Instant Content; Converting a Text
Article to a Podcast
We are taught to recycle paper, cans, bottles and plastic
but marketers rarely discuss the value of repackaging
and repurposing content. Publishers and marketers alike
have embraced content syndication and RSS but few have
considered the value beyond the actual syndication. Consider
an alternative communication channel that reaches a new
or different audience.
Repurposing and repackaging content or information so
that it can be consumed through a variety of mediums is
not a new concept. Many businesses today sight increased
communication as a common goal. Cost conscious businesses
with tight budges are often interested in minimizing work
loads and cost, while increasing communication. By presenting
the same information in different ways and formats, businesses
are able to increase the reach and communication, while
remaining cost conscious.
Businesses quickly found that power point presentations
could be converted into technical articles, or forum posts
could be ported to become a basis for a list of frequently
asked questions. Along a similar vein webmasters have
located a new advent in repurposed content is reusing
text articles by converting them into audio podcasts.
The process is surprisingly simple, I personally found
the prospect of reading the articles aloud and recording
them, both intimidating and time consuming, hence I opted
for a simplified approach. I found that by using two simple
software applications, I was able to create a podcast
in minutes.
The first obstacle, the creation of the audio file was
conquered using NextUp's TextAloud program. I simply pasted
in the text of an article selected a "voice"
and saved the file as an MP3 file. In under a minute I
had an audio file containing the article.
After I had the MP3 file saved, I used FeedForAll's tutorial
to create a podcast. The step by step tutorial ( http://www.feedforall.com/podcasting-tutorial.htm
)laid out 12 simple steps to constructing a podcast.
I found the quality of the constructed podcasts, using
synthesized speech to text, surprisingly good.
An evaluation version of TextAloud can be found at:
http://www.textaloud.com
and an evaluation version of FeedForAll can be found at
http://www.feedforall.com
Experiment by repurposing and repacking existing content
save time and money while increasing communication, distribution
and exposure.
About the Author:
Sharon Housley manages marketing for FeedForAll http://www.feedforall.com
software for creating, editing, publishing RSS feeds and
podcasts. In addition Sharon manages marketing for FeedForDev
http://www.feedfordev.com
an RSS component for developers.
This article may be used freely in opt-in
publications and websites, provided that the resource
box is included and the links are active. A courtesy
copy of the issue or a link to any online posting would
be greatly appreciated send an email to sharon@notepage.net
.
