You
got questions. We've got a FAQ page.
Actually we hope that this answers most questions
that people will have, and if not CONTACT
US so
that we can add to it.
Here goes...
| Q. |
I want to host audio, but why do
I need Cyberears.com? |
| A. |
Well if you record audio digitally, people
need to be able to download it from somewhere
static on the Internet. Unfortunately most
web servers, and home PCs are not designed
to handle the file sizes of audio media and
most ISPs have limits on the amount of traffic
that you can use. So you need a hosting company
that can handle your files. That's what we
do.
But its more than that. The world doesn't
listen to audio on just CDs anymore. Now
its all about the listener being able to
easily grab stuff to listen to, when they
want and where they want. The Internet has
revolutionized this for people. And this
means a great opportunity for audio creators
to distribute their creations.
Clearly the missing link is a combination
of somewhere to put your files, and as much
help as you can get to promote and advertise
it. And you need a way to gauge if you are
really getting heard. Cyberears.com brings
you all of these tools in a simple, convenient
and reliable package. Try us out if you want
to see for yourself. |
| Q. |
What's a Podcast? |
| A. |
Its a way that you can record something (story,
radio show, your thoughts, music, etc.) and
release it to the masses. People find out that
you have done this, and subscribe to it so
that each time you create an episode, they
automatically download it. Its really cool.
You should try it.
Podcasts really get misunderstood by people.
They are really just a way for listeners
to say, "Hey, I really like what you are
doing - can you make sure I get to hear everything
that you release, please?". But offering
your files as a Podcast, people can just
subscribe to the Podcast. This means that
when you upload a new file to Cyberears,
all of your subscribed listeners will automatically
be sent the new file. Its kinda like magic,
but really its just a good use of technology.
For everyone. |
| Q. |
Do you guys host Video Podcasts? |
| A. |
No, that's why we are called 'CyberEars'
and not 'CyberEyes' :)
But seriously, CyberEars is all about audio.
Think of us as the place to store your 'home
grown radio show'. Our feelings are that there
are plenty of video hosting sites on the Internet
and until video can be watched easily by everyone
without them having to sit in front of a computer
to do it, we will stick with audio hosting.
After all, how can you watch a video podcast
while driving to work without crashing the
car? Audio is an ideal mechanism to deliver
your message as it allows someone to listen
to it while they are doing something else.
Video doesn't provide the same level of passive
audience, and therefore in our opinion isn't
as good a medium to deliver your message to
your audience.
|
| Q. |
Is a Podcast just a MP3 file? |
| A. |
No. Think of a Podcast like a radio show.
A radio show airs regularly, and each 'Episode'
is a different audio recording. Therefore a
Podcast is the general term for the 'show'
and the MP3 files are the 'episodes'. When
you create a Podcast on CyberEars.com, you
are just creating a registration of the show.
There is nothing for people to listen to until
you upload audio files (MP3) which are associated
with the show.
The CyberEars.com system will walk you through
this. After creating a Podcast, it will then
tell you that you need to upload audio MP3
to the Podcast. When you record your next
episode, you then return back to CyberEars.com
and upload it. The upload button appears
on the 'My Audio' page underneath the list
of your Podcasts. |
| Q. |
But how do I get found by people? |
| A. |
Apart from your own marketing (ie. telling
people about your audio files and sending them
to Cyberears.com to get them), we will automatically
register your Podcasts with a bunch of Podcast
search engines and registries. This way you
will be found. People hang on these search
engines looking for content that is in the
area that they are interested in. When they
find it, they will simply try out one of your
recordings. If they like it, they'll subscribe
so that they get anything new that you release
(if you want them to). |
| Q. |
But I want to make some money from this.
I've invested enough money in equipment over
the years and I want to get something back |
| A. |
We hear ya. Podcasts are probably not the
best method to obtain revenue from your audio
creations because they are, by their nature,
free. But once you have enticed a listener
to hear you, and they like it, its pretty easy
to sell them products. |
| Q. |
What are your fees? |
| A. |
Fees are fully discussed in the various packages
that we offer. CLICK
HERE to read all about
the Packages and their options. |
| Q. |
What do I get for the first 7 Days? |
| A. |
The full details on what is offered in our
free 7 Day trial subscription program can
be found HERE.
Its designed to get you started so that you
can see how valuable our service is and what
it can do to help you get heard on the Internet.
You then have the option to upgrade to a paid
subscription service and continue enjoying
the benefits of Cyberears.com |
| Q. |
What about copyrights? |
| A. |
We are VERY serious about
copyrights. Cyberears.com requires you to stipulate
that you are the legal owner of any material
that you upload to our site. If we find out
you have lied on this application and that,
in fact, you are not the legal owner of the
material, your account is immediately terminated
without any refunds due to you, and you will
be reported to the appropriate authorities.
This is not a free Warez, MP3 file sharing
or p0rn site. This is a serious facility for
original audio creators to get exposure to
their work. We cooperate with all legal authorities
and disclose any information requested regarding
possible copyright violation. |
| Q. |
I'm a corporation and interested in using
Cyberears.com to host audio for our employees,
shareholders, management meetings, etc. Can
you help me? |
| A. |
Absolutely. We feel that there is a great
value to any organization who wishes to share
information whether for internal purposes or
to the general public. Cyberears.com have the
facilities to accommodate this. Please CHECK
THIS OUT for more information on our Enterprise
offerings. |
| Q. |
Do you have the ability to do custom 'branding'
of Cyberears.com so that it can fit with our
existing website? |
| A. |
Sure. That's exactly what we have done for
a number of organizations who have incorporated
Cyberears.com into their product or service
offerings. Again this is part of our ENTERPRISE offerings. |
| Q. |
Are you interested in investors? |
| A. |
Sure. Talk
to us about it. |
| Q. |
I'm with the press. Do you have any standard
Press Information? |
| A. |
Yep. Here please CONTACT
US and we'll put
together a Press package for you. |
| Q. |
Can't I just host my own files on
my computer? |
| A. |
Theoretically if you are permanently connected
to the Internet, you can. But if you have a
pretty popular show, forget about using your
Internet connection for anything else. The
bandwidth requirements to host audio files
will mean that unless you have some incredibly
big 'pipe' connected to the Internet, the download
traffic required by your audience will pretty
much kill your connection.
And then you have to have some way of offering
the files. You'll need server software, web
servers, security, etc. For most musicians,
its just too hard. We feel that for the low
price of Cyberears.com, its so much better
to just let the professionals take care of
it all for you. Then you can get back to
making great audio creations. |
| Q. |
What sort of technology do you guys
have? |
| A. |
Well there's a lot. Probably more than we
can fit here. But we have five (5) OC-48 redundant
backbone feeds to the core of the Internet,
with dozens of redundant servers and over 10
terabytes of storage capacity (growing all
the time). Its a pretty big operation, and
we're really proud of it. Its all monitored
24 hrs a day, 7 days a week. We're pretty maternal
to it all, but then we geeks don't get out
of the house that much :) |
| Q. |
Where are your servers located? |
| A. |
We have an array of redundant servers located
in Phoenix, Arizona. We also have redundant
operations in Indiana. As most of the world's
English speaking listening audience for Podcasts
are located in the USA, CyberEars.com is ideally
located to serve this huge population at lightning
speeds. We have a SERIOUS investment in the
latest hardware and hosting technologies, but
then that is what we do for a living so it
kinda makes sense to have the best gear for
it. |
| Q. |
Can I use copyright material inside of my
Podcast? |
| A. |
If you are looking to use some pre-recorded
audio as introductory music for your Podcast,
keep in mind that you may be violating copyright
usage rules. We're not attorneys, so you need
to consult one. Unlike radio, Podcasts are
recorded 'time-shifted' audio files, and therefore
do not conform to the laws regarding licensing
and the use of music and other copyright materials
on radio shows. Radio shows are typically not
held for any length of time, so Podcasts are
more like a music recording than a radio show
in this regard. Be careful on the use of Audio
in your Podcasts to ensure that you do not
break any copyright laws and consult the appropriate
legal attorney for advice on this.
If you are interested in having music 'custom
written' for your Podcast, you might want
to check out these guys..... www.troubledclef.com If
the music is written for your show, you can
probably get an unlimited license for its
use. Also there is probably a wealth of 'royalty
free' music out there you could use as well.
Try doing a Google.com search and see what
you find. |
| Q. |
I have a radio
show. Can I use CyberEars.com to store archives
of it for my audience? |
| A. |
Yes, but please keep in mind the licensing
differences between radio airplay licensing
and audio recordings. When you create a permanent
recording of your radio show, and allow it
to be downloaded it no longer conforms to
the licensing requirements for 'real time'
broadcasts. Therefore if you include the
airing of copyright material in your show,
chances are that you do not have the appropriate
license or rights to distribute it as a recorded
archive.
You need to ensure that you have the apprpropriate
licenses in place to do this and should consult
with your attorney regarding this matter.
We'd be happy to host the files for you,
however please keep in mind that we are unable
to host any content that contains copyrighted
materials that you do not have license to
distribute as recorded audio. |
| Q. |
I uploaded audio to CyberEars.com
but when I click on the PLAY button on your
site, it sounds like 'Chipmunks'.
The pitch is much higher than I originally
recorded it at? What's going on? |
| A. |
Our player on CyberEars.com uses Macromedia
(now Adobe) Flash. There is a general requirement
for all Flash players on the web that the sample
rate of the MP3 be recorded using a sample
rate that is divisble by 11.025 kHz. If not,
the Flash player attempts to compensate for
this by changing the pitch of the audio to
bring it closest to a sample rate that it
can handle.
This is a pretty common 'standard' for MP3
sample rates, and you should choose a sample
rate of one of the following below for your
audio in order to ensure that it plays correctly
not only on our site, but with any other
player that respects the same requirements.
The following sample rates are considered
'standard' for MP3 files:
44.1khz
22.05khz
11.025khz
Generally the higher the sample rate, the
better quality the audio is. But the trade
off is that the higher the sample rate, the
larger the audio file is. This means that
a file that is very large may not be heard
by as many listeners as you would like simply
because they won't wait around for it to
be downloaded. We'd suggest with Podcasts
that you stick to 22.05hz for audio episodes
that are greater than 45 mins in length,
or 44.1khz for audio episodes less than 45
mins in length to ensure the correct balance
of sound fidelity and download times.
But regardless of what sample rate you choose,
please keep in mind that the sample rate
should be compatible with Flash based players
such as our site uses.
Most audio recording programs will let you
set the sample rate of the resulting MP3
file that you create, so check with your
audio recording software and make sure you
set a sample rate that is compatible with
our player in order to ensure the best possible
audio experience for your listeners. |
| Q. |
I'm not much of a recording engineer.
Where can I learn more about recording my
Podcast? |
| A, |
There are lots of books listed on the Home
page of CyberEars.com that will teach you about
Podcasting, recording, etc. However you may
not be aware that a lot of the recording equipment
companies, including Alesis,
have produced bundled Podcasting Kits that
make the process pretty simple. They usually
include microphones, headphones, some even
have small mixing boards when you need multiple
people on the show. This combined with audio
recording software (and there are plenty of
those, even FREE ones, out there), can get
you a MP3 file ready to be uploaded for your
Podcasting. |
| Q. |
I have a Podcast already hosted with
some other company. I'm not happy with my
current hosting and I want to move it to
CyberEars.com. How can I do this without
losing my current iTunes registration for
my Podcast? |
| A. |
We get this question a lot. iTunes is probably
one of the most important registries of Podcasts
you can have, as so many people will find you
on that registry. However they also don't respond
in person very easily to the needs of an individual
host on their listngs. They also don't currently
have an easy way for you to change the Feed
URL from one host to another.
Here is some information from their website
that you might want to take a look at:
http://www.apple.com/itunes/store/podcaststechspecs.html
Specifically, scroll down to the section
entitled 'Changing your Feed URL' for more
information.
If you are unable to have your current host
make these changes for you, you could try
getting in direct contact with Apple about
it. Here's a link to their Podcast support
staff:
http://www.apple.com/support/itunes/store/podcast/ |
