The Digital Literacy Project sponsors the Cars and Computers podcast which I produce. Interviews with technicians, educators,technology vendors and industry leaders are included in addition to covering topical automotive technology news. If you are implementing digital technology withing the automotive service industry, please consider participating in an interview.
Preparing and Scheduling an Interview
My goal is to provide the best quality interview possible, yet still make the process relatively easy. To accomplish this requires following a proven process. The process is not particularly time consuming, or hard, but it does include a few steps, which are:
- Fill out the online Podcast Interview Form.
- Within a couple of days, I will contact you so we can establish a draft outline of the interview and discuss how the interview will be conducted.
- I will then email you a final outline of the interview and we can set a date and time for the interview.
- We perform the interview.
Interview Basics
In most cases, interviews will be conducted using Skype, or via a land line telephone. Typically interviews are conducted at your convenience from 4:00 PM EST until 1:00 AM EST on weekdays or virtually anytime during a weekend.
Prior to the interview, try and choose a good environment. The quieter the better. Make sure there is no excessive background noise like a TV or radio on. Try to tell others in the building that you will be participating in an interview so they will not be entering the room and producing extra background noise. Even things like dogs barking outside, outside power equipment and street traffic could be picked up on a microphone. This is why it is often best to conduct interviews at night, if outside noise is a factor. Just try to use the quietest environment you have available. Remember that the interview is being recorded for later distribution, so many things (like a fire truck siren) can be edited out before it is distributed.
Skype Interview
The preferred way to conduct an interview is to use Skype, which is a free Internet service that supports voice over the Internet protocol or VoIP. In more simpler terms it allows you to place a telephone-type call over the Internet.
I don’t use Skype just because it is a high tech way to place a call. There are many advantages to utilizing Skype. One of the main reasons is that the quality of the call is about 3 times better than the plain old telephone system (POTS – no this is not something I made up, it is a communication industry term). VoIP transmits at 24,000 samples per second and POTS transmits at about 8,000 samples per second. I can easily perform a high quality recording of a Skype conversation from my computer which can then be inserted right into the podcast. Skype can also support up to 5 calls in a conference call which can also be recorded.
A Skype interview can be conducted two ways, Skype-to-Skype or Skype-to-POTS.
Skype-to-Skype
Obviously the best situation is a Skype-to-Skype interview. When a Skype-to-Skype interview is recorded, it sounds almost like both people are sitting in a recording studio. To participate in a Skype-to-Skype interview you will need to have a computer with a hard wired broadband connection and Skype installed (available for free from http://skype.com).
You also need a microphone/headphone setup, also called a headset. Relatively inexpensive ($25-$50) USB style are the best. Plantronics is a good brand along with Logitech. If you plan to use Skype it is also best to get in some practice in using the program prior to the interview.
While the investment in hardware and time is not insignificant, it should be very doable for someone that is involved in digital technology. It is a technology that is worth the effort and sooner or later you will be using it, so might as well make it sooner!
Skype-to-POTS
If you aren’t ready to implement Skype on your end, the second best option is for you to use a land line telephone for the interview. In this case I will use Skype and call you on your land line phone at the prearranged interview time. Please, do not use a mobile phone. That degrades the call even further.
If you have any questions about this process feel free to contact me.
Grant Swaim