Skypecasting

Skype, the Luxembourg-based free internet phone service, has unintentionally begun to enter the world of podcasting. Its typically very web-savvy users have created a fusion between podcasting and Skype’s softphone service which allows for the broadcast of material (usually phone conversations in the form of business interviews) to other Skype users. Because Skype’s service is based on a peer-to-peer network, files such as these can be effectively transmitted through the network at no cost. This has been a major contributing factor to the rapid growth and sudden popularity of Skypecasting among Skype’s users.

The first official Skypecast can be attributed to recordings by Cameron Reilly and Mick Stanic which were part of their “G’Day World Podcast” in November of 2004. In the past few years, the trend has spread rapidly and is currently more popular than ever. Skypecasting holds a few benefits over the more widely known podcasting because strictly online content between users on Skype remains completely free and does not require any additional hosting charges while also avoiding the consumption of a vast amount of hosting space.

In order to produce a high quality skypecast there are some specific settings you should change in order to get the best sound recording for your Skypecasting conversation. Following these tips will allow you to be able to hear yourself and your partner in conversation while recording the entire conversation:

• Firstly, it is recommended that you change the sound input under System Preference Settings to Soundflower {2ch) and set the sound utput to headphones.
• The line in input device should be set to a mic like the imic USB audio and the output should also be set through Soundflower.
• Skype audio input and output should both be set to Soundflower.
• Finally, the last tip is to use Audio Hijack Pro which will allow you to set it to record from the input (soundflower) to the output (headphones).

Another benefit to creating Skypecasts is that they can easily be attached to blogs as a way to enhance the multimedia experience of your viewing audience. The presence of an audio form such as a Skypecast will strengthen your ties to your audience and become a tool that will easily separate you from competitors. The fact that your site possesses Skypecasts will create a professional quality to your ideas and make them more credible in the eyes and ears of those exposed to it. The benefits to Skypecasting easily make it a great practice to get involved in, particularly if you are looking to advance the media experience of the audience for your thoughts.