'Free Up' your Internet Connection

Given limited data capacity of dial-up connections, it's important that you devote as much of your bandwidth as possible to VoIP softphone application. To achieve maximum call quality, don't do anything that uses your bandwidth whilst making calls. This includes instant messaging, checking email, using a webcam, browsing internet, downloading, etc. In Windows, you can look at two little computers in bottom right of your taskbar to see whether your connection is being used prior to calling (the little computers illuminate when data is being uploaded and/or downloaded).

Scan your System for Viruses, Spyware, Adware and Malware

Some of these malicious programs can hijack your browser, tie up your internet connection and slow down your system (not to mention seriously invade your privacy!). I recommend AdAware for free scanning and removal of Spyware/Adware. Once you've checked and cleansed your system of these nasty programs, your virus definition files should be updated to minimize chances of re-infection.

Use a Headset with an Integrated Boom Microphone

Last but not least, using a headset with a boom microphone should eliminate those annoying voice echoes often associated with PC to phone calls. Echoes are caused by your microphone detecting voice coming from your computer speakers and re-transmitting that voice signal back to person you're talking to. By using a headset, voice signals are limited in volume (due to headset being directly adjacent to your ears) and thus chances of your microphone 're-transmitting' those voice signals is greatly reduced.

So there you have it. A lack of high speed Internet needn't mean a lack of PC to phone VoIP capability.

Also how do you get exposure on a download site among 1000's of other products? Search engines are how! A large majority of downloads generated by a download site come from direct links to program information page from a search engine and best way to get those organic search results for your program is to write a detailed keyword rich description for search engines to spider. If your program is in a very competitive market and you write a 1 or 2 sentence program description your program will never rank well where as a program in a competitive category with a detailed keyword rich description that is listed on many sites can easily dominate search engine results. Can't get better exposure than that!

You've just finished a great program and marketing and getting exposure for that program takes a lot of work, but before you go through tedious process of submitting it to literally 1000's of download sites out there, spend some time on product descriptions in your PAD files.