Streaming media and video email - online communication with impact.

Streaming media is multimedia such as audio or video (which is probably the most recognizable) that is continuously received by, and normally displayed to, the end-user while it is being delivered by the provider.
In other words, unlike a video that you download first to your hard drive on your computer and THEN open to view on your screen, You can usually start viewing or listening to your content as it is being delivered.
(ie it is "streamed" to you from a server on the web).
Hence the term "streaming media".
Live streaming media (such as video) takes this one step further and allows the viewer to see content the moment it is created by the sender and is the online equivalent of live via satellite TV transmission.

For a more comprehensive "in depth" look at streaming media visit the links section located after the next few articles.

I personally have developed an interest in streaming video because of my background in music and more recently in film (and how I could promote what I do on the web in a tangible way, rather than just text).

For me, streaming media such as video email provided by Helloworld has been a brilliant way to share my message in a creative form that gets noticed.

1) DIY Tutorials and How - To's.

The proliferation of home improvement, cooking and motor repair shows both online and offline is testimony to the continued popularity of practical information in a video form. Hardware stores for example, provide handy tips to customers and in return reap the benefit of generating goodwill - and a continual flow of buyers.

One recent example that sticks in my mind was a company that supplied computer parts. Their online store provided video tutorials on how to fit these parts. The end result was that I made my purchase from them because not only was their price reasonable, but their video showed attention to detail in helping their customer (and that is good business sense).

You can do the same by creating simple tutorials in video form and featuring them both on your own website and sharing a few around the various video sharing sites and linking them back to you. This will not only expand your visibility in the search engines (remember to add keyword tags to your video) but also generate goodwill and traffic when viewers want to investigate further.

Hint- don't put all of your videos on sharing sites - embed them (and others) in your website too because you will want to provide as much incentive as possible for people to visit from these sites and actually go to yours to investigate what else you have on offer (including what you are selling).

2) Testimonials.

Have happy customers? Few advertising campaigns (if any) can match the effectiveness of a genuine testimonial from a delighted consumer. Video some brief testimonials and post them online and get people talking. Post a few on your sales page too.

3) Tours.

Who are you? What do you do exactly? Where are you located? Can I trust you? These are questions your potential customers will be asking before they are willing to do business with you. A video tour of your business location, your people and how you do what you do is a great way to break the ice and show visitors that you are more than just a website - you have real staff who care about their customers and what you do is not a mystery.

Hint- Keep it real - Trash the jargon and use common language to explain exactly what you do and how you can help your customers.

4) Online Demonstrations.

Ever tried to explain how to use your product or service over the phone or produce a manual for your product? Video will be much more effective on getting your message across. Simply film your product or service in action, add a voiceover and some text if required and create something that will clearly explain to you viewer exactly how your product or service can help them.

You can utilise this twice - As a sales tool and secondly as a customer support tool that can be viewed after office hours.

5) Video Newsletters.

Keep your existing and future customers in the loop by providing a newsletter with video footage as part of the content - it will be more likely to be watched and remembered. Also consider that many good videos are viral - they will be forwarded from person to person so make sure your content is useful since it will inevitably find it's way into the inbox of other future buyers. You could add a helpful tip in each issue, perhaps a case study or testimony and maybe even a competition - get people talking and have them submit their own videos in exchange for a prize.

You can then post these to once again increase traffic.

6) Start Your Own Online TV Series.

Dare to be famous? Are you an expert in your field? Why not create your own online TV program and stream this from your website? A few episodes distributed among video sharing sites will act as teasers to draw more visitors to your site where you can develop a fan base and incorporate your own promotions and advertisements. You may want to incorporate messages from other businesses who are promoting related products and benefit from their advertising revenue to supplement your own.

Hint - create quality, useful and entertaining content as mentioned previously (since this is what will attract viewers). Also include a subscription form on your website so visitors can sign up for email notification so you can let them know when you have released a new episode. (Also choose a paid streaming video service so you can have full control over your advertising and distribution).

Closing Remarks.

Streaming video is a unique medium that is both versatile and powerful. Making it work for you requires some creativity and planning but the final product will reap dividends for anyone willing to embrace the technology.

Almost everyone online is familiar with YouTube and
has probably used it at one time or another so what makes Helloworld or Attain Response different to YouTube or other video sharing sites else for that matter?

Both allow you to post video on the internet but that is the only thing they have in common.

Helloworld is an additional suite of features designed for private use for home, and small to large businesses. Helloworld could be described as the equivalent of your own private Television network where you call the shots and decide exactly what happens to your media.
Attain Response is a complete marketing system that incorporates streaming video with email marketing and live broadcasting and is designed for businesses and organizations who have a list of subscribers they wish to market to.
Below are some of the features included:

*Reply to any email directly with video (video email or vmail) straight from your email inbox (you won't believe how easy it is).

*Create attention grabbing video email templates, slideshows and presentations and opt in contact forms for powerful marketing.

*Tracking tools so businesses can see exactly who has viewed their videos, when and even measure response.

*Broadcast your own programs, teaching sessions, or seminars with live interaction (Just like live TV with viewer interaction) and then archive them in a safe place for future viewing - (even have pay per view which is great for business training and artists etc who make a living from their material).

*Upload and store all your digital assets (video, pictures, music) and have them password protected so you can decide who views your content and when.

*Easily add video or audio to a website as a prerecorded feature or broadcast live from it.

*Effortlessly covert your videos to so it can be viewed on any device and on operate from both PC and Mac.

*No adverts or links to other people's content - instead customize with your own banners and links.

*Live video chat with up to 3 other people at a time (and it's private).

*Video conferencing (at a fraction of the cost of a regular service).

*Easily create and post podcasts.

So while YouTube is a basic tool to advertise yourself and have some fun it cannot replace a paid service in terms of features, quality or control.
In fact doing so will also link you directly to other material that you might not want (and ads from your competitors).

Does that mean you should forget using Youtube?
No - Just be aware it is both limited (and commercial - making money for Google from your material) Google uses your content to attract customers who after viewing your video click on the revenue raising ads they have on each page. Also the quality is not that great in comparison to a paid service, but if you want free then it's ok for "mucking about".

the old saying is always true - "You get what you pay for".

News Flash...
Just recently there was a story featured on a current affairs programme on the issue of cyber-bullying through Youtube.
A boy had posted a family video which was captured by another Youtube user who then altered the content and added obscene material before re-posting it.
Just goes to show that free does not mean safe.

They both use new,consumer-friendly webcasting tools to stream live broadcasts to their fans.
While Joe Walsh has a much bigger fan base,consisting of thousands of dedicated Eagles fans worldwide, Kall's fan base is also very dedicated.
She is able to broadcast live video of her daughters to all of her friends and family who live thousands of miles away by using helloWorld's live web conferencing tool, helloLive.

Kall says it's a wonderful way to let her family watch her children grow up. "I recently streamed
my daughter's seventh birthday party to everyone who could not make it," Kall said. "What a special treat it was for them to feel as if they were part of the party."

And her case is not all that unique. The trend toward the consumer-driven video communication market is growing quickly.

Brian Donovan is another example. He broadcasts cost-effective streaming video presentations for his clients in his Internet Cafe.

"As a small-business owner, I know how important it is to compete for attention. The ability to webcast my presentations has really gotten me noticed." Donovan said.

There is one common factor between these three very different people. They all use helloWorld's live broadcasting tool, helloLive. helloLive is allowing everyone from the consumer to the small business owner to the famous Rock'n'Roll star to easily broadcast streaming video to hundreds of people.
As the most advanced and least expensive webcasting products on the market,helloWorld is quickly building a presence in the consumer marketplace.

"If you have a job that requires a lot of face-to-face communication and you can't afford the thousands of dollars per web conference from the 'other guys' you're in luck," Donovan said.
"helloWorld offers a better service for pennies on the dollar. I couldn't believe it when I saw it."

"Best of all, helloLive lets me record a broadcast and it immediately archives it to be viewed any time," Kall said.

In addition to helloLive, helloWorld's monthly subscriptions also include helloMail, a video email tool and helloIM, a video instant messaging tool.

My personal journey with this incredible technology has taken me into a new area of online communication.
Originally working as a caregiver and making friends with a young man with a significant brain injury made me aware of some of the issues facing individuals with various disabilities.

Clint has difficulty reading and typing and so I now communicate with him online with a video email instead of text which to him is not only easier to view but also gives him more independence (he does not require someone to read the message for him).
We have also looked into the possibility of him sending his own videomails with an absolute minimum of assistance and believe we can do that too.

Another friend lost an arm in a car accident and consequently typing is a real chore for him.
Switching to video has given him back some of the online skills - and then some.

I have been thinking how many people (thousands) could benefit from this technology and the ways it could be rigged up with some simple devices to make their communication both easy and effective.

The publishing world is changing by the hour, and web-based journalists like Rima McDonald are using helloWorld video email to lead the way.

McDonald, the editor and publisher of Women's Online Magazine, has added jazzy graphic-rich video email to her regular newsletter. "A lot of people are tired of reading newsletters," she said. "I thought video newsletters was smart."

The result is a rapid-fire blast of WOM attractions set to hip electronic music. "It took about less than an hour to do the edit," McDonald said. "The new uploading feature on helloWorld is just great. You just cut and paste the link."

Based in Helena, Ala., McDonald has been publishing online for nearly two years. A slick general interest magazine "for today's business woman," WOM features career and personal advice, entertainment, style, fashion and health news. Among WOM's growing stable of regular columnists and contributors is life coach and helloWorld star Adena Sampson. McDonald says her readership hovers around 15,000.

"Music, text, content all looks good," said Sampson, founder of www.OutloudProductions.tv. "What a great way to connect with your subscribers."

McDonald couldn't wait to show off her video email newsletter to a fellow publisher in the UK. "I showed her what I did and she loved it," she said.

"I like this idea," said Julie Hall, publisher of www.women-unlimited.co.uk.

WOM contributor Jennifer Bays was equally excited by the helloWorld video newsletter. "This looks really good and is very 'now' compared to newsletters. You have their attention for the entire video instead of hoping they actually read an entire newsletter."

Presidential Candidates Hilary Clinton and Barack Obama use video email (vmail) in a powerful way - giving voters the opportunity to receive video footage directly to their email inbox.
They were also able to broadcast live online and stream their material online from their own websites without the distractions of commercials or links to unwanted videos.

Effectively this "levels the playing field" and gives the underdog in the political arena (or otherwise) the true power of free speech that is completely independent of commercial media (and at an absolute fraction of the cost required to run a television campaign on a commercial station).
You can view their examples online at Helloworld

Diamond Affiliates Sil and Judy Gasparro of Sarasota, Florida are well aware of the challenges facing franchise owners. As a former franchise owner, Judy recognized the potential advantages of video communications for marketing and advertising products and services over traditional advertising venues, such as direct mail, newspaper, radio and TV. So she prospected SuperSlow Zone CEO Madeline Ross who's busy managing 38 locations throughout the US, Canada, Puerto Rico, and the Bahamas. SuperSlow Zone is celebrating their 26th year of operations helping people achieve optimal strength and health in a minimum time.

"I am always looking for quality products that the SuperSlow Zone can use internally to conduct/develop our business and at the same time would be a source of potential revenue for corporate, the franchisees and the Master Licensees. VMdirect/helloWorld is such a product now this is leverage! Internally we use the product for corporate communications with the franchisees, vendors and key stakeholders examples are a password protected franchisee intranet for recorded webcasts, trainings, video emails, and IMs. Externally we use the product for corporate sales and marketing initiatives. Examples are using helloWorld as the primary media vault on our web site for video that is filmed with VMdirect and third party video producers. It is very important to have all of our video assets in one location. Franchisees and Master Licensees use the product to stay connected with the clients and for sales and marketing. Finally, all of us use it for appreciation and gratitude, you can never have too much of this!

Affiliate Michael Flanigan, owner of Rising Storm Technologies, recently landed WSI, a company that is ranked by Entrepreneur Magazine as the #1 Technology Franchise in the world and the 36th top global franchisor.

"WSI provides affordable Internet related services and technologies that deliver maximum return on investment for businesses the world over," says Ron McArthur, President of WSI. "helloWorld's web-based streaming video and digital management Studio is an innovative tool that fits perfectly into our product line-up. Our franchises are excited to have the opportunity to expand its product offerings."

LAS VEGAS, June 3 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- DigitalFX International, Inc. (Amex: DXN), a digital communications and streaming video provider, announced today that the City of Detroit is using the DigitalFX helloWorld Studio, an all-in-one, robust streaming video suite of tools, to live broadcast its city council meetings and to send video email announcements to its' constituents. The continued successful use demonstrates DigitalFX International's viability for municipalities as a superior cost-effective solution for reaching citizens immediately.

Kwame Kenyatta, Detroit City Council Member, said the Detroit City Council "recognized the need for complete and accurate coverage of the City's business, so the decision was made to utilize the advancements of today's technology and allow citizens a new outlet for following the legislative process. Following that decision, the implementation has produced a mass of positive feedback, proving the necessity of such a service and at no cost to the viewer. As a subscriber to helloWorld, I not only acknowledge its advantage, but I also recommend this form of communication to other municipalities seeking to build the relationship between elective bodies and the citizens they represent."

The City also uses streaming video emails to raise awareness for its local school system with messages from local community leaders and sports celebrities,

Craig Ellins, chief executive officer of DigitalFX International, said, "helloWorld offers all municipalities the opportunity to extend their reach with our easy-to-use and affordable live and on-demand streaming video solution. We're proud to be chosen by the City of Detroit as they show local governments the benefits and effectiveness of streaming meetings live."

Ellins continued, "The City's use of helloWorld, proves the viability of DigitalFX solutions for all facets of government. Detroit's usage represents a significant new market sector for DigitalFX."

1. Limited Screen Space.

Computer screens have increased in size over the years but webmasters still have to deal with the problem getting all a client's information presented above the bottom of the screen.It's difficult enough to get prospects or customers to read anything without them having to scroll lengthy pages of text.
Placing a prominent link to video content greatly reduces the amount of reading and web space needed (A lot can be said in a minute of video, 100 words or more).

2. Computer Screen Readability.

Computer monitors have never particularly easy on the eyes.Screen LCDs are brighter and display more contrast than CRT (which is great for graphics but again not ideal for reading). So instead of giving your potential clients eyestrain and a headache, deliver the information using video, a much more user-friendly experience.

3. Scanning habits of visitors.

A large number of net users (around 70 percent) tend to scan and skim over material, rather than actually read it.Having a well presented streaming video that loads and begins playing quickly is a powerful way to encapsulate the main points of your business and transmit them in a memorable way.

4. Retention.

Studies have shown that only a small amount of read text (around 10 percent) is easily recalled by a reader.Audio is slightly better (20 percent), whereas Video, being both visual and audible has the highest ranking in memory retention studies (around 50 percent or higher).
(If this is combined with actual interactive activity - ie doing, the result rises to around 80 percent).Also consider the following facts:55% of a message meaning is derived from facial expression38% of a message meaning is derived from gestures, body language, etc.
(Source: Dr. Mehrabians, Study of Communication.)
From the above we can see it simply makes sense to add video to a business site.

5. Consistency of Message Delivery.

Because text is skimmed your overall message may not come across in a consistent way from one visitor to the next.When clients are left on their own to browse you really don't know how much of your message they are getting.
By presenting information in video, you deliver a consistent, error-free message without anything left out. The human voice, music and visual cues breaks through the concentration barrier and leaves a lasting impression of who you are and why your visitors should be customers.
If content is King - presentation is Queen.

6.The Phenomenon of Multitasking.

Time is vital in business and so most of us try and cram as much into the day as possible - doing several things at once (multitasking).Most of us are answering the phone, reading documents, creating reports etc etc. People want it short, and to the point (and we want to be able to grab their attention while they are doing other things!) If TV advertisers can effectively promote their products in thirty-second commercials during dinner, imagine what you can deliver in the same amount of professionally created video online.

7. Branding - Creating a Personality.

Successful businesses all have an image and personality and there is no better way to transmit that personality to your prospective clients than with video. Companies spend thousands of dollars on logos, slogans, printed material and website design.Using video is a powerful tool that effectively "glues" all these elements together.You see it, hear it and interact with it, creating a memory and a feel associated with that business.
TV commercials have given Fast food chains, Banks and consumer electronics a corporate image.Online video can do exactly the same (at a tiny fraction of the cost of TV airtime 24hrs a day 7 days a week, worldwide).

8. Cost Effectiveness and ease of use.

Many business people make the assumption that multimedia solutions like video are expensive - but that is no longer the case.Recent developments have made streaming video tools accessible to even small budget companies with the flexibility not available in flash presentations which can be extremely labour intensive and cannot be viewed without the correct player.
It is possible to create, adjust and present your video message with minimal equipment and low overheads and obtain a professional result.Further developments have made video viewable without the need of downloading and installing additional software (which by the way, is a guaranteed way to lose visitors).

9. Trust and association.

Video gives the visitor a picture of who you are.TV commercials that feature a celebrity or (even just the man or woman who runs the store) create trust - that is one reason why they sell.Buyers like to associate a name with a face and video does this better than any other medium available.To be able to see something "real" in a virtual world helps to solidify the viewer's perception (hopefully positive) of you and your product or service.

10. It's a well known medium that is still unique enough to attract attention and has the advantage of virtually unlimited creativity.

While text, plain pictures (and even flash to a degree) have become commonplace and "ho hum" in the net, online video still attracts significant attention (who can resist opening a link "Watch Video"?)There is still a fascination with this media which works in the advertiser's favor.

11. And finally... You can effectively demonstrate your product.

Ever try to describe to a customer how your product works, how easy it is to use, special features, etc with just text or over the phone? - it can often be very difficult.
Nothing beats a customer seeing a product or service they are interested in going through it's paces.
Video is the only medium that gives the prospective customer a real life illustration of the what, how and why operations of your goods and services before they even set foot in your store or consider a purchase.
When a customer understands a product and how it will benefit them by seeing it in action, they are more inclined to keep this as a visual diary for the appropriate time when they are ready to buy.

Being on an absolutely tight budget I created my own virtual TV studio with a few basics.
At the heart of my system was a second hand 1.6 Ghz Celeron computer with 700Mb of RAM with Windows XP.
My video capture devices consisted of a Logitech Quick Cam Messenger and a Minolta Dimage G400 digital camera (a gift from a friend) which takes reasonable video with sound on a 256 Mb memory card.
I borrowed a desk lamp for lighting.

(For video editing I use a freeware program which runs on my G4 Mac machine which I use for my music studio and video editing, and then download my completed files onto a portable hard drive and transfer them to my PC).

There are some good free and low cost video editors out there for Windows (I just prefer using my system because it is what I already had on hand).

The only other things I use are a secondhand tripod, a broadband connection and of course a Helloworld account which costs just under ten Dollars US a month.

My boss approached me the other day and said he was amazed that I could get such good results for so little. (The company was actually paying $500 AUD a month for a video conferencing service- thats just conferencing and nothing else) suffice to say he asked me for a Helloworld trial just recently.

So in reality all you really need as far as hardware and consumables is concerned is a recent computer, a webcam, internet connection and a Helloworld account.

That's basically it.

My studio ended up costing me less than $320 Australian dollars.
Most people would already have a computer running XP or similar so the cost would be a lot less.

I'm planning to upgrade to a proper camcorder soon which will improve things, but for the web this setup works very well.

When I upload my video files to my studio where they are converted into the formats I want there is some compression involved but the results are still very good - in fact the best I have seen with a fast download at a decent size (and I can see the footage I have uploaded regardless of the internet connection speed I have).

Helloworld's system automatically detects what kind of internet connection I have (dialup or ADSL for example) and adjusts file size accordingly.

Not only that, it also determines what type of player you have installed (ie Windows media, Flash player or Quicktime for example) and selects the right format to match.

Gone are those annoying messages saying you cannot view a video because you don't have the correct player (which you then have to look for and download).

Recording from the webcam is even simpler - just a few clicks and you're done.

Plans for the future?
I have a number of plans, including using this to promote products on eBay and a tourist site (plus some other projects I'm keeping secret)...

Recent news. Sept 5, 2008
Helloworld is now Mac compatible so I can now do my video email and uploading all on my Mac.
I recently uprgraded my machine to an ex lease G5 which also came with iMovie which allows me more flexibility with effects etc.
Vmail was very simple too - just plug in a usb webcam and driver , a few mouse clicks and it's done.

A podcast is simply a recording (usually audio although video players are becoming more and more common) that is uploaded to a server online and converted into a format that can be downloaded and played back on an iPod or similar type of player.

Podcasts are an excellent way promoting your world (whatever it may be) and since podcasts are often shared between users they are effectively a viral form of advertising.

Below are some ideas for podcasts.

* Create an Internet radio show or talk show in which you create content-rich broadcasts for your target market.

* Conduct a teleclass series in which you interview experts who have solutions to problems faced by your target market.

* Promote a printed book, ebook, or CD/DVD series by releasing promotional snippets to a wider audience.
(Great for recording artists, speakers, authors etc).

* Provide short and valuable expert tips to your target market.

So how do I create a Podcast?

Typically to produce a podcast you need the following:

A recording studio and a place on a server somewhere (ie a website) to upload you recording (helloWorld provides a comprehensive service that allows you to do this easily).

Your recording studio needn't be expensive (all you really need is a microphone, a computer with audio inputs and outputs (ie a soundcard and speakers or headphones) and some recording software.
A freeware program such as Audacity will usually do the trick but you may want to spend more on a recording program depending on what you are wanting to achieve.
Some podcasts I have listened to have sounded very professional and have included background music, promotional spots and even an introduction theme song or track (Just like you might hear on an authentic radio show).

Your recording program should be able to convert your finished audio into mp3 format so it is reduced or compressed into a small enough file so it is quick to upload and download but the audio quality is still there.
(Keep this in mind when recording too and choose a quiet place to create your masterpiece).
Most audio recording programs allow you to save your item in Wav, Aiff and mp3 (the former 2 formats produce very large files for CD production) while mp3 is typically much smaller.

Once you have done your work the next step is to upload your podcast to a server where it is stored for easy download.
You then create a link to this on your website or in your email for example and direct your listeners to this where they either download to their iPod or play directly from their computer.

1. Lighting.
Make sure you have a good light source ie a soft lamp, open curtains (if it is during the day).
A soft light in front of you will help eliminate harsh shadows and show your facial features.
Overly bright lighting will wash out your picture so avoid squinting into a spotlight.

2. Sound.
Eliminate feedback by using light headphones when video chatting (and turn off your speakers).
This will prevent sound looping back into your microphone from them and causing the ringing or squealing associated with this problem.

3. External distractions.
Choose a location that is quiet (unless you want to deliberately include it).
Remember, the louder the background noise, the more you will have to compensate by either shouting or turning up the volume.
This can distort the sound your recipient will receive.

4 Internet connection.
In short you need a good one.
Dialup is generally too slow - the rule here is the faster the better 256kbs is the absolute slowest, and even then you may have to wait a while as the media loads (you'll need a fast upload speed too if you want to broadcast live - above 128kbs).
Thankfully higher speed internet connections are becoming more and more common which in turn will make streaming content more accessible.

Just announced an affiliate program for people who want to use and promote the technology.
Consists of a one time set up fee and a monthly helloworld account.
You get paid 20 percent on each sale which continues each and every month that person is a customer.
For more information go to:
VMdirect