A Newsletter by SAM about using your website.

SAM

Accessories on Your Site August,2009

1. Putting Videos on Your Site

2009-08-12 09:10:04

Putting Videos on Your Site

A great place to store your videos online is YouTube.com. The best way to get started is to create an account online, which will allow you to keep track of all of your videos. Once you log into your profile, click on Account then look for the link “Upload Video”. After you have uploaded your video you are going to have to type in a description and keywords. It is important to keep in mind that YouTube is owned by Google, a search engine. This can be used as another tool by you in search engine optimization and allowing the search engines to better recognize your company/products.

This is good to know as you set up your advertising campaign. Videos are searchable, and there are a couple of questions to think about when loading your videos: Why would somebody search your video, or why would someone find you? For example, you make a video on, “How to install a kitchen sink.” Plumber and kitchen sink are good keywords and this could get you some notoriety. Remember, a search on YouTube could get you recognition in Australia. Of course, it would be pretty costly for someone from Phoenix to fix somebody’s kitchen sink in Sidney. But, it does mean you are getting hits by interested parties.

Another way to bring about the success of your videos is to create a playlist on your website through Youtube.com. When you are logged into your Youtube account, look for Custom Video Players. Copy the videos code and place it in your code on your website. This can be a great bonus to your website. We have used this option for our own website. Click on http://transnetmedia.com/tools.php and scroll down. (SAM does Hip Hop)

Another alternative to using YouTube is utilizing Windows Media Player. This can be done by linking your website right to Windows Media Player’s website. The problem with this method is that everyone must have the right software in order to be able to view the video. If it is a long video, there can often be a waiting time.

There is also a very successful way of putting videos on your site, which is with Adobe’s Flash program. This does require having the program “Flash” and a developer who can do it for you. It is Adobe’s animation program made just for the web. Flash makes videos streaming, which means you can immediately see it playing. This means you do not have to wait for it to start. Flash allows for some manipulation of the program, as well. This type of editing can be considered a career itself and is not something we need to focus on right now. However, there are certain stipulations to using Flash that must be acknowledged. For example, it only allows for certain formats. Your Flash developer will know which ones are necessary. Here are two examples: http://www.persianroom.com/ (If you watch the animation, you see their TV commercial embedded without the sound.) and http://www.element115theband.com/ (animation and video combined}



2. The Audio-Video Connection

2009-08-21 14:55:14

We already know that we need the right keywords to get any decent ranking within search engines, which means content is key. It is another story when you are trying to communicate your message and purpose to your audience once they do get to your site. The very popular audio video speaks to your user for you and is a very effective solution to this problem. The speaker moves all over your site as if the background is transparent. This allows for information to be shared without expecting your users to read your entire site from top to bottom.  This also surpasses the idea that sound is annoying when launching a site. Read more...

Sound has been with the internet for a long time and if a computer has speakers, we were not as quick to turn off the sound when going to a website. In the past, users have felt out of control when visiting a site with sound. Now sound is more expected and adds creative touch of uniqueness to your website.



3. Putting Audio on Your Site

2009-08-30 21:01:43

Putting audio on your website use to be taboo, but it is now used to enhance your site. For example, when a photographer is showing photographs with background sound it can create a mood for the viewer, http://mccaffreyphotography.com. Restaurants can create the ambiance of their restaurant with music on their site, http://www.Persianroom.com.

One thing to consider is that audio does not have to be music. It can be a sound pitch to help win over clients. The use of sound for your website is involving a possible third sense in the aim to sell; seeing, hearing and touching the site. The acceptable way to present it is to let the viewers launch the sound themselves. This seems less annoying to some, but is it as effective as letting the sound be launched with the website automatically? Giving the viewer the option to turn it off if they prefer is a great way to solve that problem.

Similar to using a video on your sight, the best way to share audio is through the program Flash. It makes the audio streaming and can be programmed with the controls you desire.

Animations can also be added to sound to create another selling effect. Unfortunately, a Flash website still does not communicate to search engines. When using Flash, it is important to use it discreetly if you are working towards a higher ranking in search engines. Flash is very effective and powerful accessory to a site especially if it is used correctly.



4. Are Images A Necessity Or An Accessory To Your Website?

2009-08-31 10:36:14

When images were first introduced to the web they were definitely welcomed, but often they were treated as an accessory. The web was not able to tolerate big images that took forever to download. This is not as much of problem anymore, since most software can compress images into smaller sizes.

Images should support the message that a website is trying to communicate. They make it easier to reach a wide variety of people. If used properly I would say they are a necessity. Just imagine a website without images. The web would not be as popular or as effective.

What About Animations?


If a picture says a thousand words, how many words can an animation say? Animations are an accessory, but they can be used a lot more then they are. We use images on a website a lot like we do in a book or any print. We are so limited to the 2-d media that we often do not think about the possibilities that animations offer. We recommend you check out a few websites with animations and see what it can do for you.