September 2009 |
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With summer - and hopefully the bottom of the economic slide - behind us, we are looking toward an optimistic future that will provide our customers, business partners, and other interested parties with a "one stop shop" for everything Holdcom, everything audio marketing, everything about doing business in the modern era. Nimble software will allow all our team members to share their insights and tricks of the trade in a dynamic and innovative way, and our Comment functionality will allow you, our audio marketing audience, to comment, critique, ask, request, state a position, disagree, vote, nominate, etc. Having trouble ordering at our online store? Request a video that takes you step-by-step through the process in an easy and entertaining manner. (Don't request this one, it's already in the works.) Think you have a better take on a Holdcom blog? Let us know, at the source. Think we're doing a great job and our services should be in every business' marketing tool kit? Let us and the world know. And there's more... If you see a blog, a newsletter, a video, whatever, that you want to Save or Share with a friend, associate, the world, you can do it with the touch of a button. Click the Share button and send it to your Facebook account or Twitter. There's more and it's all there at www.holdcom.com linking from the Home page among other places, or go directly to www.holdcom.com/more. We live in an age where every one wants information, wants content, wants... more... and you'll find more of what makes Holdcom your audio marketing partner at www.holdcom.com/more. So we're making this the Winter of Our Content (with apologies to John Steinbeck and William Shakespeare). Check it out now!
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Combining our existing website with the latest in content management software and our new enhanced media team, Holdcom is pleased to launch our new dynamic web presence.
As a young child I remember running to the basement to play on the computer. I loved with all my heart "Magic School Bus in the Solar System". That's the only game I would play. And one day while my sixty-year-old Grandfather visited, I wanted to show him this game. I turned on the computer, put the CD in, and started the program. With me being only five at the time, my Grandfather couldn't believe how well I was able to maneuver on the computer. He was stunned that I could travel from Earth to Mars in the computer game. He couldn't believe that his five-year-old grandson knew how to play the computer this well, while he could barely figure out how to turn it on! When I turned around to look at him, he told me that it was unbelievable. I thought "it's nothing big, really..." and then went on playing my game. Ten years later, looking back on that, I was very skilled at that game. But now, when I watch my seven-year-old sister use the computer, I'm amazed. The computer is left on 24 hours a day and she quickly browses the internet, searching game sites and social media sites. Yes, that's right, social media. From the same people who brought you MySpace and Facebook comes a new generation of social media, with sites like clubpenguin.com, webkinz.com, and moshimonsters.com all geared toward a specific, younger group of users.
 MySpace was originally targeted towards small bands and groups, Facebook was originally designed for college students, and now Club Penguin and Moshi Monsters are social media sites growing in popularity among children. Here's the interesting thing: Sometimes when playing a game, my seven-year-old sister, Morgan, asks me, "Brendan, why can't I talk to my friends in this game?" She expects all games to behave the same way, because she was born into it. She assumes all games will allow her to make friends, chat, and play "live" online.
Just as I was born into an age of bulky televisions, VHS tapes, 90's computers, and film cameras, my sister was born into the digital age of flat screens, DVR's, and the latest and greatest digital cameras. Her immediate response after having a picture taken is "Oh, let me see how it looks!" The only time I would have said that at her age was if it was a Polaroid picture, and I'd still have to wait a few minutes for it to "develop".
Today, everything is instantaneous. From the internet and mobile phones, we can control our lives. Pay-per-view, emails, texting, and instant messaging are all available at our finger tips. Companies that are using social media and mobile applications to promote their products and services are the ones that are thriving and getting the attention of the digital generation. Companies that are not using social media will soon be left behind, because today's kids are the future consumers - born into social media and expecting the flexibility and customization they grew up with. Brendan is a young intern that worked in our media department this summer who, among other things, offered us insight into the minds of a generation where the Internet, iPhones, and YouTube are a given.
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Texting and tweeting have become more popluar than talking on the phone and they're replacing email for the mobile generation. With many applications limiting how many characters you can include in a single text or tweet, now is the time to brush up on your SMS language or Textese (also known as chatspeak, txt, txtspk, txtk, texting language, or txt talk). Right under our fingertips, it's happened. A new language has permeated into the fabric of our society. Consider it "the new shorthand". Check out this list of popular SMS abbreviations or go online to find more. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/SMS_language http://www.phelios.com/sd/archives/sept04.html
UG2BK . .You got to be kidding
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Holdcom Voice: How did you get into voiceover work? HV: How long have you been working as a voice talent? HV: What is the most exciting/interesting aspect of working as a voiceover? HV: Anything else you would like to share with our readers?
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Jodi, this month's Featured Voice Talent, will bring a wealth of experience to your recording project - and more importantly, the desire to exceed your expectations. Enjoy getting to know Jodi as much as we enjoy having her on our talent roster.
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HOLDCOM has turned on the mics & cameras, and started rolling new video footage to help you, our clients. With the ease and availability to upload and share video, HOLDCOM has begun publishing helpful how to's and educational videos to assist you with your audio marketing needs. Want a close-up of the latest in digital equipment? Confused about how to install your new equipment or program? Need assistance adjusting the volume of your Message-On-Hold program? The answers can now be found in short informative videos at
Other factors that affect voice in the VoIP environment are hardware, software, and bandwidth - elements that can be managed and adjusted when designing a telephone system. Bandwidth allocation and processing requirements are two of the driving forces that will help determine the effectiveness of a VoIP solution. Unlike video, where the delivery of HD quality and greater visual clarity remained paramount, the early days of VoIP were focused more on bandwidth utilization than vocal quality. This created some disappointing results in the quality of sound being transmitted over an IP network. One of the unwanted and aurally annoying by-products of digital compression is known as "aliasing", which results from utilizing insufficiently low sampling resolutions. Aliasing is the white noise, or hiss that you may have experienced during a cell phone or VoIP conversation. Fortunately, new codecs have been, and are being, introduced that provide better encoding/decoding algorithms, resulting in improved voice quality AND more efficient storage and transmission.
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As technology provides new ways to capture, transmit, and manipulate voice and audio for telephony, the balancing act between good sound quality and effective data compression remains a critical concern. Codecs for VoIP (most recently G.729) continue to squeeze more information into less "space", pushing the boundaries of acceptable speech reproduction. The industry has been engaged in the challenging task of developing more efficient data compression solutions that will yield superior sonic quality. Since a codec is the underlying mechanism that converts analog audio to digital data, and back, it carries most of the responsibility for maintaining successful voice results.
Technology changes our lives everyday. At home and at work. From how we communicate with the outside world, to what content we choose to view, the digital revolution is palpable. The constant bombardment of new technology can be overwhelming or sometimes uneventful. If you're a business owner or sales manager, or if you are looking for a more effective way to not only transmit proposals and contracts but get them signed, then you'll be excited to hear about Echo Sign. HOLDCOM has recently begun using electronic authorization for our Contracts, Workorders, and Renewal Forms. Be on the look out for new Echo Sign emails which allow you to review your proposal or renewal and easily "electronically" sign them for fast, efficient order processing. Within seconds, a signed pdf is on it's way to initiating your order and a pdf copy is sent to you and all involved parties for their records. Not the one to sign off on the project? No problem, just forward the email to the correct person. Your boss is still stuck in the Stone Age (i.e. fax age)? You can still print out the authorization and fax it back to Echo Sign, which will automatically scan your fax and email a pdf back to us for fast, efficient processing. With Echo Sign, you can cut out the printing, paper, and faxing. It's just another way HOLDCOM is working to exceed your expectations. And be a little greener. Check out Echo Sign for your business at www.echosign.com.
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