Why (and How) to Caption Your Videos

Did you know that by next year, an estimated 1 million minutes of video content will be streamed online every single second? In 2017, Skype users made 3 billion minutes of video calls every day, and Facebook Messenger users placed 17 billion video calls.

Video is an essential medium of communication, but if you’re not optimizing your videos properly, you could be losing, or even alienating, a large part of your audience.

Optimizing your video goes beyond its file size or its audio quality. TV shows have had captions for decades, but few videos uploaded today, and very few video calls, come with the option to read what’s being said. This isn’t just an accessibility issue, although it definitely is an issue.

More than 5% of the world has hearing loss severe enough to need captions to understand videos. However, according to digital marketer and deaf advocate Meryl Evans, 80% of people using captions don’t have severe hearing loss, which means most people simply prefer to read what’s being said in videos.

Why (and how) can you make sure your videos, and video calls, are inclusive and accessible? Let’s take a look at some great reasons to use captions, and some great solutions to use as well.

Why caption your videos?

This list is from Meryl Evans’ excellent and comprehensive guide to captioning online video.

1. Reach more people

Most people, regardless of hearing ability, don’t watch online videos with the sound on. They might be busy at work and just looking for a quick answer to a problem, or already listening to music, or just don’t want to distract those around them with unexpected noise.

By captioning your videos, you allow more people to enjoy your video content the way they want, with or without sound. Hearing impaired people will definitely appreciate the effort, but so will the 80% of captioning users who don’t have hearing loss.

2. Understand different speakers’ accents

Let’s face it, we’re not always great at understanding unfamiliar voices, especially when they come through with an accent you can’t quite place. Captions ensure you won’t miss, or misunderstand important points in the video’s narration.

3. Improves viewer focus

Meryl notes that digital natives like Millennials or Generation Z are multitaskers by default. This can make it easier to miss key points in video narration when you’re also reading a Buzzfeed article, answering a Snap, eating avocado toast, or any of those other stereotypical Millennial things a digital native might be trying to do at the same time.

Captioned videos help viewers focus on the video by demanding attention from their eyes as well as their ears. It’s also easier to pause captioned videos and come back later, as the on-screen text can provide a memory anchor if the viewer returns after some time away.

4. Boosts your brand awareness

Research suggests that captioned videos can increase brand awareness by 19%. Considering how easy it actually is to add captions to your videos, this should make using them an absolute no-brainer for any savvy business and digital marketing professional.

Image courtesy of Henrique at Wikimedia Commons

How to caption your online videos

There are a number of services and apps, ranging from free to rather costly, to help you add captions to videos you’ll be uploading later.

Android users don’t have many options. The only app seemingly available for adding captions to videos on your Android device is AutoCap.

iOS has more options available. The most popular seems to be Cliptomatic, famously used by Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez to caption her Instagram videos. There’s also Veme.ly, MySubtitle, and Add Subtitles.

Desktop users have access to the most fully-featured captioning options. Several video editing software suites, like Adobe After Effects, Adobe Premiere, Final Cut Pro, DaVinci Resolve, and Camtasia, all have functions allowing you to add captions to your videos. There are also specialized apps like Format Factory and HandBrake, which “burn in” captions on your videos from separate caption files, called SRT files.

YouTube and Facebook also allow you to add captions to your videos before publishing. There are several online services to help you add captions to your videos, such as Kapwing and Headliner.

The process of adding captions to videos can be complex, and it will vary from app to app, platform to platform, and even based on your reason for adding the captions in the first place. A much more complete guide to creating, adding, and adjusting the captions on your videos can be found on Meryl Evans’ video captioning resource.

Why (and how to) caption video calls

Live captions on video calls are a relatively new phenomenon, but for many people, particularly the hard of hearing, they can transform the experience of video calls.

The same issues with accents and focus that crop up with online videos can happen with video chats as well for those who can hear.

However, for deaf people who depend on lipreading and other visual cues, video chats may be the only viable means of verbal communication with friends, family, colleagues, and clients. Even then, it’s quite easy to miss what’s said due to any number of factors, whether it’s poor lighting, bad sound quality, connection lag, and background noise or visual distractions.

Today, there are two apps that allow you to use captions on live video calls:  Google Hangouts Meet for businesses, and Skype.

Skype’s captions work on all video calls, and can be turned on from a menu available on the bottom right of your screen during a call. For the time being, Google’s captioning only works on video calls between members of the same G Suite organization, and it’s not (yet) available on Duo Google’s free video calling app. However, it can be highly effective at helping teams stay on track during intra-company communication in group video chats.

Caption enthusiasts should be excited about a new Google app called Live Transcribe, formerly Live Caption, which will automatically caption everything your phone’s microphone picks up. iOS users don’t have access to Live Transcribe, but there is an (unrelated) app called Live Caption, from a company of the same name, available on the App Store with roughly equivalent functionality.

These apps can turn your phone into a captioning machine, helping you clarify what’s said on videos without captions, or even during face-to-face meetings or presentations.

* Featured Image courtesy of rawpixel.com at Pexels.com

How to create effective internal communications

Simply put: establishing an effective communications ecosystem within a company is key—success depends a lot on this investment. As per previously discussed by Don Burns, effective communication between a company and its employees allows businesses to fully harness the talent of its people, and, in fact, the benefits commonly associated with this practice are often found a way beyond pure financial ROI.

Having open discussions and building rapport with employees help companies build a much stronger sense of community within the business, thusly enabling workers to feel not only more confident but also happier and to go beyond the boundaries of their primary roles. In order to develop such corporate environment: one that is passion-driven in its own approach—thanks to employees who are not afraid of voicing their opinions and ideas—here are a few tips companies should pay special attention to should they want to improve their overall internal communications:

Allow the presence of company-wide interactions and conversations

According to a survey carried out seven years ago by the National Federation of Independent Businesses, there are at least five benefits of allowing instant messaging in a business:

1. Individual chat logs that can be comfortably used for reference later on
2. Continuous and seamless collaboration with co-workers irrespective of their location
3. The possibility to actively manage multiple chat logs at the same time
4. Elimination of long-distance phone calling tariffs

Thus, it is pretty clear that empowering employees much better communicate not only reduces the overhead and the costs associated with communication but also provides a lot of value. Under these circumstances, creating different ways for coworkers and employees, in general, to communicate and exchange data and information across the whole company is the wisest thing to do. And although there are many different software and applications that enable people to reach out to coworkers, the general idea is for peers to interact with each other—which also strengthens their relationships.

Foster peer-to-peer and employee-to-manager communication

In order to foster horizontal and vertical communications like the ones described in the subtitle, companies need to use the right tools: Slack, HipChat and other internet-based applications and services have been developed to ensure seamless communication across the different levels of a company. By fully getting the most out of these software and applications, employees are thusly empowered to voice their opinions and ideas on issues and topics that matter to them and their duties and roles.

In light of what today’s fourth industrial revolution has ultimately implied, collaboration solutions have allowed executives to create a sense of transparency and fully harness what employees and coworkers have to offer. In today’s competitive world, companies cannot underestimate the possible wisdom and input they can get from the people they work with. And, as a consequence, such scenario makes business owners and C-level executives more responsible and accountable when peers voice their ideas: businesses, by their nature, are supposed to thrive and make profit, which is considering anything that could result beneficial in increasing productivity, improving customer service or reducing overhead is no less than recommendable.

On another note, direct communications between employees and the head of the company reduce the chances of conveying the wrong message. It is very important that new concepts, internal regulations, and ideas are conveyed clearly in order to avoid falling victim of any misconception that could lead to a pejorative scenario. Besides, management also needs to be involved and connected with people from the very beginning as well: thus, company leaders can definitely help understand and implement the best ideas.

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Mind the budget

In order to succeed at implementing any kind of corporate communications program, managers need to resort to their financial assets and resources. Determining a budget requires managers and business owners in general to evaluate the possible outcome of allowing employees to improve the way they communicate with each other. As mentioned above, this not only helps them build stronger relationships but also share concerns and ideas, and that is something companies must evaluate prior to allocating money and efforts in establishing such environment. Here are several positive aspects to take into account when considering to implement and establish a communications ecosystem within a company:

• Employee retention and morale
• Turnover
• Missed opportunities, loss of revenue, inaccuracies
• Effectiveness of customer service
• Quality assurance

Additionally, companies should ultimately consider the possible upsides and downsides, benefits and disadvantages of implementing new software and getting rid of existing programs.

Assess the impact and effectiveness of internal and corporate communications

Remember that when implementing new software, regardless of its nature, results are often conceived as long-term objectives. In this sense, companies must continuously keep an eye on results, evaluate whether employees are successfully adopting the changes, assess levels of peer satisfaction and whether or not the expectations are being met as time passes.

* Featured Image courtesy of rawpixel.com at Pexels.com

Get the most out of your WiFi router

They are always there, yet people hardly notice them. They enable people to experience all sorts of feelings; people laugh, cry, learn and communicate with each other thanks to WiFi routers. They are, in short, part of people’s lives. WiFi routers can be found in practically every part of the world—every home, every business, every city area—, and it is quite hard to imagine the world without their application and use. However, despite their traditional use, most people feel that their WiFi performance is not as good and reliable as they would desire. Donald Burns has previously talked about some things people can do in order to improve their WiFi signal; however, it is also important to note that there are some improvements and changes that can be carried out on the device itself.

Of course, even the most advanced wireless routers struggle to provide a reliable signal and cover an entire office or house. That is not a secret. However, in light of such circumstances, it is essential to know how to effectively get the most out of a WiFi device using the right tools. Widely used by IT professionals and households, NetSpot has definitely become a highly reliable tool for doing such thing.

NetSpot, used today as one of the strongest tools out there to improve WiFi routers, is capable of carrying out several things such as network analysis, site surveys and traditional network troubleshooting. It is quite useful, and it can even make a low-budget WiFi router perform just as good as those outside that price range. Need more? NetSpot aside from being easy-to-use, simple and powerful, is free.

Picking the most reliable Wireless Router

As mentioned in previous articles, not all routers are quite the same. Thus, it is also advisable for people to get rid of the router they are currently using and buy a new one instead. Chances are it will be definitely much better. Traditionally, routers were used just to connect people and companies to the internet; nonetheless, modern and non-traditional WiFi devices are way different and capable of doing a lot more: they provide internet access to not only desktop computers and laptops but also to smartphones, tablets and all kinds of new technologies. Their security protocols have been greatly improved; they now come with USB ports for information sharing and, of course, support and run on the latest wireless standards.

Some of the today’s modern WiFi routers are even capable of transmitting on two different frequencies at the same time—these are the ones commonly referred to as dual-band routers—. That, of course, is important as the 2.4 GHz band oftentimes tend to be highly crowded. Especifically in crowded areas—apartment blocks and crowded neighborhoods—, routers may broadcast a sheer array of different signals on the exact same channel, making it much harder for other electronic devices to collect the right amount of data packets in the middle of that fuss.

Likewise, today´s routers offer different signal ranges: there are some devices that literally look like giant spiders with several antennas attached to their bodies, and of course, those perform much better than those that come with built-in antennas.

Software updates have acquired a whole new level of importance especially amidst today’s myriad of cyber attackers. It has been established and calculated that cyber criminals are responsible for releasing up to 400,000 new malware versions on a daily basis and old, traditional—even unsafe—routers have subsequently become their prime victims. Thus, it is quite wise to wonder whether it is better to just purchase a new device in hopes of avoiding falling victim of unscrupulous criminals.

Image courtesy of Pixabay at Pexels.com

Poor signal? Do not blame your router

Prior to ranting about a WiFi signal, it is recommendable to analyze and consider what could be in fact affecting the quality of any WiFi signal and Internet speed. First and foremost, in order to get a much better signal and faster speed, wireless networks ought to be encrypted—which is also highly advisable for safety purposes—, otherwise, neighbors can access that signal and prevent the owner from getting the router’s whole capability of broadcasting and receiving data and information.

Second, in order to make sure the internet service provider is actually delivering the right download and upload speeds, users can use NetSpot in order to scan and rapidly assess the router’s connection speed. Any discrepancies between the results and the contract with the internet service provider is the real explanation as to why some routers perform under expected levels, and, last but not least, in order to get the most out of a Wireless Router, it is advisable to make sure to use a good working device—laptop, computer, smartphone, etc.—. Slow internet speed is often the consequence of malware infestations.

* Featured Image courtesy of picjumbo.com at Pexels.com

How to get the most out of your Zendesk

Communication is a key aspect within any organization. Donald Burns has previously addressed several options when it comes to choosing a particular communication tool; however, communications, per se, spans beyond the regular connotation people are used to. In this sense, maintaining customer relationships is one of those things that never gets old. Successful businesses are the ones that have focused all their efforts on providing their customers with outstanding service, thusly making them the center of their actions. Sustainable growth can only be achieved, amongst other things of course, through excellent customer service.

This seems pretty obvious at first sight; however, even under today’s juncture, there are many businesses than recklessly tend to disregard and overlook the details and all the small things that are arguably key to make customers satisfied. Zendesk, although initially conceived as a customer service platform, has allowed hundreds of businesses to stay synced with their customers while maintaining a fruitful channel of communication open. Thus, this tool has become crucial for providing audiences with remarkable, meaningful, personal and more productive customer experiences. Be that as it may, when it comes to getting the most of Zendesk, the sky is the limit.

Zendesk has helped startups and well-established companies scale up their businesses in terms of communications and communications with their customers. The methodology? Pretty much self-explanatory: critical feedback. Zendesk enables organizations to build a customer-centric business culture, paying special attention to the interactions with customers.

How to communicate effectively with customers? That is, in fact, the question. Those who are new to Zendesk ought to simply consider that Zendesk builds customer software for better customer service to help companies get and stay closer to their target audience and current customers: it is, simply short, a product that supports a customer’s service journey that starts with customer support, resolving any sort of customer issues and providing accurate answers to their questions; enabling self-service—helping customers find and discover the information they are looking for; and, last but not least, eventually there will come a time where customers will feel encouraged enough to conceive this support as a long-term conversation instead of short-term transactions.

Zendesk provides the user with various channels to support their customers. In fact, the process starts when the customer reaches out seeking support. It does not matter if they reach out through direct emails, through the website, by calling the customer service line or by posting a mention on social media. Zendesk allows users to collect all these conversations into a single location and respond from one single place. Technically, Zendesk conceives all these ways of reaching out as «channels», which in fact comes in handy, as the user is able to create as many channels as they need for a proper and accurate management of communication with customers.

The most common and used channel in Zendesk is none other the old reliable email; however, it gets a bit more technical when using the tool. Zendesk possesses three different ways of customizing email reply addresses: default reply, past-through emails, and personalized reply addresses.

Aside from the email, Zendesk comes with a chat. This will allow customers to chat with the customer service representative at any given moment. There are basically two ways customers can start chatting with customer service agents: through a currently active ticket, or by starting a new chat through a widget that can be created in Zendesk called «Feedback».

In short, this tool is really compelling, mostly because its nature: it is a social media customer support platform that comes with a sheer array of features. In addition to the aforementioned features, Zendesk includes embeddable apps, voice calling and self-help platform for directing customers where they need to go without having a customer service representative help them. From the customer service standpoint, its functions basically cover everything businesses need for communicating and responding to consumers in a timely and effective manner. Besides, it offers an entirely scalable customer support.

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The social media integration feature allows users to rapidly get a grasp of social media conversations, messages and mentions, allowing them to stay on top of every possible interaction. Direct messages and conversations on popular social media platforms such as Facebook or Twitter are directly collected by the tool. With the possibility of setting up quick and fast notification alerts from one single command center, companies or customer service representatives can reply much faster, which, of course, will end up having a real positive impact on the company’s social media profiles and its customer resource management strategy. Thus, with Zendesk, companies can respond and communicate with their customers on their preferred social media platform, without having them make a call or visit the company’s website. Given its integration feature, this tool provides a faster and higher turnover for customers who are just seeking a single answer to a simple question.

* Featured Image courtesy of picjumbo.com at Pexels.com

 

 

How To Make The Most Out Of Your Wi-Fi Connection

Wi-Fi connections have become as ubiquitous as the ways we access the Internet nowadays. Everyone carries on their body at least a smartphone to stay connected while most also keep a laptop or a tablet in their bag in order to be able to work on the move and have access to everything they consider essential. Internet access has become something as necessary as water and electric utilities today, and we are able to find it at malls, parks, airplanes and even buses.

Just because something is everywhere and we consider it a given, it doesn’t mean that there isn’t plenty of room for improvement as far as quality of service goes. People often complain that Internet service providers are not fulfilling their promise when it comes to strength and speed in Internet connections, especially in the wireless signal.

More often than not, people fail to realize that there are many factors dictating the actual download and upload speeds they are experiencing at home with the service provided by their ISP, and that they can, in fact, follow some simple instructions to significantly boost their speed, or find out why they are not getting the numbers they feel they should be getting. 

We at Donald Burns Blog do recommend to check your contract first and test your connection before you do anything else and figure out if you are in fact getting less than you were promised before you go ahead and make any changes.

The latest technology

Not all wireless routers are created equal, and while we may change our computers and cellphones every couple of years, we may have the same router for a very long time without replacing it. There are different types of routers like the A, B, and G that are considered outdated by now and could be the cause of your woes. Make sure that your router and your computer are not just up to date as far as hardware is concerned, but also that they are compatible in the way they communicate.

Positioning is everything

When it comes to wireless routers, the higher, the better. Also, make sure that the device is located in a place where is equidistant from every corner of the house to ensure an even dispersal of the signal and maximum reach. Do not put anything on top on the router like magazines, clothing or other objects that may obstruct the signal. Antenna positioning is another variable to consider.

Change the channel

Routers can operate in different channels in order to avoid interference. The problem is that most people simply leave them with the factory settings and never bother to change their default channel. If you have neighbors, this may become a problem as the channels in your vicinity may be over saturated with signals. Change your channel to a less cluttered signal and enjoy faster speeds.

Security

Change your password as soon as the technicians that installed your service leave your home, or better yet, have them set it up for you and introduce a strong password. Most Internet connections are slow simply because they have many users at once. Internet download speeds are affected significantly by neighbors using your Wi-Fi to download large files while you are having trouble even opening your email.

Interference may be the problem

Cordless phones and microwave ovens are some of the most common appliances that can cause router interference. Move them away from each other or make sure they operate in different bands than your router does. You can look for the information here.

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Share the bandwidth

The use your household gives to the Internet highly influences the speed of your downloads. If someone in your house plays online games, chances are they are hogging all the bandwidth, and that may be the reason why you are experiencing slow speeds. You can prioritize some applications over others, so the less bandwidth-requiring programs are first on the priority list and not suffer from sluggish connections.

Extend the signal

Getting a signal booster or even using an older router as a Wi-Fi repeater are great ways of making the most out of your home network. The set up is easy, and you can find many tutorials online showing you how to do it step by step. You can place the repeaters in areas that do not have a strong signal and thus enjoy more consistent speeds all throughout your house.

Remember to reboot

Just like your computer, your router also needs to reboot in order to make software changes, updates and to cool off in general. You can do this by hand or even set up software that does it for you every night as you sleep or while you are away at work. Rebooting fixes most problems right away, but never rule out a fault device.

* Featured Image courtesy of Tookapic at Pexels.com