recording your story by phone with google voice
Google's Voice, the internet giant's VOIP and voicemail app, has the capacity to record 2.5 minute recordings through any working telephone. After the recording is complete, Google sends an email to FarWest.FM with a downloadable mp3 recording and a rough voice-to-text transcription of the message. This makes it possible to record and catalogue a high volume of incoming calls, without incurring the equipment and personnel costs typically incurred by recording "phoner" interviews for broadcast.
The audio isn't perfect. It sounds like something recorded over the phone. But these days some of our most personal and intimate conversations take place over the phone. That sound's familiar.
Here's what you can do to make sure your recording is as good as you can get it:
Or just wing it and see what happens. That could work too, since some story tellers do their best work when improvising. But be advised; compelling, well narrated and cleanly recorded stories have the greatest chance of being featured on FarWest.FM and other media outlets.
If you feel that your story can't be told in two minutes and thirty seconds, send us a message the Lost Coast Oral History Project through the contact form on FarWest.FM's "ABOUT" page. We can recommend alternative recording platforms like SoundCloud that allow for longer recordings of higher quality. In special cases it may also be possible to book time in a local recording studio.
Story tellers with privacy concerns are encouraged to take reasonable precautions to protect their identities. Please avoid self incrimination at all costs. The purpose of the Lost Coast Oral History Project is to document and preserve the parts of our culture that can only be communicated in story-form -- not to create an archive of evidence that can be subpoenaed in the course of criminal investigations.
Ready? Call 707-932-5607 and tell your story. When you're done, we'll receive an email from Google Voice with your recording and post your narrative to www.FarWest.FM as soon as possible.
The audio isn't perfect. It sounds like something recorded over the phone. But these days some of our most personal and intimate conversations take place over the phone. That sound's familiar.
Here's what you can do to make sure your recording is as good as you can get it:
- Write a script so you can be intentional about what gets included in your story and what gets left out.
- Rehearse your script, and time it out. If your story takes more than 2:30, take something out.
- Time your revised script out again. Revise it again. Save yourself enough room to tell your story with a beginning, middle and end.
- Rehearse your story one more time. At least. Be sure you've leaned your script out enough to deliver it at a pace that's easy for your audience to understand. Speaking too fast sounds funny, and can alienate your audience. So can speaking too slow.
- To ensure a high quality recording, call from a land-line telephone in a quiet room. Cell phone audio, particularly with road noise or other sounds in the background, may not be useable.
Or just wing it and see what happens. That could work too, since some story tellers do their best work when improvising. But be advised; compelling, well narrated and cleanly recorded stories have the greatest chance of being featured on FarWest.FM and other media outlets.
If you feel that your story can't be told in two minutes and thirty seconds, send us a message the Lost Coast Oral History Project through the contact form on FarWest.FM's "ABOUT" page. We can recommend alternative recording platforms like SoundCloud that allow for longer recordings of higher quality. In special cases it may also be possible to book time in a local recording studio.
Story tellers with privacy concerns are encouraged to take reasonable precautions to protect their identities. Please avoid self incrimination at all costs. The purpose of the Lost Coast Oral History Project is to document and preserve the parts of our culture that can only be communicated in story-form -- not to create an archive of evidence that can be subpoenaed in the course of criminal investigations.
Ready? Call 707-932-5607 and tell your story. When you're done, we'll receive an email from Google Voice with your recording and post your narrative to www.FarWest.FM as soon as possible.
