer and the choice of material available has never been wider. Because of the nature of the medium involved and the benefits of economies of scale, services are now available that would not have been commercially viable even as recently as a few years back.

If you were to ask most people about Music service online then probably the two most used phrases in any reply would contain the words iPod and Amazon but in reality these are only the tip of the iceberg.

There are hundreds of other stores where you can purchase and download music just as easily. There are now in place distribution services that are connected directly to the major record labels themselves.

An example of this is Connect, which is the in-house pay-per-track service for Sony Music. It also handles music from other record labels as well. One of the downsides recently with the whole business of purchasing and downloading music from online sources has been the restrictive software used up until recently by the major labels to prevent the unauthorised copying and distribution of material. In a word an attempt to avoid Piracy.

This short sided approach has now been changed with the landmark decision reached recently between EMI Music and iPod whereby you can now transfer music from one source to another.

However there are few things that you need to take into consideration when getting involved in all of this. Firstly the pricing, expensive prices does not necessarily relate to good quality. Secondly the quality of the music provided, it is not always as good all-round, you would be surprised so check first. Lastly what format do you require your music to be in to ensure compatibility with whatever music player you are using?

Sounded so easy at the start did it not? It still is, all that you have to do is check the basics first.

Stephen Morgan writes about a number of Internet based issues such as Recreation and Music. A passionate music lover he champions the cause of the rise of online music sources. Check out Song Lyrics a useful source for online lyrics.

Audio Streaming – Can Audio Make a Real Difference on Your Web Site?

2008-10-16T08:58:00.005-07:00

By Sean Ray

Audio Streaming is a great way of connecting with your visitors to your site. This can be a great way of welcoming, explaining and guiding those visitors while at the site.

Can Audio Make a difference on your web site? Most definably! If performed correctly, it can be a useful and enhancing tool to your site. It can be used to explain in more depth the rewards or benefits of your site and what it has to offer. Using audio provides a more human to human contact feel which makes it more relatable to the visitors.

It also allows a great source of questions and answers as well as more guidance on how to maneuver through your site. Providing an overall review of the site helps make people feel more at ease. However, understand that audio can hinder a site as well. It is not guarnetted that people will listen to the audio.

Sometimes I quickly click through the audio and realize later that audio might have been helpful. More times than not, I end up going back and listening to what the audio has to say. It must be important if they took the time to put it on there that is my thinking! Besides, it takes a lot more work to place audio on a web site!

I have come to realize that placing audio on sites does aid in my research of the site and that it provides a different aspect of personal touch that I feel lacks from some sites that choose not to use audio. So, can audio really make a difference on your web site? If done properly and in relation to what your site has to offer, I do feel that audio is a great enhancing tool!

Do you want to learn more about how I do it? I have just completed my brand new guide to article marketing success, ‘Your Article Writing and Promotion Guide‘

Download it free here: Internet Article Marketing

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Audio Streaming - Can Audio Make a Difference on Your Web Site?

2008-10-16T08:58:00.003-07:00

By Sean Ray

How are the best salesmen so effective? Because they know how to talk to people, and this is how audio streaming can make a difference on your web site. Many great sales personnel are very persuasive when they speak, but don’t have a clue when it comes to trying to persuade through writing. It is a completely different skill.

If you have audio on your site your customers feel more of an affinity towards you rather than reading just words. It makes a difference if you can greet customers personally to your website, and make that personal connection that is so important in securing the prospects attention. That is not so easy to do with only the written word. Tests have proved that you will have much greater rates of conversion of visitors to sales using streaming audio than only text-based messages.

Don’t get me wrong here, it is possible to sell a lot of products by means of the written, rather than the spoken, word, and it is, after all, the way that large numbers of people have made their fortunes through internet marketing. However, even the most successful would gladly have thrown away the typewriter if they had the option of audio. It is such a superior sales medium. If you were looking for a particular product what you believe: a written message or somebody talking to you about their product?

From the point of view of the customer, it is easy to write and rewrite a sales message until the salesperson has it exactly right, but you can’t do that when you are speaking. The fact that the speaker is most likely to be a professional talker, and is reading from a perfected script, seems irrelevant. People tend to find speech more believable and persuasive that written sales copy.

Do you want to learn more about how I do it? I have just completed my brand new guide to article marketing success, ‘Your Article Writing and Promotion Guide‘

Download it free here: Internet Article Marketing

Do you want to learn how to build a massive list fast? Click here: Email List Building

Lucrative Audio Streaming - Make Money With Audio Streaming

2008-10-16T08:58:00.001-07:00

By Sean Mize

Audio streaming has become one of the popular fads online –and I wonder how long it will remain that way. There are so many things online that have come and gone – it is almost laughable to think about it.

People used to think that banner ads were the way to go – people used to think that a sale page converted better with a banner heading – now they are not so sure.

People used to think that a graphic with the picture of your ebook was the way to go – and now, that may not be the case.

So what about audio streaming? Will it stand the test of time?

Honestly, I think not. You see, I have a basic theory about the online world – there are only two things that really matter online – and that is traffic and conversion.

Does audio streaming add to traffic or conversions?

What if the net effect is zero? What if there is a big jump at first, and then consumers end up choosing the simpler sites instead? And I think that is a very real possibility.

So if audio streaming is for real, how do you make money with it?

Remember, there are two things that impact money and making money online – traffic and conversions.

So does audio streaming add to traffic? Does audio streaming add to conversions?

Ask yourself that about your own web business and your own unique audio streaming before you begin to add audio streaming to your web site.

Do you want to learn more about how I do it? I have just completed my brand new guide to article marketing success, 'Your Article Writing and Promotion Guide'

Download it free here: Secrets of Article Promotion

Do you want to learn how to build a big online subscriber list fast? Click here: Secrets of List Building

Sean Mize is a full time internet marketer who has written over 9034 articles in print and 14 published ebooks.

Profitable Audio Streaming - Will Audio Streaming Stay for Good?

2008-10-16T08:57:00.006-07:00

By Raymond Nesa

In the world of online, there are a lot of possible things that can be done. Actually, more has been integrated; from graphics to streaming video to streaming audio.

The presence of audio streaming not only in some areas of the online world adds up to the very exciting arena. Whether audio streaming is going to last or just a mere fad nowadays, the fact remains that audio streaming becomes a common craze to many.

So what can an audio streaming do?

Audio streaming is certainly good most especially in a very animated life that we have on the internet. Most websites include in their area an audio streaming and even the welcome page has voice-recorded files that make it appealing to most visitors. Audio streaming is becoming a healthy addition to most internet users due to its new and exciting promise.

Apart from the aesthetic side of having an audio streaming, it also brings good to business transaction because it allows voice interaction to occur between two people. This is something good in the business as voice interaction provides more concrete and substantial amount of confidence and trust in any transaction made. The addition of audio streaming also allows for some inter communication to exist between and among different people in the company. This has brought the business industry into a new whole dimension of communication.

Audio streaming can and will exist in the online industry because it offers a greater dimension that plain text is limited to doing. Gone are the days when one should content himself with boring and lifeless text documents that we read. The era of voice and graphics have begun to revolutionize!

Do you want to learn more about how I do it? I have just completed my brand new guide to generating massive traffic ‘Triple Your Traffic Fast'

Download it free here: Triple Your Traffic Fast

Download a free article marketing guide here: Secrets of Article Writing

Do you want to learn how to build a massive list fast? Click here: Email List Building

Raymond Nesa is an experienced web marketer specializing in article marketing, traffic generation, and list building.

Audio Streaming - Making Money Through Audio Streaming

2008-10-16T08:57:00.005-07:00

By Raymond Nesa

Audio streaming is a very influencing medium on the internet and it can have a serious impact on your conversion rate. Many people on the internet respond better to audio than they do to old fashioned textual content. Depending on your niche it might be a good idea to include audio clips. Besides the industry niches there are also many internet users that have trouble reading or are simply unable to read. Then there are those that can read but often miss out on all the important parts in a sales letter. However, these individuals can still hear you speak quite clearly and also understand everything you say.

According to one estimate, 14% of American adults are functionally illiterate and you cannot sell them anything if you are relying on plain text. The addition of audio means you are covering your market more thoroughly. The audio you add to your website must be clear. The person speaking must have a clear voice and diction and a generic accent that can be understood easily by all listeners. There are several speakers available on the internet that can provide this service at a very reasonable cost.

There are several options when it comes to including streaming audio on your website. You can either buy these services or you can avail them on a subscription basis. It depends on whether you are going to use the audio in short-term for promotional purposes or permanently make it part of your website. Regardless of this audio is definitely going to make a difference in your online business

Do you want to learn more about how I do it? I have just completed my brand new guide to generating massive traffic ‘Triple Your Traffic Fast'

Download it free here: Triple Your Traffic Fast

Download a free article marketing guide here: Secrets of Article Writing

Do you want to learn how to build a massive list fast? Click here: Email List Building

Raymond Nesa is an experienced web marketer specializing in article marketing, traffic generation, and list building.

Audio Streaming- 5 Easy Steps to Audio Streaming

2008-10-16T08:57:00.003-07:00

By Raymond Nesa

Audio streaming is simply the way a web page provides audio clips or recorded content. Here are 5 steps to creating your own audio streaming capabilities. You can use this to promote your music, transcripts, and other creative projects as well.

1. Find and purchase a program to digitize audio files and convert them to data streams. There are many available on the internet. If you are new to audio streaming, make sure there is good documentation and support.

2. Create your audio files. This is a matter of digitizing your audio streaming files for storage on your computer and use by the public using the software mentioned above. Make sure your original files are good quality to prevent the possibility of corrupt files.

3. Get an account on a server for audio streams, and upload your files according to their instructions. Again, search the web to see which host will work best for you. Also check their reputation and quality through forums and IT consumer sites.

4. Create links to your files. You can put links on your own web page, on a social website page, a store page where people can purchase your media files—there are many different places on the internet to put a link to your audio streaming files.

5. Keep it current. Make sure your links as well as your audio stream is running and functioning properly. If not, get the problem fixed as soon as possible, especially if your business depends on your audio stream.

Do you want to learn more about how I do it? I have just completed my brand new guide to generating massive traffic ‘Triple Your Traffic Fast'

Download it free here: Triple Your Traffic Fast

Download a free article marketing guide here: Secrets of Article Writing

Do you want to learn how to build a massive list fast? Click here: Email List Building

Raymond Nesa is an experienced web marketer specializing in article marketing, traffic generation, and list building.

Audio on Web Site - Making Money With Audio on Your Web Site

2008-10-16T08:57:00.001-07:00

By Raymond Nesa

Adding audio is certainly beneficial because hearing your voice builds a lot of confidence in you. Customers are more willing to trust someone they can hear than just an email address. Until a few years ago the use of audio was more of a decoration than anything else but advancing technology has now made it possible to host long seminars and explanatory audio clips without troubling the user. Streaming audio means users do not have to wait for huge downloads to complete before they can hear the message. Today website, and even blogs and newsletters, are using streaming audio in order to offer a more personalized experience to their recipients.

Including an audio welcome message to your website is always more effective then just a text message. The welcome message could also explain new features, new products, and other time sensitive information to visitors that will enhance their browsing experience. Testimonials are another area where the audio from your customers will be more effective than just some text and images. Audio is not use heavily at present and Internet users find it a pleasant change from all the text browsing. If you run a blog then you could include a "tip of the day" or similar feature in audio to make it different.

Adding audio to your website is no longer something over the top because technology and user expectations have undergone vast changes in recent years. Audio is now seen as just another healthy addition that makes the user experience more pleasant.

Do you want to learn more about how I do it? I have just completed my brand new guide to article marketing success, ‘Your Article Writing and Promotion Guide‘

Download it free here: Secrets of Article Promotion

Do you want to learn how to build a massive list fast? Click here: Email List Building

7 Ways to Get Started With Audio Streaming

2008-10-16T08:56:00.000-07:00

By Raymond Nesa

Just get started with Audio Streaming by following these 7 ways –

Find out system and program requirements – Find out what system and program you will need for audio streaming. Different programs are available for audio streaming for example Real Player. You will need a computer for doing audio streaming. For best audio streaming you will need to use the best program and system.

Deciding what to audio stream – When you want to audio stream a audio, decide what you want to stream. Decide if is it a lecture or an interview or a greeting or a teleseminar that you want to provide your visitors.

In what form – There are several form in which you can stream a audio. You have to decide whether you would offer a live stream, archived one or both.

Create a digital file –Record the audio which you want to stream. Create a digital file of the audio. You can create a digital file from a tape or a CD or even from a digital video camera.

Convert the digital file into a streaming format – For creating a streaming format, you can upload the file. Upload it to a streaming server by using a using a FTP program.

Link to the file – You can now link the file from your web page. You have to link to a .ram file, which is available on the web server. The URL in the .ram file gets the visitor to the streamed audio file, which is played few seconds after a user clicks on it.

Arranging to serve - With a fast Internet connection and with the help of a powerful server you will be able to handle many audio streamers that too simultaneously. For providing best audio streaming, you will need a better connection.

For the best audio streaming, you will need expertise or professional need.

Do you want to learn more about how I do it? I have just completed my brand new guide to generating massive traffic ‘Triple Your Traffic Fast'

Download it free here: Triple Your Traffic Fast

Download a free article marketing guide here: Secrets of Article Writing

Do you want to learn how to build a massive list fast? Click here: Email List Building

Raymond Nesa is an experienced web marketer specializing in article marketing, traffic generation, and list building.

Voiceover and Sound - 10 Ways to Use Audio on Your Website

2008-10-16T02:10:00.000-07:00

By Alison Pitman

Voiceover and audio can really enhance any business or personal website. It can help your website stand out and hold prospective buyers attention. Integrating voiceover and other audio into your website can have a positive effect on product interest and increase your conversions and sales. Listed below are some examples of how website audio can be used to good effect.

1. Speaking Characters- Sitepal for example allows you to create your own animated character which you can either add your own voice or add recordings from a professional voiceover artist.

2. Website welcome greeting - create a short welcome message to your site visitors.

3. Website navigation - Add audio to your navigation buttons. Click on the navigation buttons in this example (evolve-studios.net/evolve/)

4. Product tour narration - Describe to your visitors how to use your product and the benefits your product offers them.

5. Background music - Create a friendly website, relax your visitors & increase your sales.

6. Podcasts - Offer your site visitors free podcasts available to listen online and to download to their mp3 player so they can listen on the move!

7. Audio articles - Offer free informative audio articles for your visitors to listen to as they browse your site.

8. Audio testimonials - increase the validity of your testimonials by asking your customers to provide you an audio testimonial for your website.

9. Audio logo - "The sound logo is one of the tools of sound branding, along with the jingle, brand music, and brand theme. A sound logo (or audio logo or sonic logo) is a short distinctive melody or other sequence of sound" - wikipedia.org/wiki/Sound_branding/

10. Online training audio - Train your staff online by creating online training programs narrated by a professional voiceover artist.

Alison Pitman
Professional Voiceover Artist.

Please visit my website to hear my demos http://www.thephonevoice.com/

The Fight Continues Between Internet Radio and the Copyright Royalty Board

2008-10-04T21:14:00.002-07:00

By Paul Philbeck

Shortly after March 2nd, 2007 webcasters began voicing their concern that the new performance royalty rates would essentially put them offline and out of business. In a very short time the internet radio community launched a grass roots campaign to draw public attention to this issue. By utilizing the listener reach internet stations currently have and the use of prerecorded public service announcements the outcry was heard. Very quickly websites appeared online to fight the legislation through email, letters and petitions aimed at congress. Listeners were asked to contact their representatives and voice their opinions on the legislation. This campaign caught the attention of many news outlets and effectively brought the desired attention.

SoundExchange after being pounded by the press defended their position and the rate increases. They then began their own grass roots campaign to counter the one launched by webcasters. Due to their recent publicity suing people for downloading illegal music when they didn't even own a computer, kids and little old ladies they have won no sympathy. They're next tactic was to get artists to speak out in favor of the new rates. A very few did. In response http://webcastersunite.net, an organization of independent webcasters, set up a petition for artists to sign that are against the new rates. It already sports 3 times more artists signatures than the SoundExchange posting. Webcastersunite.net believes all artists should have a say, not just the famous ones. This petition will be submitted to congress.

Currently the National Public Radio (NPR) has filed appeals along with many other webcasting organizations. The Copyright Board agreed to hear arguments to determine if an appeal was warranted. Soundexchange filed it's own appeal against a rehearing of the rates. In my personal opinion I forsee a long drawn out battle if the rates are not amended to a more fair rate for all webcasters. It appears to me that Soundexchange is biting the hand that feeds it. Internet music sales have been steadily climbing over the last few years. The excessive rates that exceed the income of even the largest internet stations, would put literally thousands of internet radio stations out of business and offline for good. How can that be good for music and the artists that create it?

Related http://webcastersunite.net

10 Tips - Download A Free Audio Book - Listen On Your MP3 Or Burn An Audio Book CD On Your PC

2008-10-04T21:14:00.001-07:00

By Michael Rose

Audio book sales have exploded to over 15% of worldwide book sales: given their convenience, this percentage is set to escalate dramatically. What's the reason for this unprecedented popularity?

Ten tips put you right in the picture:

1 Almost every kind of book worth reading is available as an audio book.

2 Audio books actually cost less than the printed version of the same book.

3 Audio books are great for "multitasking". You can drive to work or take the commuter train to the office, or do your aerobics or take the dog for a walk, even paint the house while listening to a book. Or while learning: there are many educational titles.

4 Audio books are supremely portable: As well as making music mobile for you, your mp3 player enables you to carry whole books around as well.

5 The best audio book advantage is that you can 'read' it anywhere you can wear earbuds

6 If you don't have an mp3 player, no problem. Use your IPod.

7 No IPod? No PDA? No, problem either. Download the free book on your PC: listen to it on any headset or your computer speakers.

8 Burn an audio book onto a standard CD using Windows Media Player, listen in the car on the way to the golf course.

9 Any audio book title can be downloaded immediately your purchase is completed.

10 The leading online audio book store is open 24/7, just scroll down for the direct hotlink.

Leisure time is at a premium, things just keep on getting busier every day, but once you have listened to an audio book, you'll want to hear more. With thousands of titles available, in every possible category, any time can become listening time to enhance your life.

There's the BBC comedy audio book for example: it's good for a great giggle for one whole hour. Join the revolution in online reading, now. Get it while it's free.

Why not listen online now? Head over to the link here now and download a free audio book. Then you will really appreciate just what I am on about.

Mike Rose is an architect in New Zealand: he's busier than ever in retirement, enthusiastically operating a leading online audio book store. Check out the free books at Audio Books 2 GO and listen to a free sample of any book that grabs your attention. Email address is available on the store website.

Feel free to republish this article on your website, in your newsletter, or in other publications, provided that the article is reproduced in its entirety, complete with this resource box and with author's information and website links.

Using Audio Testimonials

2008-10-04T21:13:00.006-07:00

By Brian McElroy

Using audio on your website is no longer cutting edge, but it still works! Allowing visitors to hear your own voice is a powerful way to build trust and confidence in your brand.

There are many ways to incorporate audio files into your website or landing page. You can create an audio greeting to welcome your new visitors, which can either play automatically or after the visitor pushes a play button. This will depend on the type of visitor you expect. If people are browsing your website at work, automatic audio can be quite annoying! You can also make an audio recording of your guarantee, which drives home the point that you really mean what you wrote and will honor your guarantee no matter what. Audio doesn't have to be just voice, either- you can easily set up a background music that flows with your page's content and objectives.

One of the most effective uses of audio on your website is audio testimonials. When your current customers are willing to take the extra step and record an audio testimonial, that makes a statement to visitors. Include a photo and contact information and you’ve got yourself a winner! This just further affirms that your past customers are real people and don't mind being associated with your business.

It’s helpful to put a transcription or summary of the audio testimonial right next to the person’s picture. Most people won’t even bother to listen to the audios... but it still adds credibility! Simply going the extra step of transcribing a bit of text adds a great deal in the eyes of your visitor. Who would you rather do business with, someone who goes half way or a professional that goes all out?

There is a great freeware program that you (and your customers) can use to create audio files in .wav or .mp3 format on Macs or PCs. It’s called Audacity, and is available for free at http://audacity.sourceforge.net/ I use this program for all of my audio recording because it allows for easy editing of ums and ahs and lets you save files in either .wav or .mp3 format.

To put audio files on your website, I suggest Web Audio Plus, the program I use, because it lets you easily create professional-looking audio controls for your messages and insert them into your web pages.

With these simple tools you can both add polish and build trust in your websites.

Brian D. McElroy is the author of Testimonials Unleashed!, the web's premier resource for how to build your business by harnessing the awesome power of social proof. Sign up for a free 5 day e-course by visiting http://www.TestimonialsUnleashed.com You can find WebAudioPlus for half price by visiting http://www.TestimonialsUnleashed.com/WebAudioPlus

Transcription vs. Copy Typing - What are They and How Do They Differ?

2008-10-04T21:13:00.005-07:00

By Anne Hickley

Many people are confused as to why transcription (audio typing) apparently costs more than copy typing, as both are typing services. This article aims to explain the differences between the two services and what makes up the costs for a transcription service.

Firstly let’s take copy typing. This normally refers to the typing of written ‘copy’ – this maybe a previously typed document (perhaps typed on a typewriter and needing to be input into a Word Processor) or a hand-written document. The cost will vary depending on the ease of readability but with basic copy typing there is no editing or interpretation required; the typist simply types what is written in front of them. The cost of the typing services will vary according to how difficult the writing is to decipher – it will be relatively cheaper if the original document is very clear handwriting or type-written.

Transcription, on the other hand, has no copy for the typist to look at, only an audio recording, which may be an audio tape, video, DVD or audio digital recording. This brings with it a number of issues that copy typing does not have: is the speech clear; is the content comprehensible (e.g. highly technical content might be full of words the transcriptionist is not familiar with); is the recording quality good (e.g. is there any background hiss on the tape or background noise from the surroundings the tape was recorded in); do you need verbatim transcription (word for word with all ‘ums and ers’, speech patterns and fillers such as ‘you know’, ‘know what I mean’ or ‘kind of’ repeated often through the recording; do you want the transcript edited to improve the grammar and sentence structure?

Clearly transcription is much more involved than copy typing. Another thing to bear in mind is that an hour of recording is not equivalent to an hour of transcription time. Even an experienced transcriptionist will be able to average four times as long for a good, clear one-to-one interview – so an hour of recording will take an average of four hours to transcribe. ( Industry standards obtained from the Industry Production Standards Guide (I998), published by OBC, Columbus, OH, USA) A group, or a poorly recorded transcript, will take commensurately longer. Thus when you receive a quote per hour of recording it may seem like a lot of money, but remember this is NOT your transcriptionist’s hourly rate but rather a quote for a minimum of four hours of her/his time.

Transcriptionists also have to make sense of what’s being said, punctuate the speech correctly and use the right homophones (words like there/their/they’re that sound the same but are spelt differently.)

Many transcriptionists specialise in a particular area so that they are familiar with the technicalities e.g. medical transcription, legal transcription. Others are more generalist and work on less technical transcripts such as research interviews and market research focus groups, video or telephone conferences, seminars and conferences. These may all, of course, contain technical data and if they do it’s helpful to provide your transcriptionist with a list of keywords or, at very least, some background information about your work. Otherwise Google is a wonderful tool if used properly to research the topic but that will add to the total time taken to produce your transcript, and therefore the cost.

Hopefully it is now clear that transcription requires more skill than ‘straightforward’ copy typing with no editing or formatting involved, and therefore commands a higher hourly rate.

There are a number of things you can do to reduce the cost of the transcription though, and these are detailed in some of my other articles. (See below).

Penguin Transcription (http://www.penguin-transcription.co.uk), part of Penguin Office Services (http://www.penguinofficeservices.co.uk), offers an affordable transcription service by tailoring each quote to the exact requirements of the client. The more information the client can provide us with, and the better the quality of the recording for transcription, the more affordable the transcription service will be. Why not visit our site and fill in an enquiry form at http://www.penguin-transcription.co.uk/PTS_enquiry_form.html to receive a quote for your transcription requirements. More information about transcription is available through other ezine articles listed at http://ezinearticles.com/?expert=Anne_Hickley.

Transcription of Focus Groups - Make Sure Your Recording is Up To Scratch

2008-10-04T21:13:00.003-07:00

By Anne Hickley

Things to consider before conducting the focus group

If you are conducting a focus group and need to produce a transcript of it later on for analysis then you need to consider the transcription aspect right from the start.

What could be more frustrating than moderating a really productive and information-rich session only to find that your recording is unusable or the transcript comes back from your transcriptionist looking like gobbledegook.

Transcription of even a one-to-one interview is a tricky business and a professional transcriptionist will take around four hours per hour to transcribe a clearly recorded one-to-one interview. A focus group takes even longer because of the variety of different voices and accents, the fact that people talk over each other and the need to work out who is speaking. However, there is quite a bit you can do to make the transcription easier, and an easier transcription will take less time and therefore should cost less if you’re having it professionally transcribed.

If you’re providing refreshments preferably have the food before or after the discussion. Not only is transcription of people eating somewhat unpleasant, it’s also considerably more difficult to understand people, as you’ll know if you’ve ever listened to someone talking with their mouth full.

Do make sure you have a good enough recording system with external microphones. Putting a Dictaphone in the middle of the table is just not going to do the job. These are designed to be held close to the mouth for one person to record dictation into. For a focus group you will need a system with external microphones, ideally one per participant. If that’s not practical then one good quality microphone at the very least and preferably two or three. Do also make sure the group is meeting in a quiet self-contained room with no distractions.

Sometimes you won’t need to know who’s speaking, so long as each time a new person speaks this is indicated on the transcript. This will usually be cheaper as the transcriptionist does not have to distinguish the different voices, so it’s worth considering in advance whether you need the information on who’s speaking at any particular time.

If it is important to know who is talking then you will ideally not have more than five people of the same sex or eight people altogether, unless their voices or accents are very distinctive.

Conducting the focus group

Firstly lay down the ground rules at the beginning of the focus group. Explain why the tape recorder is there and check no one objects. Have a back-up plan or policy ready if anyone does object, or make sure everyone is notified in advance.

You will obviously need to explain what you want from the participants, why the group is being conducted, what you are researching etc. but if you don’t want this transcribed switch the recorder on after you’ve done that, or tell the transcriptionist where on the tape to start. (This is easier with digital transcription as audio tape counters are not very precise.)

Explain that people talking over each other will be problematic for the recording so ask that they please refrain from doing so. Don’t be afraid to remind them of this as when people get passionate, excited or angry they will talk over each other!

Before going any further get everyone in the group to introduce themselves. Ask them to say specific things so that you get more than a name. For example, ‘Hello, can you tell me your name, where you live, your job, who else lives with you and your favourite food’. This would be appropriate for market research. For a group of scientists you might say ‘can you say your name, just for the purposes of the tape, where you work and a sentence or two about your current research’. The point is that the transcriptionist has a chance to ‘learn’ the different voices.

It’s hard to strike the perfect balance between getting all the information and letting a true discussion develop. If the purpose of the group is to develop a discussion e.g. a group of company directors discussing government policy or a group of scientists giving opinions on your company’s latest product, then you won’t want to be continuously interjecting to remind them not to talk over each other, but if your primary reason for using a focus group rather than one-to-one interviews is financial e.g. market research, then the primary goal is probably to get opinions from as many people as possible and an in-depth discussion is not really the aim. In this case you can be firmer with moderating the group. You could, for instance, ask them to say their name every time they speak e.g. ‘Mike. I think it tastes like sawdust actually’. ‘Hi, I’m Lisa. I think it’s a cross between a digestive biscuit and sandpaper.’ ‘Mike again. Yeah, sandpaper’s a good description.’ The transcript would then be produced as follows:

Mike: I think it tastes like sawdust actually

Lisa: I think it’s a cross between a digestive biscuit and sandpaper.

Mike: Yeah, sandpaper’s a good description.

If it’s important to stick to a discussion plan the don’t be afraid to gently reign people in if they go off track e.g. ‘That’s a very interesting point Mike, but what we’re really discussing here is the price. Of course taste is extremely important and we’ll certainly be discussing it later on. For now though, what do you think of the price?’

After the group – preparing for transcription

Make a list of all the names (with correct spellings) and genders, and other relevant info e.g. Dr Sandy Shaw, Blogs Hospital NHS Trust, Qualified 10 years – Female. Give this list to the transcriber along with the names of the moderator and anyone else who is present and makes any comment e.g. someone who’s helped to organise the group or is participating in the research.

Make sure you tell your transcriptionist exactly what you want e.g. you almost certainly won’t need a ‘verbatim’ transcription including every ‘um’ or ‘er’ and every repeated word. If you do need this it will probably be more expensive. Don’t be confused into thinking that it won’t be an accurate transcript if it’s not verbatim. ‘Intelligent verbatim’ is exactly what’s said, but leaving out all the ‘speech fillers’, hesitations etc. and this is probably more practical in these situations. Sometimes you might want the answers edited to tidy up the grammar, and sometimes for market research you might want each comment categorised into a table to make the results more quantitative. Each of these ways of transcribing will be differently priced and some transcriptionists will have more experience in market research categorisation, so think carefully about what you need and make sure you find the appropriate person to carry out the work for you.

Recording for Transcription - Digital Versus Analog

2008-10-04T21:13:00.001-07:00

By Anne Hickley

Firstly it is useful to understand the differences between digital and analog audio. This applies to any recordings, not just to recordings of voice for transcription. Analog machines, such as tape cassette recorders, record sounds as wave forms, the way that the sound occurs in nature. Digital machines record sound by taking samples of the signal and storing them as bits of data, in the same way as a computer stores information. Because of the way the sounds are recorded digital recordings have a higher signal-to-noise ratio. Noise here refers to any background noise but when comparing analog to digital recordings it really refers to recorder-induced noise such as ‘tape hiss’. So the quality of the digital recording is better. That alone is a good reason to consider using digital recording rather than analogue tapes!

There are other good reasons though. Not least of these is the fact that copies of analog recordings deteriorate in quality, so sending a copy of your master tape to a transcriptionist can result in a poor quality transcription, because the quality of the audio is poor. Digital recordings can be copied again and again with no deterioration in quality because all that’s being copied is a series of bits of data.

Of course when using digital recordings you do need to check that your transcriptionist can transcribe from the file type you are using, or convert it. Most transcriptionists will be able to transcribe from any standard analog cassette and many can transcribe from micro and mini cassettes and video. So long as they have the relevant tape transcription machine they can transcribe the tape. Not so, unfortunately, with digital.

Most digital audio file types are compressed and a codec (the algorithm used to reduce the number of bites contained in large files by eliminating redundant data) and the transcriptionist or transcription software will need access to the codec that has produced the compressed file. However, this is often not an issue as PCs and many types of transcription software come with a variety of codecs already installed. It is certainly important to check with your transcriptionist though that they can work with your file type. Please see my separate article on digital file types for transcription for more information on this.

Digital file types are also easily manipulated and this can be useful when recording for transcription. If there are parts of the file you do not want transcribed it is a fairly simple matter to remove those parts and only send the transcriptionist the parts that should be transcribed. Alternatively, because a digital recording indicates where you are in it second by second, you can send the transcriptionist instructions such as ‘transcribe between 3 minutes 20 seconds and 60 minutes 10 seconds.’ This does not work on analog media as, even if you and your transcriptionist both have tape players with minute counters, the level of accuracy is quite poor.

Another huge benefit from the point of view of the transcription itself is that in a transcription from a digital recording your transcriptionist can mark the precise time that an inaudible word occurs. If that time is 3 minutes and 22 seconds then you can go back to your copy of the recording and almost instantly find 3 minutes and 22 seconds, play the word, and hopefully fill in the blank. With an analog recording on tape the transcriptionist can mark an inaudible word but it's not possible to note the time with any degree of accuracy and you will either need to flick back and forth through the tape to find it or listen through the whole recording.

There are various ways to make a digital recording. Perhaps the commonest when recording for transcription is onto a card, in much the same way as a digital camera records pictures onto a card. The recorded files can then be transferred onto your computer and sent to your transcriptionist via email (if compressed), FTP, file sharing sites or, in some cases, a file-sending box located on the transcriptionist’s website.

Minidiscs have an excellent sound quality but many transcriptionists are unable to transcribe from them as the data needs to be transferred to PC first and then usually converted for use in transcription programmes.

DVDs and CDs also need to be converted before use in transcription software.

Recording can also be done directly onto a computer hard-drive using various types of software and an external microphone. However, when conducting interviews the presence of a laptop and large microphone might be rather intrusive.

However the recording is made and stored, it should be possible, with the right equipment and software, to convert the file into something you can download onto your PC and send to your transcriptionist by one of the methods mentioned above. So digital recordings not only improve on quality but can save you time and money. Recordings can be ‘instantly’ transferred to the transcriptionist instead of posting audio cassettes, you save money on postage costs to and from your transcriptionist and a better quality transcription will cost less to transcribe as it will take less time.

All in all, in a comparison between digital and analogue recording for transcription, digital recordings come out well ahead.

Conference Call Transcript Service - Your Modern Secretary

2008-10-04T21:12:00.006-07:00

By Allen Williams

With the advent of technology, telecommunications just can't be left behind. Businesses of every size and form keep on learning more modern ways to work. Recently, a method of communicating with clients in the form of conference calling is known to be one of the most cost-effective since it cuts down on travel expenses.

Vendors of conference call utilize state-of-the-art telecommunications devices to provide improved digital sound while bridging multiple phone lines. Some businesses attempted to tape their conference calls to allow them to listen to the tape upon the completion of the conference call. But it has been discovered that transcribing the discussion accurately can be problematic.

A solution for this headache-causing dilemma is very much needed. This is where conference call transcript services come in handy. A conference call transcript is a splendid way of following up a conference call to ensure that all of the participants or even those who were not able to attend it have a clear grip of its results.

Typically, a conference call transcript is made from a digital record of the meeting.

Here are three tips on how to come up with the best conference call transcript or help your conference call transcription service provider.

1. The speakers must be prompted and identified.

Every time a speaker gets to have the floor, he must identify himself clearly. This will rid the conference call transcript service provider of the guesswork of who is who talking about which and what. A participant list will also aid the transcriptionists in creating the conference call transcript.

2. Avoid using any gizmo that will interfere with the call's quality.

Anything that might break in the conversation, i.e., speakerphones and cell phones must be turned off. They might pick up noise from the background that may drown out the comments of the speakers. That will surely cause major fuss in preparing the conference call transcript.

3. Use your most audible voice.

Speaking clearly and slowly will not only benefit the listeners but also the transcriber of the conference call. Conference call transcripts are verbatim copies of your meetings. Oftentimes, these assemblies are for the discussion of your company's earning results. It would be wise to exert your greatest effort in making it them easy for the transcriptionist to decipher. Surely, you don't want erroneous data on your conference call transcripts.

If your company can't do the dirty job of transcribing your own conference calls, hiring conference call transcription service will do you best. It is a must to know that your conference call transcript provider is capable of creating quick and professional transcriptions that are utterly accurate.

This service usually has a two-day or 48-hour turnaround time. But if you're in a rush, don't fret since 24-hour turnaround can be negotiated with some transcription companies. It will definitely be rewarding if you state all your requirements clearly before you make the transcriptionist start his job. If you're aiming for confidential transcription, this could also be arranged.

Outsourcing companies that produce conference call transcripts vary in rates. Consulting your budget should also be given major consideration to ensure that you get the best deal for your conference call transcription needs.

For more information on conference calls, using your phones, or video conferencing, visit http://www.MyPhoneInfo.com now.

Spanish Audio Books

2008-10-04T21:12:00.005-07:00

By Alberto Abudara

Spanish is one of the most spoken languages in the world. If you look for keyword searches in any search engine for any product, there will be searches related to that product, asking for information in Spanish, or for example in the case of books or audio books, a Spanish version of it.

As it was said, audio books are not the exception. There are hundreds of people looking for "Spanish audio books" or "audio book in Spanish" in most of the search engines and directories.

Fortunately, there are some audio book stores that are starting to have spanish audio books as one of their categories. There are some classic titles such as Papa Rico, Papa Pobre o La Ola Latina that can be found on almost all audio book stores.

In addition, there are other important categories in which people looking for spanish audio books can be interested. These are language learning audio books, as an audio book is an excellent tool to learn a foreign language, because you can also learn the correct pronunciation of words.

The most common Spanish audio books in these categories at this moment are English courses for Spanish speakers, but without any doubt in the near future, a spanish speaker will be able to learn any language.

So people looking for a Spanish audio book should visit the different audio book stores where they will find a good number of titles to choose from, and that number will grow in the next months and years.

Alberto Abudara is the owner of http://www.audiobookfortress.com, an audio book store offering a good number of Spanish Audio Books. To find more information about audio books visit his blog at http://mp3-audio-book.blogspot.com

Download Free Audio Books

2008-10-04T21:12:00.003-07:00

By Alberto Abudara

There is a great number of websites offering to download free audio books, e-books about different topics, also free software. Somebody may wonder why are they offering that, is there any hidden reason to do it or they are simply generous and like to give away free stuff.

At first, one would think they are losing money, why giving away for example a free audio book when they can charge for it. However, lots of people query the search engines with the word free, trying to find free stuff, maybe because they don't want to spend money on the web, maybe in certain countries they are afraid to use their credit card online. Offering free content, is a great way to receive a great number of visitors in your web site. But, if they are looking for free things, you may think its useless to have them as a visitor. That's not right ! Maybe they won't buy now, but if they sign-up to the site or a newsletter in the site, the owner of the website will have the possibility to sell him things in the future, perhaps offering some great opportunities such as a discounted items only for people in that list.

On the other hand, visitors to the site may click in some of the ads or banners the website has, perhaps also offering to download free audio books, and that would also make the website owner earn money.

From the customers point of view, what should be done ? Maybe say: "They are cheating me, I won't download nothing, they only want me to buy" That would be useless, it would be a better idea to visit the site that offers free audio books, and check if they like any of the free titles offered. Also if the website has ads, visit other sites which may also offer to download free audio books.

And who knows, maybe some time after, there is a great offer, and you will finish buying a very interesting audio book you hadn't thought about.

Alberto Abudara is the owner of Audio Book Fortress, http://www.audiobookfortress.com, an audio book store offering more than 30 audio books free. Click on the FREE Tab. To find more information about audio books visit his blog at http://mp3-audio-book.blogspot.com

Child Audio Books

2008-10-04T21:12:00.001-07:00

By Alberto Abudara

Do you have to do a very long trip by car with kids ? One of the main questions you should be asking yourself is : How will we entertain them during most of the duration of the journey ?

Child Audio Books can be an excellent answer for that. They can be a perfect way to spend time as they can make your children develop their imagination being very happy. In addition, listening to a different voice, that they don't know, can be useful to get the children attention for quite a long time.

The age of the children is not an issue. There are different categories of child audio books, for very little ones, for not so little and also for teenagers. Perhaps you can play a child audio book for the youngest in the car's radio and let the older ones listen to another one in a portable MP3 player.

Titles like Bob the Builder, Matilda, Charlie and the Chocolate Factory are titles that can be played to the little ones, under ten year old. And perhaps for older ones, the Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, or the Adventures of Tom Sawyer. Maybe you can join the children and also listen your favourite audio book, too !

The duration of most child audio books is over forty minutes, so with a few of them you can keep your children attention during most of the trip, and letting them spend a very good time. And something not less important : Let you spend a good and peaceful journey.

Alberto Abudara is the owner of http://www.audiobookfortress.com , an audio book store with lots of child audio book titles. To find more information about audio books visit his blog at http://mp3-audio-book.blogspot.com

Audio for your Scrapbook Business

2008-10-04T21:11:00.004-07:00

By Vera Raposo

One of the best ways to take your scrapbook business to the next level is to incorporate audio. Audio is an excellent way to get personal with your customers. You can do this in several ways:

Classes – Create a series of audio classes. You can plan your classes and offer them online to your customers. You might then make these free to your subscribers, or place them on your scrapbook business website as purchasable downloads. If you sell these audios, you should include printable pages, like transcripts and sample page layouts.

Interviews - Interviews are tons of fun. Plus, you get to pick the brain of someone you admire in the scrapbook business. Line up interviews with book authors, famous scrappers, and other scrapbooking related topics. Record your interviews and place them on your website for your visitors to listen to.

Testimonials – Testimonials can beef up your website sales. Ask your customers for permission to record their personal testimonials about your products or services. Then place these pre-recorded messages on your website for potential customers to hear.

Mentoring – Another hot idea is to record your mentoring sessions. If you have a mentor program where you mentor beginning scrapbookers, record your sessions in 30- or 45-minutes increments. You can then use these are free download samples of your mentoring to attract new clients. You can also package them together to sell with an eBook.

Podcasting – If you are a chatty person and are passionate about talk radio, you might consider creating your own podcast show. Podcasting is hot for online business owners. With your own scrapbook radio show, your shows might include interviews with famous scrapbookers, discuss innovative scrapbooking techniques or other scrapbooking ideas.

Vera Raposo is the Scrapper's Business Coach. Sign up for her personal mailing list at http://www.VeraRaposo.com and get tips and resources to help all of your scrap ventures succeed.

Making a Podcast - The Basic Tools

2008-10-04T21:11:00.003-07:00

By Terry Daniel

So you suspect you are a great voice talent just waiting to be discovered. Maybe you've done a commercial or two, or maybe you want to do a commercial or two. Maybe you'd like to be a voice talent for hire, or maybe you simply have a message to get out to the world and think that the spoken word will be more effective than the written word or, at the very least, a nice compliment.

If this sounds familiar, then making a podcast may just be the ideal way for you to get your message out there. For one thing, it's hot, new technology. For another thing, it's becoming more and more popular as the videos on YouTube get better and better. There's still time, however, for you to perfect your voice talent, and the method of getting it out there before the public demands perfection from the starting gate.

Sound good? Great. At this point you're probably wondering how the heck you actually go about gifting the world with your amazing voice talent. Well, for one thing, you need a computer. You don't have to own your own. Your podcast equipment is not going to know the difference. All your equipment will react to is the quality of your voice talent and your computer expertise, and you don't have to have much.

The second thing you will need to put your intense voice talent on public display is a website of some sort. A blog may actually do the trick. You will need to use the bandwidth from that to power your podcast, but more on that in a later article.

Now it is time to perform the magic that turns a simple computer into a recording studio, and you into a voice talent phenomenon, which means that you'll need a microphone and a set of headphones. Chances are, you already have headphones lying around the house somewhere, so you can use those. You can pick up a mic for about $10. The headphones are for listening back to your recording to make sure unwanted noises haven't crept in there anywhere. You want a nice, clean recording. No desktop noise covering up your mad voice talent.

The very last thing you will need, besides a great idea to showcase your voice talent is a recording program. There are all kinds of choices here, from the very basic Windows program to programs that allow you to really show your studio skills, to freeware. You should make sure that the program you choose is compatible with your computer.

About The Author: Voice Over Talent Terry Daniel Creates High-Quality Voice Overs For All Types of Media. His Company Is Quickly Becoming One Of The Leading Voice Over Agencies In The United States

Audio- The Power of Sound Marketing

2008-10-04T21:11:00.001-07:00

By Stephen Pavis

Thanks to the internet, you have been given a lot of options when it comes to marketing your business. Entrepreneurs have been quick to take advantage of the technology and proceeded to build websites for marketing and even e-commerce purposes. However, though some web masters have enjoyed riding every big wave in internet communications technology, a lot others have been left behind; that is, while you will see business websites with embedded audio and video, you,re more likely going to see sites with just text and some pictures.

If you,re contemplating the idea of joining the 21st century, then you should begin entertaining the idea of integrating audio technology to your internet marketing strategy.

Audio in Your Website

Audio files in your website are a good way of making your website more appealing and personal. Line upon line of text has a tendency to put readers to sleep.

Audio files make wonderful accents on a website. For instance, while the page is loading, you can include music or a voice requesting the user,s patience. When the site has properly loaded, there could be a welcoming spiel. You can include short promotional audio files with your product offerings. You can also give site navigation instructions to your visitor through audio. There are a lot of possibilities!

What makes audio files so ideal is the fact that they are much smaller than video files; they,re so much easier to open and load, even for dial-up users. Making audio for your site can also be as simple as using an audio software that converts audio sound into a code which you can paste in the appropriate section of your site.

Audio in Your Promotional Emails

You have heard video emails, of course. Going by the usual route, you will have to engage the services of a video streaming ASP for that. If you would like though, you can embed audio in your emails. Put in some wonderful ad copy, but spice it up with some audio clips with your short radio commercial that can grab your email recipient,s interest and induce him or her to read your text copy.

To make such audio files for email marketing campaigns, you also need to use audio software for the purpose.

Audio in Your Feeds

You have heard about pod casting, I suppose? This is comparable to R S S feeds, except that audio files are the content that,s fed into the subscriber,s portable device or desktop computer. To make pod casts, you need to use a feed (XML code) writer and post the feed button in a website. People who have subscribed to your feed will be alerted whenever you post new audio files.

Did you know 90% of driving FREE traffic to your website is created by 3 major factors? Find out exactly what they are and how easily it is to solve them here Marketing
In the last year Steve’s companies have generated over 1.5 million dollars worth of business using different strategies one of them been internet marketing online at Online Marketing Steve is a leading expert with 25 years experience in the business sector has offices in both the United States and the UK. The most solid advice you will ever hear is "find an easy market" with little competition and research your keywords correctly, research is the key

Audio Streaming Secrets - Money Making Tips for Audio Streaming

2008-10-04T21:10:00.004-07:00

By Raymond Nesa

Do you want to build rapport with your customers? It is easy – try adding audio to your site. Of course, a good copy is enough to sell your product but an audio can intensify the effects of these written words. It actually gives the customer a more personal interconnection with the visitors of your web site. Hearing sometimes can affect one’s decision. This is very true with selling online. Add audio and you will be reaping more sales than ever.

Here are some ideas on how to go with adding audio to your site.

1. Give your customers a very warm welcome. Use your own voice to greet your customers every time they visit your web page.
2. You can teach your customers with your audio lessons. You can create your own audio lessons that would be beneficial to your clients.
3. You can record some interviews which you can provide on your site. In that way, customers will not just rely on the written facts on the page but even have something to listen to.
4. Also, if you want to boost the number of sign ups per day, you can record seminars. Have them on your site so that your customers can easily go back to them anytime.
5. Testimonials are effective. But of course, a testimonial in an audio will have greater impact. Hearing the voices of customers being satisfied and giving great testimonials will help your customers make a sound decision.

There are so many more that you can do with your site using audio. But remember that the best thing about audio is that it create a personal connection. How ever you want to use it, make sure that you are building rapport with your clients.

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Raymond Nesa is an experienced web marketer specializing in article marketing, traffic generation, and list building.

The Efficiency of Audio Books

2008-10-04T21:10:00.003-07:00

By Mike Selvon

Instead of listening to the radio or sitting in complete silence on the way to work, more people are turning to audio books to entertain themselves. With a variety of titles and genres, you are sure to find something that appeals to your individual interests.

While adults appreciate the way audio books help to pass the time, parents enjoy the educational opportunities they provide to their children. Whatever your listening needs, you will be sure to find a company or website that specializes in the type of audio book you prefer.

One of the most popular ways to get audio books is to search online. With a plethora of titles available, it's almost impossible not to find what you're looking for. Many of the audio books online can be directly downloaded onto your computer or portable media player.

Others, are available for ordering on compact disc or in cassette tape format. Downloads are often less expensive, and sometimes even free, depending on the website you use and what you are searching for. Many sites, like free-books, offer free downloads of your favorite informative or educational audio book. Fiction books are often available for a discounted rate.

Another popular feature of audio books online is that you can rent an audio book in much the same way you would rent a video. Several companies offer a subscription-based service where customers can pay a monthly fee and have access to an unlimited number of audio books online.

Websites, like recordedbooks and jiggerbug, offer members unlimited rentals for a low monthly fee. Similar to the Netflix video rental service, members do not have to pay late fees or shipping charges for their selections. This is a great way for book lovers to expand their reading possibilities because they can try new books and genres with no risk.

Audio books are not only available in a wide variety of formats, but you can also find a huge selection of titles and genres to fit your individual preferences. If you enjoy fiction, you are sure to find a variety of websites that offer downloads of the most popular fiction audio books.

If you enjoy history, you can find many websites that specialize in great history writings. For your children, you can even find hundreds of educational audio books to supplement their learning. Websites are constantly adding new and exciting titles to their list of selections.

With hundreds of websites dedicated to providing audio books in different formats, you can undoubtedly find the book that you want in the format that you prefer. The internet adds the convenience of being able to shop from your home without needing to go to the library or bookstore to find what you need. The internet has transformed the way many industries and companies do business and the audio books industry is no exception.

Mike Selvon is the owner of various niche portals. Our audio books portal is a great resource for more information on this latest technology. While you are there don't forget to claim your free gift.

Finding a Great Audio Book Download

2008-10-04T21:10:00.001-07:00

By Mike Selvon

The internet has added a whole new level of success to many industries, including the audio book download industry. Because anybody with an internet connection and a computer can easily get a wide selection of MP3 books, the sales and popularity of this niche has only increased over the years. This industry has been especially useful for business people who travel frequently and families who go on long trips often with their children. The audio book industry has something to suit the needs of any book lover.

With the wide selection available online, the audio book download industry is surely going to have something you will find interesting. Business books make up a considerable part of the audio book industry. You can find a wide array of business categories with a large number of titles in each category just by surfing the internet. When you find one you like, you can get an MP3 download in a matter of minutes. You can even find lectures and motivational materials that you can download and listen to as well as tips for a successful business.

Audio book downloads are available through many companies and websites. One of the most popular places to get your MP3 books is through Audible. Users can download digital recordings of their favorite books for a cost that is less than buying the actual book. With thousands of available titles, users are certain to find something that fits their preferences while expanding their reading perspectives. Internet users can also download their favorite audio book free from popular sites like free-books and freeclassicaudiobooks, as well as other sites that are non-profit.

Besides convenience, the audio book download industry provides other services to customers to encourage them to explore other possibilities. Many websites offer a subscription service where subscribers can buy or rent an audio book the same way others rent videos from their local video store. With a membership, you have unlimited access to thousands of audio books. At simplyaudiobooks, the cost of membership includes the shipping charges and late fees so you just pay a low monthly rate to enjoy your favorite books. You can listen to a wider selection of books to expose yourself to ones you might have otherwise missed by utilizing a low-cost subscription service.

Audio books serve a variety of purposes for today's busy lifestyle. With the popularity of portable media players combined with easy downloads from a number of websites, seeing people walk around while listening to a favorite book is becoming more common. In addition to renting or buying your favorite book, free ones are also available on a few websites that are more educational and informative in nature. Whatever your preferences, chances are there is an audio book download to satisfy your needs and a website that can provide it.

Mike Selvon is the owner of various niche portals. Our audio books portal is a great resource for more information on audio book download.

Expand Your Horizons with Free Audio Books

2008-10-04T21:09:00.000-07:00

By Mike Selvon

One of the best things about the online audio books industry is that companies and websites can offer free audio books because they do not have to buy music literature materials for production. With downloadable music books, there are no products to purchase, which in turn gives online companies the opportunity to offer free downloads.

This is not only helpful for the company, but it also opens up a wider selection of books for consumers who are otherwise hesitant about purchasing titles in genres that they are not accustomed to reading.

A great place to get a number of free audio books is free-books. Like other music literature websites, you can log on to their page and download a wide variety of free books for personal and educational purposes.

If you are looking for titles from classical literature, the website provides free MP3 downloads from over 200 titles in their selection. You can also find European history titles and various other selections.

For adults looking for educational books, free-books offers many books that you can listen to and come away with information you may have not had before. "The Autobiography of Charles Darwin" is an example of one of the free audio books offered to people who might find this an interesting listen.

The recently published "1492" is a book written about the expedition that brought Christopher Columbus to America and is available as a free audio book download on the website. Another notable section of books available for download on free-books include children's music books. Titles like "Pinocchio", "Alice in Wonderland" and "Andersen's Fairy Tales" are just a few of the music books that kids will be sure to enjoy.

For more mature kids, the site also offers free audio download books like "Jane Eyre", "Huckleberry Finn" and "Robinson Crusoe". Children music literatures are a wonderful and exciting alternative to the popular video games or television programs that have flooded homes today. They not only help stimulate the imagination, they are more productive and educational than many other forms of entertainment.

You can find free music books online to satisfy any of your listening needs. If you like history, you can find historical works on websites that offer free music literatures. If you enjoy Charles Dickens or Emily Bronte, you can find free audio books of their writings as well.

You can add a large number of audio literatures to your audio book library just through websites that provide free audio downloads. You can expand your library even further if you are willing to buy music literatures because many of the newer best sellers are available for a discounted price.

Mike Selvon is the owner of various niche portals. Our audio books portal is a great resource for more information on free audio books. While you are there don't forget to claim your free gift.

Choosing the Best Audio Books for Children

2008-10-04T21:08:00.008-07:00

By Mike Selvon

Audio books for children compose a high percentage of the material available in the music book industry. By building a large audio library with music books for children, you can benefit both you and your children. They can be educational for your children in an entertaining way.

Audio books for children also help kids expand their imagination in ways that television and video games can not. With internet technology, you can get a wide selection of music books for children in just a matter of minutes.

Audio books for children are a great learning tool that children will undoubtedly enjoy. Kids who are not avid readers will still gain some of the advantages of reading by listening to an exciting music book.

They can also learn other skills that reading alone may not offer, such as listening skills. In addition, if your child has difficulty reading, an audio book can help them hone their reading skills by following along with the narration while having the book in front of them.

Audio books for children are ideal in that they have many of the same benefits that reading provides. By listening to an audio book, children can acquire a larger vocabulary and increase their imagination skills. Listening to a book also stimulates reading in that once a child has listened to how exciting a book can actually be, they are more likely to pick up one of their favorite books and read it.

A child music book is also a great idea for children as a bedtime story. Although it is no substitute for a parent reading a story to the child, the right selection can provide a calming atmosphere in a way that the parent might not be able to do at times.

For parents who want to evaluate what music books for children can do for their family, several websites are dedicated to helping them make informed decisions. For instance, childrensroom is a website that parents can go to where they can read reviews of books and audio books to help them make the best choice for their family.

Another site - playtime-books - offers similar services, as well as stories in music book download format. The music books MP3 format makes this option readily available from the convenience of home. Parents can also visit their local library where trained librarians can help them find the best audio books for children.

Finally, when a parent decides on a child music book for their children to listen to, they should take into consideration some other specifics. For instance, listening to the book beforehand will help a parent decide if the book is age appropriate for their child. Is it too scary for them? Will they understand the story? Are the issues too mature or not mature enough to hold their interest? These are all questions a parent should ask before allowing their child to listen to the book.

In a society where television and video games are the norm in a typical household, music books for children are an exciting and educational alternative. While entertaining, audio books for children also provide excitement that helps to expand a child's imagination and enhance their listening skills.

With the popularity of the internet, parents have quick and easy access to a variety of titles that their children will be sure to enjoy.

Mike Selvon is the owner of various niche portals. Our audio books portal is a great resource for more information on audio books for children. While you are there don't forget to claim your free gift.