August 2009

Join the Conversation

From start-ups looking for answers to individuals searching for career advancement to associates looking to make connections, HOLDCOM's monthly Social Media Mixer stirred up great ideas on leveraging LinkedIn as a business tool. In addition to the "face-to-face" connections, the 60-minute meeting which took place here at our Glen Rock offices on July 23rd, 2009, brought together staff, clients, partners and vendors of HOLDCOM in an informative discussion focused on LinkedIn.

"This is an incremental process. Our goal is to explore the many different social media options that are available and turn them inside out to uncover how to best use them. As we've learned early on, social media is less about talking and more about listening. For HOLDCOM, it's about networking and sharing ideas with like-minded individuals to help us expand our understanding of social media and grow our personal networks," said Andy Begnoche`, Director of Operations at HOLDCOM. He went on to say, "There are so many different tools out there to use, just signing up for the next new hot buzzword service isn't going to produce any results unless you understand how to use it. You can have more success with ONE LinkedIn account than trying to use every social media tool at once. Just because it's free doesn't mean you should use it. The most costly part of all this is time."

If you would like to learn more about this group or attend our monthly meetings, contact Andy Begnoche` at 800-666-6465 or email him at andyb@holdcom.com. If you would like to receive a copy of the PowerPoint presentation for July's meeting, please email socialmedia@holdcom.com and include your contact information.

Want to understand how using YouTube and other video sharing services can impact your business? Join us this August 2oth at 3pm, as our topic will be focused on how to integrate video casting in your Social Media mix. If you have information you'd like to contribute or would like to attend, email socialmedia@holdcom.com.

by Neil Fishman

I concluded my article in last month's issue of the Holdcom Voice with the promise of a follow up discussion about environmental factors that can affect the telephony "listening" experience. It's probably best to start with the premise that all phone systems are not created equal. Different brands and manufacturers utilize different components, which produce varying results, particularly when it comes to voice quality. In addition to the integrity of the hardware, one must consider certain "virtual" factors, such as compression and error correction, that can affect voice and data transmission, as well as the carrier medium, including copper, cable, wireless, and fiber.

Let's say, for purposes of this article, that we could remove all the discrepancies that often exist between phone systems, carriers and codecs. What other factors might contribute to variations in the listening experience?

How about immediate physical surroundings? What environmental sounds might interfere with the clarity of an audio signal? White noise, the "hiss" generated by an abundance of high- end frequencies from natural conditions like wind, rain, or pounding surf, could easily detract from what otherwise would be a crystal clear signal. Calls outside the office can be impeded by street traffic, crowds, airplanes and sirens - just a few natural sources that would compete with cell phone conversations. Even indoors on a traditional landline phone, the impact of background noise can have a dampening affect on the listener, whether from a specific origin (air conditioner), or a cacophony of office sounds (e.g. computers, printers, faxes, voices, etc.).

Before assessing the quality of audio on your phone, be sure you're in an environment conducive for listening, one that is relatively free of background noise and ambient sound interference. 

Now that cassette tapes have fallen out of fashion, some clients are asking us what they can do with their old tapes since they've upgraded to new digital equipment. Flickr artist iri5 is turning tape into art! Check out more photos from this artist at http://www.flickr.com/photos/iri5/

Here at HOLDCOM, we've always embraced new digital technologies while also being sensitive to our end-user's technology comfort level. Although these units are still functioning and working fine, the digital conversion that's sweeping the country has forced cassette tapes into extinction rendering them obsolete. If you're still using cassette-based Message-On-Hold equipment, now's the time to upgrade.

Unlike the firm date of June 12th for your television system, we don't have a specific date that cassette tapes will cease being available. With analog cassette tapes in short supply, they will soon be obsolete! Since your Message-On-Hold Autoloader system relies upon cassette tapes for program loading, it is now in jeopardy. Now is the time to protect your program and keep it running before cassette tapes become unavailable. To help you make this equipment transition, HOLDCOM has an exclusive offer for our clients still utilizing Cassette Tape load equipment. Join the digital conversion and upgrade your Message-On-Hold equipment. Contact your Client Relations representative at cr@holdcom.com or call us at 800-666-6465 to learn more. 

Summer is all about vacation and relaxation right? Well don't worry, The Holdcom Voice isn't taking any breaks when it comes to introducing you to our Voice Talents. This month we'd like you to get to know Haneen.

Holdcom Voice: How did you get into voice over work?
Haneen: When I was a kid, I used to do ads and interviews in front of the bathroom mirror...no joke. I went to college intending to be a journalist--it never occurred to me that one could make a career out of commercials! Once in college, print reporting gave way to broadcast news...and then I decided being a DJ was the most fun of all. I've been in radio for over 20 years, but three years ago I decided I wanted to have more control over my career, so I took up voice work full-time.

HV: So how long would you say you have been working as a voice over?
Haneen:Well, full-time, since 2006. But I have been reading copy, whether as a DJ or voice talent, since 1989.

HV: What is the most exciting/interesting aspect of working as a voice over talent for you?
Haneen: Voice Over is a tremendously competitive business, but the people working in it are extremely generous with their time, their advice, and their tech savvy. Though many of us work at home in our own studios, there is a camaraderie in the industry, and especially among talents, that makes it easy to feel like you're part of a larger team.

HV: Feel free to share something unique about yourself (i.e. hobbies/interests) and/or any career highlights with our readers.
Haneen: Our home was built in 1933, so there's always something that needs work. I was always pretty handy--in a house full of daughters, I was my father's only "son"--but since we moved here four years ago, I have become quite skilled in the use of the circular saw, the drill, the jigsaw, the dremel, the tile saw, the power sander, the wallpaper steamer, several kinds of grout, sealants, varnishes, paint removers...mostly, it's been great stuff to learn, but I think next time, I'd like a brand new house!

Wow! So Haneen can record your copy and fix your stairs! Just teasing Holdcom Voice readers. But definitely be sure to sample this seasoned voice talent for your upcoming Voice Production project at www.holdcom.com/voices.

Enjoy the rest of your summer!

by Aaron Kamphuis

All summer long I've been talking about ways to improve your website. In June I talked about SEO, and in July I talked about Google Webmaster Tools. This month I'm going to cover two intertwined topics: Blogs and increasing your site traffic.

OK, so we know that a site that gets updated more frequently ranks higher in a Google search. One of the best ways to have regular, relevant updates to your site is to have a blog that is updated frequently.

Blogs exist for the purpose of sharing information. Your blog should not only be interesting, but informative as well. Good blog topics can be lists of resources, detailed tutorials teaching people how to do something, solutions to common problems, or deep analyses on a given topic. Basically you want your blog post to be so informative and so interesting that when your readers come across it, they say "Wow, I better bookmark this now! In fact, this is so good, I'm going to mention it on my site/blog/Twitter account!" This in and of itself will create traffic to your site.

Spend time networking about your blog. Comment on other relevant blogs. Link to their posts. The idea is to build a relationship, so don't just comment or post in hopes of getting a link back to your blog.

Also, promote your blog. Twitter about it. Share it on your Facebook account. Post it prominently in your company newsletter. (Ahem.) Put your blog link on your business cards. Make sure it's easily found from your home page. Be certain it's in your Google sitemap, and that it's properly indexed.