Pros and cons of Skype
Skype, although a useful tool, it can be quite annoying at times. So having been using Skype for almost two years now i am compiling this list of pro’s and con’s of Skype. This way people can decide whether or not to download and use the near 40MB of precious hard drive space.
Pro’s:
There is one thing that everyone downloads Skype for, and that is because it is free. You can talk to other computers that have Skype installed with decent call quality. It supports most types of headsets if not all of them and has more than enough options to optimize call quality. Another good thing about Skype is that it can be installed on any operating system out there. You can use it on 98/XP/Vista, OS X, Linux (Ubuntu, Damn Small, Fedora, Red Hat) allowing basically everyone to chat with anyone out there. One of the other features that Skype has is that it can support web cams and chatting features with emoticons. There are lots of ways that Skype can be a good thing and these are them.
Con’s:
As you now know there are many good things that come with Skype. But when there is anything good there has to be something bad that goes along with it. One of the downsides of Skype is that people’s calls get dropped quite frequently. There is so much background noise that sometimes you cant hear what the other person is saying. People may get kicked from their calls and then Skype tells them that they cant call them because the connection failed. From time to time i have noticed that Skype has booted me and other people off line only to find that Skype wont let you back on. So as there are many things good with Skype there are also bad things that can hinder your experience.
Hopefully this has given you some insight on whether or not it would be a wise decision to download Skype. And weather you can “Take a Deep Breath” (Skypes motto)
The Do’s And Don’ts Of Hiring A Voice Over Actor
From TV commercials and radio-ads, finding the right voice over talent for your marketing and brand is crucial part of your sales and marketing efforts. Voice overs play a part in persuading, entertaining, educating, and generating interest from your target-market. It doesn’t matter what kind of message or ads you are planning to promote, a voice over artist can help you to create the high-impact message you are looking for.
Locating the best fit for your voice over talent is crucial in today’s competitive market; you need to create a marketing message that resonates with your customers and helps to ensure that your company stands above the competition. The process of hiring might be slow, but working with a voice over talent agent can make it easier to locate the right fit. Never the less, there are several ways to track down someone who can assist you in developing the right advertising and marketing message needed. Here are some simple do’s and don’ts when hiring voice over talent for your campaign.
Do ask for references. Learning how the voice over talent has worked with other companies and clients can provide some wisdom on how well they might jive with your business goals.
Don’t just listen to the one example. Request at least three to five different samples that demonstrate how flexible and adaptable the voice over artist may be. Professional voice over artists should be able to deliver a bunch of voices and adjust their voice to meet the demands of your message.
Do request more than one interview. The initial interview may be strictly to review the person’s qualifications and learn about their background. The 2nd and 3rd interviews may include tests or evaluations, so plan accordingly and devise a series of interviews to narrow down your choice.
Don’t skip online talent. Many talented voice over artists can now be located online, and have their own webpage and portfolio for your review. This can make finding someone much easier, and you’ll have a far greater comprehension of their background with the audio files and related-links that are available on their website.
Do select a voice that fits in with your target market. Customers in your demographic are much more likely to resonate with someone who resembles their own friends, neighbors and coworkers. Don’t be afraid to invest the time to find at least three unique traits or characteristics of your target market, and seek out voice over artists with the same traits.
Remember to request ask for demo tapes or CDs. You can listen to these after the interview, and keeping them around can make it easier for you compare them to all the other voice artists with ease. Keep track of those Mp3 or demo-tapes so you can do an ‘apples to apples’ comparison when it comes time to choose your finalist.
Hiring the best voice artist is an important part of presenting your marketing messages, and you will want to do some market research to determine what your clients like the most. Choosing voice talent with experience will make the process of developing your campaign much easier; take the time to talk to and test each applicant to determine just the right match.
TerraSip mobile VoIP Community develops new CTI Standard
PRESS RELEASE
Estepona, 27. June 2006
TerraSip S.A., a pioneering VoIP telephone company, has developed a standard which provides VoIP users with a simple way of making CRM systems, address books and other applications CTI compliant. “At last, with the development of the function ‘URL-Dialing’ we have managed to put the real advantages of VoIP into the hands of ordinary users.â€, as Daniel David, product manager at TerraSip, puts it.
Sip Telephony using links with URL-Dialing:
The new function allows the user to initiate a telephone call simply by following a link to an internet address. This address can be configured as a link from other applications or internet pages or even registered as a ‘favorite’ in a web browser.
As Mr David points out, this leads to practically unlimited ways of implementing the new function, ranging from integrating it into the address book of an email program, linking it with a CRM system to implementing a telephone link on one’s own website (‘Sip-Free’).
The Sip-Free Button – the first toll free VoIP number:
TerraSip’s ‘Sip-Free’ Button represents a very effective implementation of this new technology. The button provides a way of accessing a VoIP account at no cost to the caller. The customer enters his telephone number in a field on a web page and then clicks the button. This triggers a return call from the provider to the customer. As with a normal freecall number there is no charge to the customer and the provider only has to pay the usual cheap VoIP rate charged by TerraSip – e.g. 1 cent per minute for Germany or 1.4 cents for the whole of the rest of Europe. That represents a significant difference compared to conventional freecall numbers.
Interested users can find the details describing the ‘URL-Dialing’ interface on the TerraSip website. TerraSip is developing further applications using the relevant standard such as an interface for Microsoft Outlook or VolP communication simply using a browser without a VoIP compliant end device.
Information about TerraSip:
TerraSip is a young, internationally oriented company operating throughout the globe. It offers free internet telephony for TerraSip community members using international SIP standards. Calls into other networks are charged at especially reasonable rates, whereby users can take advantage of 56 country-specific special prices, so that the majority can further optimise their telephone costs. Membership of the TerraSip community is free.
TerraSip’s main orientation at present is in the direction of mobile internet telephony: Voice over WLAN or VoWLAN for short. TerraSip recently launched a pilot project in Germany and Austria together with two WiFi network providers with the aim of testing mobile internet telephony in the German speaking region.
TerraSip S.A.,
Avenida Espana 70,
29680 Estepona,
Spain
Tel: +34 636982416
E-Mail: pr@terrasip.com
Web: www.terrasip.com
(2430 characters; may be reproduced free of obligation)
If you have any queries relating to this release please contact the company’s press department at pr@terrasip.com.
