Audio for website

[gvc223]

I have a website up and running and I would like to add an audio voiceover to it that will autoplay when the website is opened. This should be easy enough to do as my website builder (Bluevoda) provides an option for this where I just have to upload the file. The audio file is in .wav format and is about 5.09 MB in size. My problem is this; the file is too slow loading and does not begin playing until about a minute after opening the page. I have tried opening my site on other computers just to confirm that it is not the performance of my own machine. Is there a faster loading format that I can use? Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated. Thanks!

[obue]

Wav is uncompressed audio. Try converting to mp3, it should be about ten times smaller/faster.

[Darren]

I love mp3mymp3 ( http://www.mp3mymp3.com/ )

Freeware! It takes "anything you hear" and turns it into mp3s. You can set it to record whatever comes through your speakers and turns it into mp3s.


Which is handy for things like Pandora.com and a million other things....including your needs.

[obue]

Some converters have preset quality settings that are perfect for pure voice recordings (such as audio books) - since the frequency content is relatively limited in such material, it's easier to describe than music meaning less quality can still sound great (if you do it right).

If speed is important to you, this can be worth looking into.

[gvc223]

Thank you. Thats what I needed to know. My audio is up and running. Cheers.

[kamakiri]

Just a bit of opinion, but auto opening audio on a web site pisses people off. Like a Renaissance Festival, the internet is participatory, but people hate having things thrust upon them.

Aside from the noise, it holds the potential to embarrass people at work (where many do a lot of web surfing), and it makes people remember to never go back to your site.

[Live Free]

I agree with Kamakiri - if I am surfing and opening multiple pages, and one begins making noise, (music, talking etc), I immediately shut it down. I do not read it, I do not look for an off button, I close it as fast as I can.

[Sven]

I second Kam and Live Free, I also leave immediately.

[dvdwlsh]

Good example of an opportunity to use smart design to avoid an otherwise annoying, albeit common, mistake. Don't ever auto-play when someone enters the site. It doesn't matter what your message is, since it sends an immediate message of "I didn't consider that perhaps you don't want to hear it just yet".

Simply create a prominent space on your site where the user can start the audio playback. They're far, far more likely to actually listen to you if they themselves took an action towards it.

[gvc223]

I am in complete agreement. I envisioned a person in a cubicle at work opening my site where they have visual privacy but not audio privacy. The only reason I have decided to do this as an experiment is because the top selling product in my niche and my primary competition has an auto loading voiceover on their landing page. Personally, I don't like it, but I figured it was worth a try. Anyway, I will be curious to see how this affects my stats and will try to post the results. Thanks for all the input.

[webgal]

I despise audio openings about 99.9% of the time. Nothing is worse than being on the phone cruising mindlessly on the web and landing on a page with audio.

[kamakiri]

The only reason I have decided to do this as an experiment is because the top selling product in my niche and my primary competition has an auto loading voiceover...

This should be your first clue. Never follow the leader. Did you ever think that is a reason hi isn't selling more? It is clear that you have spent time on this, but it is time to cut and burn.

Web 2.0 is all about participation, not the static web sites of 1997. Auto loading audio is a dinosaur.