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MNSpeak: Talk
You Speak, Everyone Listens
Just when you finally had blogs and vlogs figured out, a new communications medium could be poised to sweep the nation: phlogs! This brand new invention -- short for phone blog -- is debuting to the world on this very site. MNspeak's new premiere sponsor, Popular Front, came to us with an idea for a new form of participatory communication, and we're trying it out for the first time today. On the right side of this page, you'll see something called "Pop Machine" that has a question and a phone number. If you call the number and leave an answer to the question, it will quickly become playable back on this site. Try it out!
32 Reader Comments
I don't get it.
This has some potential, which I don't think a 'Poll' really explores. However, I'm not sure I want to hear voice mail over the interweb.
Any chance there's a podcast feed set up for this.
I can't think of anything clever to say.
This reminds me of 1994: 1-800-I-FEEL-OK.
Blogging gives me the opportunity to delete really dumb things before I post them. Talking is too scary.
I thought phlogs were already photo blogs.
I think it's pretty freakin cool...maybe a bit ahead of its time though. We'll see.
I called- and about a minute later my answer was up. Pretty cool, but it's like talk radio without sitting on hold. I agree with Andrea-- there have been many times I've started typing here and decided it was best to bite my tongue. In fact, perhaps I should always bite my tongue.
Who chooses the questions?
Popular Front chooses the questions. I'm sure you can propose ideas here though.
This technology would be so cool for online polls-- especially at TV or radio stations. People might feel more comfortable leaving a message there instead of calling the TV station.
Incidentally- I really like it in Minneapolis. Almost everywhere you go-- there's SOMETHING bad about the weather. WE deal.
Yeah, as I play around with it, I like how it becomes another thread -- another conversation -- here.
I've been toying around with notions related to real-time communication online. Imagine if archived comments weren't the only way to interact -- what if real-time text and/or real-time audio were also in the mix?
Hmmmmm.....
It's a Breeze
i love this and want one on my blog.
TP: Something like that, but not so rigid -- and redesigned for interactive media, not for presentations.
In fact, perhaps I should always bite my tongue.
I'll bite for ya.
Oh, wait, that's some of that stuff I should be deleting, right?
This is a pretty neat tool that seems to work for the vloggers.
The coolest thing about this is you actually get a chance to talk to Stephen Hawking!
I thought I recognized that voice!
I can imagine this being pretty cool, especially when people inevitably start talking to each other instead of simply answering the poll question. I also like that sarcasm comes through a lot better vocally than written, although there's something creepily intimate about hearing someone whispering into a phone from their office.
My host has FlashCom which would allow up to 10 concurrent webcam users access to say (a banner ad that has a video feed). $15/month but only 64kbps, so the video would be a bit on the low side. :(
Super Cool. The most obvious and immediate use I see is an extension of vlog marketing, so for bars and event marketers. You get a bunch of people on there talking about what the scene is like down at Myst or a political rally at that moment. Or a way to easily do testimonials or ratings - imagine a tie-in with Match, sittercity, tripadvisor, 43things, etc. It could also be pretty neat for bloggers to update while on the road, then you could tie in to a voice recognition like dragon. Breeze has certain firewall issues - does this interfere in that same way? What I especially like (or hate) is the possible extension of unreliable information on the web. Also legal departments would have litters of kittens over it.
This is an experiment, for sure, thought we would try it out.
We would love to get questions from MnSpeak users.
How about the possibility of multiple PhoneLogs on different sites with the ability to share answers in one archive - Maybe text threads attached to the audio. The audio can add a layer of creativity not allowed by text alone.
Any ideas...
Comments seem to be disappearing.
Laurence & Co -- bravo! Very cool.
I'm personally not into talking or listening to audio/video at work, for instance... but this idea has thrilling possibilities.
Sweet, my favorite thing is how the first voice is Stephen Hawking and the second is a British game show host.
"How about the possibility of multiple PhoneLogs on different sites with the ability to share answers in one archive - Maybe text threads attached to the audio. The audio can add a layer of creativity not allowed by text alone."
that would be pretty cool. i'd definitely use it.
It's all fun and games untill Popular Front uses voice recognition on it's new database of vox wav files.
Oh, too cool! I am working on something like this at work right now based around VXML (V = Voice). I like how this opens up allot of opportunities for low/no vision folks as well. Always good to have new avenues of access and it sure puts a more human "face" on a comment than some cryptic user name. Way to go mnspeak.
Perhaps Livejournal isn't considered a "blog", but they've been doing this for at least a year (maybe more).
Pssst, new question is up.
Are there any archives? I keep missing the previous days comments. oh well.
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