Why type information into weblogs when you and simply speak and record your note using a telephone. Read this article to find out more.

Around the time Google announced their purchase of Pyra Labs (indirectly buying Blogger.com) another company came out called Audblog. Their concept is to offer people voice posts on their weblogs via phone and everyday users can listen to their posts instead of reading them - such as you are reading mine right now.

It hasn't taken off and I'm not really sure why. Maybe the people geeky enough to even consider such a concept are too afraid to actually carry on a conversation with themselves. Most of them just like constructing their thoughts through random taps on a keyboard.

I listen to a couple myself and it got really annoying. (1) I was continuously trying to hang on to the person's conversation through all the background noise, (2) things didn't flow as nicely when being spoken than when reading, and (3) you could tell they felt very nervous and reserved. Basically it's good idea but needs a lot of work.

Today, however CNET came out with a great concept that may have come from this idea. CNETRadio.com was born out of the idea that - people are busy and don't always have time to read up on all the news. Real news - not just someone spouting off about their new socks.

The news comes twice a day in .MP3 format. You can listen to it on your computer or quickly burn it for that car ride to and from work (also great for listening during a jog, walking your dog, etc..). With CD's as cheap as they are and being re-writable, it makes complete sense.

Going further

I think the above it a great idea and I even signed up for it. However, it's just a start with voice on the web. One idea I see this technology being used for is journalist purposes. Folks in the field being able to updating quickly with what's going on. Getting interviews on the spot and actually hearing people's voices.

So how is this different from radio? Simple - not much different. The main benefits would be archiving purposes. Being able to quickly search thousands of voice archives over the web for research projects.

Another difference from radio would be un-edited journalism. There wouldn't be any commercials, there wouldn't be any bleeps, there wouldn't be any "Let's take this out and only point out this side of the story" - there would be pure journalism.

Another idea that comes to mind is quick voice searching. Google Labs developed a system somewhat doing this very thing but very simple right now.

Hook Google's voice search capabilities into un-edited journalism and you now have fully compiled content for websites. Resources from everywhere being pulled in based upon what's going on. If the reporter is reporting on terrorism the site will pick this up and pull in other links that deal with the same situation. Maybe past instances of this or simple "How to deal with Terrorism" links for quick comforting reads.

I'm slowly developing this idea but it could really take care of itself. No more teams of web developers slapping things together and trying to gather resources from the newsroom (which is hard as hell if you've ever worked for a paper) - information would just evolve and grow on itself.

DISCLAIMER: The content provided in this article is not warranted or guaranteed by Developer Shed, Inc. The content provided is intended for entertainment and/or educational purposes in order to introduce to the reader key ideas, concepts, and/or product reviews. As such it is incumbent upon the reader to employ real-world tactics for security and implementation of best practices. We are not liable for any negative consequences that may result from implementing any information covered in our articles or tutorials. If this is a hardware review, it is not recommended to open and/or modify your hardware.

More Web Services Articles
More By Aaron Schaap

 

developerWorks - FREE Tools!

NEW! Addressing software-as-a-service challenges using Tivoli security and WebSphere solutions Building a software-as-a-service solution requires addressing a few key technical challenges. In this webcast, we'll focus on the role of IBM Tivoli Directory Server and WebSphere Portlet Factory in creating a Software as a Service solution. We will demonstrate how to use Tivoli Directory Server to prevent the user population of one tenant from accessing the virtual portal and portlet components of another tenant. We will also use the dynamic profile capability of WebSphere Portlet Factory to create multiple highly customized applications from one code base. FREE! Go There Now!

NEW! Download IBM Rational Developer for System z Download a free trial version of IBM Rational Developer for System z, software that can help you deliver core development capabilities; the power of Java Platform, Enterprise Edition (Java EE); and rapid application development support to diverse enterprise application development teams. With comprehensive development tools to help create, deploy and maintain traditional enterprise and composite applications, Rational Developer for System z enables developers with different technical backgrounds to easily participate in important technology projects. FREE! Go There Now!

NEW! Evaluate IBM Rational Developer for System i V7.1 Download a free trial version of IBM Rational Developer for System i V7.1, which provides a complete development environment for traditional i5/OS application development. IBM Rational Developer for System i is a new eclipse-based workstation offering for i5/OS application development that provides a comprehensive Integrated Development Environment for edit/compile/debug of traditional RPG/COBOL/C/C++ i5/OS applications. FREE! Go There Now!

NEW! Hacking 101 Join us for this web seminar to learn how you can defend your web applications from attack. Learn about the 3 most common web application attacks, including how they occur and what can be done to prevent them. We’ll also discuss manual versus automated approaches for scanning and identifying web application vulnerabilities and how IBM Rational AppScan, an automated vulnerability scanner, can help you automate more of what you are doing manually today. FREE! Go There Now!

NEW! Hello World: Learn how to install and use the Rational Asset Manager Eclipse client In this tutorial, you can learn how to install and configure the IBM Rational Asset Manager Eclipse client, explore the different views in the Asset Management perspective, learn various search techniques, work with existing assets, and submit a new asset. FREE! Go There Now!

NEW! IBM Enterprise Modernization Sandbox for System z: Architecture Analysts, architects, and developers who have existing COBOL or PL/I skills and want to extend those skills to deploy new workloads on the mainframe can use the IBM Enterprise Modernization Sandbox for System z to find hands-on walkthroughs of common real world scenarios. The scenarios provide examples of how to rapidly design, create, assemble, test, and deploy high-quality Web, Web services, portal, and SOA applications for IBM CICS, IBM IMS, and IBM WebSphere Application Server. FREE! Go There Now!

NEW! Rational Asset Manager eKit Learn how to do more with your reusable assets with the free Rational Asset Manager eKit. The eKit includes demos on how Rational Asset Manager tracks and audits your assets in order to utilize them for reuse. Plus you’ll find white papers and a Webcast that discuss the challenges of a Service Oriented Architecture and how Rational Asset Manager can provide quick and effective solutions. FREE! Go There Now!

NEW! Rational Modeling Extension for Microsoft.Net Rational Modeling Extension for Microsoft .NET enhances usability for code generation supporting a more intelligent refactoring. The latest enhancements enable organizations with Java and .NET systems and software development maintain architectural integrity across heterogeneous platforms. FREE! Go There Now!

NEW! Using Rational Business Developer to enhance your developer productivity Join this Rational Talks to You teleconference, to hear how Enterprise Generation Language (EGL) eliminates the need for tedious and error-prone low level coding, so developers can focus on business requirements. EGL extends the Rational software development platform with a simplified programming language that enables developers who have little or no experience with Java, Web technologies or Service Oriented Architecture, to create enterprise-class applications and services quickly and easily. It also allows developers who may have little or no mainframe programming experience to quickly create traditional mainframe components. FREE! Go There Now!

Refresh! IBM Rational Systems Development Solution eKit With IBM Rational Systems Development Solution, you can deliver products faster with higher quality. Within this kit, Read the “Model Driven Systems Development” white paper to see how to improve product quality and communication. Then check out the rest of the e-Kit to learn more about important topics that can affect the success of any software project through customer examples, tutorials, informative Webcasts, and best practices for designing, building and managing systems. From start to finish, at every stage in your projects, Rational Systems Development Solution can help your company reach its full potential. FREE! Go There Now!

All FREE IBM® developerWorks Tools!