People are different. Some are good at sport. Some are good at artistic endeavors. Some like to write and some prefer to talk. Most Social Networks are based on the written word. And specifically, require a good typing speed. But not everyone likes to write or even type. I happen to work in an industry where there is a higher than average proportion of individuals who are dyslexic. For them, coping with the written word is at best problematic and at worst a real barrier to progress in this world. They much prefer to talk. This is where AudioBoo comes in.
For dyselxics, Twitter and Facebook are useful tools that allow them to get their point across. The emphasis on a few characters plus photos and an increasing tolerance for grammatical errors has been a godsend. But still, it is inconvenient and does not allow dyselxics to blossom in the commercial world as they might. For dyslexic people, a much more useful Social Networking tool is AudioBoo.
Aimed at individuals, AudioBoo is a way of recording the spoken word as audio clips or podcasts and publishing them to a Social Network. AudioBoo is a free service that allows you to record an unlimited number of audio clips up to 5 minutes long and to have it published and searchable as a podcast on iTunes instantly. In addition, the recordings are republished on all the major networking sites such as Facebook and Twitter and you can even pre-record your clips on the Audioboo website at: www.audioboo.fm.
What really makes this service work well, whether you are dyslexic or not, is that the quality of audio recording on an ordinary smart phone or in particular an iPhone is just wonderful. If you are the sort of person that can just talk on any subject without a script – but come across as expert, then it is possible to create quite an audience of like minded friends. Of course, podcasts lend themselves to a mobile world. You can listen to podcasts as you drive and some people are even brave enough to record podcasts as they drive.
One downside to podcasts as republished by AudioBoo is that they are arguably not as good for strengthing your Search profile on Google as the Google Spiders can not read the content of Podcasts. However, with a little thought, it is possible to either have your podcasts typed up and re-posted as standard Facebook or Twitter posts for example, or even to use audio to text software like Dragon Dictate to transpose the audio to text.
AudioBoo Plus
If you start to find that this method of Social Networking is working for you, then you might like to try the chargeable service called AudioBoo Plus. For £60 per year (inc VAT) this allows you to record 30 minute podcasts and importantly for businesses – post to Facebook Fan Pages not just personal profile pages (Timelines). Along with further useful features and a guarantee that their serve could handle a very popular viral campaign without falling over, it is a very good option.
AudioBoo Pro
AudioBo Pro is quite a big step up from AudioBoo Plus and is aimed at corporate users. It costs around £500 and is the equivalent of an enterprise AudioBoo tool. Many users in a single organisation canude AudioBoo to send in recording where they can be staged for editing or moderation before publishing. This way, a news gathering operation could join together several audio recordings to make up a regular news bulletin, for example. The whole thing can carry the branding of that organisation and appear as a sophisticated Channel in its own right.
The interesting point is that whether you are dyslexic or not, AudioBoo is quick and simple to use and with a range of options, might just be a better solution to your business Social Networking needs. So why not give it a go?
