Computer Gossip

Adding audio to your website can be easily overdone.

If you decide to add audio, it is important to ensure it supports your overall marketing message and topic.

Adding audio to a website full of low-quality information will not do much to improve your conversion rate. However, relevant and compelling content can stand out even more with the careful use of audio.

Adding web audio can allow you to:

- Improve your ezine registrations

- Improve purchase conversions

- Include testimonials on your products

- Establish trust and interest

- Advertise supplemental info as in a podcast

The use of website audio is not a substitute for:

- Providing relevant content

- Basing your content on profitable keywords

- On-page factors such as META tags

- Building quality incoming links

Well known Internet marketer Ken Evoy described how the addition of audio increased his landing page conversion rates by 15-30%. In my own case, I saw a 20% increase in registrations when I added audio to my newsletter landing page.

Here is what you should ask whenever you feel the urge to add audio to a particular page:

“Will the addition of this audio increase the overall user experience and lead to a higher conversion?”

If you can answer ‘yes’ to this question, then adding audio may benefit the web page.

Where are the best places to consider using audio?

- Your site’s homepage

- Newsletter registration page

- Main service page

- Product landing pages

Once you decide to add audio, there are a few tools you will need to obtain. Here are my recommendations.

The first piece of equipment you will need is a microphone. You must have a way to convert your voice (an analog signal) to a digital signal that your computer can process and edit.

The simplest way to attach a microphone to your computer is to use a USB microphone. These microphones are simply plugged into one of the open USB ports on your computer.

Check out Amazon.com and you’ll find some good quality USB microphones in the twenty to thirty dollar range.

Once you have selected your microphone, the next step is to install an audio editing program so that you can alter the bass/treble as well as cut and edit portions of the audio and finally, to export your audio file as an MP3.

I recommend a program called Audacity. Audacity is a free piece of software that is of high-quality and offers all the basic editing tools you will ever need. No need to pay for a commercial program when something as good as Audacity exists.

To install Audacity on your computer, just go to the Audacity Website and download the latest version. There are versions for Windows, Mac and Linux. Make sure to download the correct version for your operating system.

The final item to obtain is a good quality audio player that you will embed into the web page containing the audio.

The player I recommend was originally designed as a free plug-in for WordPress blogs. It was developed by a company name 1pixelout. If you go to the 1pixelout website, you will find instructions on integrating this free website player into your blog or website.

Used in moderation, website audio is just one more way to build trust and establish confidence in your site visitors. Once you’ve done this, you’ll find the barrier for purchase is quickly lowered.

Corte Swearingen is the creator of the ebook How to Add Audio to Your Site. He operates the Small Business Marketing Site where visitors can download over 100 marketing strategy articles for free.

Adobe Dreamweaver is the starting point of study for almost all web designers. It is thought to be the most used web-development environment in the world. For applications in the commercial world you’ll be expected to have an in-depth understanding of the complete Adobe Web Creative Suite. This includes (though it’s not limited to) Action Script and Flash. If you wish to become an ACP (Adobe Certified Professional) or an ACE (Adobe Certified Expert) then such knowledge is non-negotiable.

To establish yourself as a full web professional however, there is much more to consider. You’ll need to study various programming essentials like HTML, PHP and database engines like MySQL. A good understanding of E-Commerce and Search Engine Optimisation (SEO) will also improve your CV and employability.

A typical blunder that we encounter all too often is to concentrate on the course itself, rather than starting with the desired end-result. Schools are brimming over with unaware students who chose a course based on what sounded good – instead of the program that would surely get them an enjoyable career or job. It’s a sad testimony to the sales skills of many companies, but thousands of new students begin programs that seem marvellous in the prospectus, but which provides a job that is of no interest. Speak to a selection of university students to see what we mean.

Take time to understand how you feel about career development, earning potential, and whether you intend to be quite ambitious. It makes sense to understand what (if any) sacrifices you’ll need to make for a particular role, what particular accreditations they want you to have and where you’ll pick-up experience from. Prior to embarking on a particular training course, trainees are advised to talk through specific market needs with an experienced advisor, so as to be sure the training program covers all the bases.

Many training companies will provide a useful Job Placement Assistance facility, to help you get your first job. Don’t get overly impressed with this service – it’s easy for companies marketing departments to overplay it. At the end of the day, the still growing need for IT personnel in the United Kingdom is what will make you attractive to employers.

Having said that, it’s important to have help with your CV and interview techniques though; also we would encourage any student to work on polishing up their CV as soon as they start a course – don’t procrastinate and leave it for when you’re ready to start work. It’s possible that you won’t have even got to the exam time when you will be offered your first junior support role; but this can’t and won’t happen if interviewers don’t get sight of your CV. Generally, you’ll receive better results from a specialised and independent local recruitment service than any training company’s national service, because they will understand the local industry and employment needs.

A slight aggravation for a number of training providers is how much men and women are prepared to study to get top marks in their exams, but how ill-prepared they are to market themselves for the position they have qualified for. Don’t give up when the best is yet to come.

Only consider study programmes that’ll move onto industry recognised accreditations. There’s an endless list of small companies pushing minor ‘in-house’ certificates which will prove unusable in the real world. Only nationally recognised examinations from the major players like Microsoft, Cisco, Adobe and CompTIA will open the doors to employers.

When did you last consider your job security? Typically, this issue only becomes a talking point when we get some bad news. However, The cold truth is that true job security is a thing of the past, for most of us. When we come across increasing skills shortages coupled with increasing demand of course, we generally locate a fresh type of market-security; driven forward by the conditions of constant growth, organisations are struggling to hire enough staff.

Reviewing the computer business, the most recent e-Skills investigation highlighted a more than 26 percent shortage in trained professionals. Quite simply, we can only fill just 3 out of each 4 job positions in the computing industry. Gaining in-depth commercial Information Technology certification is therefore an effective route to realise a long-term and satisfying career. We can’t imagine if a better time or market conditions is ever likely to exist for getting certified in this quickly expanding and blossoming business.

What is the reason why traditional degrees are now falling behind more qualifications from the commercial sector? Key company training (as it’s known in the industry) is far more specialised and product-specific. Industry has acknowledged that such specialised knowledge is what’s needed to handle a technologically complex commercial environment. CISCO, Adobe, Microsoft and CompTIA are the key players in this arena. Of course, a certain amount of background detail has to be covered, but essential specifics in the required areas gives a commercially educated student a real head start.

Just as the old advertisement said: ‘It does what it says on the label’. All an employer has to do is know what they need doing, and then match up the appropriate exam numbers as a requirement. They’ll know then that all applicants can do what they need.

(C) Jason Kendall. Pop over to LearningLolly.com for clear advice on Adobe Training and Adobe Dreamweaver Training.

There are a few reasons why you may need temporary security systems but most of the time it’s if you are renting some property and aren’t going to be there for a short period of time. This sort of purchase is easy to find and you shouldn’t have too many problems.

Most of the time, when you’re planning this sort of purchase you will need to remember that it is only temporary. You won’t need to spend too much because it’s not a permanent system. Make sure you remember this when you go shopping.

A lot of people don’t know about these products and don’t have the first idea where to look. Well, ideally you should have a good look around online to find some good deals. However, remember that there are lots of fraudulent companies online so have your wits about you.

The best thing to do is hire a company who will come and install your temporary security system for you. You can find these companies online as well and it won’t take you long to locate a local company who will be able to meet your needs.

There are lots of options available – most of the time it’s just a case of deciding how secure you need your system to be. There are options such as cameras – with or without sound, fencing – permanent or semi permanent and much more.

You’ll have to consider what sort of security you require. It could just be a case of buying a lock and key but if you require additional security but only for a short period of time then temporary security systems could be the only option for you.

There are lots of reasons as to why you will need a temporary security system but most of the time these reasons are unique to the purchaser and you’ll have to consider whether you do actually need a full blown security system.

It’s quite easy to find what you’re looking for online and you should be able to find reputable companies to deal with. Just make sure that you keep your eye out for nasty deals and dodgy companies who might be out to take your cash!

Just make sure that you do lots of research and you’ll find that your purchasing will be made easier. As long as you have had a look into the varying prices you will be able to make an informed decision about what you need and what you can afford.

If you come up with a budget, stick to it. Don’t overspend on things that you might not need. Always seek advice if you’re unsure about anything and just make sure you are wary of things that might not work out the way you planned.

Overall, buying a temporary security system shouldn’t be hard and it’s certainly easier if you hire a company to install it all for you. Most of the time, you can find what you’re looking for online, so it’s an easy thing to look into.

If the company you have chosen are worth it, they should be able to help you find the temporary security system that you need. Just make sure you know what you’re talking about so that you’re not a target for scammers.

Author Mollie C Todd hashes out selecting security service for your house. www.clarkeconstructionsecurity.co.uk has fantastic information on temporary security, you’ll certainly be able to get what you wish for.

Don’t you miss the good ol’ days when everyone sat down together for a game of checkers or maybe ludo? There was such fun in playing these board games and now, everyone is busy in their own lives with their jobs and worries. Here’s an easy way to relive the past. There are so many board games available for the iPhone that you must download them and play. It’s a blast, whether you’re fitting jigsaw pieces into the puzzle or just playing Sudoku. Here are some of the popular iPhone board games on the App Store.

Teeny Checkers- Download this game for your iPhone and have loads of fun as you play checkers. Whether it’s one or two players, there’s plenty of fun and you can enjoy the different colorful themes as you play against a friend. There’s also instant replay so you can see what your previous moves were like and what’s more, you can jump between five active games simultaneously. Lot’s more for the serious player. Do check out the link at

Tic Tac Touch- When you are done with chatting, doodling etc. and boredom threatens to overtake you, all you have to do is have this game close at hand. So hurry up and download this game of tic tac toe. To add to its existing fun are all its cool features like multiplayer games with Wi-Fi, Edge or 3G. Fantastic sounds and graphics make the game a whole load of fun.

Crack the Code- This game is a simple and exciting game. When you begin the game the iPhone selects a set of colors in a distinct sequence. Your role as the player is to guess the correct sequence in a certain number of tries. The difficulty level is varied and you can decide your level. Sound effects add fun to this game. Another fantastic feature of this game is that even the color blind can play this game. And when your phone rings your game gets auto saved!

Unblock Me- Haven’t you played this game before, where you had to slide out small tiles this way and that until you could free the one differently colored tile out of the board? Yes, the same concept is applied to this game on your iPhone were you can slide the blocks with your fingers and free the red block out of the board. There are 400 different puzzles in the beginner level, and more than 200 unique puzzles in the intermediate and advanced level which are bound to give you many hours of freedom from boredom!

Thom crafts articles for mac software experts, PocketMac. They specialize in Apple related software, including their Apple iPhone application, Shiveringkittens.