Thursday, May 3, 2007

Squidoo Streaming Audio Lens Released!

Hi All,

Just released our Streaming Audio Lens on Squidoo.

You can check it out at:

http://www.squidoo.com/streamingaudio/

Wednesday, May 2, 2007

How To Stream Audio.com Updated

Hi all,

The How To Stream Audio.com website has been updated. It has a new look and the content has been refined.

Click here to see the site

Saturday, April 21, 2007

HowToStreamAudio.com Product Reviews Available

Hi there,

For those interested in audio streaming software, we have reviewed what we feel to be the best products on the market currently. Check this out if you want audio streaming on your website!

Click here to see the product reviews

Wednesday, April 18, 2007

Coming Soon !

Currently reviewing and testing the best audio streaming software available for download. Watch this blog for updates shortly.

Wednesday, April 11, 2007

Why Audio Streaming Boosts Your Website Profits

Incorporating audio streaming into your website is simple, cost effective and may boost your sales by up to 35%. Typically most PC’s have up to 3 free applications capable of streaming audio from a given website. All the tools are at your disposal, so how will it deliver you this profit?

1. Your content will be more easily absorbed

We as humans retain 10-15% of the content we read. If audio is incorporated, retention jumps to 60%. This increases further to 80% when the content is in the form of multimedia ie audio visual. Imagine attending a conference in which only text was projected on a screen- how much would you learn and recall after the event? More retention translates to more returning customers, which in turn results in more profit for you.

2. It forges a personal connection between you and your customers

The web is becoming an increasingly impersonal marketplace. Incorporating your voice in your sales pitches introduces a personal element that will give you an edge over your competition. If they can hear and believe in what you are selling, they will be more likely to purchase your product. Further to this streaming audio testimonials of satisfied customers will serve to enforce the value of your products, and may lead to more conversions than would result from plain text testimonials.

3. Benefits visually challenged

The internet often forgets those who are visually challenged. Streaming audio changes and elevates the experience on your website for every user, and will open it to customers that your competitors may neglect.

4. Benefits customers with time constraints

Customers who have hectic schedules have even shorter attention spans. Audio streaming provides a hook to entice such customers. For example, a customer may be working on their word processor whilst listening to your content in the background. Through the technological advancements of PDA’s such as the Blackberry, audio streaming creates the ability to appeal to mobile customers who could listen to your content rather than trying to read miniscule text on their screens. Audio streaming is fast becoming a standard feature on current models of mobile phones.

Conclusion

In the future internet pages without some form of audio streaming may be viewed in the same light as silent films – a thing of the past. We live in a fast paced competitive world where as many senses as possible need to be engaged to give one an edge over their competition. Audio streaming will provide the edge for you to increase your website profit.

Pkorbs writes on audio streaming and the benefits for your business. To learn more visit my website: www.howtostreamaudio.com

Thursday, April 5, 2007

Audio Streaming: Easily Captured

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. HighPowerSites is the easiest do-it-yourself website builder on the web. No programming or design skill required. Get your own website online in just 5 minutes with HighPowerSites.com at: http://www.highpowersites.com

Capturing Video And Audio Streams: How-To

Streaming media is taking the Internet over - online radio, news, digital videos, podcasts, webcasts are just going to grow. Find out what tools you need to capture streaming audio and video so you can replay it later.

CoCSoft Stream Down (CoCSoft)

Like the proverbial hedgehog, CoCSoft Stream Down knows one thing well: in this case, how to capture streaming-media files and save them to disk. Just enter the URL of a streaming-media file and the program stores the content in the directory of your choice. In addition to FTP and HTTP, CoCSoft Stream Down can handle several streaming protocols: RTSP, MMS, MMSU, and MMST. It comes in handy during peak Internet usage times, when streaming files don't play well. You can download them, and play them later. If you don't know the file name, you can easily copy and paste it into Streamdown using the Windows "File Properties" command.

WM Recorder (Applain)

WM Recorder is a fairly straightforward way to capture streaming Windows Media Video or Audio content to a file on your PC. It's just what the doctor ordered for music videos, news feeds, streaming music, radio broadcasts, adult and subscription content, corporate webcasts, and anything else that streams down onto your PC. WM Recorder is also brainlessly simple. Simply open WM Recorder, click Record, and play the video or audio you want to capture. Files are saved on your PC automatically, so you can watch or listen anytime, even without an internet connection.

AudioStreamer (R.M. de Boer Software)

AudioStreamer is the Internet radio receiver and recorder that lets you enjoy the thousands of radio stations available on the Internet. While listening to your favorite radio station, you can record any radio station you want, anytime. The recording library shows you all your recordings, sorted by Genre or Radio station. If there's any artist name available while recording, it will be saved into the MP3 Tag automatically. You can also rename file(s), change or view MP3 Tag info for every file, or play the files you recorded earlier as well as add your favorite station to the Favorites list, or add a new station you found on the Internet. If necessary, the program will burn mp3 files onto a CD.

Cybercorder 2000 (SkyHawk Technologies)

Cybercorder provides VCR-like recording for radio shows or any audio input. Recordings are stored on disk as WAV or MP3 files with optional audio compression to save disk space. Recordings can easily be played back by selecting the recording from the list of completed recordings. The customizable playback window allows users to easily advance the recording forward and reverse various step sizes. The thing that makes this software very different is the fact that you can schedule as many recordings as you like or instantly start a recording for the specified amount of time. The scheduled recordings can be scheduled for a single time or for selected days of the week such as Mon-Fri 9AM. Program descriptions can be given to the scheduled recordings to later identify the recordings.

Download Links:

CoCSoft Stream Down http://www.deprice.com/cocsoftstreamdown.htmWM Recorder http://www.deprice.com/wmrecorder.htmAudioStreamer http://www.deprice.com/audiostreamer.htmCybercorder 2000 http://www.deprice.com/cybercorder.htm

John Deprice is a big fan of streaming tools. To find out what software he uses, visit http://www.deprice.com/audio.htm

Audio Streaming Benefits - How Does It Benefit Your Web Site?

An audio message on your web site can certainly make a difference in terms of traffic as well as sales. Audio streaming makes a visit to your website seem more personal while it explains your product or service. Most importantly audio streaming sets your web site apart from the other sites on the net. Adding this feature to your website can be one of the simplest things that you can do to convert hits to sales. There are a variety of places you can go to get inexpensive or even free audio features for your web site. But is it really worth it? Let us take a look.

It Makes it Personal

Adding audio streaming to your website creates a personal connection and bond between you and your customer. If you create a personal message directed specifically at your visitors, they will tend to feel more comfortable and at ease with your site, your business and with you.

It Explains Your Product or Service

You can use audio streaming to explain your product or service and even your selling terms and return policy. Sometimes it is just a lot easier to explain what you sell or what you do as opposed to writing a lengthy description that may be passed over because it overwhelms your customers.

It Sets Your Site Apart from the Others

Face it, by adding audio streaming to your web site you are setting your site apart from the others. In a vast Internet sea of websites that all sell the same products, offer the same services and they all pretty much look alike, adding audio gives your site an added punch. Audio will make your web site stand out and it will not easily be forgotten.

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Streaming Audio - Why Add Streaming Audio to Your Site?

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.

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

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!

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Streaming Audio - Advanced Audio Streaming

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.

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Streaming Audio Content

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