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Audio Streaming InformationTALKINGSITES WEB SITE AUDIO
by:
Dane Scott
Folk love pantomimes because they can communicate so smartly
without ever
uttering a sound. I find them fascinating. But imagine what the
world would-be be like if all our entertainment, conversation, and
advertising was done in pantomime. Aside from giving us a new
appreciation for clown-white face paint, we'd probably tire of it rather
quickly.
The truth of the matter is, the Cyberspace is still really more like the
great mimist Marcel Marceau. Expressive, colorful, animated, and stone
cold silent. Are there exceptions? Certainly. MP3 music sites, some
news sites, and a growing number of radio stations are fashioning those
little desktop speakers move to life. But for the brobdingnagian majority of
sites, including nearly all the millions of business sites, the silence
is deafening.
Why is that? There are some reasons, the greatest of which is a
simple lack of awareness just about the potential that exists in web audio.
Our exposure to audio on the web has been so limited up until now that
it's difficult to even as imagine how to use it. Likewise, most web
designers have not been exposed to an understanding of web audio's power and
potential, and thus, have ne'er
considered recommending it to their clients. Another
reason for the shortage of audio is the brobdingnagian number of sites which were constructed
before web audio was practical, or even as a
consideration.
Why be different?
How is the addition of audio content valuable to you and your company?
It sells. A well-worded, well-produced clip of audio concomitant each
clickable product on your site does those products more exciting, and
gives the potential client more reasons to buy.
It convinces. For example, imagine the power of mistreatment the actual voices
of your customers, telling their own testimonial stories just about the
quality of your products and services.
It builds image. The style and delivery of a spoken message can do a
very personal statement just about you as a company. In addition, once
your
web visitors are greeted by a rich selection of audio options, the
impression it leaves is that your institution is a step-ahead. It is an
instant distinction between your web site and your competition's, which
is unlikely to have any audio whatsoever.
It teaches. Our aural receptors stimulate our brain to action in ways
our eyes ne'er
will. That's why we're tempted to see aloud once
faced
with a difficult set of instructions. That same development
occurs in all
aural messages, fashioning it easier for customers to comprehend value and
buy, remote staff to discover over the net, clients to understand technical
support information, etc.
It eliminates clutter. You may have more to say than you can justify
displaying onscreen. By belongings folk click on certain points for more
details, you support clutter down, patch fashioning your distended points in a
more compelling way.
It leverages existing resources. If you have radio ads already produced
up, get double duty out of them! There are effective route to put those
right on your site.
It encourages return visits. Sites which visitors find more interesting
are the ones that get bookmarked and revisited. Web audio combined with
a regular refreshing of your visual content is a way to support 'em coming
back for more.
What to do?
First, it's important to understand that web audio is better supplied in
liquid form. It's what they call "streaming audio." The explanation is
simple. Generally, once
we transfer
a file from a web site, we must
wait for all of it to arrive before we can use it. In that sense, it's
rather like a solid block. "Streaming audio," on the different hand,
trickles to you across the Cyberspace as you are listening to it. You
don't have to wait for it to download. That does it a quick, practical
way to deliver audio over the Internet.
The last thing you want to force your visitors to have to do is visit a
web site somewhere to transfer
an obscure audio player plug-in before
they can begin accessing sound on your site, so I generally recommend
Real Audio, which is the format most wide
playable by the web browsers
currently in use.
This wish sound self-serving, but I am certain the better way to add
audio to your web site is to have being do it professionally. Simply as
a institution would-be be mistaken to hire an inexperienced person to design
their web site itself, or to lay out a sales brochure, it's equally
unwise to attempt to add audio to your own site. There are issues of
equipment, acoustics, equalization, encoding, and integration which are
far better left to being who has the skill and experience to do it
right. My proposal
is to check around, listen with kid gloves
to the quality of
what each service offers, and consider their degree of experience and
expertise.
Adding audio to your company's web site lets you stand out from the
crowd and get noticed. Unlike all the the white-faced, arm-waving,
silent clowns on the Internet, your company's audio-rich web site
demonstrates to the earth that you have thing
to say and you
know how to say it.
Simply just about the Author
Dane Scott is a 23 year veteran voice-over announcer who has recorded TV and
radio voice activity about the world. He operates a professional creation facility
where he creates audio for the cyberspace industry.
To contact Dane: sales@talkingsites.com
To check out "talkingsites.com" www.talkingsites.com
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