Friday, July 31, 2009

What is the "Twitter Army" ? I don't want to be part of it.
Just heard a great guerilla marketing message on an answering machine from a naturopath. I'm going to get the free report.

Thursday, July 30, 2009

Sorry. twitter.com/hobartcomms
British govt strategy on Twitter. http://ping.fm/X2iHh Thanks to www.twitter/hobartcomms for finding this link.
Just heard a great new podcast from Ivan Misner called the "Top 10 Ways to Waste Your Time in BNI". You can listen to it at www.bnipodcast.com

The new Ozvox Media podcast site

The new Ozvox Media podcast website is up and running at http://ping.fm/IcvBM
Please subscribe and you'll be seeing lots of new podcasts soon !

Wednesday, July 29, 2009

Podbean.com

Just signed up for podbean.com to upload podcasts for distribution

Ping.fm

Just set up a great social media dashboard using all my various platforms through ping.fm
Try it !!

Tuesday, July 28, 2009

What is the best social media dashboard?

I've been trying out a few dahsboard-style interfaces to help me manage my burgeoning social media responsibilities (Facebook, MySpace, Twitter, Blogger, Flickr and YouTube to name a few).

Initially I started out with a bunch of favourites in my Internet Explorer, then iGoogle, before discovering (thanks to Mashable) other things like Seesmic Desktop, TweetDeck and PeopleBrowsr for managing Facebook and Twitter identities.

However the best to date has been Flock which acts as a web browser, RSS feed manager, Gmail client, status manager for all the most popular social media sites as well as media manager for Flickr, Picasa and YouTube.

If that wasn't enough it also has great sharing and blogging options at the click of a button!

It's essentially (as far as I can tell) a version of Firefox with all the benefits of being able to download all the plug ins for Firefox.

The only drawback is it does not (as yet) allow to be logged to to multiple twitter identities (at once anyway), thus I still rely on Tweetdeck as well.

The only performance drawback is it is slower than Google Chrome but given how many more features are crammed into it that shouldn't be surprising.

Whilst currently enamoured with Flock the reports about Google Wave do have me excited if Google can marry Flock's one-stop shop ability with the speed of Chrome.

Until then check out Flock!

Wednesday, July 22, 2009

Audio Boo

There's an iPhone app I've just discovered called AudioBoo. Check it out at http://audioboo.fm/

Monday, July 13, 2009

Start Hearing Voices! Why Voice-Over Talent is Important

Start Hearing Voices! Why Voice-Over Talent is Important

Author: Vicki Amorose

Start Hearing Voices! Why Voice-over Talent is Important
By Vicki Amorose


Here is something I find puzzling. I often encounter media projects where the voice-over artist is considered as the last element of production. Voice-over is not the icing on the cake, it is not even the candle on the cake. Voice-over is the match no one can find just as everything is ready and the client is awaiting the cake presentation.

'Who has a match? Did somebody bring matches? Who is going to read this script?'

I've been a voice-over talent since the last century, and I admit, I am unusually tuned-in to voices. I carefully listen to every voice-over I come across and weigh its strengths and weaknesses. I am not asking my reader to be as obsessively interested as I am, but I do want to point out how your message will be greatly enhanced by the right voice.

I can't tell you the number of times I've been contacted by a frantic media producer who needs me to voice their project NOW, and preferably yesterday. All the elements- visuals, script, music, message- it's all ready to go just as soon as I record the voice-over. While I am happy to get hired, it feels like voice-over is considered as a minor wrap-up detail, like buying a presentation folder at Staples. How often do producers consider voice-over as merely reading? How often do they think, 'I know this voice-over guy or gal can provide fast turn around', as if expedience were the primary consideration for good voice-over?

Stop and think for a moment about the importance and influence of the human voice. It has been called the most versatile instrument on earth. We all find it easy to detect when someone is upset, excited, or disinterested, just by listening to the inflection and timbre of their voice. We can recognize and identify the subtleties of hundreds of different voices. Even if we have not heard a person's voice for years, their voice can jog our memory as effectively as a picture.

Humans respond to human voices, we do so instinctively and instantly. In fact, we respond to voices before we are born. Similar to music, voices stir feelings. The sound of a voice can raise or lower our blood pressure. Consider the power a voice has to soothe, amuse, irritate, or bore us. Voices convey complex emotions and communicate so much more than mere words.

Forgive the blatant truism of this statement, but the voice is a powerful tool for communicating. So do not overlook the possibilities of voice-over for enhancing your message. Sure, anyone can talk. But can 'anyone' sustain the listener's attention? Doesn't your project require a 'someone', not an 'anyone', to perform voice-over?

Take the time to cast your audio project. Most professional voice talents will audition for you gladly. Plan the time to search for and hire the right voice, the voice that best reaches your audience. From advertising to art and everything in between, voice-over is important.

No more, 'Did somebody bring matches? Who is going to read this script?' Stock up on matches and keep the drawer full!

Copyright 2009
http://www.voiceofvicki.com

About the Author:

Vicki Amorose is an award winning voice talent and copywriter.Listen to her demos or ask questions at http://www.voiceofvicki.com

Article Source: ArticlesBase.com - Start Hearing Voices! Why Voice-Over Talent is Important

Wednesday, July 8, 2009

Free SEO Blogger

Thanks to Nick Usborne I've been directed to a Free SEO Blogger for Firefox. It's at http://www.wordtracker.com/academy/5-minute-seo. You can also follow Nick on Twitter: at twitter.com/nickusborne or follow me on Twitter: twitter.com/dangarlick.
That's it for now !!