15 April 2009

Now you can listen to Tracing the Tribe

The next new feature of Tracing the Tribe is OdioGo.

Look on the right sidebar for this OdioGo Subscribe button:


Subscribe and download full audio texts of Tracing the Tribe's posts to iTunes or other platforms.

Why did Tracing the Tribe decide to do this?

The new mantra seems to be that the web isn't just for viewing, but also for hearing.

After a few private comments from longtime readers and my own experiences, I believe that this new feature may help readers who are either very busy and do not have the luxury of sitting at their computers for hours (like bloggers!), or who may experience visual impairment or reading disabilities.

Now you can listen to Tracing the Tribe on your iPod or a mobile device as you take a walk, exercise, commute, do laundry, cook a huge holiday meal for family and friends or simply sit outside on a nice day enjoying fresh air and nature. You won't have to be glued to your computer to access the blog's resources.

As we celebrate the Passover holiday this week, we remember that our ancestors trekked out of Egypt and walked around for 40 years. It might have been easier on them if they all had iPods. Sounds like a great cartoon: All the Israelites marching out of Egypt with iPods tuned to Tracing the Tribe. At times like these, I wish I could draw!

The idea of providing better accessibility means that many others may be able to access the information contained in the blog's posts. And there's also the question of genealogy demographics - providing adaptive technology is good for everyone. We never know when we may need a little extra assistance to continue with our favorite interests.

Try it out, although it may a few hours to get the listen icon fully functioning for each full post, instead of the short feed.

I'd really like to know how you feel about this new feature, and look forward to your comments.

2 comments:

  1. What a big commitment and a great one! I have considered making audios of my blog posts too but I just don't have the time. I think it's wonderful that you're doing it though.

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  2. Hi, Jasia. It is supposed to be an automatic process. Underline the "automatic" part, but we are experiencing a tech glitch limiting audio to 40-sec bytes instead of the entire post. We are working on it!

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