Welcome! It looks like you're new here. Be notified whenever there's a new post by subscribing to Biz Bits using the form on the right. You'll also get my exclusive Internet marketing course as a bonus. Give it a try. You can unsubscribe with one-click at any time, although hardly anyone ever does...

I came across this guide to using [Skype->http://skype.com] to conduct interviews, and it struck me what an easy product creation tool this could be.

Skype is a free [VOIP->http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Voip] (Voice Over Internet Protocol) [P2P->http://www.answers.com/p2p] [(Peer-to-Peer) telephony->http://www.skype.com/products/explained.html] / instant messenger application.

I use it myself and the audio quality is generally very good. Certainly far better than most of those tele seminars recorded to mp3 that are in vogue on so many Internet marketing sites at present.

All you need to do is arrange a time and date with your chosen expert on the other side of the globe, perhaps emailing a rough outline and questions to be covered in advance. Call over Skype and conduct the interview, creating a nice clean audio recording you can then duplicate into any format of your choosing. Throw up a standard sales page, do your JV mailings, and your away!

There’s an overview below, but I suggest you head over to the Blogarithms site for more detail:

Blogarithms » Interviews via Skype

Record on an external device, not the same computer running Skype.

Record the two sides of the conversation on separate tracks, then mix them in post-production. This allows you to match the levels and equalization and to eliminate single-track noise with gates.

Shutdown all other applications on the computer running Skype. The worst offenders are those that use network resources such as email and IM clients, but anything that can take resources from Skype must be halted.

Have exclusive access to a broadband connection. Another computer or a VOIP phone using the connection can adversely affect the quality.

Use a standard cardioid microphone, not the noise-canceling type that are part of most headsets.