Bakersfield Internet Marketing

Archive for October, 2011

Most people who start to learn a foreign language would often complain in the middle of the process that studying it is getting more and more difficult each day. Well, there isn’t much that any person can gain from whining, is there? Understand that learning a foreign language requires building a structure. The more you improve and step up, the lesser the difficulties are going to be. On the other hand, if you take each lesson an obstruction to what you want to achieve, there could be a small chance of getting anywhere.

The German language is known to be the Romance language which has most of the English words we use today. It doesn’t mean though, that these words mean exactly the same in the English language, there are several German words that sound and spell familiarly English but actually delivers an entirely different definition to both languages. If you are a beginner in studying the German language, make sure first of all, that you don’t use the words just because they are familiar to you. Always carry around a reliable English-German dictionary when you are practicing the language while on the go. Online dictionaries also come in handy, bookmark one of your choice.

While you’re at it, collect online resources that have free German audio clips. These websites come in handy when you encounter issues in pronouncing German words correctly. What’s even great about these online sites is that you can download audio clips from the Internet and save it to your computer. Now, here comes the best part. You not only can review German words at home, but you can save these files and transfer them to your portable player so you can bring it anywhere you go. By just listening to German words everyday, you help yourself make learning a foreign language a lot better.

The possibilities that the technology of today offer us is phenomenal and simply makes life easier. There are no more excuses why German shouldn’t be learned because it can be; given dedication and interest.

There’s no denying what a perfect combination audio book technology and the introduction of MP3 portable players have become.
You now have the option of listening to your audio book, not just on cassette tape players, CD players, and your computer, but also on your MP3 player.
So, if you are one that would rather listen to your audio book on MP3 player, rather than your PC, you now can.
Below are the exact steps you need to take to make this possible.

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, you need to download or copy the audio book to your computer.
Second, you need to plug in the USB cable to both the computer from which you want to copy the audio book and the MP3 player (all MP3 players come with this USB cable).
As soon as you plug in the USB cable to both your computer and MP3 player, your computer will indicate that it has found a new piece of hardware. If it doesn’t indicate this, then something is wrong. Simply unplug it and try again.
Third, open your Windows Media Player and open the audio book you want to copy. This will open the audio book in the main display area of Windows Media Player.

Fourth, add the audio book to the Sync List of your Windows Media Player.
Fifth, now you should click on the Sync tab on the Windows Media Player. This will bring a pull-down arrow on the left-side box of the Sync tab. Make sure you select the option “Removable Disk (E)” as the source where the audio book will be copied to.
Sixth, you will see a display with an option to “start sync”. Go ahead and click on this option. When you have done this, the Windows Media Player will indicate to you that it’s sending the audio book to your MP3 player as “Removable Disk (E)”.
Seventh, as soon as the sync (or copying) is complete, you can verify if it is on your MP3 player.

Lastly, ensure you click on your PC’s hardware icon (located in your system tray) to “safely remove hardware”. Don’t remove the USB cable until you get the clear signal saying “safe to remove the hardware”. NOTE – not doing this before removing the USB cable can damage your computer and/or your MP3 player.
When all of this is done, you can then playback the audio book from your MP3 player. If you have followed all of the above steps you should find the audio book playing on your MP3 player.

If however you are using an older version of Windows Media Player, you can still follow the exact steps above. The only major difference is that instead of having “sync”, you will have “copy”. You can click on it and follow the same steps above to have your audio book copied to your MP3 player.

As use of the Internet continues to grow geometrically, we see an increased demand for information to be provided by a variety of media. Viewing options can range from simple text to PDF documents to video clips. Unfortunately, each option requires more and more resources and technological know-how. As convergence moves inexorably forward, we have to ask ourselves if there is a practical way to combine the best of this technology and still provide the user with a satisfying Internet experience.

The answer, at this stage of Internet evolution, is audio.

Voice, by itself, provides the means to enhance a user’s enjoyment of the Internet. Voice conveys many of the intangibles underlying the written word. A voice can touch the human spirit and deliver a message on its’ own merits. Audio can build community and maintain relationships.

Audio is the most mature of the streaming technologies and doesn’t have the bandwidth requirements associated with video. Any Internet user connecting at 28.8k or better can enjoy FM quality sound without experiencing buffering and other annoyances that can affect video at lower bit rates.

It is common knowledge that people only retain 20% of what they read, but they do remember 70% of what they see and hear. That fact in itself increases the value of an audio message delivered from a website for the typical user. And, the implications of how audio can increase Internet enjoyment for the handicapped are overwhelming.

Streaming audio provides Internet businesses with unlimited opportunities to reach their audience and to simplify their interactions. Streaming audio broadens a product’s appeal and helps to stimulate sales. People are comfortable with audio and have few qualms about using it in their day-to-day lives.

Retailers can integrate audio into their operations in several ways. Use it to enhance product descriptions and deliver product information in ways far more persuasive than plain text. Booksellers can have “special events” that offer audio excerpts from selected titles. Art dealers can use voice to give value added information on an artist or a period of history depicted by an artist’s work. (Think of those audio tours that museums offer.)

Organizations that specialize in selling educational tools can use audio clips for potential clients to preview and evaluate the material being offered. The ability to sample the product is a potent and practical selling aid.

Business-to-Business sites and corporate Intranets can also harness the power of audio. The need to provide up-to-the-minute information for employees and customers can be well served with streaming audio and the telephone. Integrating audio into the corporate communications mix is a tool that is easy to use and addresses the need to communicate with a distributed work force.

In both the retail and business-to-business marketplace, audio can and should be used to maintain those all important customer relationships. Voice messages add a personal touch that intrigues the listener and encourages them to remain on the site.

Employee training is greatly enhanced with audio. Use it to orient new employees and keep the information archived on the site for easy reference. Sales training can also be archived and quickly retrieved when needed. The ability to offer customized audio training materials on a 24/7 basis makes streaming audio a very versatile and efficient learning tool.

Some words of caution are also necessary. Audio, just like any other value-added technology, has to be used judiciously. It should be employed for a specific purpose and to enhance the text based message being delivered. Think of your audience and how you’d like them to interact with your website. Keep in mind that your visitor may be coming to your site while they’re at their place of business and plan accordingly.

The future of streaming audio is bright and filled with promise. More and more Internet users have become familiar with streaming audio and use it everyday. Internet radio broadcasts are extremely popular and are now being employed as effective advertising vehicles. Audio e-mail messaging is becoming widely available and is being positioned as a practical business tool. Consumers are attaching audio messages to greeting cards and experimenting with Internet telephony. Streaming audio will allow the average Internet user the ability to create content that conveys the power of voice and the emotions that it conveys.

So…why aren’t you using audio?